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Protection Features & The OPP Flaw
Check out our PSUs 101 article to learn more about PSU protection features. Our protection features evaluation methodology is described in detail here.
| Protection Features | |
|---|---|
| OCP | 12V: ✗ 5V: 30A (150%) 3.3V: 29.5 (147.5%) 5VSB: 5.1A (170%) |
| OPP | 579.788W (128.8%) |
| OTP | ✓ (150°C @ secondary side) |
| SCP | 12V: ✓ 5V: ✓ 3.3V: ✓ 5VSB: ✓ -12V: ✓ |
| PWR_OK | Operates properly |
| NLO | ✓ |
| SIP | Surge: MOV Inrush: NTC thermistor |
The OCP triggering points on the minor rails are set quite high, especially at 5VSB. But that's nothing compared to OPP, which is improperly configured. In our case, the PSU's primary FETs couldn't handle the load, so they blew up. What worries us most is that the main fuse didn't blow as well, so every time you connect the damaged PSU to the mains network, fireworks ensue. That obviously shouldn't happen. Once something breaks on the primary side, the fuse has to blow so current doesn't pass through. As this PSU sits, it's a potential fire hazard.
We contacted EVGA almost two weeks ago for feedback from its PSU product manager, hoping for a hypothesis explaining why this happened. Unfortunately, we don't have a response to share with you yet, even though we provided all of the data we were asked for (testing conditions, serial number, and part number).
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