Recapping a bad EnerMax NoiseTaker II Model EG701AX-VE(W) PSU

[Spork Schivago]

Hi.

I've got a 600 watt Enermax NoiseTaker II that has at least three bad caps, from physically looking at them. I was thinking of recapping the PSU. I had some questions though.

There's a very large 400VDC 390uF capacitor, I believe it's called a filter cap. Even though that's fine, should I be replacing that as well? Also, there's some very small capacitors. From my experience, these small caps don't generally fail. When a person recaps a power supply, do they generally replace all of the capacitors, including the very small ones and the very large one?

I'll identify what caps are in there and probably upload some pics later. Maybe someone kind enough could help me pick out some really decent capacitors for this PSU? Thanks!

[Spork Schivago]

Re: Recapping a bad EnerMax NoiseTaker II Model EG701AX-VE(W) PSU

Here's all the normal and large sized caps, none of the really really small ones:

LFFM 105C 10V 1,500uF 6046  CTC
LFKM 105C 10V 1,000uF 6046  CTC
   105C 25V  170uF  0601  PCE-TUR
LFFM 105C 16V 3,300uF 6046  CTC
LFFM 105C 16V 3,300uF 6046  CTC
LFFM 105C 10V 3,300uF 6046  CTC
LFFM 105C 10V 3,300uF 6046  CTC
LFFM 105C 10V 3,300uF 6046  CTC
LFFM 105C 10V 3,300uF 6046  CTC
HP3  85C 400V  390uF     5xC1

I'd have to remove the large one, the one that I think they call a filter cap, to get a better read of the various markings on it. I was wondering if I should recap this with those dry polymer caps instead of the electrolytics. Some people say you need to half the farad ratings when you do that, but I recapped an entire motherboard before I knew this and everything worked just fine....any suggestions?

[keeney123]

Re: Recapping a bad EnerMax NoiseTaker II Model EG701AX-VE(W) PSU

I would replace the one you find bad. What one would worry about trying to replace the electrolytic with Polymer is the physical size of the polymer will be significantly bigger and ESR will be larger.

[Spork Schivago]

Re: Recapping a bad EnerMax NoiseTaker II Model EG701AX-VE(W) PSU

Keeney123, from my experience, it's best to replace all the caps. Generally, a capacitor shouldn't fall this quickly. I mean the power supply isn't new, but it can't be more than a few years. They're obviously really cheap capacitors and if I replace just the broken three, who's to say another one won't go in a month's time? Secondly, the only true way to really tell if a capacitor is good is by measuring it with an ESR meter. To do that, I'll have to remove each capacitor. And if I'm going to remove them, why not just replace all of them with high quality caps instead of having three (or more) high quality caps and the rest some unknown garbage, you know?

Finally, are you saying polymers have a higher ESR rating? I was under the impression polymers have an ultra low ESR rating, and this is why people suggest halving the farad rating, but capacitors are not my strong suite, so I might have misunderstood. I also have found that polymers are generally smaller than the electrolytic equivalent, but I've only recapped that motherboard with them. When I did that, the polymers were actually not as tall. Obviously, I'd go for the same spacing for the pins and because there's such a small area to work in, regardless of whether I replace with electrolytics or polymers, I'll have to make sure I get caps that aren't physically wider than the old ones.

[Spork Schivago]

Re: Recapping a bad EnerMax NoiseTaker II Model EG701AX-VE(W) PSU

Here's a link where they talk about how they have really low ESR and high ripple current. I'd be going for the polymer aluminum electrolytic capacitor, if you guys think it's a good idea, or unless someone can recommend a better type. Even if I go for the electrolytic kind, I'm going to need help picking out good replacements. I used to like Rubycon, but I'm really starting to like some of the Panasonics I've seen.

[dmill89]

Re: Recapping a bad EnerMax NoiseTaker II Model EG701AX-VE(W) PSU

There's a very large 400VDC 390uF capacitor, I believe it's called a filter cap. Even though that's fine, should I be replacing that as well?

