Graphics card protection: Adapter from Aqua Computer balances 12V 2×6 power flow

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Aqua Computer

With Ampinel, manufacturer Aqua Computer presents a monitoring device for the controversial 12V 2×6 power connection of graphics cards.

Despite the further development of the original 12VHPWR, the 12V-2 × 6, which is mainly found on Nvidia's current RTX graphics cards, with its up to 600 watts of transmission, is generally still not necessarily considered completely safe, even if Nvidia officially no longer sees a problem here. The manufacturer Aqua Computer, which is otherwise known for water cooling solutions, wants to counteract this and now offers Ampinel, an adapter for active power management, which combines active current balancing, monitoring and emergency shutdown as a monitoring device.

According to the announcement, Ampinel intervenes with uneven load distribution "without delay, balances the currents and thus prevents thermal overload of the connectors and lines". Accordingly, Ampinel monitors all currents, voltages and temperatures at the connector. A flexibly adjustable, eight-stage alarm management with emergency shutdown should ensure reliable protection of the hardware. Aqua Computer relies on the fact that if up to 600 watts are flowing through the 12V-2×6 connector, then with insufficient contact between the connector contacts, an uneven current distribution may occur.

Aqua Computer Ampinel: Power balancing, monitoring and emergency shutdown

Under high load, this inevitably leads to critical temperatures and can lead to damage to the hardware. Ampinel is designed to eliminate this danger by actively balancing the current flow across all six lines, and as soon as the current of one line exceeds 7.5 A, the adapter intervenes with a hybrid control structure of digital and analog control. The integrated microcontroller is to monitor all operating conditions in real time and continuously adjust the control.

According to Aqua Computer, Ampinel relies on a six-layer printed circuit board for efficient power distribution, the individual layers of which are each made with 70 µm copper, which is intended to minimize losses and at the same time ensure heat dissipation. The housing, which is milled from aluminum, also serves as a heat sink, while the connector to the graphics card is additionally potted "to ensure a backlash-free and particularly robust contact".

Other features include the Aquasuite software, which visualizes more than 40 measured values from voltage to temperature and Co., including smartphone and e-mail notification, as well as an OLED display and RGB LEDs as a load indicator. For alarm levels, hotkeys can also be stored in the device, which are converted as keyboard input via USB, for example, to trigger actions even on non-Windows systems. Ampinel should soon be available for pre-order at a price of 79.90 euros and is expected to be delivered from mid-November. In addition, a white version is also being considered.