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**gonzo0815** · 11-05-2009, 07:51 AM

Re: Which of these psus is the safest?

Codegen are pure junk, have seen some smoked systems simply by overloading ( e.g. new VGA card with more power ...). So i would not put it in any more demanding unit.
In a P3 or celeron setup i think it should be tolerable.
I would not bother with any of those psu`s, rather buy something like FSP OEM or Delta. Very cheap and always a recap worth.

**momaka** · 11-05-2009, 07:44 PM

Re: Which of these psus is the safest?

Originally posted by 370forlife

Still not saying you should use any of them before a recap
though.

I agree. Don't know how easy it is to get quality capacitors in Greece, but if you know where to buy any, definitely recap those power supplies. Keep in mind that all of these power supplies likely employ a 2-transistor design so none of them are really safe, even when turned off. The best you can really do is replace the critical 5vsb capacitor (which is usually a 10, 22 or 47uF cap). This should make the PSU 5vsb circuit safe enough for a few years.

But if you have to use those power supplies, here's how I would rate them from best to worst:

1. Macron Power
2. A tie between Premiere (a.k.a. Deer) and Linkworld
3. Maxpower
4. Codegen

Like 370forlife said, the Macron Power PSU is probably the only PSU in that list that will run its labeled specification. If the primary caps on yours are bulging though, you will need to replace them. Also, if it has a "Superred" fan, change it with something else. On mine, that fan was seized and I couldn't even oil it because the plug on the back is heat-sealed. But other than that, this is actually a pretty solid PSU.

The Codegen I would not consider using at all. Just notice how the 12v rail uses 2 regular diodes instead of a proper schottky diode. A P4 or any other 12v-based system will quickly burn it out. And from the list of caps you posted, I'd say that the output filtering on the Codegen is inadequate.

As for the other 3 power supplies which I want to say are more or less equal, especially the Deer and Linkworld:
Deer is generally reliable if you put good capacitors in it. Most of the time, though, they are limited to about 250 watts (then again, so are the rest, except for the Macron). So with good capacitors, your Premiere PSU should be okay for a low-power system.
The good things about the Linkword is that it has P-PFC, 18 awg wire, and size 35 main transformer. The bad: missing coils on the secondary side and output caps are Fuhjyyu, so the filtering is probably about the same as the Premiere PSU if not slightly worse.
From the capacitors lists you posted, the Maxpower seems to be just a step up from the Codegen. Output filtering is a bit inadequate. But it has 560uF primary caps.

If you really have nothing else to use but only these power supplies, maybe sacrifice one of them (perhaps the Codegen or the Maxpower) for parts, and complete the others (or just the ones you're going to use). Or find more scrap power supplies like that use whatever parts they have.
And lastly, before you start using any of them, check the 5vsb voltage with a DMM before connecting to a motherboard (you will need to put some type of load on the 5vsb however). Anything over 5.25v for 5vsb is an indication that the 5vsb circuit is about to fail.

**370forlife** · 11-06-2009, 08:39 AM

Re: Which of these psus is the safest?

Originally posted by momaka

I agree. Don't know how easy it is to get quality capacitors in Greece, but if you know where to buy any, definitely recap those power supplies.

He should see about contacting williwake for caps.

**goodpsusearch** · 11-06-2009, 11:27 AM

Re: Which of these psus is the safest?

I failed to notice until yesterday that the only psu with 24 pin mainboard connector is premier 400W, so that can be used with system #1 (Intel pentium D 2,66GHZ).

I measured system's power consuption at this site: http://extreme.outervision.com/psucalculatorlite.jsp
got 231watt without capacitor aging factor. I think it is ok.

Recapping is difficult for me cause I don't have any experience doing it and I'm afraid I'll do bigger damage than good doing it. I'm going to recap only bulging or leaking capacitors.

Today I got a digital polymeter and measured premier voltages when connected to pentium D 2,66 system:

Volts-----------PC IDLE--------3dmark05
12V1:---------12,06-12,07---11,97-11,98
12V2:---------12,08 ----------11,98
5V:------------5,05-5,07------5,06-5,09
3,3V:----------3,34------------3,33
12V*:---------12,02 ----------11,82-11,92

*(4pin board connector)
Are they ok?

**momaka** · 11-06-2009, 06:00 PM

Re: Which of these psus is the safest?

