Bitmain APW3 power supply

[profdc9]

This Bitmain APW3 power supply AFAIK is still functional, I just want to know what's in it.  It produces 100-140 A at 12 VDC from 100 to 240 VAC.   It is a switching power supply and I want to figure out if it can operate from high voltage DC (380 V), whereas normally it uses 200-240 VAC, without the magic smoke or flames.

I attached a photo of it.  It was very dirty.  My understanding of modern power supplies is that there is typically some kind of a rectifier, then some power factor correcting boost converter, then a transformer stage.  I am trying to identify those parts here.  Unfortunately, the board is so heavily gooped up with silicone that removing the silicone might damage some of the parts.  There is a big heatsink which I suspect may have the recitifer and boost converter switch on it.  The step down stage I think uses an isolated transformer driven by a half-bridge.  I think the big inductor is for the boost converter.



Could someone else who has more experience with this maybe see if they have any more clue what is in here before I possibly damage it by scraping away the silicone?

Thank you,

Dan

[TheMG]

Yes that definitely has a PFC pre-regulator (boost) converter, and that is what the big inductor is for. You're not going to find any relatively modern power supply of that power level without PFC, certainly not with only a 10A IEC socket!

Impossible to say how the PFC pre-regulator driver IC will behave subjected to a DC input as opposed to the normal rectified AC sine it receives, but since 380VDC would be very close to the regulation voltage of the PFC stage, it won't be doing much anyways.

I can obviously make no guarantees but chances are pretty good that it will just work. Attempt at your own risk.

[profdc9]

Thanks!  Well I may give it a try, but keep a fire extinguisher and some kind of kill switch/circuit breaker handy.