Design your Antec PSU

[willawake]

Well we know that Antec watch this forum. So why not tell them what you want and what they do wrong. Present them with your ideas about what they should make.

An interesting item but of course not all of the story is what caps should they use in the PSU?

[nsx29]

Re: Design your Antec PSU

I got this Truepower 380 watt which blew. The pc that uses it requires a few cycles to start it up. I had to replace the psu and everything is good again.

The problem is these antec are well designed but poor component quality hindered their image. This Truepower performed well initially and went down hill after 2 years.

This PSU just exceed the 3 year warrenty by 2 months and I didn't keep the receipt either. sigh... If Antec decide to finally improve, they should start by replacing the affected psus to re-estabilish their reputation.

From now on, I will spend more to get a psu with good caps. It's very tiring to keep an eye open to identify caps on all components during purchasing which I did. Motherboard, Videocard, soundcard, and psu. Can't check LCD screen circuit board so one thing I can't check. Maybe terrible cap in my DVD drive too. When caps are hidden, I can't do a thing.

[gdement]

Re: Design your Antec PSU

Find a better design for the 20/24pin connector (while obviously keeping it compatible). I find them extremely difficult to remove from many motherboards, because the side latch is difficult to use in cramped spaces. Also, even though I try not to pull on the wires, it ends up happening anyway because these things are so difficult to get off the board. Then I get to try to push the wires back into the plug, and they never stay there.

I wish the wires weren't so easy to pull loose, and the clip was easier to use.

That said, I don't actually have an Antec PSU, I'm just assuming they have the same plug as everybody else, and I'd love to see it made less horrible.

[kc8adu]

Re: Design your Antec PSU

"antecrep" has offered to replace these crap cap units.
take him up on that offer.

I got this Truepower 380 watt which blew. The pc that uses it requires a few cycles to start it up. I had to replace the psu and everything is good again.

The problem is these antec are well designed but poor component quality hindered their image. This Truepower performed well initially and went down hill after 2 years.

This PSU just exceed the 3 year warrenty by 2 months and I didn't keep the receipt either. sigh... If Antec decide to finally improve, they should start by replacing the affected psus to re-estabilish their reputation.

From now on, I will spend more to get a psu with good caps. It's very tiring to keep an eye open to identify caps on all components during purchasing which I did. Motherboard, Videocard, soundcard, and psu. Can't check LCD screen circuit board so one thing I can't check. Maybe terrible cap in my DVD drive too. When caps are hidden, I can't do a thing.

[willawake]

Re: Design your Antec PSU

yes and AntecRep is actually from antec so the offer must be good.

the atx connector is a good point. i like the newer ez-molex seen on most premium psu, it is such a pain to struggle with some optical drive and try not to pull the wires out with the old connector.

Personally I am interested in two types of PSU. The first would be around 400w for office computers therefore it doesnt need to be painted and should be reasonably low cost although i dont mind to spend a bit for quality. It should have a single 120mm fan (from NMB-MAT) which must be temperature controlled but also there must be a switch on the rear to allow two extra manual speeds (high power, full power). It must be designed for server grade reliability so the caps must be from a quality manufacturer like Rubycon, Panasonic, UCC, Nichicon. Preferably it should be an active psu. It would be good to have a second AC power connector at the rear in order to switch off the monitor as well for office power savings. The connectors should be ez-molex but the cables do not have to be wrapped with mesh.

The second would be for home computers and would be around 500-600w again with a single 120mm fan (from NMB-MAT) which also must have a manual control switch on the rear or even a front panel switch). It should definitely be active. The case should be painted with an attractive coating that does not scratch. It should have little vents also on one side. The cables should be wrapped with mesh (i like that). the connectors should be ez-molex. The caps must again be from a quality manufacturer (all caps). The design should be made for less heat and stress to the components. No compromise should be made on the amount of caps used.

If the components are good quality then a 5 year guarantee could easily be offered. There is no point to always be replacing things and indeed it makes the computer technicians look bad. Good Quality results in repeat business.