Voltages are looking pretty good (there's only one 12v rail though, not two as the label says

). However, you forgot to measure the 5vsb. 5vsb is the voltage between the Purple wire and ground and is always present, even when the power supply is turned "off". Measure it, because anything over 5.25v or close to that value is an indication that the 5vsb circuit is about to fail. If 5vsb circuit fails, it could kill your motherboard.
The other thing is, even if the voltages appear to be "fine", there can still be ripple and noise present. To put it simply, this means that the output DC voltage has spikes and dips that could make the computer unstable and may overload the motherboard capacitors, causing them to fail prematurely. Also, you cannot see noise and ripple with a regular multimeter (for that you need an oscilloscope). This is why it's a good idea to replace the capacitors when possible.
I'm pretty sure you'll be able to do that too. You just heat the capacitor legs, one leg at a time, and wiggle the capacitor.
The Codegen could be a good power supply to practice on.

**370forlife** · 11-06-2009, 06:05 PM

Re: Which of these psus is the safest?

Ya, recapping a single layer PCB like a power supply is almost idiot proof. Just heat up one leg at a time, and wiggle it out.

The worst part is adding new solder, if you add too much you may bridge a connection, which is very easy to spot and easy to remove, so no worries there.

I agree, practice on the codegen. Test it to make sure it works, take parts out like caps, input filter parts, etc... and put them back in and see if it works again. (remember to let it sit for a while before taking it apart to discharge the main caps, check them with a multimeter before poking around in there.)

**goodpsusearch** · 11-06-2009, 09:19 PM

Re: Which of these psus is the safest?

5vsb: 5,08V -> pc off 5,09V -> pc on

I am concerned about the noise and the bad jumpers that could cause a problem to the board, hdd and more, but at the moment I don't feel ready to do a recap at an ok working psu. This may change after Macron Power's recap which seems inevitable..

Btw good news! I found primary caps for macron power, they are used TEAPO 680 uF 250V 85C caps.

And bad news, there are secondary caps too there bulging that I didn't noticed earlier because they bulge from downside.. After recap I should put glue? What type?

**goodpsusearch** · 11-09-2009, 08:32 PM

Re: Which of these psus is the safest?

Hi! I need help selecting which capacitors to put at macron power secondary part.

The bad ones are CS 10V 2200uF x6 and CS 16V 3300uF x1 and the ones I found are: capxon 10V 3300uF x2 from an old psu (is it bad that they have bigger uF?), Lelon 16V 2200uF x 6 that I bought from electronic equipment store in Thessaloniki. And as for the 16V capacitor, I found 3 types available: Hongda 16V 3300uF 105C, Decon 16V 3300uF 85C and KC 16V 3300uF 85C.

Which ones to choose? Help me please... I can upload photos if that helps.

**momaka** · 11-10-2009, 12:02 AM

Re: Which of these psus is the safest?

Any caps rated for 85C are general purpose and are not suitable for PSU use, therefore don't use them for the recap. Besides, Decon are know to be bad.
The CapXon and Lelon you bought might work (or might not), depending on their ESR (which is determined by their series name). The series name is usually a 2 or 3 letter name (for example, a common series for CapXon is KM and KF). Post the series of the CapXon and Lelon caps here so we can tell you if they will work.
Hongda, on the other hand, sounds suspicious.
Generally, PSUs require Low ESR capacitors for the output.
Also, have you found replacements for the high-voltage primary caps for the Macron? Those need not be low ESR and it's okay if they are rated for 85C.

**PCBONEZ** · 11-10-2009, 02:55 AM

Re: Which of these psus is the safest?

You need to suck it up and get good caps or you are going to be doing this all over again or maybe even frying something, like a motherboard.

One of the Moderators here lives in Greece so I KNOW it's not that blasted hard to get good caps there.
https://www.badcaps.net/forum/member.php?u=19
Perhaps you should send him a PM.

**goodpsusearch** · 11-10-2009, 09:29 AM

Re: Which of these psus is the safest?

The 2 capxon 10V are from a psu so they will work, but they are 3300uF and the bad ones to be replaced are 2200uF. Is that a problem?

Btw I searched at every store in the city and every online store I was able to find but had no luck at all...

I contacted willawake and I hope he helps.

I'm also thinking ordering good caps from an international store, but don't know if it's possible I mean, who would send abroad something so small and cheap?

momaka I found TEAPO 680 uF 250V 85C primary caps from a psu.

