I hoped better.. 🙁

Hmm... let's see.

No expense spared with a phenolic board. Input transient filtering is okay. I think I see two X, two Y, 3 coils, and what looks like a MOV. Full bridge rectifier. Looks like a PTC for inrush limiting. Transformers look a little anemic. Can't read the switchers to find the current spec. Lastly, the output rails have actual filters -- yay!

Is that a vastly oversized relay and free wheeling diode set for bypassing the PTC? Wonder why they couldn't find something smaller...

The VS series is at the bottom of the Corsair line. Buy by model and not just by brand.

Here around the VS650 costs ~58€. For about the same money I'd get one of the fresh released Corsair CX450M, which are DC-DC regulated and thus inmune to crossloading voltage drops due to unbalanced loads (like +5V heavy +12V light retrocomps 😉 ). 450W is plenty enough for any retrocomp.

It isn't that the VS650 is a hopeless PSU, it will work fine and if you use it to power 100~200W tops retrocomps (PSU working @ 15~30% of capacity) relatively little heat will be generated inside the PSU, thus even crappy caps like Jun Fus should last for several years.

gdjacobs wrote:

... Is that a vastly oversized relay and free wheeling diode set for bypassing the PTC? Wonder why they couldn't find something smaller...

I suspect you're referring to this:

^ That's not a relay, it's the APFC coil (and it wouldn't harm if it was beefier 😀 ).

The NTC thermistor (olive green lenticular object just above it) is always online in the VS650. To save costs budget PSU's almost never come with a relay to switch the thermistor off after PSU has started up. (This IMHO is of very little relevance, as an always online thermistor just wastes a negligible ~1% extra power at most).

Here's a nice review of the VS450, basically the same PSU as the VS650.

TELVM wrote:

I suspect you're referring to this: […]
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gdjacobs wrote:

... Is that a vastly oversized relay and free wheeling diode set for bypassing the PTC? Wonder why they couldn't find something smaller...

I suspect you're referring to this:

Yup.

TELVM wrote:

^ That's not a relay, it's the APFC coil (and it wouldn't harm if it was beefier 😀 ).

That is small, then. Those windings will get toasty. Any identifiers on the APFC coil or the trannies?

TELVM wrote:

The NTC thermistor (olive green lenticular object just above it) is always online in the VS650. To save costs budget PSU's almost never come with a relay to switch the thermistor off after PSU has started up. (This IMHO is of very little relevance, as an always online thermistor just wastes a negligible ~1% extra power at most).

Makes sense. They won't need it until they're really pushing efficiency. i know it's a thing on platinum and titanium units.

TELVM wrote:

Here's a nice review of the VS450, basically the same PSU as the VS650.

I didn't notice those two Y caps under the mountain of hot snot just below the rectifier.

BTW just for a laugh, apparently the audible 'click' from the thermistor relay is an ominous sound for some users 🤣 :

Oklahoma Wolf wrote:

... a lot of people still seem to freak out about this: that clicking noise you hear in high end units? It's supposed to be ther […]
Show full quote

... a lot of people still seem to freak out about this: that clicking noise you hear in high end units? It's supposed to be there. It's normal. Your power supply is not going to explode in your face. That relay is there to boost efficiency by removing the NTC thermistor (that big heatshrinked green disk at the top center) from the circuit. Without that relay, this thing doesn't clear Titanium.

You will find these relays in just about all Gold or higher units. Unless, of course, the OEM decides to just install a cheaper jumper wire over a perfectly good NTC thermistor, like Enhance did with this Rosewill.

What does the NTC thermistor do? Well, it helps mitigate the inrush current power supplies draw when starting up. But once they do that milliseconds long job, they're no longer needed. Thus, the relay is used to short them out so they don't constantly suck just a little bit of power at all times.

"OMG, OMG, OMG!!! My power supply made a strange clicky noise, is it going to die?"

No, it's only strange because you're used to low efficiency units. Me, I find it strange if a Gold or better unit doesn't click. It makes me wonder how many corners the OEM's cutting ...

http://www.jonnyguru.com/modules.php?name=NDR … Story5&reid=462

gdjacobs wrote:

Hmm... let's see.

No expense spared with a phenolic board. Input transient filtering is okay. I think I see two X, two Y, 3 coils, and what looks like a MOV. Full bridge rectifier. Looks like a PTC for inrush limiting. Transformers look a little anemic. Can't read the switchers to find the current spec. Lastly, the output rails have actual filters -- yay!

