NeonUPS

Open Source Universal Modular Power Management System — build your own intelligent DC power center like Lego blocks.

⚡ 36V DC Bus🔄 Hot-Swap Modules🧠 CAN Communication🌐 IoT & Remote Control🔓 Fully Open Source

The Problem

Background & Problem

DC power in our daily life is extremely fragmented. Every device comes with its own adapter, leading to bloated power strips, tangled cables, wasted energy, and no way to achieve centralized management or battery-backed uptime. When upgrading devices, the entire power supply chain is often discarded. The rise of smart homes magnifies this pain — curtain motors, sensors, and lights each drag independent power bricks, making wiring, maintenance and emergency power a constant headache.

Our Vision

Core Philosophy

We envision a highly modular, open-source intelligent power management system. It's a power building-block platform: a basic host frame with expandable slots accepts standardized functional modules — input, output, battery, IoT control, etc. Users assemble their own power center like Lego, tailored to their needs, with intelligent network management.

Two fundamental principles:

Sustainability through Open Source: Communication protocols and specifications are fully open. Anyone can manufacture compatible modules, preventing iterative device waste.
On-demand Modularity: Every function is an independent hot-swap module. Need more power? Parallel host frames. Need more features? Add modules. Never obsolete.

Use Cases

Typical Scenarios

🏠 Home Energy Center

A shoebox-sized host powers your fiber modem, router, NAS, smart speakers, DC lighting, curtains, robot vacuum, and security gear — all from one place, intelligently distributing energy from grid, solar, and battery. Seamless battery backup during outages keeps the network alive.

🔧 Maker Workbench

Say goodbye to messy bench supplies. Insert different modules for multiple adjustable voltages, USB fast charging, and battery storage — all outputs programmable.

🌍 Remote Device Hosting

Monitor and control every power channel for equipment in a remote hometown or server room via smartphone. Remotely reboot or switch power on anomaly.

Hardware Design

Physical & Electrical Architecture

36V DC Bus Topology

Frames connect in star or parallel topology. Add frames to scale power — like stacking server PSUs.

Connector Specification

⚡

Power In / Out

5.5mm DC jacks with distinct male/female or color coding to prevent reverse insertion during hot-swap.

8A / port · Dual-port for high power

📡

CAN Communication Bus

RJ45 (8P8C) physical connector carrying CAN_H / CAN_L differential signal. Locking tab removed for tool-free quick release.

⚠ NOT Ethernet — CAN only

🔌

Module–Frame Slot Interface

Each slot provides both power contacts and CAN signal contacts. Critical modules have a software lock — must request removal via software before physically unplugging.

Hot-Swap Ready · Software Lock

Module Form Factors

Local Modules

Inserted directly into standard slots on the host frame. Includes AC-DC inputs, solar MPPT, multi-voltage outputs, USB PD, battery modules, and communication modules.

Remote Modules (86-Panel)

Standard 86-type wall panels installed at endpoints, connected back to the host frame via 36V DC wiring inside the walls. A Type-C PD panel at bedside replaces bulky adapters entirely.

Multi-Layer Hardware Safety

Per-Module Protection

Every module has built-in over-current, over-temperature, and short-circuit protection — independent of any external signal.

Inter-Frame Link Current Limit

The interconnection module monitors real-time current on the link between frames and enforces a hardware current ceiling.

CO₂ Emergency Module

Slow-release mechanism via micro solenoid valve. Triggered only when both high-temperature threshold AND smoke particulates are detected simultaneously — avoiding false triggers. A supercapacitor backup ensures the valve opens even after main power is cut.

Ecosystem Bridging

🖥️

ATX PSU Converter

Leverage the massive inventory of ATX power supplies as a stable, high-power 36V bus source.

🗄️

Server PSU Converter

Adapt second-market server hot-swap PSUs to drastically lower system power costs.

Software & Protocol

Communication Architecture

CAN Bus — How It Works

CAN controller lives in the frame — modules only need a transceiver chip. Auto-assigns CAN ID on insertion. No factory pre-configuration needed.

