Channel Well DSI250P

[turbozutek]

Hello my friends!

I have just started using this:

http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/cas...roundup_9.html

The Channel Well PSU, it's in a FoxConn Mini ITX bare-bones. Opening it up and having a poke around it looks to be a fairly well made PSU. The caps are SAMXON though, a brand I do not trust. For this reason I intend to recap with some nice Panasonics - and I shall also up the 1000uf secondary output caps to 1500uf.

Also, I notice there is a primary input filtering coil, but also space on the board for a second one afterwards, though there is nothing installed there. I happen to have another coil (from a different PSU) - worth installing here do you think?

Has anyone recapped a PSU like this before? Any caveats, ideas, other things I could do whilst I'm in there with the soldering iron?

I want this PSU to be 'fit and forget' as much as possible. I will document this process here as I get around to it.

Many thanks!

Chris...

[Behemot]

Re: Channel Well DSI250P

Them being green seem to be Samxon GF, bad line. Other lines are actually good, at least the ones I have experience with: RS, RT, GA, GC, GD, GP, EP.

You can increase capacity, just there us usually not much space inside these small units, friend of mine tends to recap them all the time and I never got caps squeezable there, maybe some NCC KY 1500 uF in D10x20 at most.

[momaka]

Re: Channel Well DSI250P

What brand and series of capacitors are you planning to use for the output? Hopefully not motherboard grade, otherwise you may run into some instability issues.

Also, I notice there is a primary input filtering coil, but also space on the board for a second one afterwards, though there is nothing installed there. I happen to have another coil (from a different PSU) - worth installing here do you think?

It won't make the PSU perform any better, but it will reduce the noise it puts back in the AC line. So if you have the space and a spare coil, then you might as well add it.

Other than that, I don't see what else to add. Heat sinks look a bit small for a 250W PSU, but probably not worth the effort to change them. Overall, it looks like a decent power supply.

[turbozutek]

Re: Channel Well DSI250P

Them being green seem to be Samxon GF, bad line.

Yep, I spent MONTHS recapping lots of things with those shh!ty green Samxons in them; it's why I don't trust the brand as a whole now. I gather they have improved greatly, but with plenty of other options for similar money, I shant be testing the theory!

What brand and series of capacitors are you planning to use for the output? Hopefully not motherboard grade, otherwise you may run into some instability issues.

Oh? Tell me about that?

I have Panasonic FR's that I can get very cheaply. Here's an example:

http://www.newark.com/panasonic/eeuf...10v/dp/74R3405

Is this OK for use in a PSU? If there's something better I could use, let me know what you reckon!

I did use these caps (FR) for a different MiniITX recap a few months ago and it's been all stable since.

It won't make the PSU perform any better, but it will reduce the noise it puts back in the AC line. So if you have the space and a spare coil, then you might as well add it.

Yeah, I have some amps and speakers on the same branch circuit so it can't hurt, hey?

Other than that, I don't see what else to add. Heat sinks look a bit small for a 250W PSU, but probably not worth the effort to change them. Overall, it looks like a decent power supply.

Yeah, I was impressed. As for the heatsinks, I won't be pulling anything like 250 watts from it. Single HD, Sandy Bridge CPU and integrated graphics should make for a very small power signature.

I will be looking at the fan, however... Not sure but it seems to blow backwards; drawing heat from the PSU and dumping it INTO the case. That don't seem right! Could be it's just blow back in such a tight enclosure, but when I have the PSU open I'll double check.

Thanks for the input guys!

Chris...

[Behemot]

Re: Channel Well DSI250P

Yep, I spent MONTHS recapping lots of things with those shh!ty green Samxons in them; it's why I don't trust the brand as a whole now. I gather they have improved greatly, but with plenty of other options for similar money, I shant be testing the theory!

I have Panasonic FR's that I can get very cheaply. Here's an example:

http://www.newark.com/panasonic/eeuf...10v/dp/74R3405

Is this OK for use in a PSU? If there's something better I could use, let me know what you reckon!

I did use these caps (FR) for a different MiniITX recap a few months ago and it's been all stable since.

Yeah, I have some amps and speakers on the same branch circuit so it can't hurt, hey?

I cannot speak for others but the lines I have personally tested are know to be good for like 6+ years, I have RS in PSUs working for 4+ years now. As for the GF, take is as Chemi-Con's KZG. Cheapest of the so-so quality on the market, hence what it's "quality" looks like. GF do what they have in datasheet. Nothing over that. Now we make not to like it, but it's CWT deciding to use these, and not RS, NCC KY or whatever else.

As for Panny FR, most likely it will do fine, even though it is a bit on the high side of ripple/low side of ESR for my taste

[c_hegge]

Re: Channel Well DSI250P

FR will work fine. They offer some smaller sizes which many other reliable brands don't, so sometimes, they can be your only option.

[turbozutek]

Re: Channel Well DSI250P

As for Panny FR, most likely it will do fine, even though it is a bit on the high side of ripple/low side of ESR for my taste

Well, the greater the ripple current rating the better, no? :-/

FR will work fine. They offer some smaller sizes which many other reliable brands don't, so sometimes, they can be your only option.

Yeah, these were the best option for 8mm caps I could find. I think a 1cm cap might JUST fit in there, but it's going to look a bit like a bunch of mushrooms standing proud from the board, which I don't like the looks of!

Chris...

[Behemot]

Re: Channel Well DSI250P

Well, the greater the ripple current rating the better, no? :-/

Not really, compensation, sometimes even transformer and filtering chokes are designed for some ESR values. It is usually not good to go too far from this designed values.

[turbozutek]

Re: Channel Well DSI250P

Not really, compensation, sometimes even transformer and filtering chokes are designed for some ESR values. It is usually not good to go too far from this designed values.

Hmmm, yeah that makes sense. Once I tear this PSU apart I'll try and find specs for the caps it currently has and compare with the new ones going in. I'll post findings of course.

That said, once I've recapped this 'un I reckon a few weeks of testing could be the way to go before I consider it fully stable enough to load on all my porn, uhm, I mean important business documents on!

Wish I had a load tester / ripple meter.

Chris...

[turbozutek]

Re: Channel Well DSI250P

Quick update: it's dead.

PC would only 'blip' on for a half second today. Opened PSU and all looks well. Removed every SAMXON cap and replaced with some Rubycons I had lying around. PSU now 'starts', actually it starts the moment it's plugged in, which ain't right.

Put PSU tester on it and the -12v line is perfect the rest are high and low. 12v @ 7v and 5v at 6.15! 3.3 dials up 1.4v.

Looking around the web I see the consensus is these PSU's are total dogs**t. Not going to cry for too long over this one and I'm glad I didn't waste any money putting decent caps in there.

Chris...