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Do you need to power a project with 12V and 5V from one power supply? The ATX power connector breaks out the standard 4-pin computer peripheral port for your 12V and 5V devices! Once you have chosen a power supply (whether it be an ATX power supply or the included 12V/5V wall adapter), you're ready to give your project some life! This kit has everything you need to solder together an ATX breakout and screw terminals for powering your project directly or pumping power into a breadboard.
ATX power supplies usually have a number of power connectors available to power components for a desktop computer. One of these connectors is the 4-pin power connector, which is intended to power 12V and 5V computer peripherals (such as disk drives). Depending on the manufacturer of the power supply, the quantity of each connector can vary. If you want to easily grab some juice for your project from this connector, you'll need to connect the breakout board to this port.
Note: Since this product is a kit, assembly and a basic knowledge of soldering will be required. The ATX power connector breakout does not come pre-assembled. Only the pin next to 5V is grounded. The pin next to 12V is not connected (NC). Please refer to the picture of the bottom of the unit for more information. The AC cable for this is included and works with 100-240VAC inputs via a 2-prong style plug.
This skill defines how difficult the soldering is on a particular product. It might be a couple simple solder joints, or require special reflow tools.
Skill Level: Noob - Some basic soldering is required, but it is limited to a just a few pins, basic through-hole soldering, and couple (if any) polarized components. A basic soldering iron is all you should need.
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If it requires power, you need to know how much, what all the pins do, and how to hook it up. You may need to reference datasheets, schematics, and know the ins and outs of electronics.
Skill Level: Rookie - You may be required to know a bit more about the component, such as orientation, or how to hook it up, in addition to power requirements. You will need to understand polarized components.
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We welcome your comments and suggestions below. However, if you are looking for solutions to technical questions please see our Technical Assistance page.
Based on 2 ratings:
I haven't had a chance to really put this through its paces yet. But it is a perfect fit for the project I purchased it for. I needed exactly 5V and 12V for my project. I won't need the full 2A on the 5V rail. But 2A on the 12V rail will be handy as I am driving a group of solenoids that pull .25A each.
JUST TO LET YOU KNOW ,EVERYTHING IS WORKING OUT OK. VERY GREAT KIT LIKE IT VERY MUCH. I DID GIVE THIS INFO TO ANOTHER HAM, FOR HIS PROJECT.
THANKS JOHN
For those of you who came here from the ad at the top of the page on sparkfun.com's homepage: The photo from the ad is pretty misleading in my opinion. I'm no electrical engineer, but I would not use a fork or spade terminal as a jumper from the grounds, nor would I leave an exposed fork down on the 5V terminal of the screw terminal. Sparkfun, if you are reading this - I would suggest updating the ad picture.
Hi,
I'm not sure what is misleading about it? It's a screw terminal with a temporary connection to the fork. The fork is not a jumper. It connects to ground on one system and an additional ground wire connects to another system. We have used it in our previous documentation with the barrel jack with screw terminal. There others in the community that use screw terminals to connect to forks.
ATX connector? they were on AT too. Molex power connector?
We were considering naming it "AT/ATX" or even how it's commonly referred to as "Molex." However, we opted for: "ATX Power Connector."