Can I use the chill iii + mccake without the floppy power connector on chill, only with the barrel 9v adapter?

mihai wrote on 2021-07-11, 13:58:

Can I use the chill iii + mccake without the floppy power connector on chill, only with the barrel 9v adapter?

Yes : the connector on CHiLL III is a power OUTPUT, feeding power to the power INPUT at McCake.
So the normal way to use an 'unmodified McCake' would be to add this cable :
CHiLL III --> floppy power cable --> McCake

If you want to avoid this cable, there are solder bridges (Header 5V EN and Header 12V EN) on McCake that allow to power it over the 2x13 header.
However.... be careful, for 5V, the compute module consumes a high current (2A).
While this will work fine over the header on CHiLL II or CHiLL III, which were designed for high current,
it might not go well on a soundcard, in the long run (for example if traces are thin).
So only enable the "Header 5V EN" solder bridge, if you use the card exclusively on CHiLL III or CHiLL II.
It's better to be safe than sorry, would your ISA soundcard say...

I'm a proud owner of a Chill III and started to think about setting it up today. It occurred to me that it'll be powered on all of the time, I don't intent to unplug it or switch the PSU off when not in use - is that a concern with old daughterboards attached? Is sitting there powered any worse for them than the power on / off cycle when installed in a PC?

Am I thinking too hard about this?

I am pleased that I won't have to upgrade to a CHiLL III to use with the McCake.

If you make another revision, please consider a power switch or a jumper to add a switch. My solution for the CHiLL II is... less than elegant.