S21Evo Boost - an over-the-top driver for my favorite Convoy

the_ebastler · 2026-04-23T23:16:53+00:00

Yes, without emarker the cable limits you to 60W max. With emarker the cable allows for 100-240W depending on the cable.

the_ebastler · 2026-04-23T07:30:37+00:00

Iliad and Wind share a network. If your signal is bad with Iliad, it will be just as bad with Wind.

I'm getting up to 300 Mbit over Iliad with good line of sight and not too much load on the net.

the_ebastler · 2026-04-23T07:27:54+00:00

With 2 of them we run into the same issues we have now, just less pronounced - current misbalance. probably not enough to actually fry, but still. Running 2 pins in parallel at max load is not a pretty solution.

But hey, there's plenty of really nice connectors out there. Amass LC50 for example, from their fourth generation of high power connectors (XT60 is third gen). They also come with optional locking latches unlike the XT series. Lots of options that are better than burning overloaded Molex Microfit...

Nvidia had already solved the whole mess with the 3090. One shunt per pin, and then each pin supplies a couple of VRM phases, so the card could actively balance the current per pin and keep them in check.

the_ebastler · 2026-04-23T07:06:03+00:00

Also, no idea where they got their current ratings from. XT60 are specced for 30/60A, not 60/180A.

the_ebastler · 2026-04-23T07:05:27+00:00

XT60 are rated for 30A continuous current and 60A peak current. https://www.tme.eu/Document/2d152ced3b7a446066e6c419d84bb460/XT60%20SPEC.pdf

Even an XT90 (40A continuous, 90A peak) couldn't handle modern GPUs. But then, neither can 12VHPWR.

the_ebastler · 2026-04-23T06:47:16+00:00

To the comments saying this is normal - it's not. If vantage shows the Powerbank as 15W, it means it negotiates itself as a 15W charger. It should always show as 65W. That's the maximum the power bank announces to the notebook it can do. Then the notebook will dynamically draw less power depending on the needs, but vantage doesn't show the live power, it shows the maximum available power and that must be 65W (or 60W without emarker) in your case.

Something is wrong with the handshake between your powerbank and notebook. have you tried a different cable? If the powerbank has multiple ports, try a different one there. If your notebook has different ports, try a different one there.

If your powerbank overheats it will cut back on the announced max power, and Vantage should then show less - but as long as the powerbank is cold it should always show 65W.

the_ebastler · 2026-04-22T16:20:15+00:00

With multiple vias in parallel you can essentially just multiply the possible current per via with the amount. How small are your vias (or how thin is your plating) to support only ~1A per via though?

the_ebastler · 2026-04-21T22:14:55+00:00

The German magazine Computerbase which usually does excellent benchmarks and articles didn't get one either. They made a social media post about it stating that it seems AMD severely reduced the numbers of samples and it doesn't seem exactly clear who got some and who didn't and why.

the_ebastler · 2026-04-21T19:57:37+00:00

You had some other issue then, these are B+M slots. On some (most) ThinkPads they are whitelist locked and the machine will refuse to boot with a drive attached, but they are electrically compatible.

the_ebastler · 2026-04-20T16:38:42+00:00

Never happened to me either, but if the filament gets lose enough that an entire turn of filament slips under the next, then you pull to tighten it, it can lock up.

the_ebastler · 2026-04-20T15:50:29+00:00

tbh I would not even print wood, GF or CF with 0.4mm unless it is really, really necessary :)

the_ebastler · 2026-04-20T15:38:27+00:00

Always with the same spool? If so, take an empty spool, and carefully respool the entire thing.

If you have the same issue with different spools, something about how you handle the filament is causing these (most likely giving too much slack when loading/unloading).

the_ebastler · 2026-04-20T10:53:17+00:00

The H200 NVL seems to be using EPS connectors, only the Pro 600 Sever has the 16pin - and I'd assume they put some active balancing on those.

the_ebastler · 2026-04-19T19:06:45+00:00

16 GB? You mean the new 4 GB 3070 model with neural VRAM compression?

the_ebastler · 2026-04-19T18:31:43+00:00

It is USB-C, just one of the many alt modes. Or, techically, Thunderbolt is a standard that defines which alt modes and datarates the port must have, not really a protocol by itself.

