Yet another victim of Antec! Q about cap replacement or RMA

[Sparky]

Hey all I am yet another victim of Antec's use of Fuhjyyu crap caps. My 9 month old 550W TPII died on Friday night, wouldn't even POST my system. Took a peek through the fan hole and one of the caps was venting pretty badly. Not sure the rating on it exactly, hard to see but I think it was a 470uF 25v - Fuhjyyu of course, along with most of the other caps in there that were visible from the fan vent.

I ordered a Corsair 620W unit to replace it with, since I knew that if I RMA'ed this Antec I'd just get another problem back that would go back in another 9 months or whatever. My question is, would you guys RMA it and then sell it, or sell it as it is for someone to recap, or recap it and then sell it? I'm not going to be needing it now with this Corsair PSU replacing it which is why I want to sell it (gotta recoup some money from buying this new PSU, I don't have a whole lot of money right now).

Thanks in advance

[gonzo0815]

If the shipping kost is not something your be worrid abouth, i would vote for RMA the BS they sell.
Then recap or sell the new one and you either will have a very decent and good PSU or you have got the money back from selling it as new.

If people do not RMA those units, Antec will never do anything on this problem.
Any RMA will cost Antec a little, thus may be they will recognize what crap they are selling.

If we would live in a world, where every PSu would be running 24/7, i suppose Antec would have changed those caps for ages.

[Topcat]

Before you get rid of it, post some autopsy pics... To Antec's defense, I don't think they use those nasty Fuhjyyu caps anymore, atleast the 4 HE550 units I have don't have any Fuhjyyu's in it, they have teapo and OST. Teapo and OST's may not be a huge improvement, but anything is better than Fuhjyyu!!

[gonzo0815]

Originally Posted by Topcat

Teapo and OST's may not be a huge improvement, but anything is better than Fuhjyyu!!

That`s right Jamicon and Teapo can work a while, as long as they use them according to their spec (not that good).
But he will void his warranty for a complete autopsy.

[Sparky]

Originally Posted by Topcat

Before you get rid of it, post some autopsy pics... To Antec's defense, I don't think they use those nasty Fuhjyyu caps anymore, atleast the 4 HE550 units I have don't have any Fuhjyyu's in it, they have teapo and OST. Teapo and OST's may not be a huge improvement, but anything is better than Fuhjyyu!!

Well I don't want to open it yet in case I do decide to RMA it. But it does have Fuhjyyu caps in it. A few of them were visible from the fan grill and they had Fuhjyyu stamped on them. I believe the Neo and NeoHE series are different than the Truepower/Smartpower series (different OEM).

So gonzo0815 you think I should RMA it more to make a point than anything else? I'm thinking about that, the design of these units seems to be pretty good - quiet, very stable rails and plenty of power - except for that flaw of crap caps.

Or, does anyone here want to buy a PSU to recap?

[Fizzycapola]

I recently replaced some leaking Fuhjyyu's in my smartpower 350w, pretty much all inside seemed to be Fuhyyu's including the 2 main caps. This is why I use Tagan now, but I look in Tagan and guess what, a couple of Fuhjyyu's still inside even in this top of the range PSU.

I wish there was some way to buy a good PSU without buying them and disecting. Even the big brand name made in USA ones I read have faults such as not cutting out when overloaded. So thats USA and German engineering put to shame, where do I go next another planet maybe lol.

[Spacedye69]

Post price for sale if you don't want to RMA it.

[Galvanized]

Originally Posted by Fizzycapola

I recently replaced some leaking Fuhjyyu's in my smartpower 350w, pretty much all inside seemed to be Fuhyyu's including the 2 main caps. This is why I use Tagan now, but I look in Tagan and guess what, a couple of Fuhjyyu's still inside even in this top of the range PSU.

I wish there was some way to buy a good PSU without buying them and disecting. Even the big brand name made in USA ones I read have faults such as not cutting out when overloaded. So thats USA and German engineering put to shame, where do I go next another planet maybe lol.

For good units at a decent price, look to Enhance. They are distributed out of The Netherlands. The Silverstone Element and Strider series are built by Enhance and all the builds use Teapo caps with a few very small Jamicon.
All the above units run for real air flow fans and do not have sophisticated thermal fan control, so the fans do ramp up early and offer a bit of noise.

Want quality & quiet? Look to Seasonic, Corsair or PCP&C Silencer, all are built by Seasonic, all use Nipponese caps.

Want higher quality but with less emphasis on noise. Look to Etasis or the Silverstone Zeus line-up built by Etasis. All are filled with Nipponese caps.


If I HAD to run any Antec PSU, the 80mm fan would provide 55cfm@12V and those using 120mm fans would provide 85cfm@12V.
Heat kills Fuhjyyu craps and the other low end types very fast.

[kc8adu]

Originally Posted by Sparky

Hey all I am yet another victim of Antec's use of Fuhjyyu crap caps. My 9 month old 550W TPII died on Friday night, wouldn't even POST my system. Took a peek through the fan hole and one of the caps was venting pretty badly. Not sure the rating on it exactly, hard to see but I think it was a 470uF 25v - Fuhjyyu of course, along with most of the other caps in there that were visible from the fan vent.

I ordered a Corsair 620W unit to replace it with, since I knew that if I RMA'ed this Antec I'd just get another problem back that would go back in another 9 months or whatever. My question is, would you guys RMA it and then sell it, or sell it as it is for someone to recap, or recap it and then sell it? I'm not going to be needing it now with this Corsair PSU replacing it which is why I want to sell it (gotta recoup some money from buying this new PSU, I don't have a whole lot of money right now).