Since bulk caps on the primary rarely fail (especially since that one is a Hitachi rather than the CECs on the secondary) and are rather expensive I probably wouldn't bother replacing it. I have 2 PSUs of that same model (one in my HTPC and one New in the box), though neither has required a recap so far, I did recap an EG351P-V only the 5 VSB output cap was actually bad, though I replaced all the caps on the secondary. The CEC caps that Enermax (as well as other brands including Seasonic) once used don't seem to be that terrible (definitely not top-tier, but probably no worse than Teapo, etc.). If the failed caps were subject to substantial stress (5 VSB generally is since it is always powered, also caps near hot areas, etc.) the others may be ok, but given the age of the unit (these date to around 2004/2005) a full recap of the secondary side (with the exception possibly of the small <100uf caps) probably wouldn't be a bad idea if one or more caps is bad.

[Spork Schivago]

Re: Recapping a bad EnerMax NoiseTaker II Model EG701AX-VE(W) PSU

I can't even buy a 170uF 25v polymer aluminum electrolytic through hole cap, so maybe I should stick with the wet electrolytics instead of the polymers. Unless you guys think I should try mixing and matching. Using polymers where I can, electrolytics where I can't.

[Spork Schivago]

Re: Recapping a bad EnerMax NoiseTaker II Model EG701AX-VE(W) PSU

Since bulk caps on the primary rarely fail (especially since that one is a Hitachi rather than the CECs on the secondary) and are rather expensive I probably wouldn't bother replacing it. I have 2 PSUs of that same model (one in my HTPC and one New in the box), though neither has required a recap so far, I did recap an EG351P-V only the 5 VSB output cap was actually bad, though I replaced all the caps on the secondary. The CEC caps that Enermax (as well as other brands including Seasonic) once used don't seem to be that terrible (definitely not top-tier, but probably no worse than Teapo, etc.). If the failed caps were subject to substantial stress (5 VSB generally is since it is always powered, also caps near hot areas, etc.) the others may be ok, but given the age of the unit (these date to around 2004/2005) a full recap of the secondary side (with the exception possibly of the small <100uf caps) probably wouldn't be a bad idea if one or more caps is bad.

Thanks. There's at least three caps that I can see that are physically bad, and how few caps that's on there, I was thinking of recapping it all. Assume I don't know anything about power supplies (which is pretty true I guess). What do you mean by bulk caps and when you said primary side, is that the same as the HOT side? I was thinking maybe you meant the big cap, the 400v one.

My PSU tester has going nuts with the 5V, but not the 5V STDBY.

So anything over 100 uF, replace, except for this bulk one...gotcha.

I see Nichicon has a nice electrolytic, but I still need to measure the physical size of the old cap. http://www.digikey.com/product-detai...819-ND/3664473

This one's rated for 10,000 hours at 105C, 10v, 1,500uF, 1.2A @ 120Hz rated ripple current and 30 mOhm impedance. The impedance I have no clue on. I know the higher the rated ripple current, the better, but I have no idea what rated ripple current and what impedance I need for what caps. I simply don't know enough about electronics yet.

[ChaosLegionnaire]

Re: Recapping a bad EnerMax NoiseTaker II Model EG701AX-VE(W) PSU

lol i knew there was something fishy about that power supply. this shows u why power supply testers dont really show that the psu is actually working. as u and other members who also used psu testers noted, they dont put enuff of a load on the psu to tax it. so it may show up as fine on the tester at low loads. but if u connect it to an actual system that pulls some real juice, the psu either plays dead or just jerks off with the fan, pun intended.

anyway, seeing that its an enermax, they luv using their ctc jp-ce turd caps over all their stuff. those caps are exactly how they sound: turds. so a full recap is in order, big or small. in a psu, the tiny caps are typically used as startup caps for the controller ics and for the 5vsb supply. due to the symptoms u are experiencing with the psu: a completely dead psu, u *may* be facing a bad startup cap as well, so u have to replace the small caps to ensure the controller ics on the psu dont have a dead startup cap which is preventing them from working properly.

exception may be for the primary side 390uF 400v pfc booster cap, not a filter cap. power factor correction (pfc) is to make the psu appear as a resistive load to the power grid, not an inductive load. the power company hates inductive loads because it messes up with their generator load balancing or some such. the pfc booster cap's job is to store a very high dc voltage of 350+ volts for the pfc circuitry to do its thing.

so be very careful with that. the cap can store a charge of a few hundred volts for a week. another member can advise u on how to discharge that properly so the primary side is safe to work with or else u might zap urself with a few hundred volts dc which is nasty for your health. dont wanna leave your family without a husband and father...