For cases i fancy the Antec Titan-550 but it is only available here with PSU which makes the price 231 euro which is too much. I would like that without PSU. Actually it is only of benefit to have PSU in the low priced cases. For the premium cases money saved is put to better use on a premium psu.

Anyway antec is not very well distributed here in Greece. If they want good distribution then they should get their products in this chain of stores. http://www.plaisio.gr/

[gonzo0815]

Re: Design your Antec PSU

I personaly have a few wishes regarding PSU`s:

1. all different voltage rails with seperate transfomers, switchers and regulation.
2. not one crappy cap in it, all caps form either Samxon, Rubycon or Nichicon.
3. highest eficiency possible, and of course A-PFC.
4. Silent if load <=120w, if load >120 may be it could (or better should) go full power.
The temperature should not go >40°c in any case.
So this unit should be availiable in regions between 250w to 400w for office and may be server duty. there is no need for fancy gimicks like Leds, sleves etc.

The other versions for enthusiasts should be sleaved, with a lot of conectors, availiable in versions starting with 350w to 700w (for the crazy people).
The versions with >=400w should have synchronouse rectification at least on the main rails (e.g. 12v in ATX 2.0 psu`s).

So quite a little expensive, my list.
But any way, as Antec does not produce at least one pice of PSU, they probably do not have any clue other then buying something cheap and resseling it expensive, i doubth that they could find someone who could make sutch a thing for them.

The only thign they can do, is to look what psu`s are offered in the OEM market and can negotiate the price. So i would not expect anything from this topic will be come true any soon, if not one of the oem platforms already can provide it.

But i think, that my suggestion (combined with a littel marketing) can put any brand into the absolut wahrshiped ueber psu brand, wich will bost all sales from it (as long as there is no bitter taste like crappy caps etc.).

If i compare the price from PCp&c than i would say, that this would be a $300PSu or even 500$, but probably the OEM cost will less than 30$.

Even in the big corporate market, the people in charge do know the abreviation TCO and what an highly efficient A-PFC psu can do for bigger corporate offices and sever rooms including UPS size and and energy costs.
So i think, if somone wants to introduce a honest and probably a reputable busines, pls jump on this train.
The environmentally friendly immage is than for free.

[bgavin]

Re: Design your Antec PSU

I will pay a premium price for a premium product:

• Rubycon best-of-breed capacitors. All of them.
• Panaflo or equivalent high reliability large fan
• Optimal cooling - no hot spots

I can't get any of this from Antec, so I no longer buy Antec at all.

For my clients I buy Sparkle, recap them, and replace the cheap 120mm fan with a Panaflo.

Yesterday, another client system failed due to a shitty power supply. The failed PSU also toasted his motherboard, and incurred needless expense and unwarranted grief all because the power supply manufacturer is cheap and cuts corners.

[Galvanized]

Re: Design your Antec PSU

For the lower end units, several things.

Use mid-range caps, like Teapo. Move the 80mm fan to the front of the PSU. This would make it an intake, the noise would be reduced and a sleeve bearing fan will operate longer in the cooler temps.
With 80mm fans as intakes, just as all 120s are, it would be easy to install a safety over-ride for fan controll. When case ambient temps reach 40oC the cooling fans would get 12V only.

EDIT: One high output, non-modular, PSU is using 14AWG at the pcb, then splitting it with two 18AWG wires once outside of the PSU's case. This opens up the area around the secondary caps for cooling air flow.

[Oklahoma Wolf]

Re: Design your Antec PSU

Personally, I really like the design of the Truepower 2's... just getting rid of Fuhjyyu in favor of decent stuff would go a long way with them and make them a lot more reliable. The design is already quite good in terms of ripple and noise suppression.

As far as the newer Seasonic made units are concerned, I'd just have Seasonic use the same build quality and components in the True Trio line as Corsair is getting.

[Fizzycapola]

Re: Design your Antec PSU

Disconnect cables that aren't used without exception and not a cheap PSU with disconnetable as it's only feature, top of the range hardcore critical mission quality and streamlinable cabling. Also to be safe, no xxxV shocks when you're cleaning dust off fan blades and accidently touch a live heatsink.

