# Modular Rack Power Supply System Development journal and technical documentation repository for a modern, modular USB-C based power supply. Canonical: https://mrps.karlquinsland.com/ Updated: 2026-09-19 Source: https://github.com/kquinsland/modular-rack-mount-power-system/blob/86a17826a2dcf720c6a93806b3a8d3e10c9c17c6/site/content/_index.md --- Modular Rack Power Supply System (MRPS) is a 'creatively' named system for distributing DC power via USB-C/[Power Delivery](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USB_hardware#USB_Power_Delivery) in a compact compute rack. ![Early hardware-assembly concept showing the backplane and installed modules]() Render of 6 carriers installed in the backplane. > [!WARNING] > Everything about this project is still under active development. > [Discussions](https://github.com/kquinsland/modular-rack-mount-power-system/discussions) about this project are welcome, but keep in mind that it is still in the early stages of development! ## What/Why > [!INFO] > If you're looking for _technical_ documentation about the system, see the [`system` section](./system/). To make a _very_ long story short, [the power supply I built _years_ ago](https://karlquinsland.com/home-lab-consolidated-psu/) to power my Home Lab is no longer adequate for my current needs. This project is a "do-over" for that earlier power supply and aims to address its limitations while incorporating some modern design principles and technologies like USB-C/Power Delivery. ## Goals This project was started independently / before I knew about the [HomeLab PDU V1 project from Shrike Lab](https://github.com/Shrike-Lab/HomeLab-PDU-V1) but it does target the same problem space even if this project has different goals. In no particular order, the values and motivations for this project include: - USB-C/PD is the future. - **Standards Compliance**: I intend to adhere to the USB-C/PD standards. - Only SPR/EPR profiles will be supported. - AliExpress has a wide variety of USB-C/PD adapters - It's trivial to adapt all the custom / proprietary barrel jacks, square shaped connectors and whatever "special" power everything else into a _single_ standard connector. - Instead of a spaghetti mess of different cables and converters, a single consolidated AC->DC supply for greater efficiency and simplicity. - Want to see how far I an push hardware design with the assistance of an LLM. - I get to learn a few things / develop patterns and skills for future projects. - A consolidated power supply must be modular and flexible. - Workloads are in production so redundancy is important, and a failure should be contained / a single dead port must not bring down the entire system! - Modular design allows customization - Cost efficiency; spend $ where it matters and go for a cheaper alternative where possible. - Don't pay for a USB-C port that can deliver 100W if you only need 10W for that particular device. - If your power needs grow over time, you can add new modules or upgrade individual modules without replacing the entire system. - A modular system is inherently scalable. - If I do this right, it should be straight-forward to adapt this design to different form factors and port counts. - Telemetry - I like data. I like graphs. I like knowing what my systems are doing. - A power supply that can't tell you how much power each load is using is unacceptable - A power supply that doesn't let me govern power to individual ports is unacceptable - This allows for better power management and prevents a single port from monopolizing the available power. - Also, remote "turn it off and on again" capability for troubleshooting and maintenance. And a final note on inspiration: I've been following the "DIYson lamp" project for a while now. The guy behind it - [@StevenBennettMakes](https://www.youtube.com/@StevenBennettMakes) - recently posted [this video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ipVFRH6TQfM) which he ends with: > What I actually wanted was to be completely absorbed in an engaging and difficult, complicated project that felt kind of important. > I wanted to be I wanted to kind of like transcend a hobby and to feel like a compulsion, like something I had to work on. > ... > I actually wanted Tony Stark's creative flow state. > I basically just wanted to like capture that and take it for myself and have it. I can understand that.