so are u able to pick out any brand markings on that primary cap? try taking some photos of it still soldered to the board (for safety reasons). sometimes they use japcaps for the primary cap so u can leave it be. as i was typing this post, dmill pointed out that it may be a hitachi japcap. if so, u can leave the primary cap be. my enermax liberty uses a 400v rubycon cap but the secondary side are all ctc jp-ce turd caps.

next, for a mobo, u can get away with polymodding because of the very high switching frequency used by the cpu vrm. when the switching frequency is very high, esr matters more and capacitance becomes less important.

but for psus, they dont use that high of a switching frequency, therefore do NOT polymod a psu! due to the lower switching frequency, using polymers with too low esr will cause the output side to oscillate. it needs some esr as well as capacitance to maintain a stable output on the secondary side.

so since u like panasonics, FC, FM and FR are the normal low esr electrolytic caps that are ok for such psu use tho they are more costly like rubycons. for rubycons, the ZLx series are for psu use. if u want cheaper japcaps, u can try nichicons or chemicons.

[Spork Schivago]

Re: Recapping a bad EnerMax NoiseTaker II Model EG701AX-VE(W) PSU

lol i knew there was something fishy about that power supply. this shows u why power supply testers dont really show that the psu is actually working. as u and other members who also used psu testers noted, they dont put enuff of a load on the psu to tax it. so it may show up as fine on the tester at low loads. but if u connect it to an actual system that pulls some real juice, the psu either plays dead or just jerks off with the fan, pun intended.

I wondered why the tester showed good when I tested it!!!! That knob on the back I figure must be for one of the fans in the PSU. I bet when I cranked it up to high, the load was too much for it to take. So, in the future, is there a fairly inexpensive way to accurately test a power supply? I have an oscilloscope, a DMM, a logic analyzer, a PSU tester, a bunch of boards....I don't know if any of them would help though. I've seen load testers, but the ones I've seen are really expensive...I really thought when I plugged in the 20-pin PSU and nothing happened, I ruled out a bad PSU. Usually, the 20-pins work in a 24-pin slot, but not always. Makes me wonder if that crappy PSU I tested with is also bad. Makes me wonder how many of those spare PSUs I have down in the basement are really just junk!

anyway, seeing that its an enermax, they luv using their ctc jp-ce turd caps over all their stuff. those caps are exactly how they sound: turds. so a full recap is in order, big or small. in a psu, the tiny caps are typically used as startup caps for the controller ics and for the 5vsb supply. due to the symptoms u are experiencing with the psu: a completely dead psu, u *may* be facing a bad startup cap as well, so u have to replace the small caps to ensure the controller ics on the psu dont have a dead startup cap which is preventing them from working properly.

exception may be for the primary side 390uF 400v pfc booster cap, not a filter cap. power factor correction (pfc) is to make the psu appear as a resistive load to the power grid, not an inductive load. the power company hates inductive loads because it messes up with their generator load balancing or some such. the pfc booster cap's job is to store a very high dc voltage of 350+ volts for the pfc circuitry to do its thing.

I'm interested in learning more about this PFC booster circuitry (and electronics in general). Do you think this link here does an adequate job in explaining the purpose of the PFC circuitry? https://cdn.badcaps-static.com/pdfs/...94077c90c3.pdf

I was almost thinking of replacing that big cap as well. I mean, if we're recapping the whole board, I would personally feel a lot better knowing I put high quality parts in. I found this: http://www.digikey.com/product-detai...914-ND/3929871

It's 10.24$ for one, but I can buy just one. It's rated for 10000 Hrs @ 105°C and has a ripple current rating of 1.3A @ 120Hz. It's a Nichicon LGR series but doesn't list the impedance at all. This is the first time I've ever replaced caps on a power supply before. I'm a bit excited. I think I should remove all the caps, but write down their location first (from the silk screen), and what caps they were, then take physical measurements and then start my search.

so be very careful with that. the cap can store a charge of a few hundred volts for a week. another member can advise u on how to discharge that properly so the primary side is safe to work with or else u might zap urself with a few hundred volts dc which is nasty for your health. dont wanna leave your family without a husband and father...

