X-Force 200 PSU (Use at own risk)

[Deodand2014]

Poor ventilation, misuse of 'Shenzen market' switchmode power supplies, improper earthing, bypassed fuses, and the list goes on...

[Whales]

"none of the supplies are grounded"

Not through their chassis?  The big straps are not copper?

Also are the output terminals steel threaded rod/bolts?

I was really disappointed that I couldn't find these for sale. Anyone found any examples under another name?

EDIT:

https://old.reddit.com/r/cbradio/comments/3it1hr/inside_a_new_xforce_200hdm/




I'm imagining that one guy is making these, not a whole company.

[Whales]

Down the rabbit hole:

http://www.xforceamps.com/

[Whales]

I've found lots of differing opinions on X-force items.  Things are all over the place, some comments read like personal warfare, others read as though X-force is a company that participates in HAM events.  Perhaps it's a UltraFire situation where multiple people have taken the name?  Not sure.

I might be right about this being a small or one-man company: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTQv7Yu_X1mzi7jHPhMF8ZQ/videos?disable_polymer=1

Obligatory: please don't bandwagon and throw hate at this person.  Find links to the stuff, discuss it for its problems/merits; but don't attack the individual.  Be better than that, please.

[Whales]

Looking further it does seem some things are strange here.  On one hand we have some videos by a guy that seems to care and know what he's doing; having to repair badly modded transmitters and showing a good sense of humour. 

Opposing that we have the PSU shown at the start of this thread.  X-Force's website lists info about competitions and being wary of fakes.  Perhaps we have some unfriendly disputes or competition involved?  Look at video replies like this:

[MrMobodies]

I can see lots of blobs of solder and that capacitor looks like it is not through hole but stuck on with the solder holding it together.

[ebastler]

https://old.reddit.com/r/cbradio/comments/3it1hr/inside_a_new_xforce_200hdm/

Thanks for the link.

So its a splatter box. Fuck all filtering in there so it'll send out crap all over the spectrum. They have literally used the bare minimum amount of components to take an input and throw it out the other end.

And the construction. What the hell is that all about? I've seen better construction for home brew projects in the pages of Radcom. That's the kind of construction method they use. And it looks like the soldering has been done by a blind person with an arc-welder, not a soldering iron. Just look at the soldering on the positive wire and the RF sockets as well as whatever component the wires from the sockets go to. In fact it literally does look like its a home brew project put together by someone who has absolutely no idea on how to solder and no idea about circuit design because there's not one single component dedicated to electrical safety in the thing.

Fucking jesus. Sorry for the swearing but I'm just completely blown away by just how utterly dire that is. How much do people pay for that shite?

Sums it up nicely...

[ebastler]

Looking further it does seem some things are strange here.  On one hand we have some videos by a guy that seems to care and know what he's doing; having to repair badly modded transmitters and showing a good sense of humour. 

Opposing that we have the PSU shown at the start of this thread.  X-Force's website lists info about competitions and being wary of fakes.  Perhaps we have some unfriendly disputes or competition involved?  Look at video replies like this:

Where are those videos of the competent repair guy? (From X-Force, I presume? You realize that the author of the video in the OP is not associated with X-Force, right?)

Looking at the improvised front panels shown on the X-Force website, I find it entirely plausible that their equipment looks just as messy inside as the power supply and amplifier shown above. No need to assume that any fakes are involved. I mean, who would want to fake this thing?



Edit: Fixed image link (hopefully)

[CJay]

Looking at the improvised front panels shown on the X-Force website, I find it entirely plausible that their equipment looks just as messy inside as the power supply and amplifier shown above. No need to assume that any fakes are involved. I mean, who would want to fake this thing?

You'd be amazed, there's a bunch of rip offs of the Dave Made, X-Force etc. amps and I can inly assume they do the same with the other crap they sell.

It's very much money see, monkey do.

[rsjsouza]

There is a guy named Walt Williams that built equally ugly but apparently good quality power supplies.

http://forums.qrz.com/index.php?threads/walt-williams-100-amp-power-supply.284529/

Although I have never seen one disassembled, looks are not everything.

[ebastler]

looks are not everything.

I agree. But for me there is a pronounced difference between the Walt Williams supply (unadorned, but functional and symmetrical) and the X-Force example (which exhibits a total lack of planning and care).

[CJay]

There is a guy named Walt Williams that built equally ugly but apparently good quality power supplies.

http://forums.qrz.com/index.php?threads/walt-williams-100-amp-power-supply.284529/

Although I have never seen one disassembled, looks are not everything.

Very true, function over form for me if I'm building stuff for my own use, if I share the design then other people can make it pretty.

Having seen the guts of X-Force, Davemade etc. etc. yeehaw redneck muh swing merchants, the guts of those amps and power supplies will all be just as bad as each other.

I have little doubt that the Walt Williams PSU bore absolutely no resemblance to them.