XMT 300 PC Power Distribution Module
As we stated earlier, the Miller XMT 300 PC power supply only produces a single, gigantic +12V output. This +12V power is then fed to multiple distribution modules wired in parallel that mount inside one or more PCs where the normal ATX power supply would go.
The standard XMT 300 PC cables (the two wires on the left) are nothing like you have seen before on any PC power supply. You get a pair of 8’ long #6AWG pure copper cables. (Additional cables can be purchased separately to power multiple PCs, up to twenty.) The large wire size is used to minimize voltage losses between the XMT 300 PC main power unit and the power distribution module(s).
From the outside the power distribution module looks like a small ATX power supply and features a slow speed, virtually silent 80mm fan on the front to provide a little case airflow. The power distribution module has two primary functions:
1. Converts +12V into: +3.3V, +5V, -12V, and +5VSB
2. Provides the necessary cables and connectors
Inside the power distribution module we find only a few basic components. DC to DC converters are used to create the +3.3V, +5V and -12V outputs that the motherboard and other items inside the PC need for normal operation.
I was curious about how the XMT 300 PC and/or power distribution module produced the +5VSB output. At first, it appeared as though the standard +5VSB circuit normally found in all ATX power supplies (required for turning on the PC among other things), was simply replaced with a special battery. After further investigation, I learned there is a little more to it than that – in fact, a lot more… 🙂 It turns out the battery is actually a small flux capacitor mounted between two proprietary transducers that create a temporal distortion field that keeps the flux capacitor in a virtually charged state for up to twelve months. Whoa – this is starting to sound like some serious Star Trek technology. Go Miller!
The XMT 300 PC power distribution module has a full assortment of cables and connectors including four PCI-E cable/connectors. All of the cables are hard-wired into the distribution module, which eliminates potential problems caused by the added resistance of modular cable connectors. The wiring harnesses measure 20” to 24” long to the first connector and all of the cables are covered with black plastic mesh sleeving. Flat ribbon-style cables are available as an option.
Awesome April fools joke
Awesome April fools joke
I find the article very well
I find the article very well written. Hope to see more tests like this in the near future 😉 I just hope we won’t have to wait a year before the next one 🙂
I’ve been using one of these
I’ve been using one of these to satisfy the insatiable power hungry needs of my home server. Here are the spec’s:
-MSI Z97 PC Mate motherboard
-Intel Pentium G3258 (undervolted)
-2×4 GB Corsair Ram
-3×2 TB WD green HD running in RAID 5
-No video
-No keyboard
-No mouse
-Miller XMT 300 PC Power Supply
For cooling I run everything in an industrial walk-in freezer. So far the Miller XMT 300 has been doing an ok job supplying power but I’m afraid if I add anymore hard drives (I’m thinking about an ssd), I’ll need to upgrade. Maybe tap into those high power lines running near my property.
Good joke, 8 years old
Good joke, 8 years old though.
Excellent memory! Glad you
Excellent memory! Glad you have been with us all these years.
Didn’t have time to read the
Didn’t have time to read the interview, but I’d imagine you’re trying to run a Titan X in that rig?
Ask Allyn if he can arc weld
Ask Allyn if he can arc weld with this.
Awesome, whack 2 of those
Awesome, whack 2 of those into a large computer case, and you will have enough power to run the next gen AMD FX CPU.
That actually would make a
That actually would make a cool case, I am a welder, to buy the case alone from Miller would be costly, but it does have the wheels spinning in my head to fab something like this.
1994 era 220V ARC welder. I
1994 era 220V ARC welder. I remember seeing this April Fools joke quite a few years ago.
Now I know what I’ll get to
Now I know what I’ll get to power my future 300W APU.
Moar power than what my house
Moar power than what my house can bring in lulz.
All kidding aside, a lot of
All kidding aside, a lot of datacentres are moving to semi-centralised LVDC distribution, with each machine only having a basic DC-DC converter to provide the small amount of 3.3V & 5V needed. Some custom boards (e.g. Open Compute) even have the buck converters on the motherboard itself.
So while it’s a welding supply, very similar designs 9without the variable voltage) are already in use pwoering multiple PCs through 12VDC distribution.
heck 80 lb? not much more
heck 80 lb? not much more than a bag of feed!
i just wonder if it;s enough power for a NUC ?
and will it run CRYSIS???!!
Had me going until the flux
Had me going until the flux capacitor bit.
Still I imagine something like this would be quite useful in a dense datacenter environment. There’s really no need for each node to do its own AC->DC conversion there, so long as the DC leads don’t extend very far. Would at least simplify cooling.