Antec "Stupid" Power rebuild

[goodpsusearch]

Re: Antec "Stupid" Power rebuild

Congrats! I wouldn't care about -12V. The reading you got was without any load?

[everell]

Re: Antec "Stupid" Power rebuild

Read this thread:

https://www.badcaps.net/forum/showthread.php?t=8656

Khron666 had similar problems with his Smart Power repair. The burnt resistor on his power supply was 22 ohms, and there is a picture of the location. I don't know if that is the same as what you found.

Glad you got the power supply working again. Sorry I was so slow in responding. I have been very busy this week with church activities in observance of the Feast of Tabernacles.

[LDSisHere]

Re: Antec "Stupid" Power rebuild

I have read that thread many times the past few weeks. The resistor that looked burned on my supply is in a different location. I have circled the replacement in the picture. I may need to up it to 1500 and see if the supply turns on...., the way it is I fear could be in the future. I am not sure which way I should go really because the old one may read what it does due to being burnt.

Everell, I very much apprecite it when I can get assistance from members of this forum, but you should not feel that you are obligated to respond. I very much understand having real life things to do, I just happen to be on Staycation and getting this supply going was one of my goals so I had more time than usual to play. As long as I do not electrocute myself nor burn my house down it is all good.

[momaka]

Re: Antec "Stupid" Power rebuild

I am sure that those of you that are tired of seeing this thread pop up will be glad to know that this supply is back alive.

Indeed we are. Congrats on the fix!
As for "tired of seeing this thread pop up" - not really. In fact, I do appreciate it when people report back on their findings. My least favorite is threads where the OP quits halfway though the thread to never report back what happened, especially if someone just typed a long post with a possible solution.

Sorry I couldn't be of more help. When it comes to PSU controllers, I am in the dark as well, especially with these older half-bridge controllers. The newer ones are a lot easier, IMO.

The -12V rail does seem a bit low. Not sure if that's typical for your PSU, but like goodpsusearch I'm usually not too worried about the -12V rail either. Very little hardware (if any) uses the -12V rail, so it should be okay.

[everell]

Re: Antec "Stupid" Power rebuild

I just tore into a Antec SP350. The resistor in question is R54. The painted color code looks like 150 ohms, but the measured value is 1500 ohms. Based upon what I have seen here and in other brands with the same circuit, 1500 ohms sounds about right. Reducing this value should not stop the power supply completely, but will reduce drive signal level going to the switchers. Try changing the resistor to 1500 ohms without changing anything else and lets see what happens.

[LDSisHere]

Re: Antec "Stupid" Power rebuild

I will change the resistor out in the very near future, but I have already reassembled it, into its' case and I have a complete computer ready for OS installation. I also have a few other projects to finish up before I have to go back to work on Saturday, so I will have to address this one a bit later.

I am attaching pictures of the case / computer / power supply assembly that was saved. I am quite pleased with the results. I will post back when I change the resistor out or if something comes up before I get to it.

[retiredcaps]

Re: Antec "Stupid" Power rebuild

My least favorite is threads where the OP quits halfway though the thread to never report back what happened, especially if someone just typed a long post with a possible solution.

Yep, I'm sick of those as well. I spend a lot of time writing out a response/research and we never hear back.

That and people who don't even say a simple "thank you" after receiving help.

[LDSisHere]

Re: Antec "Stupid" Power rebuild

I just tore into a Antec SP350. The resistor in question is R54. The painted color code looks like 150 ohms, but the measured value is 1500 ohms. Based upon what I have seen here and in other brands with the same circuit, 1500 ohms sounds about right. Reducing this value should not stop the power supply completely, but will reduce drive signal level going to the switchers. Try changing the resistor to 1500 ohms without changing anything else and lets see what happens.

Well I knew if I did not go ahead and change out the resistor now, it probably would not happen. So I tore back into it and replaced the 330 with a 1200. I did not have any 1500 and I figured if it ran with a 330 then it should be fine with a 1200. I put it back together and tested it, it is working just fine. I fell much better about it, now to see how long it will last.

[momaka]

Re: Antec "Stupid" Power rebuild

I fell much better about it, now to see how long it will last.

With the fan mod and the new caps, probably a lot more than it did before.

[LDSisHere]

Re: Antec "Stupid" Power rebuild

Yesterday, I was able to get the OS loaded on the system I am powering with this supply. Since I was curious as to how the board was performing, I installed "Hardware Monitor" to see what it would display. (screen shot attached) When I saw the voltage numbers I thought my supply was not performing properly under load. Before I jumped to any conclusions I decided to do some more testing and compare the results to what was being reported.

I checked power at the ATX connector while Hardware Monitor was running on the PC so I could do a direct comparison. My DMM was showing the main voltages to be spot on, 3.31V, 5.01V, and 11.99V. Even my -12V is reading -11.5V when the supply is under a real load. I will also say that the BIOS hardware monitor reflects very closely to my tested values.

Is the bad voltage reading a problem with the software, the on-board voltage testing output, or does the board have a genuine problem with its' on-board voltage that could be caused by a problem on the motherboard?

Other than this voltage issue, the system runs great and I have not had any trouble since I put it together. I am just not sure if I have a real problem or if I am just getting false readings so I would like to get some input from others that may have ran into this type of problem.

Thanks,
Lloyd

[goodpsusearch]

Re: Antec "Stupid" Power rebuild

Motherboard sensors are often unreliable. Not a great issue

[mariushm]

Re: Antec "Stupid" Power rebuild

The values shown by Hardware Monitor are the same values shown by the BIOS.

The difference is that in BIOS, most hardware is uninitialized or idle, so it uses little power. In Windows, video card and other things initialize and use more power.

Voltages will change with the load.

HOWEVER, the voltage measurements in both BIOS and Hardware Monitor are NOT accurate.
Best thing is to put the probes of the meter inside one of those hard drive connectors while the system runs and measure the voltages directly. 5v and 12v are most important, 3.3v isn't.
As long as the 12v on one of the power connectors is close to 12v, then you're fine.

[LDSisHere]

Re: Antec "Stupid" Power rebuild

Thanks for this information, it makes me fell much better. I was not sure how accurate the motherboard sensors really were or if what they read was directly off of the power supply when I posted. The readings from my DMM are great and the system has been completely stable so I will put it into service and see how it holds up.

Thanks again,
Lloyd