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[ilma.tar]

Hello everyone! I'm a long time LTT viewer, but this is the first time I've taken to the forums.

 

I found a couple of SuperMicro X8DTT-HEF+ (rev. 2.00) for quite cheap on eBay, and I'm planning on fabricating my own case, which means that the unique form factor shouldn't be a problem for me.

The main issue that I've run into is the proprietary power connector that this board uses, as it was originally intended as a hot-swappable tray in a blade server. I have found a couple of the backplanes it's compatible with online, but most are quite pricey or in an obscure location (compared to me).

 

Here's what that backplane looks like:

The motherboard plugs into the "L" shaped ports in the center and on the far right side of the motherboard, and this backplane is used for both power distribution and as an SAS backplane. The "L" shaped power/data port is identical on the motherboard iteself:

 

And for a closer look at the bridge board that connects the motherboard and backplane:

There are some models that have two ports, and some with one, but this just seems to be for different configurations (2U vs 1U) and shouldn't change much.

 

My main questions are:

Does anybody know of any other power distribution board that may be compatible with this socket?

  I believe that one of the ports on the power/data port is for power, and one is for data (for the SAS ports on the backplane). I personally am only looking for a solution to the power, I don't need the data transfer/access to any SAS ports.

Can anybody confirm that this is a proprietary port?

  I haven't been able to find any other similar ports in my search, but I know SuperMicro isn't generally one to limit users with proprietary hardware. And this would obviously make my search for a solution a lot easier.

Any suggestions for alternative/DIY ways to power this motherboard?

  This is a project I'm taking on for fun, and I am always actively looking for ways to re-purpose older hardware (especially server hardware) to match today's needs. As such, I'm ready to go to pretty ridiculous lengths to get around this power port issue, so any suggestions are appreciated!

 

 

Thanks for taking the time to read my post, and I look forward to being part of the LTT Forums!

Edited March 22, 2018 by wkdpaul

[Crunchy Dragon]

-Threads merged-

 

Please refrain from reposting the same topic.

[ilma.tar]

9 minutes ago, Crunchy Dragon said:

-Threads merged-

 

Please refrain from reposting the same topic.

Sorry about that @.@

[Crunchy Dragon]

-Threads merged-

[ilma.tar]

1 minute ago, Crunchy Dragon said:

-Threads merged-

I'm trying to move my topic out of Servers and NAS because I think that it would make more sense in Power Supplies and Cases! Please help me.

[Crunchy Dragon]

Just now, ilma.tar said:

I'm trying to move my topic out of Servers and NAS because I think that it would make more sense in Power Supplies and Cases! Please help me.

-Moved to Cases and Power Supplies-