Is this power supply fake?

[zapta]

I am looking for a 12V power supply for a 3D printer and found this one http://amzn.com/B007K2H0GI . Price is reasonable, it's from a known brand and supposed to have UL approval.

Is it possible to tell if it is fake or not?  Do they come with that hologram UL sticker? Is it possible to tell by looking inside, components quality, etc?



Thanks,

Zapta

[wraper]

Respectable manufacturer, who sometimes got faked. There are no any holograms, more than that holograms stating quality are used on knockoffs more often than on quality gear. Like on this fake flux (no holograms on genuine) http://www.ebay.com/itm/1pc-10cc-AMTECH-NC-559-ASM-BGA-PCB-SMT-IC-Reballing-Soldering-Paste-Flux-Grease-/170878731760?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item27c92a85f0 Photo looks like genuine but it doesn't mean that it is photo of the actual product sold. IMO you won't get fake unless buy extremely cheap on ebay.

[mcinque]

Well, I think the best way to know if that PSU is counterfeit or genuine, it's to contact directly the manufacturer http://www.meanwell.com/
At least, this is what I do in this cases.

[wraper]

You can check if weight is the same 1.07 kg as in the datasheet. Most of the electrolytic capacitors likely will be capxon and rubycon.

[kxenos]

I use them in my systems. I've repaired hundreds of MW supplies. The PS on the photo is 100% a genuine MW power supply. Now if you get what is pictured is a different question but I think it should be OK. These PSs are not that expensive anyway

[NiHaoMike]

Just buy a good quality ATX PSU.

[kwallen]

Just buy a good quality ATX PSU.

ATX power supplies really can't be beat for 12v, and if you buy a modular one you won't have to worry about a massive swathe of cables you need to bundle up out of the way. High current, good protection, and most of the time cheaper than a purpose built supply. I shorted one recently and fully expected it to explode the cables in my face, turns out it has polyfuses though, very neat.

[zapta]

ATX power supplies really can't be beat for 12v, and if you buy a modular one you won't have to worry about a massive swathe of cables you need to bundle up out of the way. High current, good protection, and most of the time cheaper than a purpose built supply. I shorted one recently and fully expected it to explode the cables in my face, turns out it has polyfuses though, very neat.

Yes, I wanted to avoid all those cables. What is a modular one?

[nowlan]

Modular psu let you remove the cable you dont need in your computer. Although you pay a premium for it.
eg, http://www.corsair.com/en/power-supply-units/popular-power-supply-units/modular-psus

[zapta]

Modular psu let you remove the cable you dont need in your computer. Although you pay a premium for it.
eg, http://www.corsair.com/en/power-supply-units/popular-power-supply-units/modular-psus

Never heard of it before. It looks nice, though expensive. I just need the +12V. BTW, do ATX power supplies cut with max current per output voltage or just the aggregated power?  (again, I care only about the 12V current capabilities).

[kwallen]

Modular psu let you remove the cable you dont need in your computer. Although you pay a premium for it.
eg, http://www.corsair.com/en/power-supply-units/popular-power-supply-units/modular-psus

Never heard of it before. It looks nice, though expensive. I just need the +12V. BTW, do ATX power supplies cut with max current per output voltage or just the aggregated power?  (again, I care only about the 12V current capabilities).

They usually have a maximum rating for the whole supply, and an isolated one just for the 12v rail. Computers now mainly use the 12v rail for the CPU supplied and graphics cards so you can often draw the entire rating of the power supply just on that. Most will have a similar label as the one below, the lower rating is for the maximum cumulative load and the upper ones are a break down of the maximum for each rail. I've found that they don't care about drawing full loadings on one output, just be careful not to go over the ratings of the molex connectors on the output or they will ignite (use multiple runs from the supply and gang them up externally).




The one trick you need to know when using them is that there is a power enable pin that you need to short to ground to get the power supplies to start up. People often do it with a paperclip as a temporary thing, but they're cheap enough for generic supplies that you can just cut up this harness and build a switch into it yourself if you'd like.

[wraper]

Don't think that PC PSU is any good for this purpose. Not only they are more than two times bigger but also very thick compared to this MW one. Therefore much thicker enclosure is needed. Some of them also have a problem to work normally when other power rails stay without any load. As of modular PSUs, there will be a lot of permanent wires in addition to detachable ones anyway. Just don't see any reason to use ATX, no price, no size, no reliability advantage. That would change drastically if you would need something in 1000+W realm.

[zapta]

Don't think that PC PSU is any good for this purpose. Not only they are more than two times bigger but also very thick compared to this MW one. Therefore much thicker enclosure is needed. Some of them also have a problem to work normally when other power rails stay without any load. As of modular PSUs, there will be a lot of permanent wires in addition to detachable ones anyway. Just don't see any reason to use ATX, no price, no size, no reliability advantage. That would change drastically if you would need something in 1000+W realm.

Do all modular ATX PSU come with a permanent wire harness in addition to the chassis connectors?  It's hard to see in some product pictures (probably intentionally so they look better).

The main advantage I see in ATX PSUs is that they come with a standard mains connector and a on/off switch(?).  My top candidate now is this MW 12VDC 200W which is available locally from a reputable vendor. The part I don't like is the exposed mains connection and the fact that I need to add a mains switch somewhere. (it does have a remote control input but it requires external power, I think(?)).

http://www.jameco.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Product_10001_10001_194774_-1



BTW, this power supply is for this 3D printer kit. The manual says that it needs up to 11amp so 200W will have some margin for future upgrades.

http://www.makerfarm.com/index.php/prusa-8-i3v-kit-v-slot-extrusion.html/


Edit: found this on eBay. It can take care of the connector + switch thing. Will look for something more reputable at DigiKey.