Multi-Frame Collaboration Modes

Click to explore each redundancy strategy

One frame acts as the active controller sending commands, while another listens. If the active frame's heartbeat is lost, the standby automatically takes over — zero manual intervention.

Each frame manages its own group of modules independently. No interference between groups. Ideal for partitioned deployments where different zones need separate control.

Every frame can issue control commands. Modules respond according to their addresses. Maximum flexibility for complex distributed deployments.

Distributed Watchdog Architecture

Four tiers of protection — from hardware to cloud, each independently guarding your system

🔩

Tier 1 · Hardware

Module Self-Protection

Every module ships with built-in pure-hardware over-current and over-temperature protection. Zero dependency on external signals — the ultimate safety fallback that never fails even if the bus goes down.

💓

Tier 2 · Link

Frame Direct Heartbeat

The host frame sends periodic heartbeat frames to all modules in its slots. If a module doesn't receive a heartbeat within the timeout window, it executes a pre-defined safe action. Fastest local software-level protection.

☁️

Tier 3 · Service

Programmable Remote Watchdog

User-defined watchdog policies deployed from a remote server via communication modules. Configurable timeout, retry count, and triggered action (restart / power off / switch supply). Ideal for remote hosting and unattended infrastructure.

🔗

Tier 4 · Redundant Cross-Feed

Multi-Path Consensus Protection

Multiple communication modules (4G, Wi-Fi, Ethernet, LoRa) each independently maintain watchdog heartbeats. A single link failure doesn't kill the watchdog. In extreme scenarios, multiple watchdog sources watch each other — a catastrophic action requires consensus from several sources simultaneously, preventing any single false judgment from causing an erroneous power-down.

Full-Module Observability

⚡

Input / Output Modules

VoltageCurrentPowerSwitch State

🔋

Battery Module

Pack VoltageCell ResistanceTemperatureState of Health

🔗

Interconnection Module

Link CurrentLoad Awareness

Network Access & Redundancy

Plug in multiple communication modules simultaneously. If one network fails, another takes over automatically — critical infrastructure stays reachable.

Founding Team Recruitment

We're looking for passionate volunteers (individuals, communities, organizations or companies) to shape the open-source power standard of the future. This is a purely pro-bono, community-driven effort. If our vision resonates, join us.

⚡ Power Electronics🔌 Electrical Design📡 Communication Protocols🏠 Smart Home Experience🛠 Embedded Systems📐 Mechanical / Enclosure

Send your resume / portfolio, or just share your ideas and critique. Contributors who bring significant insights may be invited to the founding team.

📧 hello [at] neon-ups [dot] org

(Email address will be decoded on hover/click — spam protection enabled)

Name Explained

About the Name "NeonUPS"

The project's full name is Nimble Energy Operating Node, abbreviated as NEON, combined with the common acronym UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply) to form NeonUPS. This name captures the project's core identity across four dimensions:

Nimble

Every function is implemented as an independent, hot-swappable module — users can freely assemble their power center like building blocks. The host is as compact as a shoebox, yet scales flexibly by paralleling multiple hosts, rejecting bulk and bloat.

Energy

The project focuses not merely on supplying power, but on fine-grained management of multi-form energy — from grid AC, solar PV, to battery storage; from inputs, outputs, to the health of every single cell — all brought under unified, modular management.

Operating

It is far more than a passive collector or object — it is a real-time, actively orchestrating energy hub. The system continuously executes output switching control, multi-source energy changeover, distributed watchdog strategies, and remote maintenance actions. Whether the grid fails or a device acts up, it runs, decides, and protects, keeping critical loads online.

Node

Each host is an intelligent node in an energy network, achieving peer-to-peer communication and redundant cooperation between modules and hosts via CAN bus. Multiple nodes can flexibly form hot-standby, load-sharing, or fully distributed arrays, providing an infinitely stackable power foundation for homes, labs, and remote sites.

NeonUPS — more than power supply; it is an ever-online energy operating network built from nimble nodes.