PSU testing methodology and equipment?

Karsten75 · Jul 29, 2014

I would like to read up on equipment used to load test PSUs and how reviewers actually go about verifying load ratings of PSUs. Does anyone have any links (either Tom's or another site) that describes equipment used in load testing a PSU?

I've seen some devices, but those start at around $3,000 and that's a bit steep.

I'm just wondering if there is a home-brew method to test suspect PSUs that seem to provide correct voltages to voltage meters, but that may be deficient in being able to supply near their rated loads.

InvalidError · Jul 29, 2014

Almost every major PSU review has an equipment and methodology somewhere on their site that they may (or not) link in their articles.

If you want lab-grade equipment, you are looking for a bill around $30k... a Chroma electronic load mainframe with four load module costs ~$9k: $1600 for the mainframe itself and then $1600-3000 for individual modules.

If you are only looking for a general confidence test, you need a four channel DSO with at least 20k waveforms per second trigger rate (ex.: Rigol DS1047Z, ~$600), a bunch of high-power resistors ($500-1000) or MOSFETs with some control circuitry and big heatsink (also $500-1000), at least one multi-meter because oscilloscopes are not very good at DC accuracy and that should get you going for about $3000 worth of equipment.

toyftw · Jul 29, 2014

Karsten75 :

Check the equipment used by one of the best PSU review sites out there:

http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/article/Hardware-Secrets-Power-Supply-Test-Methodology/522/8

Karsten75 · Jul 29, 2014

toyftw :

This'll do nicely, thank you!

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