Digital power factor correction

[everell]

Re: Digital power factor correction

I have the chip already. So small I darn near didn't find it in the envelope. So I have ordered one of those adapters. That way I can solder the chip to the adapter, and plug the adapter into an 8 pin dip socket on my breadboard.

[Krankshaft]

Re: Digital power factor correction

That chip is an itty bitty thing. Need to order a SOIC to DIP adapter just so you can get your hands on it! Digikey sells Aries adapter p/n 08-350000-10.

Cool I didn't know they made SOIC to DIP adapters not good for the final product on a PCB of course. But very good for prototyping it on a breadboard.

[everell]

Re: Digital power factor correction

The Operating Frequency on those max's out at 70 kHz.
Lower switching frequency means bigger main transformer in PSU.

.

Whaaaat??? The chip controls the APFC FET switching transistor. Its load is a big toroid coil, not the main switching transformer.

That chip is an itty bitty thing. Need to order a SOIC to DIP adapter just so you can get your hands on it! Digikey sells Aries adapter p/n 08-350000-10.

[PCBONEZ]

Re: Digital power factor correction

Back to the original post.

DigiKey, Mouser, Avnet have them. Avnet's cheapest.

Datasheets attached.

Cheers!
Toast

The Operating Frequency on those max's out at 70 kHz.
Lower switching frequency means bigger main transformer in PSU.

.

[370forlife]

Re: Digital power factor correction

I have a ATNG AP-500X that has universal input without APFC. Kind of funny as the unit is silkscreened to have APFC.

[Th3_uN1Qu3]

Re: Digital power factor correction

You can do an universal-input PSU WITHOUT needing APFC, it's just cheaper to do it like that. But anyway, i can agree with APFC being semi-useless in average (500 watt range) computer power supplies, but when you're talking kilowatts it starts to count.

When you're trying to squeeze 4kW out of a 230v circuit, a power supply with APFC won't trip a 20A breaker. A power supply without, will.

[Toasty]

Re: Digital power factor correction

Back to the original post.

DigiKey, Mouser, Avnet have them. Avnet's cheapest.

Datasheets attached.

Cheers!
Toast

[Per Hansson]

Re: Digital power factor correction

PCBONEZ; that is interesting
I'll take Denmark as an example, one of our neigthbours here in Scandinavia
They produce 18% of their own electricity though wind power, that is an amazingly high number (highest in the world actually)
And they are very very proud of it

Untill someone like me comes up and asks where the other 82% comes from; the answer is coal plants in Germany!

Atleast this new uber PFC might allow them to use smaller gauge cabling to Germany
Haha, just kidding with you

[PCBONEZ]

Re: Digital power factor correction

Wind [and solar] power isn't going to do sh*t as an industry because without gov't subsidies it isn't 'efficient' at making money for investors.
The gov't is broke. - Subsidies are going away.

Obama's solution to make wind power 'efficient' at making money for investors is to tax the snot out of oil to make it more expensive than wind power alternatives.
- That's the gist of his "incentive plan" for wind and solar power.

That plan will actually work if he can get it through congress but gas and electricity prices will double or more in the process.

.

.

[ratdude747]

Re: Digital power factor correction

hence why i would like to go into politics someday... since there are so many bum politicains out there, i think i could do better and i hope other would think so too. not that anybody here would vote for me... most around here seem to be extremely conservative while i tend to be liberal on a lot of things (not all).

as for apfc... i think there will be bigger things go through before they get to that. like car emissions and wind power.

[PCBONEZ]

Re: Digital power factor correction

Politicians rule the world. The only thing I am expecting is for these politicians to legislate that the US will also go green and make a law requiring all new power supplies to have APFC. They will tell us that it makes power supplies more efficient, and show us the same ole bogus charts. Surely our politicians (the best paid politicians in the world) wouldn't lie to us?????

In order for Politicians to lie they would have to know what they are talking about.
I don't see that happening anytime soon.
.

[Per Hansson]

Re: Digital power factor correction

But it does help consumers in one way
It makes the PSU full range input (that's only really useful if you move to a new country with another line voltage)

But the bigger plus is that the PSU can accommodate a large voltage sag without issue, take an example here in Sweden, we have 230VAC line voltage...

