Power supply tripping the breaker

[j7n]

I got a free power supply that looks really nice. It was in a gamer system and is nominally 730 watts, a real beast. But it trips my circuit breaker with inrush current half of the time. When I flip the switch on the back there is a mighty spark. I have a 10A circuit breaker that is fine for normal uses and a good match for the wiring. I don't want to replace them because the hope is that they will trip first rather than 16A, which is before the smart meter and de-energizes the whole apartment and harder to reset.

Have you encountered this issue? Could the thermistor be replaced with another nominal from a smaller power supply? It seems to be inside a tubing, and I can't see what the current markings are.

I've found some reviews on gamer sites where they apparently rate them in this category among others.

[D.Draker]

14 hours ago, j7n said:

It was in a gamer system and is nominally 730 watts, a real beast. But it trips my circuit breaker with inrush current half of the time.

For me, it was the main, big capacitor Dell used on the board, it had a huge leak. The name was "Elite", judging by the name, it's something very cheap to cut the costs.

Dell is known for that. So I replaced with another cap, took from my old Philips TV, it worked like a charm. 

* worked even despite being a bit of lower voltage.

 

Edited October 28, 2024 by D.Draker
add

[D.Draker]

14 hours ago, j7n said:

I have a 10A circuit breaker that is fine for normal uses and a good match for the wiring.

Nevertheless,10 amps is too low, I can only assume it could be one of those barracks the Soviets left behind throughout the whole Eastern Europe. I saw quite a few of them, we took cover in those while on a mission. 

What can I say, the wiring there is terrible, no wonder, It's not even copper. It's a very cheap aluminium. So yeah, 6.3 Amps or 10 is  the best they could probably handle, though I doubt about 10.

[D.Draker]

14 hours ago, j7n said:

I don't want to replace them because the hope is that they will trip first rather than 16A

If you live in one of those dreaded Soviet "apartment" barracks, then make a dedicated power line which feeds only the PC, the same for your dishwasher, etc.

[j7n]

You seem to be coming from Western culture of plenty that demands constant growth in consumption and never have enough. It's not the first time that you've told someone that an item that is ten years old is completely unusable, like a GT 1050 video card, or left a smug comment about vinyl. Because of people like you, people like me sometimes get free stuff.

Yes, the cables are made of aluminum and work fine. They don't corrode without water. They don't need to be repeatedly bent while attached to a wall and therefore their risk of breakage is irrelevant. I can run two big appliances simultaneously. When they are decently built, like an electrolux vacuum cleaner, they have a slow start. Inside the computer HDDs are often built to start staggered. I don't own a dishwasher. I can't imagine it needs to spin a big load.

Describing someone else's home as "barracks" is uncalled for.

The cables of this PSU are bendy. Probably copper. It is a Xilence XP730R8. But I've never had a practical issue with stiff cables as everything in the computer has moved to low power for heat, costs and greenwashing.

You can read online that Inrush Current is a common problem.
https://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/how-we-test-psu,4042-7.html

It also occurs with smaller units like the brick that I use for my Opus battery charger.

[NotHereToPlayGames]

1 hour ago, j7n said:

You can read online that Inrush Current is a common problem.

One of my patents (mid to late 90s) is to alleviate inrush current (and voltage spike) issues with the European version of the Glade PlugIn.

My American friends joked that I single-handedly improved the overall smell of Europe.

[xrobwx71]

This is a good place to check PSU's. https://cultists.network/140/psu-tier-list/

 

 

[D.Draker]

18 hours ago, j7n said:

You seem to be coming from Western culture of plenty that demands constant growth in consumption and never have enough.

I indeed come from our Western culture, but you confuse me with someone else, my PC is 15 years old, and the card is over 10. This comment of yours is not particulary friendly, especially of we consider two facts.

1 - I was right about the cheap, old, worn out Soviet wiring. I found you the root cause for free.

2 - I gave you a marvellous advice to make a dedicated power line which feeds only the PC, also for free.

 

All of that being from the culture you obviously don't appreciate much.

Edited October 29, 2024 by D.Draker
typos

[D.Draker]

17 hours ago, j7n said:

Yes, the cables are made of aluminium and work fine.

It also occurs with smaller units like the brick that I use for my Opus battery charger.

Sounds very contradictory. Which means you Soviet made wiring needs to replaced asap.

[D.Draker]

17 hours ago, j7n said:

It's not the first time that you've told someone that an item that is ten years old is completely unusable, like a GT 1050 video card,

My PC is much older, and the card is older, too. Look here for the future.

https://msfn.org/board/profile/430186-ddraker/?tab=field_core_pfield_18

[D.Draker]

18 hours ago, j7n said:

or left a smug comment about vinyl. Because of people like you, people like me sometimes get free stuff.

Wrong, I have a huge collection of Vinyl. Again confused me with someone.

Indeed, so why be rude and not appreciative?

[Saxon]

Not a known brand, and over 12 years old. 

https://forums.tomshardware.com/threads/xilence-psu-issues-several-questions-about-my-rig.1484467/