[kwallen]

Do all modular ATX PSU come with a permanent wire harness in addition to the chassis connectors?  It's hard to see in some product pictures (probably intentionally so they look better).

Depends on the supply. I have ones that don't and ones that do.

Don't think that PC PSU is any good for this purpose. Not only they are more than two times bigger but also very thick compared to this MW one. Therefore much thicker enclosure is needed. Some of them also have a problem to work normally when other power rails stay without any load. As of modular PSUs, there will be a lot of permanent wires in addition to detachable ones anyway. Just don't see any reason to use ATX, no price, no size, no reliability advantage. That would change drastically if you would need something in 1000+W realm.

They are objectively safer though, even just from the standpoint of not having to mess about with mains voltages at all.

[zapta]

Anybody knows reputable manufacturer of module ATX PSU's (with connector only outputs)?  I prefer to have a safe product with UL and such.

Edit: I just leaned that modular ATX PSU with output connectors only are called 'fully modular'.

[Rasz]

get ANY ATX psu (even used one), and just cut cables you dont plan to use

[wraper]

One more thing to consider, if this PSU is supposed to work at zero load (heater off and no other load at all), ATX psu is a very bad choice. Many of them will just not start at all, short fan spin up and instant shutdown. That MW one have load resistors inside, therefore zero load is not an issue.

[rolycat]

Seasonic, Corsair and Antec are all top-rank manufacturers with full-modular power supply offerings - Seasonic are the OEM for a number of Corsair and Antec branded PSUs.

The Seasonic SS-620GM2 offers 48A on the 12V rail for around $100.

[NiHaoMike]

One more thing to consider, if this PSU is supposed to work at zero load (heater off and no other load at all), ATX psu is a very bad choice. Many of them will just not start at all, short fan spin up and instant shutdown. That MW one have load resistors inside, therefore zero load is not an issue.

The "Haswell-ready" PSUs are specifically designed to operate down to no load. Also, I haven't come across a good quality PSU that won't operate without a load.

[zapta]

The Seasonic SS-620GM2 offers 48A on the 12V rail for around $100.

Thanks rolycat. this one is not fully modular, right?

Is the 550w here any good? It has cTUVus, TUV, CB certification but not UL and has good reviews on amazon http://amzn.com/B00FIYI42Y

http://www.firepower-technology.com/product-listings/fatal1ty-product-family/
http://www.firepower-technology.com/firepower/fp/wp-content/uploads/FTY-SPECIFICATION2.pdf

[rolycat]

The Seasonic SS-620GM2 offers 48A on the 12V rail for around $100.

Thanks rolycat. this one is not fully modular, right?

It is fully modular - details here. There's one for sale here for $75.

Here is a review of the hybrid modular variant - the M12II-620, which should give an idea of the quality.

Is the 550w here any good? It has cTUVus, TUV, CB certification but not UL and has good reviews on amazon http://amzn.com/B00FIYI42Y

FirePower took over OCZ's PSU offerings, including various PC Power & Cooling units. There's a review here - they aren't terribly complimentary about the build quality.

[wraper]

One more thing to consider, if this PSU is supposed to work at zero load (heater off and no other load at all), ATX psu is a very bad choice. Many of them will just not start at all, short fan spin up and instant shutdown. That MW one have load resistors inside, therefore zero load is not an issue.

The "Haswell-ready" PSUs are specifically designed to operate down to no load. Also, I haven't come across a good quality PSU that won't operate without a load.

My 1000W chieftec won't start for example, it is 4 years old, certainly not a cheap junk. As I repaired some computer PSUs, was checking them without any load attached. And most of them even if working, certainly do not like no load (emitting strange sounds, being unstable).

[DanielS]

My 1000W chieftec won't start for example, it is 4 years old, certainly not a cheap junk. As I repaired some computer PSUs, was checking them without any load attached. And most of them even if working, certainly do not like no load (emitting strange sounds, being unstable).

Every crappy PSU I have ever owned or repaired worked fine "without load" because they have internal shunt resistors providing that absolute minimum amount of load they need to keep running without going out of bounds. Things get more complicated when you throw cross-loading at group-regulated units without putting some extra load on other outputs.

Modern high-end, high-efficiency PSUs have a single 12V primary rail and provide other outputs from secondary DC-DC converters. The DC-DC converters provide the 12V rail's minimum load and the secondary rails require practically no load at all since they do not need to sink the primary transformer's leakage inductance.

[LabSpokane]

I am looking for a 12V power supply for a 3D printer and found this one http://amzn.com/B007K2H0GI . Price is reasonable, it's from a known brand and supposed to have UL approval.

Is it possible to tell if it is fake or not?  Do they come with that hologram UL sticker? Is it possible to tell by looking inside, components quality,

Thanks,

Zapta

Pass on the Meanwell. You can thank me later.

I'm not sure what amperage you need but you could try a Rhino from Automation Direct:
http://www.automationdirect.com/adc/Shopping/Catalog/Power_Products_(Electrical)/DC_Power_Supplies/5VDC,_12VDC,_48VDC,_DIN_Rail_Mount

You can find a ton of used industrial power supplies on ebay that are better than what you're looking at. Phoenix and Sola are also very good brands, but are much more expensive than the Rhino new.

[zapta]

The Seasonic SS-620GM2 offers 48A on the 12V rail for around $100.

Thanks for the pointer. I just order one from Amazon 

(SuperBiiz is local but has 'F' BBB rating).