US$189 AKiTiO Thunder2 PCIe Box (16Gbps-TB2)

[mzinz]

This seems like the cleanest possible solution if the power situation gets figured out!

[mzinz]

@sm0kes The above is quite possible. @Call was able to power the thunder2 boards with only the x16 riser molex connector. He states, >> here.

A clean solution is easily workable. See what I did with my TH05 >> here.

(I will be selling that setup, including the TH05, power brick, and case assembly once my x16 riser arrives as I'm working on a new solution. Anyone with an older MacBook with Thunderbolt 1.0 could use this to it's full potential — much much better than non-Thunderbolt implementations)

Hey M-Low -

Hoping you could clarify something. I've read through Call's post but not quite understanding.

1. How does the Dell PSU connect to the Akitio box? Is it helping supply *additional* power to the PCI-E slot?

2. Why do we need the x16 to x16 riser?

[M-Low]

Hey M-Low -

Hoping you could clarify something. I've read through Call's post but not quite understanding.

1. How does the Dell PSU connect to the Akitio box? Is it helping supply *additional* power to the PCI-E slot?

2. Why do we need the x16 to x16 riser?

I can't say for the Dell PSU as I've never used one. For the XBox 360 PSUs (i.e. there are 3 different ones of varying wattage) some soldering is required. The XBox360 Jasper unit has some 150w, which was more than enough to power my GTX 670 o/c and the TH05.

The 150w xbox 360 PSU needs to be cut to expose the wires underneath. The wires are as follows:

- 3x yellow wires (12v)

- 3x black wires (grounds)

- 1x red wire (5v)

- 1x blue wire (return/checker)

I connected one yellow each to the six-pin GPU connectors by wiring those together directly. I then powered the TH05 with the other yellow wire. I then hooked up the blue and red wires to a switch because the blue and red wires are essentially a power safety mechanism that checks whether there's a closed circuit and allows the PSU to come out of sleep-mode, if so.

I'm planning on using the 203w xbox 360 PSU for the newer Akitio Thunder2 unit, not that it actually requires more power (i.e. it may, but not an additional 53w - more like 10w). The wires are the same expect there is an extra yellow and black/ground. I'll be wiring the GPU directly as mentioned above, then the GPU riser molex in order to power the x16 interface with another yellow wire. I will then power the actual Thunder2 daughter-board directly by splicing another yellow wire.

It's best to splice the wires by twisting them together, then using a little bit of solder to create a solid bond. I then like to melt some plastic cover over top of the solder reduce chances of fire/wire-crossing.

*** caveat: I'm not an electrical engineer. I just tried this and it's worked for the last two years without any issues, so... ***

Best picture I've found so far...

And I've never seen this 200W Pico PSU before. It looks pretty awesome actually. If you can get 200w out of it, you'll just need to wire it up properly and Bob's your uncle! Honestly though, that's a pretty cool find. I might consider trying that one instead.

[rancorx2]

Yes but most Mini-ITX cases that fit a full size PSU & GPU are very big compared to the only compontents that you need (PSU, GPU & Thunderbolt board). So a custom enclosure that fits on our desk would be much nicer. Example:

[ATTACH=CONFIG]12025[/ATTACH]

Source: MSI/SilverStone eGPU prototype (estimated at $250) at Computex 2013

[ATTACH=CONFIG]12026[/ATTACH]

Source: The MSI GUS II eGPU prototype (max. 150 Watt) 2012

Personly I like the SilverStone FT03 mini case but it is limited to a 10"/ 25,4 cm GPU (max. GeForce 760 or older GeForce 680). Let's hope the GeForce 800 series (Maxwell) will be shorter.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]12027[/ATTACH] or [ATTACH=CONFIG]12028[/ATTACH]

Source: SilverStone FT03 mini

top one although being a prototype, looks pretty large, wouldn't be very portable.

[jacobsson]

What parts are needed to connect the molex to the 8-pin? Can't seem to find the right connectors.

If we do not have yet the Dell DA-2, can we use a 200W Pico PSU to power the x16 riser instead? This could probably eliminate the need for an 8-pin adapter.

I'm not sure if I missed the concept of the pico PSU, wouldn't it need a power brick anyway?

The Dell DA-2 is native 12V and 220W, isn't that optimal for our usage?