Fan size and appearance unimportant for me. I dislike the idea of a PSU acting as a cooling device. Don't like stickers that inhibit performance. Multi rails are they necessary or waste electric, I'm a hardcore PC user, I have 1 top end hard drive, 1 top end graphic card, what am I to do with lots of rails.

[pentium]

Re: Design your Antec PSU

I would just be happy with a 600W that had good caps, 5 drive sockets (not including a standard ATX connector set), a full voltage and temp monitor connected via usb (and still the standard display in the bios for when USB is not yet booted by the sstem) to the system, a switched power output connector for a monitor and instead of fans, a system of waterblocks inside the PSU connect to an internal or external liquid cooling system with an auto-shutdown feature that initiates if the water temp gets too high or the pump fails and the water temp in the PSU rises.

Shoot, if we could...replace the usb connection with a 6x6 LCD panel built in the front of some antec cases!

I'm drooling.

[willawake]

Re: Design your Antec PSU

hmm i dont fancy the idea of water in a PSU but i know the enthusiast market would snap those units up quickly.

the usb voltage and temp monitor idea is cool. Especially with software that could log readings and do graphs and warnings. maybe even email warnings also. maybe it could analyse the AC power also and show how many watts the system is using.

another idea would be to have some 12v fan connectors from the psu with pots that could control the voltage to them. If the software could give the voltages of those rails this would be nice. even to have some adjustable temperature control also so the case fans would be adjusting to the case temperature (although the speeds must be user specified in the software)

If there is a front panel it should be digital with adjustable backlight brightness (preferably blue) and be able to have software input via usb so that not only the PSU readings are displayed but also the user is able to show other stuff like winamp or motherboard readings on it. so then there is a double bonus, the user not only buys a psu but gets a front panel as well.



Sony DAT blue yaaay

[Per Hansson]

Re: Design your Antec PSU

Yea, I like the safety ideas, i.e. provide inputs for fans and also temperature thermistors (included with PSU) and if they get out of an adjustable spec cut power completely, much more secure than the BIOS shutdown temps plus it would allow you to monitor your GFX card temp too, or RPM of a water pump which if it gets low you really want to kill power immediately

[Spacedye69]

Re: Design your Antec PSU

400-500w with good caps (at least Teapo or OST), dual 80mm fans for 50-75 USD. If possible, I would like a ps that does not kill anything else if it dies. 75-80% efficiency should be a standard.

[pentium]

Re: Design your Antec PSU

I was think of almost the same thing there.
The panel has four buttons on either side and allows standard data input/output. Hell, if they really wanted us to love them, include software so we can configure the panel ourselves.

This would be one damn expensive PSU.

[willawake]

Re: Design your Antec PSU

but there must always be an option so software control or buttons/pots in case the user thinks the software sucks. better still model it on some open source thing so there is many options available.....or just release the source code and the enthusiast market would just eat that up and make their own mods....

[Shroomie]

Re: Design your Antec PSU

And make it so the fans actually spin, too. Low powered, quiet fans are fine, but fans that barely - or don't - spin are asking for it as long as questionable caps (anything other than Jap caps and Teapo, maybe CapXon, Jamicon, OST) are used.

[nsx29]

Re: Design your Antec PSU

Antec requires pre-paid frieght. It cost me 25 bux to ship to them. With pre-paid frienght = 50 bux. Plus they are gonna give me a low range 400 watt anyway. I can just run to my local shop and pick up a Forton 400watt for 30 bux. This kinda keeps me off from taking the offer. It's just not worth it.

[nsx29]

Re: Design your Antec PSU

By the way, Antec units have poor ventilation. better ventilation will prolong psus.

[bgavin]

Re: Design your Antec PSU

I can just run to my local shop and pick up a Forton 400watt for 30 bux. This kinda keeps me off from taking the offer. It's just not worth it.

Same here. I buy new Sparkles with 120mm fan. I then recap the board and replace the fan, and have a realiable Athlon XP class power supply.