Antec TruePower 550w

[Player0]

Hi folks,

Im looking for information on performing a voltage mod on my Antec TruePower PSU. I had been using an Enermax EG465, which I had voltage modded to provide about 5.5v on 5v line and 13v on the 12v line. But the Antec is more reliable and provides better power. The problem is, the 5v line sags on this default Antec...down to 4.6v using a vCore of 2.1v. This makes things unstable.

I couldnt find any pots in the PSU unit, although I do see the white masking on the circuit board where pots would go (with a single resistor in the place). I could try changing those resistors out...but would like something more definitive before I start.

[DaGooch]

Can you tell what is the value of the resistor? You can try getting a VR of slightly higher value preset it to the exact value of the resistor first and gradually varying the resistance. Usually the feedback in a power supply is increased resistance for increased voltage as you may have noticed on your Enermax. Please be very careful around power supplies as you know and definitely not recommended for those that do not have the proper equipment to do the modifications.

[Player0]

The biggest problem is that there are four or five areas that look to have silkscreening for the pots, but no other information than VR1, VR2, VR3...etc. So im not sure which one to change.

I dont suppose anyone has modded one? I hate to be the guinea pig :)

[rlemieux]

Not to make you one, but let me know how it turns out, I just ordered one.

[LORD]

Oh :banana::banana::banana::banana:! I was told the true power had the pots. Man, I don't really want to go through the hassle of finding out the volt mod for these.

I did one with the ENERMAX 550. Actually I modded 3.3v, 5v(can do so on the fly-wires to back of p/swith Adj resistor :)) and fan adjustment.

I know it's not much help but good luck. Let us all know how it goes.

[sysfailur]

Speaking of the Enermax mod. Can someone link me to a 5v mod to get more power. I have a 550w and 300w enermax I'd like to do that to.

[LORD]

Had to find the pic.

One way is to replace R82 on the Enermax PCB with a 10 Kohm micro pot. Or you can run it in series with a 1Kohm.

I replaced it completely, on my 550 watter. Only using the 10 Kohm. Which I attached by wire and have the pot going out back of the power supply. = Fully adjustable 5v while the power supply is working.



In my EG 465 PSU resistor R 82 is located on the pcb just in front
of the outlet fan ( 80x80 mm ), "R 82" is printed to the board.

The value is 7.15 K Ohm, color code : violet/brown/green/brown/
gold , gold is tolerance.

I added an adjustment pot 1 K Ohm in series so my "new" R82
ranges from 7.15 to 8.15 K Ohm.

The +5 Volt supply now ranges from 4.9 V to 5.4 V under load,
but the +12 Volts are influenced ( increased to 12.60 ) too.

I glued the pot to the pcb using epoxyd-glue, with a little screwdriver it is easy to set from the outside through the fan,
stop rotation before ( I use a Q-Tip Cleaner ).


ENERMAX POWER SUPPLY
http://www.arcomnet.net.au/~lord/r82.jpg


LORD
:)

[spaceboy]

i have modded my +5 on the enermax..
could you tell me how to mod the +3.3 ?

[DaGooch]

Originally posted by spaceboy
i have modded my +5 on the enermax..
could you tell me how to mod the +3.3 ?

No one to date has figured out the modification for the 3.3V rail to date to the best of my knowledge. Maybe the master DDTung can! :)

[spaceboy]

Originally posted by LORD

I did one with the ENERMAX 550. Actually I modded 3.3v, 5v(can do so on the fly-wires to back of p/swith Adj resistor :)) and fan adjustment.

[LORD]

Originally posted by spaceboy
i have modded my +5 on the enermax..
could you tell me how to mod the +3.3 ?



Originally posted by E-Blitz
Hi guys,

heard of this prob before, maybe here is hint for solution :

1) 8KHA uses +3.3V from PSU

2) Enermax got sense line on +3.3V - ( NOT on +5V line !),
sense line is thin brown cable leading to pin 11 / orange cable
on power connector.

3) Mod : Cut sense line cable and insert a shottky-diode into
circuit, kathode (=ring on housing) showing to PSU.

Sense line leads back +3.3V to PSU for correction purpose,
shottky diode has Uflux of about 0.3V.

PSU detects ( +3.3V - 0.3V =) +3.0V at +3.3V line and control-
circuit will try to up output until sensor input detects propper
+3.3V , ok ?

Only question on this mod : How much headroom is left in
PSU power AND control circuit, will it be able to up 0.3V ?

Sorry cant test this, using 8K7A, have posted this suggestion
before with more details, some guys tested it with pots, but
dont know, what came out in the end.

If someone is interested, >search function> username>e-blitz,
look for threads on : Vcore 8kha and similar.

Type of shottky diode : nearly any low power sh-d, BAT43, BAT46,
BAT48, 1N5817/18/19 .......... , cost for diode is under 50 cent.

To my opinion it is worth testing it, startup WITHOUT MOBO to
take measurement of +3.3V line on power connector of PSU,
short pin 14 to pin 15 to start PSU without load.