I did this recently with a big 400V cap on a television, around the same farad rating. But there, I think they called it a filter cap, not a PFC booster cap. I might be wrong. I went to discharge it, but I put the meter on first and it was already fully discharged. Maybe a little too fast. With the television I was working on, when I got the new board, it was discharging from the bleeder resistors, but it didn't discharge this fast. I mean, this PSU here, I had it plugged in and ripped apart and testing the voltage in maybe 15 minutes.

so are u able to pick out any brand markings on that primary cap? try taking some photos of it still soldered to the board (for safety reasons). sometimes they use japcaps for the primary cap so u can leave it be. as i was typing this post, dmill pointed out that it may be a hitachi japcap. if so, u can leave the primary cap be. my enermax liberty uses a 400v rubycon cap but the secondary side are all ctc jp-ce turd caps.

What do you mean the primary cap? Is that the large 400V 390uF PFC booster cap you were talking about?

next, for a mobo, u can get away with polymodding because of the very high switching frequency used by the cpu vrm. when the switching frequency is very high, esr matters more and capacitance becomes less important.

but for psus, they dont use that high of a switching frequency, therefore do NOT polymod a psu! due to the lower switching frequency, using polymers with too low esr will cause the output side to oscillate. it needs some esr as well as capacitance to maintain a stable output on the secondary side.

Now I'm a bit confused. From what I was reading on Wikipedia (I know, not the best source of information), but it said "Polymer electrolytic capacitors are mainly used in power supplies of integrated electronic circuits as buffer, bypass and decoupling capacitors, especially in devices with flat or compact design. Thus they compete with (MLCC), but offer higher capacitance values than MLCC capacitors, and they display no microphonic effect..."

so since u like panasonics, FC, FM and FR are the normal low esr electrolytic caps that are ok for such psu use tho they are more costly like rubycons. for rubycons, the ZLx series are for psu use. if u want cheaper japcaps, u can try nichicons or chemicons.

Budm recommended a Panasonic cap once and I really really liked the quality. It looked like an extremely well built capacitor. It was an experience similar to when I did my first capacitor replacement and ordered caps from Badcaps and got those Rubycons. So, Nichicons and Chemicons are lower quality caps than Rubycons and Panasonics? I was thinking of using the best capacitors that I could get for each component. I mean, within reason. For example, if there's some cap that doesn't serve a real important job and doesn't need a 105C, 10000 hours life ultra low ESR cap that costs like 2.00$, but instead just needs a Rubycon or something that's like 50 cent, I'd go for that. I remember learning that I could always use really fancy caps no matter what, but couldn't always use lower quality caps. And I remember being told it wouldn't do no good using those fancier caps, but it wouldn't hurt anything, it was just wasting money. In those cases, I don't want to waste the money, you see what I'm saying?

[Spork Schivago]

Re: Recapping a bad EnerMax NoiseTaker II Model EG701AX-VE(W) PSU

Here's a bunch of pictures of all the PSU except for the underneath. In the first couple pictures, you'll see the circuitry that automatically detects if it's 240VAC or 120VAC (I believe). There's one of those funky plastic looking blue ceramic looking capacitors (I think it's a cap). Not sure what those are for certain. I've always wondered and tried finding out but I always question what I find on the internet about them. Anyway, should I be replacing those weird blue things as well?

There's 11 small caps, but two are on a daughter board in front of the big 400v cap. Getting to them might be hard. I'll have to unsolder the entire daughter board (11 pins). But I can do it.

Then, including the large 400v PFC booster cap, I count 10 capacitors. The underside of the board looks dirty. It has this white stuff on it. I'm not sure what it is. I've seen it before. It's kinda like a dried on powdery substance or something. Maybe some special kind of flux or something? I'm tempted to try washing it.

I bet this would be a real nice 600 watt power supply when it's been fully recapped.


Also, I want to know how I can always identify exactly what parts belong to the primary side and what parts belong to the secondary. I can get a general idea. The big cap is on the primary side. The transformer appears to have one part on the side with the big cap, one on the secondary side. But sometimes, the power supplies aren't one half the board primary, one half secondary. Sometimes, the primary is only in a corner of the board, and unless they mark it with a big line or a big space somewheres, I wouldn't be able to tell just by looking. Is there a simple way? Do all of them have the big trace or gap on the bottom side?

