A Look Inside & Component Analysis

Before reading this page, we strongly suggest a look at this article, which will help you understand the internal components of a PSU much better. Our main tool for the disassembly of the PSU is a Thermaltronics TMT-9000S soldering and rework station. It is of extreme quality and is equipped with a matching de-soldering gun. With such equipment in hand, breaking apart every PSU is like a walk in the park!


Like its bigger brother, the Tachyon-1000, this unit's OEM is Super Flower, the company that managed to make itself a name as one of the most respectable PSU manufacturers today in a really short period of time by offering extremely well-performing products at affordable prices. The primary side of the Tachyon-750 uses a half-bridge topology with two switching fets, while a synchronous design with two DC-DC converters for the generation of the minor rails is used in the secondary side.


The AC receptacle doesn't hold any transient filtering parts. The main PCB holds three X and four Y caps and a CM choke. There is no MOV (Metal Oxide Varistor), the component protecting PSUs and the system it feeds power to from power surges off the mains network.


The single bridge rectifier is sandwiched among two heatsinks. In front of it is the PFC input capacitor (the yellow, cylindrical-shaped component).


In the APFC, two Infineon IPP50R199CP fets along with a CREE C3D08060A boost diode offer their services. The hold-up cap is provided by Nippon Chemi-Con (400 V, 560 μF, 105°C, KMQ series).


Two IPP50R199CP fets arranged into a half-bridge topology are used as main switchers. Also an LLC resonant converter boosts efficiency since it allows them to switch with minimum energy losses.


This small vertical daughter-board houses an NCP1653A PFC controller.


Τhe standby PWM controller is an ICE3B0565 IC.


The 5VSB rail is rectified by a Mospec S10C60 SBR.


In the secondary side, four IPP041N04N fets rectify the +12V rail. Also, many electrolytic caps provided by Chemi-Con filter the same rail. They are rated at 105°C filter the same rail.


Τhe minor rails are generated by a couple of DC-DC converters on the same PCB. Four mosfets are used on each converter, and a metal shield protects them from interference.


The LLC resonant controller is the same as in the Tachyon-1000 unit; it is a proprietary IC with model number SF29601. It is installed on a vertical daughter-board located on the secondary side and handles the primary choppers and all the protection features of the unit. Since this is an in-house design, there is no information about it on the Internet. On the solder side of the same PCB is an LM324ADG Quad Operational Amplifier.


Six Nippon KY series caps at the front of the modular PCB provide extra ripple filtering to the DC outputs.


Soldering quality is good but not topnotch, though newer SF implementations have greatly improved in this area, proving the company's desire to improve and overcome the competition.


The fan carries Rosewill's logo, but its model number, RL4Z S1402512HH, clearly indicates that it is made by Globe Fan. It uses a sleeve bearing, which makes it quieter than a ball-bearings fan while reducing its lifespan. Its maximum speed is 1800 RPM, where it delivers 135.74 CFM and puts out 36.7 dBA (according to its manufacturer). In our opinion, a slower fan should be used instead; however, the fan control circuit keeps the fan at lower speeds most of the time. Finally, a small plastic baffle is attached onto the fan to direct air towards the rear of the unit.