My HP ProLiant MicroServer Gen8 stopped working the other day. It had been running almost non-stop for 10 years.
Fortunately, the issue was just a malfunctioned PSU, and replacing it was relatively easy. I found a drop-in replacement—DPS-200PB-209 A—for the original Delta DPS-200PB-189 A on Pinduoduo for under 20 USD.
According to available information, the 209 A is a newer model used in Gen10. I’m not sure about the exact differences between the two, but their output appears to be the same, and they weigh about the same.
Other Flex ATX models may be used as long as the cables and connectors are compatible.
Replacing the 12cm system fan—something not necessary but I thought would be a good idea and straightforward—turned out to be much more complicated.
Long story short: The Gen8 1) uses a proprietary connector, 2) throws warnings when it thinks the fan is too slow, and 3) employs a reversed PWM signal. Because of this, you can’t simply swap in an off-the-shelf fan.
Legitimate-looking replacements (HP part numbers 715173-001 and 724491-001) are listed online for over 50 USD. Cheaper options on eBay are used units pulled from other Gen8—kudos to the seller for being upfront about that.
Eventually, I found one seller on Taobao offering a special cable that allows the use of third-party fans—as long as they’re not too slow, or else the fan speed warnings will be triggered.
In the end, I bought three Delta AFB1212SH fans. Two of them are likely counterfeits, as they look different and weigh about 30% less than the original. I also purchased a converter cable that didn’t work—it couldn’t handle the reversed PWM signal.
The genuine fan cost around 6 USD, and the cable was altogther less than 4 USD. But the time cost was…
A simpler alternative—if you’re okay with a system fan running at a constant speed instead of being temperature-controlled—is to use a cable hack to prevent the aforementioned system warnings. However, you still need to find a suitable fan model. Otherwise, the server may become either too noisy or poorly ventilated.
I also bought an Intel i226-V 2.5Gbps Ethernet adapter, anticipating that my next router will support over 1Gbps wirelessly, for “futureproofing”. However, the adapter isn’t stable, errors began appearing after a few days of operation, so it’s been removed. I’ll wait until later to re-visit this aspect.
I hope it can last another decade.