Thanks!

[badbadbad]

I'm not sure if I missed the concept of the pico PSU, wouldn't it need a power brick anyway?

The Dell DA-2 is native 12V and 220W, isn't that optimal for our usage?

Thanks!

Yes it is optimal and yes, you will still need a power brick. I was just hoping to have more power options instead of just the 8-pin port.

So how do you connect the 8-pin female to the 4-pin Molex? Do you have to customize the cable or are there shops that sell them pre-made?

[jacobsson]

Yes it is optimal and yes, you will still need a power brick. I was just hoping to have more power options instead of just the 8-pin port.

So how do you connect the 8-pin female to the 4-pin Molex? Do you have to customize the cable or are there shops that sell them pre-made?

I would change the 8-pin DA-2 male to a PCIe 6-pin male. Then use y-splitters, something like this.

Of course one could clean up the cable work so it looks even nicer by cutting and solder the cables to the necessary

lengths. I'd probably make my own 6-pin female input beside the 5.5/2.5mm input so that I can have the enclosure closed if I wanted to.

[Sachin10]

I would change the 8-pin DA-2 male to a PCIe 6-pin male. Then use y-splitters, something like this.

Of course one could clean up the cable work so it looks even nicer by cutting and solder the cables to the necessary

lengths. I'd probably make my own 6-pin female input beside the 5.5/2.5mm input so that I can have the enclosure closed if I wanted to.

Eurydice writes the following message in this thread:

No soldering would be required, just a powered riser. This is confirmed to be working. I have the same Macbook as you, and when I get my parts I will do some tests, as well as rig it to power from a DA-220. Parts list here.

This should work, and I will confirm if it does.

I already have a 6-pin connector to cannibalize to connect to the DA-220. (Jacobsson's post)

This is assuming the powered riser only uses the +12v and Ground from the Molex (which I believe it does)

However a generic power supply should do all of this without the need to mess around with wiring, just plug the molex plug into the powered riser and you're good to go. This is at the sacrifice of portability, a grave one indeed.

I may have missed something vital, so if Nando could fact-check this, it would benefit us both.

If this works out, it is a fairly easy cost-effective solution for TB2 eGPUs without the bulky ATX PSUs.

Cards should get more power-efficient with the smaller architectures, and so fall more into the healthy range of this 220w brick's supply.

Is it correct that this would be a solder free solution?

[jacobsson]

Eurydice writes the following message in this thread:

Is it correct that this would be a solder free solution?

Yeah I don't see any problem with that.

Just use an ATX PSU and use one molex for the riser and the PCIe power for the GPU.

Might not need the AC-adapter at all since the riser would do the job, at least that's how I supply my Thundertek PCB.

For the DA-2 solder is required (if there isn't some DA-2 special cable converter that I have missed).

[Sachin10]

Yeah I don't see any problem with that.

Just use an ATX PSU and use one molex for the riser and the PCIe power for the GPU.

Might not need the AC-adapter at all since the riser would do the job, at least that's how I supply my Thundertek PCB.

It is not with a ATX PSU but with the DA-220 and some cables that you can find here. But I don't know if the cables need to be modified.

[Hien Van]

I just found this ATX PSU Is this a solution? (sorry my English isn't good xD)

HDPLEX-250W-Hi-Fi-DC-ATX-Power-Supply (16V-24V Wide Range Voltage Input)

[badbadbad]

Cool. That looks like the same PicoPSU the A4 uSFF case will be using.

[dernils]

Macway France also offers the Akitio Box for 260€ including taxes and shipping costs (just bought it from germany). I'll report on thursday how it works with my 2014 macbook pro retina and my radeon r9 290 gpu.

[jtomes123]

Well I messaged Mag.de support since it's closest and they said it'd be around 260€ with shipping but they'll know for sure when they receive shipment on 20.8.

[sm0kes]

I just found this ATX PSU Is this a solution? (sorry my English isn't good xD)

HDPLEX-250W-Hi-Fi-DC-ATX-Power-Supply (16V-24V Wide Range Voltage Input)

Looks like this might work without having to solder. I guess the real question is, would there be enough room for this inside of the Akitio box with a video card and the lid closed?

[Dschijn]

The HDPlex needs a powerfull notebook powerbrick which are quite expensive. Something like 250-300W PSUs for Alienware notebooks.