But a good APFC PSU has an input range of 90v > 264v
So our line voltage could sag 140v and the PSU would not break a sweat (just loose maybe 2>4% in efficiency)

That I think is nice, and also the fact that the primary capacitor is operating at a higher voltage, generally 385VAC, so it will store more current, and therefore the PSU will be better at handling a complete brownout that lats a few milliseconds, like when a UPS switches to battery or there is a genuine such short power failure (atleast in my experience those are quite common, I can show you a log from my UPS )

[everell]

Re: Digital power factor correction

So when's the APFC bypass-mod coming to fruition??

Politicians rule the world. The only thing I am expecting is for these politicians to legislate that the US will also go green and make a law requiring all new power supplies to have APFC. They will tell us that it makes power supplies more efficient, and show us the same ole bogus charts. Surely our politicians (the best paid politicians in the world) wouldn't lie to us?????

[PCBONEZ]

Re: Digital power factor correction

Marketing and sales says......more "efficient" power supply

The word "efficient" is abused in advertising.
"More efficient" in what regard?
"More efficient" because 400w is less than 750w?
"More efficient" to you wallet because it's initial cost dirt cheap?
"More efficient" at removing money from your pocket once you have it?

~~
# = pounds mass
cid - cubic inch displacement.
gph = Gallons/Hour.

A 2000# car with a 150cid engine.
Uses 15gph but only 7.5gph actually moves the car.
[50% of the fuel moves the car.]

A 2000# car with a 300cid engine.
Uses 20gph and 15gph goes to actually move the car.
[75% of the fuel moves the car.]

Which one is more "efficient"??

They both do the same work.
The car with the 150cid uses less gas per mile.
The car with the 300cid wastes less gas to heat.

.

[Toasty]

Re: Digital power factor correction

Thank you 370forlife. Both articles were very interesting......and "informative".

I have been banging my head against the wall for the past several weeks trying to fix a AGI 400 watt power supply with APFC. It would blow out one of the PFC transistors on power up. I kept looking for problems on the output side, but it turns out the problem was in the APFC circuit.

The way I found the problem: I was curious as to the Inductance value of the booster coil for "typical" APFC circuit. So I removed the booster coil and measured it with a LCR meter. Inductance was 0.1 uHy. Should have been more than that! Unwound a few turns and found the short. Now I am suspicious that HEAT may be a problem for these booster coils in "cheap" power supplies. I have noticed that the ones I have worked on get very HOT. Do you think this is because of cheap lossy cores being used, or should one expect the coil to run superhot? Since these APFC circuits are designed for use in both US and Europe, do you think increasing inductance would reduce heat for APFC in the US?

So when's the APFC bypass-mod coming to fruition??

[370forlife]

Re: Digital power factor correction

APFC can be used to generalize the quality of the power supply. That 680W that still has that little red switch probably isn't a 680W, though there are 700W non-APFC units. But even leadman has a APFC add-on board now.

So...uhhh, its good for, ummm...yeah I'm drawing a blank here. Only one that I can think of benefits is the power companies and the marketing departments. APFC!!!!!!!1!!one OMG THAT MAKES IT, LIKE, 8 TIMES MORE EFFICIENT!

They're gonna have a field day with "digital power factor correction"

[Toasty]

Re: Digital power factor correction

Marketing and sales says......more "efficient" power supply

Which goes right along with what PC said (again IIRC) from the other thread of 2 weeks ago, that that's all it is, for all intents and purposes... marketing.

So saving the energy, by changing the phasing, but heating the coil... saves what???

No pun intended...

[ratdude747]

Re: Digital power factor correction

APFC=

A
Piece of
F**king
Crap!!!!!

[370forlife]

Re: Digital power factor correction

The coil is what is used to boost the voltage.

[everell]

Re: Digital power factor correction

How does a hot coil make up for APFC? IIRC, PC said this before that the heating there wastes the energy, so what's the point of it to begin with?

Marketing and sales says......more "efficient" power supply