Is that a vastly oversized relay and free wheeling diode set for bypassing the PTC? Wonder why they couldn't find something smaller...

I didn't want to spend too much for config that will not ask much power (ex. SS7 or Athlon up to 1000).There was also a Cooler Master 500W that thinking back seems to have more weight (I think I've seen several secondary PCB eletronic inside that model), with similar 20/22A on the 3.3/5v rails. I went for the brand this time to have a NEW psu.

PCBONEZ wrote:

I have several dental mirrors and some 3x granny glasses for that. And several types of LED flashlights including some goose-nec […]
Show full quote

I have several dental mirrors and some 3x granny glasses for that.
And several types of LED flashlights including some goose-necks.

If I can't get those mirrors in I will polish a knife blade (gritty toothpaste works) and use that for a mirror.

I also keep acid brushes handy to knock any dust off the caps so they can be read.

That thing was in such a tight place that no mirrors would allow me to read anything... which is a non-issue because, after desoldering it, I realized it isn't fully cylindrical and had nothing but "-1 Ch" written on it. So I guess it isn't even a cap xD Anyway those dental mirrors sound like an excelent idea - I'll try finding a few of those.

TELVM wrote:

Well thought and well done http://smileys.on-my-web.com/repository/Respect/respect-048.gif . Sounds like it's the -12V cap, dark […]
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Well thought and well done . Sounds like it's the -12V cap, dark blue wire close-by?
Take some pics and show us your creation. 😀

Actually it was near the 5VSB purple wire oO
Here you go, images for everyone! Thanks for the input 😀

I was pleasantly surprised at how easy things were. Soldering stuff on/desoldering from PSUs is a breeze - the tracks are large, even a 30W iron has no trouble heating up solder and everything is through-hole. IMHO I did a good job - I can't even distinguish what I soldered from the stuff that was already there.

386SX wrote:

gdjacobs wrote:

Hmm... let's see.

No expense spared with a phenolic board. Input transient filtering is okay. I think I see two X, two Y, 3 coils, and what looks like a MOV. Full bridge rectifier. Looks like a PTC for inrush limiting. Transformers look a little anemic. Can't read the switchers to find the current spec. Lastly, the output rails have actual filters -- yay!

Is that a vastly oversized relay and free wheeling diode set for bypassing the PTC? Wonder why they couldn't find something smaller...

I didn't want to spend too much for config that will not ask much power (ex. SS7 or Athlon up to 1000).There was also a Cooler Master 500W that thinking back seems to have more weight (I think I've seen several secondary PCB eletronic inside that model), with similar 20/22A on the 3.3/5v rails. I went for the brand this time to have a NEW psu.

I think it'll be fine. From what I see, it certainly should be safe, particularly if you recap it eventually.

alexanrs wrote:

http://i.imgur.com/JEXp7Oym.jpg […]
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^ Ugh, gutless wonder ahead. No input filtering, no mag-amp and no toroidal (donut-shaped) coil for +3.3V. Born to be l guinea pig for soldering practice. 😀

alexanrs wrote:

I was pleasantly surprised at how easy things were. Soldering stuff on/desoldering from PSUs is a breeze - the tracks are large, even a 30W iron has no trouble heating up solder and everything is through-hole. IMHO I did a good job - I can't even distinguish what I soldered from the stuff that was already there.

See? Recapping PSUs is relatively easy, only the tiny caps between the heatsinks demand sometimes copious amounts of swearing 🤣 .

Damn if I can recap a PSU with my huge paws, then anybody can. 🤣

gdjacobs wrote:

I think it'll be fine. From what I see, it certainly should be safe, particularly if you recap it eventually.

Sure, the VS650 is perfectly safe and will work fine for years. At least it should last the 3 years of warranty, and under the reduced stress of powering low draw retrocomps probably will last several more. If you recap it with good caps once warranty expires, and keep an eye on the fan oiling/replacing it when needed, it may last a decade.

alexanrs wrote:

I was pleasantly surprised at how easy things were. Soldering stuff on/desoldering from PSUs is a breeze - the tracks are large, even a 30W iron has no trouble heating up solder and everything is through-hole. IMHO I did a good job - I can't even distinguish what I soldered from the stuff that was already there.