[badbadbad]

The HDPlex and power brick will probably a good investment for single eGPU implementation since the newer GPUs will only get more power efficient than what it currently is.

Why not the Dell PA-9E?

[domjmurphy]

I've used Macway France before. Decent service, would reccomend!

[ithildin]

My Akitio Thunder2 arrived on the mail yesterday. I'm looking forward to testing it with my Macbook Air and a couple of GPUs in the next few weeks once my PCIe x16 riser cable arrives. First impressions on the unit is that it's sturdy and well built but relatively accessible for modding. It's larger than I expected but the inner chassis/outer shell design wastes some of that extra room. The outer shell is a thick aluminium case so drilling vent holes will probably require a CNC mill. However, it seems to be a standard extruded aluminium project box painted black (plus a set of feet) so I should be able to replace it with a common project case with similar dimensions.This gives us the option to replace the outer shell with a wider case so long as new front+back plates are designed with matching cutouts for Thunderbolt ports/vent,etc. Length is limited by the inner chassis and fan placement but we could gain some extra room by moving the fan to the space between the outer grill and inner case. It seems like the front grill can be removed and should have enough room there to fit a slimmer fan.

On first analysis, the main PCB seems to just act as a x4 to x16 adapter plus routing power for the TB card, front LED and case fan. Like Tech Inferno Fan noted, it looks like power to the TB daughter card is provided by a molex adapter and it might not be possible to feed directly by the PCIe slot (I'll test this first). Even so, one could potentially replace the main board entirely with a x4 female to female adapter (if such a thing exists) + a x4-x16 powered PCIe riser cable and a picoPSU. We would just need to devise a PSU setup with three 4-pin molex (PCIe riser, TB card and LED/fan) + one 6-pin power for the GPU. Removing the main PCB should leave more room to fit a small GPU with cabling and picoPSU plus some outer case modifications to improve air flow.

My powered riser cable should arrive tonight so I expect to run a few quick tests with an ATX PSU in the next few days. I'll post some detailed case measurements as well.

[arclord]

Oh so it's @arclord that ownes it?

Yes, I own a Thunder2 PCIe Box. Still can't get it to work with my 750 Ti even with a 16x PCIe riser extender with molex plug.

But I managed to get it to work with a HD 7870 connected to an Intel Thunderbolt NUC running on Win8.1/EFI.

[euqlaog]

Yes, I own a Thunder2 PCIe Box. Still can't get it to work with my 750 Ti even with a 16x PCIe riser extender with molex plug.

But I managed to get it to work with a HD 7870 connected to an Intel Thunderbolt NUC running on Win8.1/EFI.

Take a look at this thread. Try also reinstalling Nvidia drivers. I guess your 750 Ti doesn't have 6pin or 8pin connectors on the side?

[arclord]

Take a look at this thread. Try also reinstalling Nvidia drivers. I guess your 750 Ti doesn't have 6pin or 8pin connectors on the side?

I tried reinstalling the Nvidia drivers but still the 750 Ti doesn't work. You are right about, it is the EVGA 750 Ti SC without the 6 pin connector.

[jacobsson]

I tried reinstalling the Nvidia drivers but still the 750 Ti doesn't work. You are right about, it is the EVGA 750 Ti SC without the 6 pin connector.

Isn't the 750ti known to need setup 1.x for PCI compaction?

I'm on a phone atm so I can't help much.

[arclord]

Isn't the 750ti known to need setup 1.x for PCI compaction?

I'm on a phone atm so I can't help much.

I didn't know. Had I known, I would have gone for another graphics card.

Any Kepler based Nvidia cards (GTX 780 Ti, GTX 770, GTX 760, etc) require PCI compaction? Or are they good to go on Win8.1/EFI?

[jacobsson]

I didn't know. Had I known, I would have gone for another graphics card.

Any Kepler based Nvidia cards (GTX 780 Ti, GTX 770, GTX 760, etc) require PCI compaction? Or are they good to go on Win8.1/EFI?

Don't take my word for it though, it's just something that I remember from another implementation that I can't find, @Tech Inferno Fan what are your thoughts on this?

Any other GPU from the 7xx-series seem fine though, look at the implementation list.

Do your GPU even show up in device manager?