Happy o/cing,

E-Blitz

[w1per]

Maybe it's better to buy the old Antec 400w with the pots?

[sjohnson]

This pic is from a Finnish web site, I no longer have the URL. I've applied this Enermax 3.3v mod to both an Enermax and and Enhance PSU. The Enermax is tweaked to 3.4 as is the Enhance. Both have been running for over two months without any problems.
(Edit) Fixed broken link...
http://aems.dyndns.org/3_3V_M_inthreesteps.jpg

[LORD]

sjohnson,
Using this method of the additional variable resistor to ground. Do you find these levels of 3.4 volts, to be measured with no load on the PSU. When measured at the atx connector, the levels are usually higher. On my own Enermax 550 watt. I measured a level of 3.54volts.

Or is that while attached to the motherboard and all accessories in place as measured by MBM or similar?

Also what mother board is this in? What video card is installed?
I ask this because when you use a GF4 the 3.3 volt levels really seem to drop. Especially when used with an Epox (non regulated 3.3volt)

Thanks,

[sjohnson]

I setup the VR to be adjustable from outside the PSU, and measured the voltages via the motherboard monitor in the BIOS setup. Voltages are measured under load via MBM5.

Enermax: installed in a kr7a with a GF3 ti for a friend. He reports to me that the 3.4 is steady, but I don't know exactly what variation means steady to him.

Enhance: currently installed in an ECS K7S5A, tbird 1.4 running 9.0 mult X 166 FSB, GF2 GTS. In MBM5, the low/high of the 3.3 is currently 3.36/3.42. It dips to 3.36 under load. The 5V/12V is also tweaked to 5.21/12.6 as the K7S5A needs higher volts than most for stability (cheap voltage reg by ECS).

I hope this helps, let me know if you need more info...

(Edit) Forgot to mention, I've had the 3.3 tweaked as high as 3.6, but only for about 48 hours as an experiment during an attempt to get the K7S5A to 200 FSB (big jump, 166->200). Send me your GF4 and I'll check out the fluctuation under a GF4 load (J/K).

[LORD]

sjohnson,

K7S5A, I have not looked at it. Does it have regulation of the 3.3 volt same as the KR7?

[sjohnson]

I'm not certain, but to my best knowledge the K7S5A regulates the 3.3 rail.

[Ciesko]

I'll try it in my chieftech PSU but there isn't a brown wire!!! The 3 resistances is 100 Ohm, 5-3 Kohm but i don't undestand what kind is the 3rd resistance? (in the diagram is "series resistor").

[sjohnson]

Ciesko,

The 3.3 Sense wire comes into the PSU from the ATX connector as a wire doubled-up with the first 3.3 supply wire. If you don't have one of your 3.3 wires doubled, your PSU does not implement the 3.3 sense line. By adding the VR on the sense line you are "fooling" the PSU into thinking that the 3.3 rail is low, causing the voltage regulation circuitry of the PSU to compensate by increasing the 3.3 rail.

The 3.3 sense line terminates in a different place on the PSU circuit board than do the 3.3 supply lines.

The resistance of the fixed resistor shown in series with the VR would be dependant on your PSU. The idea is to include a resistor of sufficient value that if the VR is set to 0 ohms, you won't trigger an overvoltage condition of the 3.3 rail. As long as you tweak the VR carefully you shouldn't need it (except as a safety measure).

[Ciesko]

Ok,thank you very much, i think i'll try a 4,7kohm trimmer.

[Sherlock]

Originally posted by LORD
Originally posted by E-Blitz
Hi guys,

heard of this prob before, maybe here is hint for solution :

1) 8KHA uses +3.3V from PSU

2) Enermax got sense line on +3.3V - ( NOT on +5V line !),
sense line is thin brown cable leading to pin 11 / orange cable
on power connector.

3) Mod : Cut sense line cable and insert a shottky-diode into
circuit, kathode (=ring on housing) showing to PSU.

Sense line leads back +3.3V to PSU for correction purpose,
shottky diode has Uflux of about 0.3V.

PSU detects ( +3.3V - 0.3V =) +3.0V at +3.3V line and control-
circuit will try to up output until sensor input detects propper
+3.3V , ok ?

Only question on this mod : How much headroom is left in
PSU power AND control circuit, will it be able to up 0.3V ?

Sorry cant test this, using 8K7A, have posted this suggestion
before with more details, some guys tested it with pots, but
dont know, what came out in the end.

If someone is interested, >search function> username>e-blitz,
look for threads on : Vcore 8kha and similar.

Type of shottky diode : nearly any low power sh-d, BAT43, BAT46,
BAT48, 1N5817/18/19 .......... , cost for diode is under 50 cent.

To my opinion it is worth testing it, startup WITHOUT MOBO to
take measurement of +3.3V line on power connector of PSU,
short pin 14 to pin 15 to start PSU without load.


Happy o/cing,

E-Blitz
Well just tried a 5v mod on the antec TruePower 550w PSU. The TP550 HAS a 5v+ sense line.
I added first a 10kohm pot serial to the 5v sense line (red 22awg), then tried even a 100K pot serial. No go.
As I increased the resistence on the 5v sense flow the motherboard showed dropping voltage to the mobo. :confused:
Anyone have any other Ideas?