[Spork Schivago]

Re: Recapping a bad EnerMax NoiseTaker II Model EG701AX-VE(W) PSU

I think I've learned it's the filter caps on the secondary side that have failed. I think that daughter board, the one that has two small caps on it, it has two ICs as well. I think they're called Power ICs. Not really sure what those big donut looking things with the metal wrapped around them are, but I think that's what gives this PSU it's weight. I thought originally those things were toroidal transformers, but I see two other types of transformers on here. I don't know how to tell if they're step up or step down transformers, but I think they're one of the two. They're the ones wrapped in yellow tape that have all the pins on the bottom of them. I think their job is to convert the AC to DC, but I'm not 100% sure.

[dmill89]

Re: Recapping a bad EnerMax NoiseTaker II Model EG701AX-VE(W) PSU

What do you mean by bulk caps and when you said primary side, is that the same as the HOT side? I was thinking maybe you meant the big cap, the 400v one.

Yes, I mean the big 390uf 400v one.

lol i knew there was something fishy about that power supply. this shows u why power supply testers dont really show that the psu is actually working. as u and other members who also used psu testers noted, they dont put enuff of a load on the psu to tax it. so it may show up as fine on the tester at low loads. but if u connect it to an actual system that pulls some real juice, the psu either plays dead or just jerks off with the fan, pun intended.

X2, I've also seen the opposite I once spent hours trying to figure out what was wrong with an AcBel (Cooler Master branded) unit that wouldn't power up in the tester (fan just twitched and turned off), I later found there was absolutely nothing wrong with it, it worked when plugged into a PC, but didn't like no load and tripped the protections when just plugged into a tester.

Now I'm a bit confused. From what I was reading on Wikipedia (I know, not the best source of information), but it said "Polymer electrolytic capacitors are mainly used in power supplies of integrated electronic circuits as buffer, bypass and decoupling capacitors, especially in devices with flat or compact design. Thus they compete with (MLCC), but offer higher capacitance values than MLCC capacitors, and they display no microphonic effect..."

Polymer capacitors are fine in newer units that were designed with them (many newer Seasonics and other high-end PSUs are nearly completely polymer on the secondary side these days), but it isn't a good idea to use capacitors with a significantly different in esr from the originals especially in a PSU that old which definitely wasn't designed with ultra-low ESR/polymer caps in mind. UCC KY/KZE, Nichicon PW/HD, or the Panasonic FC/FM/FR or Rubycon ZLx that ChaosLegionnaire mentioned would all be good options for that PSU.

Budm recommended a Panasonic cap once and I really really liked the quality. It looked like an extremely well built capacitor. It was an experience similar to when I did my first capacitor replacement and ordered caps from Badcaps and got those Rubycons. So, Nichicons and Chemicons are lower quality caps than Rubycons and Panasonics?

Aside from a couple problematic series (UCC KZG/KZJ and pre-2006 Nichicon HM/HN, all of which are motherboard grade series not normally used in PSUs anyhow) I don't really have any complaints with any of the major Japanese manufactures, Panasonic and Rubycon may be a little better, but UCC and Nichicon are more than good enough. If the PSU lasted 12-14 years with the CTC caps it is going to last well beyond the point of being obsolete with Japaneses caps.

I bet this would be a real nice 600 watt power supply when it's been fully recapped.

I definitely don't have any complaints with the one in my HTPC, granted it is powering a Core2Duo E8500 and Radeon HD5850, plus a SoundBlaster Audigy single HDD, and single ODD, so it probably never hits more than a 50% load, but of course this means the fans never really spin up making it nice and quiet which is good for an HTPC.

[Spork Schivago]

Re: Recapping a bad EnerMax NoiseTaker II Model EG701AX-VE(W) PSU

Okay, so regardless of what capacitor I'm replacing in this power supply (even the small ones), I want to stick with UCC KY / KZE, Nichicon PW / HD, Panasonic FC / FM / FR, or Rubycon ZLx series?

Thanks for pointing out the low ESR / age of the PSU with the polymer things. That clears things up a bit and makes a lot of sense.

When you say motherboard grade series, do motherboards generally use or require lower grade capacitors than the power supplies or is it the other way around or should they all have high quality caps in them?