Thanks in advance

where in ohio are you?
btw recapping a psu is simple.
always good to have a reliable spare.
if you decide to dump it holler.
i can give it a good home.

[Sparky]

I'm in central ohio, school is in akron and home is just south of mansfield. The antec is at home right now.

I know recapping is a pretty simple job (I've recapped several mobos before), and probably would be a good idea to have a spare but I didn't have much cash so I should probably sell it (either after RMA, or recapping, or both, or none) to recoup some money. My bank account doesn't like me right now for buying that new Corsair unit

I guess if anyone is interested in the unit as it is right now PM me with an offer.

[Howie]

Had some bad experiences with Antec here as well. I was always sold on Antec as quality products and have ordered many cases over the years for myself and people i had built pc's for. Once i visted this site, and found out about the crap caps they use in there PSU's, i went back and recapped several of them just in time as many were on deaths door because of those sorry ass caps.

Cracked mine open 1st thing, a (350watt), and all caps were swollen and leaking along with the 20 pin connector with a few burnt brown pins. I recapped it, replaced the connector (staples are handy to get the pins out of the connectors) and everything seemed ok a few days and then my cpu went down the tubes which may have been caused by that psu.

One of the psu's i went back and recapped for a past customer had 2 swollen caps yet it wasnt even a year old and was only used on weekends so they go REALLY fast.

[tazwegion]

Well as much as I hate to admit it, my Antec (recapped) TruePower380 is by far the best/sophisticated PSU I own, the other (don't laugh) is a recapped 550w Codegen PSU, both are currently powering A64 systems beautifully

To be forewarned is to be forearmed... I'd buy an Antec again, I'd just recap it when it required doing, other than the caps the design/performance is good IMHO

[Galvanized]

Take care tazwegion. There have been instances of 5V spikes at boot killing HDD logic boards.
http://www.theflyingpenguin.com/ > My Blog > 9/17/05 half way down the page.
Robert is a repair tech with his own business and his HDD killer got past him. I was the guy at Anand's that told him to lift the hood on that bad-boy.
I give all credit to the knowledge gained at this site for my insight.

[AntecRep]

Just wanted to chime in on this issue. While it is true that the Smart Power line of power supplies did have a batch problem with one of the capacitors, that issue has been resolved.

The True Power II line was no affected at all by this problem, and there are no known capacitor issues with the True Power II PSUs.

We believe strongly in the quality of Antec products, and want you to know that if you do have any issues with your product you can contact our Customer Support department at [email protected] or at [email protected] and you will be provided with immediate hassle-free service to resolve your problems.

[bgavin]

I am a reseller, and I've tossed out no end of Antec PSUs that drop dead. This was before I started digging around and found out about the bad cap issue.

I have a number of Antec PSU here, all are full of the Fuhjyyu crap capacitors.
In a word, this sucks.

I spend premium dollars for the Antec reputation for quality, and I get junk. Even worse, my business clients are exposed to massive damage from PSUs with junk capacitors that can kill their boards and drives.

I started buying Sparkle PSU because I have so much less trouble with them, then I do with Antec. If you want to get the reseller community back onboard with Antec, they had better be populated entirely with good stock, i.e. Rubycon, Panasonic, Nichicon, U-Chemicon, Sanyo, Samxon. No more Teapo, OST, Fuhjyyu, and all the other cheap crap that are in my dead ones.

Sorry if this is harsh, but Antec is not on the hook when one of their defective PSU destroys a client's machine. I am.

[kc8adu]

i still see a TON of antec psu with fuhjjyu cap failures.
we pull them on sight when we open a system.they get recapped or replaced.
antec rep...
fire the beancounters.
crap parts make crap products.

[tazwegion]

Originally Posted by Galvanized

Take care tazwegion. There have been instances of 5V spikes at boot killing HDD logic boards.

Interesting blog... I personally recapped this PSU with SamXon low ESR caps I obtained from Big Pope & davmax of these forums, while it was my first PSU recap, I've successfully recapped many motherboards in the past and must declare my Digital Multimeter is my best friend (during such projects)

Mr. Antec Rep thanks for your input, denial of issues has almost become an industry practice/artform & I welcome your openness, however... using premium quality capacitors on your output stages (as well is input) could in itself create added PC enthusiast kudos towards your company/products, popularity has never been bad for business!

[Per Hansson]

Originally Posted by AntecRep

The True Power II line was no affected at all by this problem, and there are no known capacitor issues with the True Power II PSUs.

Care to retract that statement?

http://www.badcaps.net/forum/showpos...1&postcount=50

If you want I can look up some more posts of TruePower 2.0 powersupplies others on this forum have recapped, I think there is another one right there in that thread...

[bgavin]

AntecRep is singing the management song, and losing credibility fast. I spent 25 years at IBM, and know corporate spin when I hear it.

I'm sending in an RMA for a PP412-X that is completely populated with Fukhyyu lousy caps. Leakers and bulgers... I will wager the same comes back in the replacement unit.

[MixMasta]

Does Antec replace the motherboards ruined by Antec Truepower power supplies? With whom do I speak with to get reimbursed for the time, effort and cost to replace these motherboards? Whom do I speak with that will explain to my manager that computers failed in a little over a year because Antec used unsound components in their power supplies. Whom do I speak with that will explain why my companies IT budget is blown. Whom do I speak with at Antec that will make me credible again with my boss because I recommended Antec Truepower power supplies for our computers?