[Player0]

I tried a few different pots on the Antec with no luck. It eventually blew up, but from a water spill not the overclocking.

I now have a PCP&C 475w which works AWESOME. $200 tho.

[Sherlock]

Originally posted by Player0
I tried a few different pots on the Antec with no luck. It eventually blew up, but from a water spill not the overclocking.

I now have a PCP&C 475w which works AWESOME. $200 tho.
Does that PCP&cooling have adjustable pots? What are your voltages and on what mobo?

[Player0]

I havent taken the PSU apart yet because I havent needed too.

5.21v and 12.13v respectively. ABit KX7. Vcore at 2.06, a much more stable 2.06.

[Sherlock]

Thanks.

[Sherlock]

Thanks player0 for reaffirming what I was afraid was the truth: When you're done fooling around, go PCP&Cooling. I just installed mine and I'll never look back. My system's never been this stable.:toast:

[Player0]

Cool...glad to hear it :)

[Nordic]

Originally posted by Player0
...The problem is, the 5v line sags on this default Antec...down to 4.6v using a vCore of 2.1v. This makes things unstable.

Really?
Have you tried measuring the +5V line in a Molex-connector? What the motherboard reports and what the PSU is actually outputting can be two different things.

[Player0]

Nordic,

Yes, they can be different things (but don't go around saying that, some people refuse to beleive it). I have a DigiDoc5 which always reads the molex voltage, and yes, its was always a little higher than what the motherboard reads. (My Fluke DMM always concurred with the DigiDoc when I took manual measurements). Of course, what the motherboard is reading is accurate, but since the motherboard is doing things with the 5v line, it drops the voltage some. The KX7 board was really bad at this. The AT7 I use now doesn't have the same sagging problem, especially when I use the P4 power connector.

Anyway, my Antec 550 is a smoking pile now, and Im extremely happy with my TurboCool 475w which never sags like those Antecs and Enermaxes used too. The voltages are perfect, and I'll never go back to those cheap Antecs again in my main system. Might be time to give Vantec or TTGI a shot.

[Nordic]

My take on the "dropping voltage" thing is that it really doesn't matter unless the voltage drops below the ATX specification of 4.75V. At that point some components might operate .. unrealiably.
But there is a lot you don't see using motherboard monitoring programs and what you can read in the BIOS. Some fluctuations don't appear in the sensor readings and this is when a high quality PSU makes the difference.

I don't get it how you can make the 550W TruePower sag on the +5V line. :)

I tested an Antec TP 330W on my EpoX 8K7A which ONLY uses the +5V line and it only sagged about 0.05V and 100W cpu power. It was incredibly stable compared to anything I've previously tried.

[Player0]

It all depends on the motherboards really. They all have slightly different on-board powersupplies (dc-dc converters I guess). So some boards react differently than others to certain powersupply conditions. Especially if you do a voltage mod. Abit boards with an overdriven Vcore have extremely bad 5v line sagging. Ive seen them down as low as 4.5v. And actually, the boards were stable like that. Ive also heard lots of reports that on some Epox boards, a 5v line that drops below 4.8v causes major stability issues.

With any switching powersupply, if you draw a lot of current, the voltage will drop. This is what happens on the 3-stage dc-dc converters when the CPU is being overclocked and overvolted, its drawing more current and the voltages all drop (or start to fluctuate which is even worse). You'll even notice a sag on the main PSU itself (although as you mentioned before, it won't be as bad).

Even on my TurboCool 475w, when I plug the 226w peltier on to it, 12v line sags from 12.10v to about 11.90 volts. More current draw will reduce the voltage output (although it takes ALOT of current for this to happen on a nice PSU like the TurboCool).

Abit seems to have improved their dc-dc converter design on the new KT400 boards, as many of the sagging issues are now gone. I imagine your Epox's design has been improved as well, or your maybe not doing any major overvolting yet. The Asus power system has been rock solid since A7V133, I'm glad to see all the other companies finally providing that level of quality.

[spaceboy]

where can i find turbocool?

[Player0]

I got mine from Directron.com

[asw7576]

It works dude..... he.... he.... My PSU is a generic 400 watts ATX version 2.03 ( current PSU model with an extra 12V cable for Intel P4 ). Geeks called it ATX12V. Other ATX version? I don't know. This modification is only for ATX 2.03 where Pin 11 (3.3V) is the feedback wire to PSU.

Cut Pin 11 ( a thinner orange wire ) and insert a schotky diode in between. This is 3.3V feedback wire to PSU, so the direction to put the diode: the "ring" goes toward PSU. Not the other way round. What a schotky diode do? It decreased the feedback voltage from mobo to PSU, and so it forces the PSU to increase 3.3V lines higher to macth the drop reported. My 3.3V now reads 3.53V !!!!

I am warning you: I don't know how much voltage will it decrease by using a scotcky diode, and I don't know either how high your PSU will strike back the 3.3V lines. Do At Your Own Risk!!!