Archived from groups: alt.comp.hardware,alt.comp.hardware.pc-homebuilt,uk.comp.homebuilt,alt.comp.hardware.homebuilt (
More info?)
kony wrote:
> On Thu, 15 Apr 2004 23:49:24 +0100, Tim Auton
> <tim.auton@uton.[groupSexWithoutTheY]> wrote:
>
>
>>>It's beyond overkill to advise waiting 24 hours. Even if you didn't know
>>>what you were doing you should've known that there's another very obvious
>>>way an ATX power supply drains besides the bleeder resistors.
>>
>>I'm assuming the worst case - ie component failure, where the only
>>discharge of the caps is self-discharge. In that case though, 24 hours
>>may not be enough. Hmmm, I think we need some experimental data.
>>
>>
>>Tim
>
>
> Well the data is a bit slow in coming but I did a sloppy test yesterday...
>
> I took a board from a power supply, that is quite typical, the basic
> filtering components between the AC socket and the rectifier, NOTHING
> after the rectifier... no bleeder resistors, no further power supply
> components at all beyond the rectifier By attaching the capacitor
> directly to rectifier output we would have an absolute worst case
> scenario, there is no way for the cap to drain slower than that no matter
> what else had failed in a power supply.
>
> Power-on, charged voltage of cap (Rubycon 680mF) was 158V.
> Within a couple hours it had lost over half of it's charge, below 70V.
> Nearly 8 hours later it was below 10V and right now, 14 hours later, is at
> about 7.5V and draining so slowly that further measurement might better be
> made in days rather than hours.
You're measuring the time constant of the internal, (parallel), resistance
of the capacitor. This can vary widely with the type of capacitor and even
its previous charge state. From a safety point of view its energy
content before its terminal voltage has dropped to a safe level may be more
important. In other words does its effective capacitance remain the same
during the whole of a self discharge cycle?
>
> Given that this was only a single cap and that I now have a better idea of
> time inteval for measurements, I may try another cap soon of higher
> capacity.
Do you know what value of capacitors are used in typical PSUs today? My
sample is limited to those with 470 mfd capacitors.
I made some measurements on a cheap L&C LC-235ATX supply. The CB inside
was marked "DEER", not one of the best quality makers.
Firstly, it was almost impossible to get even my finger tips on any
high, (DC), voltage points. The switching transistors were pretty
well protected by the insulated body of the input capacitors. I had to
remove four screws to get to the point under the CB to measure the
capacitor voltage.
I shorted pin 14 to ground and applied AC power. The unit started
without any exterior load and the output voltages were within normal
tolerances. The voltage across each 470 mfd capacitor was 162 V.
It dropped to essentially zero in about a second. Removing the ground
to cause the unit to not start, did not affect this behavior. As you
previously noted, the +5V SB did the same.
I did not remove the 220 ohm bleeders, but this time constant
is about 100 seconds. These bleeders are needed to equalize the
voltage between the input capacitors, so it's unlikely they'd be not used
to save costs. It seems the switching circuitry rapidly discharges the
capacitors, even when the supply is inactive.
I still urge everyone to use normal safety precautions, as with any
electrical device. The line power input terminals were exposed, so
it's important to be sure the unit is unplugged. No one without good
electrical experience should trouble shoot a PSU with applied voltage,
though it almost a necessity to do so to get meaningful results.
Repairs other than replacing the fan are probably not cost effective.
Virg Wall
--
It is vain to do with more
what can be done with fewer.
William of Occam.