Another attempt at fixing Apex EB832

[AJsReef]

The 12v power supply does not provide power to the head unit over aquabus. Aquabus power comes from the 24v power supply converted down to 12v with the buck converter. I think you actually have two problems here. The 12v PSU is just the more obvious one.

Ah makes sense, clearly much more experience than I. Really getting tired with these things breaking... I've already blown ~$800 in modules in under two years due to failures. Going to reach out to you

 

[Mark]

Question, I tried my hand at replacing the caps on the existing 5V AC to DC power supply, but made a mess of it. So I went to order a replacement power supply. I had a hard time finding the original model number in stock, and figured it would have the same underlying weakness. I saw this seller on ebay selling a similar unit, but advertises that they use higher quality caps. Could just be marketing ploy, but I figured it would be worth a shot to address the issues of the original power supply. The caps are Aishi brand. Are they reputable?

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When I got it in, i did notice this 5v module has output current of 1200mA versus the original 1000mA. I think that is the max output, and current is determined by what is plugged in. Do you guys see any concerns with using this module. It dropped right in and I did a quick plug in test, and seems to be working(lights are good). I did notice the fan isn't running, so I ordered a new fan.

Pic of new one installed and old one on the side:

Bag the new one came in with specs:

 

[Kershaw]

The 12v power supply does not provide power to the head unit over aquabus. Aquabus power comes from the 24v power supply converted down to 12v with the buck converter. I think you actually have two problems here. The 12v PSU is just the more obvious one.

Is it possible that these issues could have been the cause of the other modules failing?

 

[_AV]

Question, I tried my hand at replacing the caps on the existing 5V AC to DC power supply, but made a mess of it. So I went to order a replacement power supply. I had a hard time finding the original model number in stock, and figured it would have the same underlying weakness. I saw this seller on ebay selling a similar unit, but advertises that they use higher quality caps. Could just be marketing ploy, but I figured it would be worth a shot to address the issues of the original power supply. The caps are Aishi brand. Are they reputable?

AC-DC 5.0V 1A 6W Power Supply Buck Converter Step Down Module High Quality USA | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for AC-DC 5.0V 1A 6W Power Supply Buck Converter Step Down Module High Quality USA at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!

www.ebay.com

When I got it in, i did notice this 5v module has output current of 1200mA versus the original 1000mA. I think that is the max output, and current is determined by what is plugged in. Do you guys see any concerns with using this module. It dropped right in and I did a quick plug in test, and seems to be working(lights are good). I did notice the fan isn't running, so I ordered a new fan.

Pic of new one installed and old one on the side:

Bag the new one came in with specs:

The PSU needs to be 12V. I've made a mistake in my original post and there is no way for me to correct it. The correction is now buried somewhere within the thread. Long story short, you'll need a 12V psu, the one you have will not work.

Aishi caps are not as bad as Zhuohao, but they are still Chinese and not anywhere in top tiers.
I find this reference to be fairly practical, but as always it's just an opinion:

PSUs 101: A Detailed Look Into Power Supplies

The objective of this article is to provide detailed information about the most crucial part of a personal computer (PC) system, its power supply unit. Follow us on this journey into PSU territory and we promise that you will gain valuable knowledge.

www.tomshardware.com

 

[Mark]

The PSU needs to be 12V. I've made a mistake in my original post and there is no way for me to correct it. The correction is now buried somewhere within the thread. Long story short, you'll need a 12V psu, the one you have will not work.

Aishi caps are not as bad as Zhuohao, but they are still Chinese and not anywhere in top tiers.
I find this reference to be fairly practical, but as always it's just an opinion:

PSUs 101: A Detailed Look Into Power Supplies

The objective of this article is to provide detailed information about the most crucial part of a personal computer (PC) system, its power supply unit. Follow us on this journey into PSU territory and we promise that you will gain valuable knowledge.

www.tomshardware.com

Ah crap, I missed that. OK, well more soldering practice for me. What mA output current should I shoot for and wattage on that 12V power supply?

 

[_AV]

Is it possible that these issues could have been the cause of the other modules failing?

I have seen a fair number of those to conclude that this is likely the second most common failure with EB832s.
Another video on this will come out by the end of this week.

 

[_AV]

Ah crap, I missed that. OK, well more soldering practice for me. What mA output current should I shoot for and wattage on that 12V power supply?

I'm not 100% positive on the 12v psu current output, but I'm fairly confident it's expected to be around 500mA

 

[Mark]

I'm not 100% positive on the 12v psu current output, but I'm fairly confident it's expected to be around 500mA

Thanks! The two options I see for 12v are 1A and .5A, so I'll order the latter. Appreciate the knowledge sharing and will do the same based on my experiences.