[dmill89]

Re: Recapping a bad EnerMax NoiseTaker II Model EG701AX-VE(W) PSU

Okay, so regardless of what capacitor I'm replacing in this power supply (even the small ones), I want to stick with UCC KY / KZE, Nichicon PW / HD, Panasonic FC / FM / FR, or Rubycon ZLx series?

Some of the small (<100 uf) caps may be GP (General Purpose, non-low esr), in which case you wouldn't need low-esr caps to replace them, but any of the mentioned series should be "safe" options for that PSU, there generally isn't any harm in replacing "small" GP caps with low esr ones (these are generally less "critical" specs wise than the filter caps).

When you say motherboard grade series, do motherboards generally use or require lower grade capacitors than the power supplies or is it the other way around or should they all have high quality caps in them?

"Motherboard grade" caps are ultra-low ESR, too low for most older PSUs, again some new PSUs that were/are built with ultra-low ESR/polymer caps can handle these, but it wouldn't be recommended on a 10+ year old design like that Enermax.

[ChaosLegionnaire]

Re: Recapping a bad EnerMax NoiseTaker II Model EG701AX-VE(W) PSU

is there a fairly inexpensive way to accurately test a power supply?

im afraid there is no easy way to do this. one way would be to buy a cheap pentium 4 1.6ghz to 2.4ghz system. it pulls some juice on startup around 125w but not so much that it causes problems even for less well built units. its cheap so if the psu blows it, no loss. then scope the output on the atx connector using the oscillopscope to check for excess ripple/noise.

the second method suggested by another member was to use several high-powered 12v or higher voltage dc light bulbs. connect them to the 3.3v, 5v and 12v rail of the psu in differing combination setups to simulate different loads on each respective rail. this can check if the psu has crossloading issues or high-load issues among other things while scoping for ripple with the analogue oscilloscope. u should check johnny guru's website on how they test power supplies for review. u can learn how to properly certify a psu is working according to atx standards.

I'm interested in learning more about this PFC booster circuitry (and electronics in general).

There's one of those funky plastic looking blue ceramic looking capacitors (I think it's a cap).

Not really sure what those big donut looking things with the metal wrapped around them are, but I think that's what gives this PSU it's weight.

read up these articles from hardware secrets about how SMPS (switching mode power supples) work:
Anatomy of Switching Power Supplies
Everything You Need to Know About Power Supplies
these will answer your questions.

I was almost thinking of replacing that big cap as well. I mean, if we're recapping the whole board, I would personally feel a lot better knowing I put high quality parts in.

didnt u say later on in your post u wanted to only replace what was necessary in an attempt to cost cut smartly? the hitachi japcap is fine and doesnt need replacing. just leave it. a dollar saved is a dollar earned.

It's a Nichicon LGR series but doesn't list the impedance at all.

these are general purpose high voltage caps so no esr or impedance is stated. general purpose caps are used as pfc booster caps so u dont need to match esr/impedance for the primary or pfc booster cap. just match the voltage, capacitance and ripple rating.

What do you mean the primary cap? Is that the large 400V 390uF PFC booster cap you were talking about?

for pc psus, yes thats another name for it.

Polymer electrolytic capacitors

a what?! while i like wikipedia and the wealth of information in it, sometimes poorly written stuff like that oxymoron comes up. a polymer is a solid, an electrolyte is a liquid. how can something be both a liquid and a solid at the same time?! it doesnt make sense and hence an oxymoron.

granted there are hybrid caps that use both solid polymer and liquid electrolyte in them. those should be called hybrid or functional polymer caps. calling it a "polymer electrolytic capacitor" is just plain confusing to newbies. or it could be like dmill said, only modern recent designs use polymers. older designs can only handle electrolytics.

So, Nichicons and Chemicons are lower quality caps than Rubycons and Panasonics?

no. they just consider themselves to be a branded name and so charge a premium for their stuff. each of these brands all have their own 10k hour cap so as far as japcaps are concerned just go with the cheapest one with equal specs. u cant go wrong with any of the big four japcap companies.