Please tell me if I can use any of those in the photos for secondary.

Attached Files

**Per Hansson** · 11-10-2009, 10:45 AM

Re: Which of these psus is the safest?

I heard of a site named badcaps, they offer international shipping

**370forlife** · 11-10-2009, 12:59 PM

Re: Which of these psus is the safest?

https://www.badcaps.net/pages.php?vid=22

Rubycon stock

https://www.badcaps.net/pages.php?vid=24

Samxon stock.

I would recommend samxon because you can get 3300uf, 16v in 10mm, which is the diameter that most of these cheaper power supplies use. Upping the UF to 3300uf would help with ripple, if it has a ripple problem.

**PCBONEZ** · 11-10-2009, 04:08 PM

Re: Which of these psus is the safest?

In use Aluminum Electrolytic caps re-form to the applied voltage within hours.
That means the voltage written on the side doesn't mean anything anymore.
If that 10v cap was 'on' 3.3v it is now a 3.3v cap.
Just another reason not to use old caps.
.

**goodpsusearch** · 11-10-2009, 06:34 PM

Re: Which of these psus is the safest?

Thank you all for your help. What do you think of those caps?

http://gr.rsdelivers.com/product/pan...f/5261345.aspx

http://gr.rsdelivers.com/product/pan...v/0571284.aspx

Are they psu compatible?

Is it safe to put 2700uF in place of the original 2200uF (crappy) caps?

**370forlife** · 11-10-2009, 07:06 PM

Re: Which of these psus is the safest?

Yes, upping uf will not hurt it at all. In fact, it will probalby help.

But, you must look at the size of the caps used already. Typically, they use 10mm caps for the 10v and 16v caps, usually tightly grouped together so 12.5mm will not fit right.

**goodpsusearch** · 11-10-2009, 07:22 PM

Re: Which of these psus is the safest?

Checked that already, thanks!
Used caps are 10mm @ 10V and 12,5mm @ 16V so they will fit I suppose..

**PCBONEZ** · 11-10-2009, 09:25 PM

Re: Which of these psus is the safest?

You can get FK! - Now I'm jealous!
I've been looking for a source for FK Radials over here for like 2+ years.
All I can find is SMD.
My interest is because FK series has a 2200uF 16v 10mm that's perfect to replace those *%^#^ Fuhjyyu craps.

>> Are they psu compatible? <<
Yes, and those are good choices.

>> Is it safe to put 2700uF in place of the original 2200uF (crappy) caps? <<
That should be okay in an OP filter.
It's only one step up and uF goes down as caps age.

FK are actually advertised as for PSU use. [Among other things.]
- Slightly better than Nichicon HE and Chemicon KY.
- Not quite a good as Rubycon ZL but are often smaller.
FM are better than FK or ZL but are often big so you have to pay attention to physical size.

Instead of 2700uF, why don't you use these for the 2200uF 16v, 10v, and 6.3v?
http://gr.rsdelivers.com/product/pan...v/0571606.aspx
Ripple = 2140 , ESR = 0.025
They are 10x30mm and odds are you'll need 10mm some in at least one of those PSUs.
The 16v can be used to replace anything 16v and lower so you can use same cap for all the 2200uF and cut cost by buying them in higher quantities.

If you can't fit a 12.5mm+ into a 3300uF 16v 10mm spot the only good replacement I know of is Samxon RS series which has a 10mm 3300uF 16v [and 3300uF 10v 10mm.].

If it's a 3300uF either 10v or 6.3v and you need 10mm then instead of an RS 16v you can also use a 6.3v 10mm from whatever series gives you enough Ripple to match or beat the old cap.
.

**momaka** · 11-13-2009, 12:28 PM

Re: Which of these psus is the safest?

Originally posted by goodpsusearch

I found TEAPO 680 uF 250V 85C primary caps from a psu.

That should be okay.

**goodpsusearch** · 11-25-2009, 03:46 PM

Re: Which of these psus is the safest?

while waiting to get replacement caps and recap macron power this came to me:

Maxpower PL-300 300watt without pfc

How do you rank it among the others?

I noticed glue looking like melted. Is it bad or not?

I also got a maxpower 400watt active pfc but I didn't like it, you can see it here: https://www.badcaps.net/forum/showth...7582#post87572

Attached Files