Some of my previous repairs:
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First off, let me give a lot of credit to @MadeForThat for bringing this issue up in his excellent post earlier:
www.reef2reef.com
I think that a lot of people can benefit from this type of information.
I've also been wanting to write about this for sometime. Was just looking for a good opportunity. Alas, I didn't have to wait too long: I received a broken EB832 from a fellow reefer for repair and before opening the unit, I already new exactly what the problem is going to be.
But just knowing is not going to do this poor EB832 any good, we need to get it working again. So let's open it up. Notice that this particular EB832 is very very clean. There is no salt, oxidation or anything inside or outside that would suggest that the failure is due to negligence. So what is wrong then?
Oh, look! There it is, like that shy girl at a prom dance, sitting in the corner, wondering if anyone will notice her:
Yes, this is our little 12V AC to DC power supply. model YS-5V1ASZD. Its only purpose in life is to provide power to a couple of controllers so that the EB832 can communicate with Apex head unit over aquabus. Well, that and also so that it can switch outlets on and off. Both tasks are kind of critical to the proper operation of the entire unit.
Like oxygen to a brain.
So just like that shy prom girl, our little PSU has a big heart filled with the motivation to do the best it can to make this humongous unit a better place, by providing power to critical components. But it doesn't know yet that it really can't do that. Or it really shouldn't be forced into this situation. Why? Let's take a closer look at the PSU:
From the markings, we would assume that it is a 5V 1A power supply, but it is not. It is a 12V PSU, 500mA. Should be plenty big to empower those ICs. The design is very common, I believe this particular one is open sourced and widely available. On the board we see all kinds of prefilters, coils, capacitors. So why can't it do what it was designed for? Let's take a slightly different angle:
First, can you see a somewhat bulged capacitor on the left? This is where it all starts. @MadeForThat saw that too I'm sure, but he didn't want to rant in his post. So you get to read my rant:
<RANT>
Capacitors fail often. They are both very critical and yet represent the most common failure in power supplies. But not all capacitors are the same. Every device with electronics needs a PSU, yet not every device fails due to a PSU in the first 2 years of operation. This suggests that some that don't fail as often use capacitors that are somehow different, I would event go on a limb and say that they might be, oh, I don't know, of a higher quality. That way they last longer and work better. Let's take a look at what Neptune chose for their EB832:
Zhuohao capacitors? Zhuohao are not just low quality, they are the bottom of the bottom of the barrel capacitors. You can pretty much only source them directly from China. No reputable electronics supplier in the US carries them. Just google them to get some juicy details from the electronics community.
As it was previously mentioned, this entire PSU assembly, including capacitors and whatnot, can be purchased retail at ~$3-4. Shipped.
These particular PSU are really hobby grade items. If you are into Arduino tinkering, then it's a good option to prototype a toy project.
Neptune didn't even implement this module, they bought a truck load of them on alibaba. Because they are probably $1 or less each wholesale.
<END OF RANT>
Enough ranting. This poor EB832 is still hurting and needs to be fixed.
Of course, there is always an option to just replace the failed PSU with a working one. But the problem is that we would be replacing one subpar component with another component which is equally subpar. What if we fixed the component by replacing very low quality parts with something that is going to actually last past Neptune's meager 1 year warranty?
After all, the design of the PSU is very common and actually good enough for what it must do. It's the choice of parts to implement it that is questionable.
To verify the theory that this PSU is our problem, we will perform a quick diagnostic. The PSU is rated up to 1A current. It also has a red LED on the DC side to indicate that it's working properly. Just because this LED is on, doesn't mean that the unit is working to the specs. We'll apply a reasonable load, a small computer fan with 0.25A draw to the DC side to see if the PSU can power it up. In my experiment, the fan didn't spin and the red LED immediately turned off under the load. Capacitors are bad.
To fix this, we will remove all capacitors on board, regardless of their condition. We don't want that junk, as we can never be sure how much longer they will last. All caps removed and the area is clean and ready for the good stuff:
And speaking of the good stuff. For the fix, we have a healthy mix of brand new Panasonic, Rubycon and Nichicon capacitors. All top brands with longest life available:
These capacitors together probably cost more than the entire PSU unit they are going into.
They fit nice and clean into the original spots on the board:
Let's clip excess leads and the module is all back together and ready to go:
I tested it with the same 0.25A fan and now the fan spins and the red LED stays on. The PSU is now fixed.
Once it's back inside the EB832, the red LED stays on and the EB832 is happy again.
Radion XR30 complete no light repair
My previous electronic equipment repairs Radion XR15: https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/radion-lights-board-level-repair.774331/#post-8197536 A fellow reefer mailed me their Ecotech Radion for repair service as it's long been out of warranty. The unit turns on briefly before shutting down and...