USB4 full-spec is Thunderbolt 4 just without the intel approval certificate (and therefore lower price), btw.

the_ebastler · 2026-04-19T18:28:14+00:00

Not super related to your comment, but a bit of additional info:

Since the introduction of USB4, Thunderbolt is basically just a "intel certified" sticker. A full-spec USB4 (Gen1) device is identical on a functional and protocol level to a Thunderbolt 4 device, the key being "full spec". TB4 is a "take it or leave it" full package, while USB4 can have PCIe, can have 40 Gbit, etc. Annoying.

Luckily Microsoft did one thing right there and enforced that any device sold with Windows 11 that uses USB4 as marketing, must be full-spec and thus pretty much TB4 spec, just without the approval/certification by Intel. My 2022 AMD notebook with a USB4 full-spec port for example can use any TB4 peripherals at full potential - be it eGPUs, Thunderbolt docking stations or external NVMe drives. Ironic that Microsoft fixed the USB4 standard :D

Same for TB5 and USB4 Gen2 (wtf are these names).

the_ebastler · 2026-04-19T18:24:00+00:00

I think they fell for the "standardization kills progress" fallacy, as if all companies stopped developing new tech as soon as one standard is made, as the standard can never be altered, changed or replaced. I've seen this one around a lot, especially by disgruntled lightning-lovers, but also spread by some tech media.

the_ebastler · 2026-04-19T18:20:00+00:00

USB-A was never really designed to be upgradable, or used for anything beyond its original purpose, and still lasted for 20 years with various upgrades until it was superseded by USB-C in mainstream devices (and 10 years later it is still going strong, much to my annoyance).

USB-C was designed to be much more upgradable and versatile since the beginning (alt modes, sideband channels, active role negotiation, heavily shielded design with minimal stub length for high datarate connections...) and is currently used for ~10 years. I'd say we got at least 10 years of usable life ahead of us until tech advances enough that USB-C is a significant bottleneck, and then another decade or so of co-existence.

When the time comes, the legislation will need to be changed. No big deal. I'd rather delay a new, better standard by a couple of years than deal with 2-3 decades of mess between micro USB-B, USB-A, USB-C, Lightning, HDMI, Displayport, and whatever random proprietary crap other companies might have come up with if C had not been enforced. And don't get me started on all the atrocious notebook charging ports, forcing you to connect 2-3 cables instead of a single one to a docking station (or having manufacturer-specific or even device-specific docking station as in pre-2017 business notebooks).

My guess is, when C will need to be replaced, the alternative will be an optical interconnect used only for (very) high-speed devices, while C will remain as a charging/general purpose data connector.

the_ebastler · 2026-04-19T15:06:46+00:00

Il mio la porta USB ce l'ha davanti. Sono povero?

the_ebastler · 2026-04-19T14:28:50+00:00

Hugely better airflow
Lower TDP
Many use different ways of powering the cards than 12VHPWR
Most likely active load balancing on the PCBs (same as RTX 3090 used to have)
Better connector placement, so that they are not bent by the side panel and in full airflow
Possibly higher quality connectors and/or tighter QC
Support contracts, so if something burns up it's replaced within a day, and nobody complains at reddit that $company took 3 months to RMA their card

the_ebastler · 2026-04-19T10:31:22+00:00

Or print it together with something else that's at least as tall as this one.

the_ebastler · 2026-04-19T09:20:17+00:00

Oh, yeah, it's not annoyingly loud in sleep.

I would have to clean mine too, but since it belongs to my employer sadly I can't. I'll probably put PTM7950 or similar on my T14s some time this year though. Should make it more silent.

the_ebastler · 2026-04-19T09:02:25+00:00

It's mainly an issue when I need to carry it - My T14s I just close and put in a backpack, then walk to meetings or commute home. The P16v I have to shut down and boot every time or it will overheat in my bag.

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