Just don't use the section I marked as a quality guideline. Somebody went all globtastic after the wave soldering was done.

gdjacobs wrote:

Just don't use the section I marked as a quality guideline. Somebody went all globtastic after the wave soldering was done. […]
Show full quote

alexanrs wrote:

I was pleasantly surprised at how easy things were. Soldering stuff on/desoldering from PSUs is a breeze - the tracks are large, even a 30W iron has no trouble heating up solder and everything is through-hole. IMHO I did a good job - I can't even distinguish what I soldered from the stuff that was already there.

Just don't use the section I marked as a quality guideline. Somebody went all globtastic after the wave soldering was done.

Pretty amazing how that didn't blow up like something from the Simpsons let alone worked 🤣

TELVM wrote:

^ Ugh, gutless wonder ahead. No input filtering, no mag-amp and no toroidal (donut-shaped) coil for +3.3V. Born to be l guinea pig for soldering practice. 😀

Then I better never take pictures of the one I gutted ahahahahaha. Half the weight, but claims to deliver 50A on the 5V rails... and a maximum of 160W on 5V+3.3V combined?! Now that is what I call a gutless wonder. This could be a guinea pig for me to learn about PSUs (and modifying them) as well - it does have the solder pads for filtering components on the primary side.

TELVM wrote:

See? Recapping PSUs is relatively easy, only the tiny caps between the heatsinks demand sometimes copious amounts of swearing 🤣 .

Damn if I can recap a PSU with my huge paws, then anybody can. 🤣

Too bad motherboards aren't that easy. I even forgot to use solder flux and used nothing but a manual pump to unsolder stuff.

gdjacobs wrote:

Just don't use the section I marked as a quality guideline. Somebody went all globtastic after the wave soldering was done.

And also forgot to clean the solder flux properly - I had to scrub this motherboard with isopropyl for a while to remove some of it. Why do this people do that? Is it to make it "beefier"? I wonder if I should re-solder that part, but I was afraid of all that solder being used to (try to) compensate underdimensioned rails on the PCB.

alexanrs wrote:

gdjacobs wrote:

Just don't use the section I marked as a quality guideline. Somebody went all globtastic after the wave soldering was done.

And also forgot to clean the solder flux properly - I had to scrub this motherboard with isopropyl for a while to remove some of it. Why do this people do that? Is it to make it "beefier"? I wonder if I should re-solder that part, but I was afraid of all that solder being used to (try to) compensate underdimensioned rails on the PCB.

Well, the traces are often exposed and tinned for current handling, but sometimes that isn't enough, so they layer on extra solder to eliminate the hot spots on the board. Sometimes you'll also see bare wire or chunks of bus bar soldered in for the same reason. And sometimes either the technique or the equipment is not up to the task, so you get bubble gum solder all over.

I have a 450watt JUST PC I should post on here for you guys to look at. The caps all appear to be Rubycons, but the two primaries are only like 330uf or something tiny like that 0.o

alexanrs wrote:

Then I better never take pictures of the one I gutted ahahahahaha. Half the weight, but claims to deliver 50A on the 5V rails... and a maximum of 160W on 5V+3.3V combined?! ...

ODwilly wrote:

I have a 450watt JUST PC I should post on here for you guys to look at ...

Don't be shy, post the pr0n pics. 🤣

I am building (again) on the Corsair VS650 an Athlon 900/G400/512MB(1DIMM)/4 PCI/1drive/1HD. Voltages on the bios seems ok (12v a bit high 12.46) but ok until now.
Maybe I will choose some lower vga to use even less power, I don't know, a G200? Or a S3 Savage4?

gdjacobs wrote:

alexanrs wrote:

I was pleasantly surprised at how easy things were. Soldering stuff on/desoldering from PSUs is a breeze - the tracks are large, even a 30W iron has no trouble heating up solder and everything is through-hole. IMHO I did a good job - I can't even distinguish what I soldered from the stuff that was already there.

Just don't use the section I marked as a quality guideline. Somebody went all globtastic after the wave soldering was done.

This mess is pretty common when they don't use ferrules to bundle the wires into groups.
That it is stranded wire doesn't help.

Until now the VS650 is running Athlon 900 with Voodoo3 2000...5V is still high on the bios readings.

Both +12V and +5V are a bit high? If so it's OK.

Check with a multimeter to be sure.

TELVM wrote:

Both +12V and +5V are a bit high? If so it's OK.

Check with a multimeter to be sure.

Ok, I will check from the drives connectors. The air that exit from the fan supply is cold. By the way I would buy a 1200W psu if it would give some 40A on the 5V but I see that they all go from 15A to 30A.. would be sad to spend 200$ for a 1200W psu usable as like an old 300W. 🙁