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Radion Lights Board Level Repair
I enjoy an occasional board level repair. It gives me a new angle to this hobby, which is often very heavy on DIY. In this thread I'm going to post some of my more interesting and challenging repairs, picture heavy, including high magnification microscope imagery. Recently, I got ahold of a...
www.reef2reef.com
AI Hydra Fan Connector Repair - Significant Corrosion
My previous electronic equipment repair projects Radion XR15: https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/radion-lights-board-level-repair.774331/ Radion XR30: https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/radion-xr30-complete-no-light-repair.792711/ Imagine a problem with a connector breaking off the board...
www.reef2reef.com
First off, let me give a lot of credit to @MadeForThat for bringing this issue up in his excellent post earlier:
Fixing an EB832 with non-functional outlets but does have functional indicator lights
CAUTION- I am not liable for any damages to your person or property. This is offered as a possible solution to an electrical problem, and with this territory comes risk to your health and property that may not be directly mentioned. You should only attempt this repair if you are sure of your own...
www.reef2reef.com
I've also been wanting to write about this for sometime. Was just looking for a good opportunity. Alas, I didn't have to wait too long: I received a broken EB832 from a fellow reefer for repair and before opening the unit, I already new exactly what the problem is going to be.
But just knowing is not going to do this poor EB832 any good, we need to get it working again. So let's open it up. Notice that this particular EB832 is very very clean. There is no salt, oxidation or anything inside or outside that would suggest that the failure is due to negligence. So what is wrong then?
Oh, look! There it is, like that shy girl at a prom dance, sitting in the corner, wondering if anyone will notice her:
Yes, this is our little 12V AC to DC power supply. model YS-5V1ASZD. Its only purpose in life is to provide power to a couple of controllers so that the EB832 can communicate with Apex head unit over aquabus. Well, that and also so that it can switch outlets on and off. Both tasks are kind of critical to the proper operation of the entire unit.
Like oxygen to a brain.
So just like that shy prom girl, our little PSU has a big heart filled with the motivation to do the best it can to make this humongous unit a better place, by providing power to critical components. But it doesn't know yet that it really can't do that. Or it really shouldn't be forced into this situation. Why? Let's take a closer look at the PSU:
From the markings, we would assume that it is a 5V 1A power supply, but it is not. It is a 12V PSU, 500mA. Should be plenty big to empower those ICs. The design is very common, I believe this particular one is open sourced and widely available. On the board we see all kinds of prefilters, coils, capacitors. So why can't it do what it was designed for? Let's take a slightly different angle:
First, can you see a somewhat bulged capacitor on the left? This is where it all starts. @MadeForThat saw that too I'm sure, but he didn't want to rant in his post. So you get to read my rant:
<RANT>
Capacitors fail often. They are both very critical and yet represent the most common failure in power supplies. But not all capacitors are the same. Every device with electronics needs a PSU, yet not every device fails due to a PSU in the first 2 years of operation. This suggests that some that don't fail as often use capacitors that are somehow different, I would event go on a limb and say that they might be, oh, I don't know, of a higher quality. That way they last longer and work better. Let's take a look at what Neptune chose for their EB832:
Zhuohao capacitors? Zhuohao are not just low quality, they are the bottom of the bottom of the barrel capacitors. You can pretty much only source them directly from China. No reputable electronics supplier in the US carries them. Just google them to get some juicy details from the electronics community.
As it was previously mentioned, this entire PSU assembly, including capacitors and whatnot, can be purchased retail at ~$3-4. Shipped.
These particular PSU are really hobby grade items. If you are into Arduino tinkering, then it's a good option to prototype a toy project.
Neptune didn't even implement this module, they bought a truck load of them on alibaba. Because they are probably $1 or less each wholesale.
<END OF RANT>
Enough ranting. This poor EB832 is still hurting and needs to be fixed.
Of course, there is always an option to just replace the failed PSU with a working one. But the problem is that we would be replacing one subpar component with another component which is equally subpar. What if we fixed the component by replacing very low quality parts with something that is going to actually last past Neptune's meager 1 year warranty?
After all, the design of the PSU is very common and actually good enough for what it must do. It's the choice of parts to implement it that is questionable.
To verify the theory that this PSU is our problem, we will perform a quick diagnostic. The PSU is rated up to 1A current. It also has a red LED on the DC side to indicate that it's working properly. Just because this LED is on, doesn't mean that the unit is working to the specs. We'll apply a reasonable load, a small computer fan with 0.25A draw to the DC side to see if the PSU can power it up. In my experiment, the fan didn't spin and the red LED immediately turned off under the load. Capacitors are bad.
To fix this, we will remove all capacitors on board, regardless of their condition. We don't want that junk, as we can never be sure how much longer they will last. All caps removed and the area is clean and ready for the good stuff:
And speaking of the good stuff. For the fix, we have a healthy mix of brand new Panasonic, Rubycon and Nichicon capacitors. All top brands with longest life available:
These capacitors together probably cost more than the entire PSU unit they are going into.
They fit nice and clean into the original spots on the board:
Let's clip excess leads and the module is all back together and ready to go:
I tested it with the same 0.25A fan and now the fan spins and the red LED stays on. The PSU is now fixed.
Once it's back inside the EB832, the red LED stays on and the EB832 is happy again.
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