c_hegge wrote:LongRunner wrote:Surely there should be some penalty for using non-safety-rated capacitors in the EMI filter? What about for other safety issues, such as improper earth connections, or inadequately insulated mains wires?
Yup, and I will be knocking a point off for it in the el-cheapo PSU roundup this year (as well as modifying the tests to suit my newer load tester, and one other small surprise...)
On that note, I should also add a point of clarification about the mains capacitors.
The colour and texture of the coating of the ceramic capacitors means nothing in particular. Indeed, there are
many plain 2kVDC ceramic capacitors that are the same light blue colour as most Y-class units; I can identify those in
many of the¹
cheap units reviewed²
here (
each³
word links to one).
¹Can't actually read their markings from the angle of the shot, but they do look too thin to be the real thing — and with the "bonus" of the exploded glass fuse, I think
some penalty for using glass fuses is certainly in order.
²This one also had 400VDC film capacitors instead of X2 types. I suppose you weren't looking too closely when you reviewed it, were you? (I mentioned it in the discussion thread for the round-up, but perhaps you glossed over it.)
³Well, in this one they're only rated for 1kV, which is even worse.
Similarly, non-safety-rated capacitors in rectangular cases exist as well as (less commonly) coated X-class units. The markings are the only reliable indicator, though even they can be faked by counterfeiters that pay enough attention to detail.
And repair may not be in fashion now, but eventually the whole world will have to face the fact that waste is
not an option, and replacing a few bad capacitors or a seized fan is certainly less wasteful than discarding the entire unit (so long as the repairer doesn't zap themselves, anyway). Of course, at the moment waste is just out of control — I've heard of computers that are disposed of without even being used. Whatever it takes to make a fair world — one where new stuff is bought only as actually needed, where whatever can be repaired
is repaired, where quality takes priority over price, where corporations aren't so overpowered, where the rich don't rip off the poor, etc. — we just
have to do it.
I'm curious, by the way, if there's anything that can result in a PSU getting a
negative score (and presumably an Epic Fail Award
); presumably
extreme safety hazards would be it.
Information is far more fragile than the HDDs it's stored on. Being an afterthought is no excuse for a bad product.
My PC: Core i3 4130 on GA‑H87M‑D3H with GT640 OC 2GiB and 2 * 8GiB Kingston HyperX 1600MHz, Kingston SA400S37120G and WD3003FZEX‑00Z4SA0, Pioneer BDR‑209DBKS and Optiarc AD‑7200S, Seasonic G‑360, Chenbro PC31031, Linux Mint Cinnamon 20.3.
