Chieftronic SteelPower 750 W Review

Name: Chieftronic SteelPower 750 W
Brand: Chieftronic
Price: 100 USD

crmaris

on Nov 23rd, 2021,

in Power Supplies.

Manufacturer: Chieftronic

Voltage Regulation Stability & Ripple »

Component Analysis

Before reading this page, we strongly suggest looking at this article, which will help you better understand the insides of a PSU.

Chieftronic SteelPower 750W Parts Description
General Data
Manufacturer (OEM)	CWT
Platform	GPQ
PCB Type	Single-Sided
Primary Side
Transient Filter	4x Y caps, 2x X caps, 2x CM chokes, 1x MOV, 1x Power Integrations CAP200DG (Discharge IC)
Bridge Rectifier(s)	1x GBU1506 (800 V, 15 A @ 125 °C)
Inrush Current Protection	NTC Thermistor (SCK-2R58) (2.5 ohm)
APFC MOSFETs	2x Great Power GP28S50 (500 V, 28 A, Rds (on): 0.125 ohm)
APFC Boost Diode	1x On Semiconductor FFSP0665A (650 V, 6 A @ 153 °C)
Bulk Cap(s)	1x Nichicon (400 V, 390 uF, 2,000 h @ 105 °C, GG)
Main Switchers	2x Perfect Intelligent Power Semiconductor PTA20N50A (500 V, 10 A @ 125 °C, Rds (on): 0.3 ohm)
APFC Controller	Champion CM6500UNX & Champion CM03X
Switching Controller	Champion CM6901X
Topology	Primary Side: APFC, half-bridge & LLC converter Secondary Side: synchronous rectification & DC-DC converters
Secondary Side
+12 V MOSFETs	4x Advanced Power AP4N2R6RH (40 V, 75 A, Rds (on): 2.6 mOhm)
+5 V & +3.3 V	DC-DC Converters: 4x SyncPower SPN3006 (30 V, 57 A @ 100 °C, Rds (on): 5.5 mOhm) PWM Controllers: ANPEC APW7159C
Filtering Capacitors	Electrolytic: 9x Chengx (2–4,000 h @ 105 °C, GR), 1x Chengx (105 °C, AL) Polymer: 15x APAQ, 8x Elite
Supervisor IC	Sitronix ST9S313-DAG (OVP, UVP, SCP, PG)
Fan Model	Hong Hua HA1225H12B-Z (120 mm, 12 V, 0.58 A, double ball bearing fan)
5VSB Circuit
Standby PWM Controller	Power Integrations TNY287PG

This is a new budget platform by CWT, called GPQ. A quick look at the business side of the single-sided PCB shows that this is a low-cost design. Soldering quality is nice, though, and CWT used good parts for the important areas. The only letdown is the quality of the electrolytic caps on the secondary side, but finding caps from known manufacturers is tough these days.

The transient/EMI filter stages have all the necessary parts, and suppress EMI emissions well enough.

A Metal Oxide Varistor (MOV) handles voltage surges, while an NTC thermistor suppresses large inrush currents. A bypass relay does not support the latter.

The bridge rectifier is bolted to a heatsink. It can handle up to 15 A.

The APFC converter uses two Great Power GP28S50 FETs and a single On Semiconductor boost diode. The bulk cap is by Nichicon, and its capacity is low. The APFC controller is a Champion CM6500UNX, supported by a CM03X IC.

The main switching FETs, two PTA20N50A units, are installed in a half-bridge topology. An LLC resonant converter is also used to boost efficiency.

The unit's main transformer isolates the primary from the secondary side and lowers the voltage.

Four Advanced Power AP4N2R6RH FETs regulate the +12 V rail.

Two DC-DC converters generate the minor rails. They use four SyncPower SPN3006 FETs, and their joint PWM controller is an Anpec APW7159C.

The electrolytic caps are by Chengx, and the polymer ones are by APAQ and Elite. Chengx electrolytic caps are not super-reliable, but there is a significant shortage of parts, and it is difficult, if not impossible, to find quality caps at normal prices.