- Joined
- Aug 30, 2004
- Location
- Santa Barbara, CA
WORK IN PROGRESS!
Updated with JonnyGURU's ATE-Results (Many thanks mate!).
See HERE and HERE
Hi all,
Upon Galvanized's (a member at Anandtech and Badcaps.net) recommendation and reading THIS thread, I decided to go for the Supermicro PWS-056 unit.
It was purchased at wiredzone.com FOR $136 SHIPPED, an authorized reseller listed on Supermicro's website. I had a lot of difficulty finding a vendor as this unit was out of stock at most resellers. I will recieve my unit (hopefully) by the end of the week. The unit will be shipped directly from Supermicro. What attracted me to this unit was the beefy 12V line. This PSU was made by Liteon and the model number is something like PS-5651-1A1 (not exact, but a brother). I have requested the official datasheet from Supermicro. Since this is usually sold as an accessory, you can't really find one in the general market.
Lets look at the manufacturer specs:
[/size] Electrical Characteristics :
Some Terms to be aware of (Borrowed from here) :
Testbed and Methodology :
Updated with JonnyGURU's ATE-Results (Many thanks mate!).
See HERE and HERE
Hi all,
Upon Galvanized's (a member at Anandtech and Badcaps.net) recommendation and reading THIS thread, I decided to go for the Supermicro PWS-056 unit.
It was purchased at wiredzone.com FOR $136 SHIPPED, an authorized reseller listed on Supermicro's website. I had a lot of difficulty finding a vendor as this unit was out of stock at most resellers. I will recieve my unit (hopefully) by the end of the week. The unit will be shipped directly from Supermicro. What attracted me to this unit was the beefy 12V line. This PSU was made by Liteon and the model number is something like PS-5651-1A1 (not exact, but a brother). I have requested the official datasheet from Supermicro. Since this is usually sold as an accessory, you can't really find one in the general market.
Lets look at the manufacturer specs:
[/size] Electrical Characteristics :
- Input Voltage 100V AC to 240V AC
- Output Power 650 W
- Frequency 47 Hz to 63 Hz
- Current 11A @ Input Current
- Current 30.0A @ 5V DC - Output Current
- Current 4.0A @ 5V DC - StandbyOutput Current
- Current 46.0A @ 12V DC - Output Current
- Current 0.6A @ -12V DC - Output Current
- Current 30.0A @ 3.3V DC - Output Current
- Connectors 24-pin Motherboard Adapter
- Connectors 8-pin ATX Power 12V Plug
- Connectors 4-pin ATX Power 12V Plug
Some Terms to be aware of (Borrowed from here) :
- OPERATING RANGE:
The minimum and maximum input voltage limits within which a power supply will operate to specifications. A power supply with a wide input range is recommended when the line voltage is subject to brownouts and surges. - EFFICIENCY:
The ratio of output power to input power expressed as a percentage. - EMI:
Electromagnetic interference is the noise generated by the switching action of the power supply. Conducted EMI, that portion reflected back into the power line, is normally controlled with a line filter. Radiated EMI, that portion which is radiated into free space, is suppressed by enclosing the circuitry in a metal case. The FCC governs conducted and radiated emission levels. - PFC:
Power factor is the ratio of true power (watts) divided by apparent power (volts x amps or VA). A standard power supply has a power factor of 0.70-0.75, while a power supply with active power factor correction (PFC) has a power factor of 0.95-0.99. A power supply with power factor correction is better able to convert the current into power. This results in lower peak current and lower harmonic current, putting less stress on wiring, circuit breakers, and transformers. - OUTPUT CURRENT:
The maximum current which can be continuously drawn from the output of a power supply. PC motherboards and expansion cards draw 5 volt current. Drive motors draw 12 volt current. - LOAD REGULATION:
The change in output voltage due to the output load varying from minimum to maximum with all other factors held constant. It is expressed as a percent of the nominal output voltage. A power supply with tight load regulation delivers optimum voltages regardless of system configuration. - LINE REGULATION:
The change in output voltage due to variation of the input voltage with all other factors held constant. It is expressed as a percent of the nominal output voltage. A power supply with tight line regulation delivers optimum voltages throughout the operating range. - TRANSIENT RESPONSE:
The time required for the output voltage to return within the regulation envelope following a 50% load change. A power supply with quick transient response will reduce the risk of read/write errors during access. - RIPPLE:
The magnitude of AC voltage appearing superimposed on the DC output, specified in peak to peak volts or expressed as a percent of the nominal output voltage. A power supply with clean DC output is essential for computers with high-speed processors and memory chips. - HOLD-UP TIME:
The time period, following a loss of input power, that a power supply's output will remain within specified limits. Adequate hold time keeps the computer running during the transfer time required by a UPS unit. - POWER GOOD SIGNAL:
A delay circuit used to initialize the computer and provide a logic signal upon low line voltage. - OVERVOLTAGE PROTECTION:
A circuit that shuts down the power supply if the output voltage exceeds a specified limit. - OVERCURRENT PROTECTION:
A circuit that protects the power supply and computer from excessive current, including short-circuit current. - AGENCY APPROVAL:
UL, CSA, and TUV are safety agencies that test specifications such as component spacing, HI-pot insolation, leakage currents, circuit board flammability, and temperature rating. - OPERATING TEMPERATURE:
The range of ambient temperatures within which a power supply can be safely operated.
