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Question Should 3 x 24V Power Supplies (made from 6 x 12V PSUs) "-" leads be connected to common ground?

Discussion in 'Electronic and hardware generally' started by Ronan Design, Sep 18, 2024.

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  1. Ronan Design

    Ronan Design Roman Design - Custom MSFS Scenery

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    My Motion Simulator:
    2DOF, DC motor, Arduino
    I intend to use 6 x 12V 750W HP server power supplies to make 3 x 24V power supplies using this mod. So I will power 2 250W wheelchair motors from each in my upcoming budget 6DOF rig. Now I'm not 100% sure and seek the answer from the community: should "-" leads from all 3 be connected together to form a common ground that goes everywhere, or though every pair of "+" and "-" leads lead directly to the motor driver circuits and kept separate from each other?

    Just for information: the mod disconnects the ground from the case of one of the PSUs to avoid a short when connecting them in series. After that they act as a single 24V unit, which should not be relevant to my question, but just in case.

    From my limited knowledge of electronics I assume that "-" is the ground for all intents and purposes, and therefore should be united to avoid ground loops etc. However I'm not that proficient to be sure in case of this specific case of 3 PSUs used simultaneously.

    Another related question is - can I safely connect together all those PSUs "PSON" pin that's supposed to be shorted to ground to turn then on, or should I power all 6 individually using a relay module? The complication is that both 12V PSUs in a pair need to have it shorted, but I suspect that because one has lifted ground from the case, its ground should not be shorted to the second uint's ground, so I'm inclined to keep those separate using a 6-bank relay switch.

    BTW the reason I'm using such an exotic PSUs and not just buying a single 1500W 24V PSU is that I can get them free. The cost of 6DOF is significant even with my weaker motors and I want to save where I can. I'm now running 1 12V PSU in my 2DOF for 3 years and it's been great.
    Last edited: Sep 18, 2024
    Ronan Design, Sep 18, 2024
    #1