I was thinking of using the best capacitors that I could get for each component. I mean, within reason. For example, if there's some cap that doesn't serve a real important job and doesn't need a 105C, 10000 hours life ultra low ESR cap that costs like 2.00$, but instead just needs a Rubycon or something that's like 50 cent, I'd go for that. I remember learning that I could always use really fancy caps no matter what, but couldn't always use lower quality caps. And I remember being told it wouldn't do no good using those fancier caps, but it wouldn't hurt anything, it was just wasting money. In those cases, I don't want to waste the money, you see what I'm saying?

you are talking about cost/corner cutting smartly. that is fine. not over-charging a customer is something clients will appreciate and keep them coming back. a returning customer is great for having a steady business!

to do that, u have to post pics of your psu so it is good u did that. from there we can recommend u where to pony up the dough for 10k hour caps for example. first, u notice the three bulged caps u had? take note of where they are located and replace them with 10k hour caps. this is called learning from experience and past failures. when u notice caps bulging/failing, it means they are in a stressful area so u need the longest lasting cap there to prempt any repeat failures.

second, take note of caps located near or under the heatsinks as well as caps buried inside a mountain of cabling. these are areas where caps tend to get cooked. so caps in those spots need the longest lasting cap there as well.

The underside of the board looks dirty. It has this white stuff on it.

uh oh. are u sure its white? it looks yellowish, brownish or tan to me in the photos. be warned, it could be the infamous conductive glue. many a good power supply has been fried and shorted after some time because of that stupid glue. the glue btw, is to hold the components down in place during wave soldering at the factory. dont want stuff falling off during soldering!! or dropping into the molten solder and getting fried!

if its yellowish, brownish or tan glue, u must scrape off that shit. the psu could have failed because the glue turned conductive and shorted something out. in the event u cant scape it off completely, just make sure its not touching or bridging an adjacent component where it could short that other component out.

[Behemot]

Re: Recapping a bad EnerMax NoiseTaker II Model EG701AX-VE(W) PSU

Don't ever put polymers into SMPS unless it was designed to work with them in the first place. Which are mostly at least a decade newer platforms than this is.

If you need special sized D8 and D10 caps for ATX PSUs, I always have them on stock.

ChaosLegionnaire: what the heck are you talking about, electrolyte can be pretty much anything, liquid solution, solid solution. Electrolyte in capacitors is something slightly different from the general "electrolyte" term as described by basic chemistry.

[Spork Schivago]

Re: Recapping a bad EnerMax NoiseTaker II Model EG701AX-VE(W) PSU

Some of the small (<100 uf) caps may be GP (General Purpose, non-low esr), in which case you wouldn't need low-esr caps to replace them, but any of the mentioned series should be "safe" options for that PSU, there generally isn't any harm in replacing "small" GP caps with low esr ones (these are generally less "critical" specs wise than the filter caps).



"Motherboard grade" caps are ultra-low ESR, too low for most older PSUs, again some new PSUs that were/are built with ultra-low ESR/polymer caps can handle these, but it wouldn't be recommended on a 10+ year old design like that Enermax.

I understand now. Thanks!

[keeney123]

Re: Recapping a bad EnerMax NoiseTaker II Model EG701AX-VE(W) PSU

Keeney123, from my experience, it's best to replace all the caps. Generally, a capacitor shouldn't fall this quickly. I mean the power supply isn't new, but it can't be more than a few years. They're obviously really cheap capacitors and if I replace just the broken three, who's to say another one won't go in a month's time? Secondly, the only true way to really tell if a capacitor is good is by measuring it with an ESR meter. To do that, I'll have to remove each capacitor. And if I'm going to remove them, why not just replace all of them with high quality caps instead of having three (or more) high quality caps and the rest some unknown garbage, you know?

Finally, are you saying polymers have a higher ESR rating? I was under the impression polymers have an ultra low ESR rating, and this is why people suggest halving the farad rating, but capacitors are not my strong suite, so I might have misunderstood. I also have found that polymers are generally smaller than the electrolytic equivalent, but I've only recapped that motherboard with them. When I did that, the polymers were actually not as tall. Obviously, I'd go for the same spacing for the pins and because there's such a small area to work in, regardless of whether I replace with electrolytics or polymers, I'll have to make sure I get caps that aren't physically wider than the old ones.

Sorry I think it an age thing. You are talking about polymer electrolytic cap or a polymer polarized cap. I was talking about a polymer cap that is not polarized.

[keeney123]

Re: Recapping a bad EnerMax NoiseTaker II Model EG701AX-VE(W) PSU

I suppose if the ESR is really low and you still wanted to use the polymer polarized you could figure out the difference in series resistance and add a resistor of that value.