FAN RATING:
Airflow in cubic feet per minute. A 100% increase in airflow will reduce system operating temperatures by 50% relative to ambient. For each 10°C (18°F) reduction, the life of the system is doubled. (Arrhenius equation). - NOISE:
Acoustical noise in dB(A) at 1 meter. Logarithmic scale. Each 3dB reduction represents 50% less noise. Issues include the pitch and speed of the fan blades, the hub size, the venturi depth, the bearing quality, and the layout of the power supply components. - MTBF/MTTF :
Mean Time Between/To Failure. A measurement of the relative reliability of a power supply based upon actual operating data or calculated according to MIL-HDBK-217.(Ed.) These are statistical measures.
MTBF is a basic measure of reliability for repairable items. It can be described as the number of hours that pass before a component, assembly, or system fails. It is a commonly-used variable in reliability and maintainability analyses.
MTBF can be calculated as the inverse of the failure rate for constant failure rate systems. For example: If a component has a failure rate of 2 failures per million hours, the MTBF would be the inverse of that failure rate.
MTBF = (1,000,000 hours) / (2 failures) = 500,000 hours
MTBF = (1,000,000 hours) / (2 failures) = 500,000 hours
MTTF is a basic measure of reliability for non-repairable systems. It is the mean time expected until the first failure of a piece of equipment. MTTF is a statistical value and is meant to be the mean over a long period of time and large number of units. For constant failure rate systems, MTTF is the inverse of the failure rate. If failure rate is in failures/million hours,
MTTF = 1,000,000 / Failure Rate for components with exponential distributions.
Technically MTBF should be used only in reference to repairable items, while MTTF should be used for non-repairable items. However, MTBF is commonly used for both repairable and non-repairable items. (source)
- ATX 2.0 Specification (pdf), ATX PSU Design guide from PCP&C (pdf)
,Datasheets and Design guides for EPS Supplies
Testbed and Methodology :
This PSU will be tested in two ways. First, a professional PSU tester would be used to load the unit and perform efficieny, power factor and cross-loading tests. These tests will be performed by JonnyGURU, who's help I sought on badcaps.net. He's been testing PSU's for a while, both as an enthusiast and as a professional, so these tests should be fun. More information regarding his methods can be found HERE.
Now onto more real-world tests, I'll be using the following system, loaned out to me by corpsjockey, one of our members here.
I will run the following standard benchmarks. Please let me know if I can add anything to this.
Update: July 26 2006
The JonnyGURU Test Results :
It's been a while since this was updated. JonnyGURU has finished testing the unit with his Automated Test Equipment setup. For more information on his methods and setup, please consult HIS website..
The outside of the unit:
What can I say here? Looks very military, no embellishments whatsoever. Who would expect bling from a server unit anyway?
The Power ratings:
Just as the info sheet said. The ratings look pretty solid on paper.
Cables:
No sleeving or any accesories. Typical server unit.
Internals:
Now we come to the fun part! The primary side caps are made by United-Chemicon, a reputed manufacturer of low ESR devices. The goo in there is to damp physical vibrations. Physical vibrations (manifesting as a hum) occurs when harmonics of the line frequency are produced. Mathematically, any waveform can be decomposed into sine and cosine waves (the basis of Fourier analysis) and since the audible range extends from 20Hz-20kHz, harmonics, if produced can be heard. You can see that the inductor is not wound properly. Usually, one avoids crossing windings. Looks to be a solid build. The green caps are Taicon.
Now onto more real-world tests, I'll be using the following system, loaned out to me by corpsjockey, one of our members here.
- DFI LP NF4 SLI-DR
- x1800xl-->XT 512 Mb
- As many HDD's and Optical drives I can lay my hands on.
- Opteron 144
- Mushkin lvl II Black PC3500 BH5
I will run the following standard benchmarks. Please let me know if I can add anything to this.
- 3DM 2001
- 3DM 2005
- 3DM 2006
- Stress CPU
- Prime95
- Super Pi
- CPU Burn
- 3DS Max from Autodesk
- Stick multimeter probes into a molex and get average DC voltage numbers on all the lines simultaneously.
- Stick probes on selected spots on the mainboard and get another set of readings
- Time permitting, I have at my disposal a GPIB interface setup to acquire data from an Oscilloscope. So, I'll stick in a 10x probe into a molex (and use a divider network) and acquire data for about an hour.
- I also have a very precise Temperature controller/readout unit, so I'll stick in a few thermistors and maybe we can discern how hot this unit gets under load.
Update: July 26 2006
The JonnyGURU Test Results :
It's been a while since this was updated. JonnyGURU has finished testing the unit with his Automated Test Equipment setup. For more information on his methods and setup, please consult HIS website..
The outside of the unit:
What can I say here? Looks very military, no embellishments whatsoever. Who would expect bling from a server unit anyway?
The Power ratings:
Just as the info sheet said. The ratings look pretty solid on paper.
Cables:
No sleeving or any accesories. Typical server unit.
Internals:
Now we come to the fun part! The primary side caps are made by United-Chemicon, a reputed manufacturer of low ESR devices. The goo in there is to damp physical vibrations. Physical vibrations (manifesting as a hum) occurs when harmonics of the line frequency are produced. Mathematically, any waveform can be decomposed into sine and cosine waves (the basis of Fourier analysis) and since the audible range extends from 20Hz-20kHz, harmonics, if produced can be heard. You can see that the inductor is not wound properly. Usually, one avoids crossing windings. Looks to be a solid build. The green caps are Taicon.
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