Carputer — power supply
I chose the Opus 150w PSU because I couldn’t wait for the Carnetix 1280. The Opus is currently the recommended power supply to get. The reason: it works. It always works. It is intelligent enough to handle the carputer power up, graceful shutdown, and low-battery detection.
It doesn’t handle standby like I want, though. It keeps my drives, USB devices and fans powered in standby. I want all those to lose power. Just keep my memory powered. The new Carnetix PSU should address this. Maybe I’ll trade up when it’s shipping.
I used an amplifier install kit (from Circuit City) to bring power to my PSU. I tried to buy the parts separately since I didn’t need everything in the kit. But the fewer parts cost more than the kit. And I wound up using most everything in the kit anyway. Highly recommended. Just check your power drain and get the kit that’s designed for that size amp. 12 gauge wire worked for me.