 

[_AV]

Thanks! The two options I see for 12v are 1A and .5A, so I'll order the latter. Appreciate the knowledge sharing and will do the same based on my experiences.

You can always go for a 1A PSU. Too much current is not going to be a problem, EB832 will take only what it needs.

However, I still caution against replacing the entire PSU with a similar unit. Chances are it will not last much longer than the original and will fail again at the most inconvenient time.

 

[Mark]

You can always go for a 1A PSU. Too much current is not going to be a problem, EB832 will take only what it needs.

However, I still caution against replacing the entire PSU with a similar unit. Chances are it will not last much longer than the original and will fail again at the most inconvenient time.

Well, the hope was that the Aishi caps hold up a little better. I had ordered replacement caps you recommended and tried to rebuild the original power supply with them, but made a mess. A couple of those caps are near some sensitive looking stuff, and it's hard to desolder in those areas.

My reef now runs on a newer EB832 with the Meanwell power supply, which I hope is more reliable. The one I'm trying to fix would be a backup or used for a future project.

 

[Kershaw]

Well, the hope was that the Aishi caps hold up a little better. I had ordered replacement caps you recommended and tried to rebuild the original power supply with them, but made a mess. A couple of those caps are near some sensitive looking stuff, and it's hard to desolder in those areas.

My reef now runs on a newer EB832 with the Meanwell power supply, which I hope is more reliable. The one I'm trying to fix would be a backup or used for a future project.

Honestly I paid 11$ for enough caps to do 3 PSU. And getting the PSU was harder then changing the caps. You know there will be some one in your area that could use them as well.

 

[Kershaw]

@_AV you where right ribbon cable was not seated all the way.
did you post a model number for the puck converter. I’d like to get a couple on hand.

 

[_AV]

Great that you got the status LEDs to work.
I haven't published the article on the other issue yet. For now it's on the youtube channel only until I get around to do the writeup.

 

[kmagyar]

Question, I tried my hand at replacing the caps on the existing 5V AC to DC power supply, but made a mess of it. So I went to order a replacement power supply. I had a hard time finding the original model number in stock, and figured it would have the same underlying weakness. I saw this seller on ebay selling a similar unit, but advertises that they use higher quality caps. Could just be marketing ploy, but I figured it would be worth a shot to address the issues of the original power supply. The caps are Aishi brand. Are they reputable?

AC-DC 5.0V 1A 6W Power Supply Buck Converter Step Down Module High Quality USA | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for AC-DC 5.0V 1A 6W Power Supply Buck Converter Step Down Module High Quality USA at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!

www.ebay.com

When I got it in, i did notice this 5v module has output current of 1200mA versus the original 1000mA. I think that is the max output, and current is determined by what is plugged in. Do you guys see any concerns with using this module. It dropped right in and I did a quick plug in test, and seems to be working(lights are good). I did notice the fan isn't running, so I ordered a new fan.

Pic of new one installed and old one on the side:

Bag the new one came in with specs:

I replaced my fan for the same reason. Though it's still not turning on when the eb832 is powered on (no loads or aqua bus cable attached yet). Does anyone know if the internal fan should power on when an 832 is powered on? The odd thing is that I have voltage on the fan pins.

 

[_AV]

The fan doesn't turn on by itself when the EB832 is plugged in to power. It's probably controlled by the code and only turns on when the firmware tells it to.

 

[SuperSaiyanTang]

My fan in one of my energy bars has gotten pretty loud. What fan do I need to purchase to replace it?

 

[_AV]

My fan in one of my energy bars has gotten pretty loud. What fan do I need to purchase to replace it?

Another attempt at fixing Apex EB832

Nice write up I have one that's dead. Will come back here to read more

www.reef2reef.com

 

[SuperSaiyanTang]

Another attempt at fixing Apex EB832

Nice write up I have one that's dead. Will come back here to read more

www.reef2reef.com

Awesome, thanks! Would you recommend a certain website to order these from? It looks like some have wire leads and not the connector, would I need to purchase the connector separately?

 

[_AV]

Awesome, thanks! Would you recommend a certain website to order these from? It looks like some have wire leads and not the connector, would I need to purchase the connector separately?

Digikey had a few still in stock the last time I checked. If it comes without a connector, which is typical, I just use the connector from the failed fan and solder it on.

 

[SuperSaiyanTang]

Digikey had a few still in stock the last time I checked. If it comes without a connector, which is typical, I just use the connector from the failed fan and solder it on.

Hmm don’t have a soldering iron. I’ll have to try and find one with the connector attached. Thanks again for the help!