Another attempt at fixing Apex EB832

[Sleepydoc]

If you've replaced the entire 12v PSU, you will be back there eventually

I'm hoping the replacement I bought will be more reliable!

 

[Sleepydoc]

I just saw this post on another thread - it looks like Neptune has replaced the 12V power supply board with a Meanwell power supply (IRM-05-12) Hopefully that bodes well for newer EB832s. I was hoping perhaps the new Meanwell power supply could work as a drop-in replacement for the boards they were originally using but after looking at the data sheet I don’t think they will work. :/ (I haven’t actually gotten one to try, perhaps @_AV can comment if s/he’s tried using one in a repair.

 

[_AV]

This specific Meanwell PSU is not a direct drop in replacement unfortunately. They changed the board layout to accommodate the new PSU.
Again, I argue that for the purpose of stability, replacing the 12v PSU is not necessary so long as all capacitors on the original PSU have been upgraded.
Moreover, for that reason I also advise against replacing the PSU with an identical cheap Chinese PSU as I witnessed the same low quality capacitors in those replacements.

So far I have also repaired about half a dozen newer EB832s with the meanwell PSU. While non of them had the 12v PSU failed, they all had a variation on the myriad of other common EB832 issues.

 

[RMS18]

Shout out to the OP who fixed my energy bar and had it back to me within a couple of days. Email response time was amazing unlike Neptune's one email per 12 hours. No forms to fill out, diag time, and all that noise Neptune has laid out in their process and the repair cost was very reasonable with better parts as I'm told.

 

[_AV]

Shout out to the OP who fixed my energy bar and had it back to me within a couple of days. Email response time was amazing unlike Neptune's one email per 12 hours. No forms to fill out, diag time, and all that noise Neptune has laid out in their process and the repair cost was very reasonable with better parts as I'm told.

Thank you for the feedback. Much appreciated!

 

[Sleepydoc]

This specific Meanwell PSU is not a direct drop in replacement unfortunately. They changed the board layout to accommodate the new PSU.
Again, I argue that for the purpose of stability, replacing the 12v PSU is not necessary so long as all capacitors on the original PSU have been upgraded.
Moreover, for that reason I also advise against replacing the PSU with an identical cheap Chinese PSU as I witnessed the same low quality capacitors in those replacements.

So far I have also repaired about half a dozen newer EB832s with the meanwell PSU. While non of them had the 12v PSU failed, they all had a variation on the myriad of other common EB832 issues.

Yeah - you're probably right about just replacing the capacitors. It was quicker and easier for me to swap out the 12V PSU so I did that. The replacement supply I got has Aishi caps. Not sure where they rank in terms of quality, but at least they're not Zhuohao caps.

What are the other common issues you've seen on the EB832?

 

[_AV]

They made Aishi on purpose sound Japanese, but they are about the same grade Chinese capacitors as Zhuohao.
Check out my other threads/articles and videos for other issues.

Here's my post with a summary and some venting too:

Troubling Neptune EB832 failure nearly wiped out tank. Any advice on reliable power strips?

This past Monday, my EB832 failed for the second time while I was at home. The first failure was when outlet #8 ceased functioning, but this latest failure is making me reconsider Neptune products as a whole. Any suggestions on reliable, Wi-Fi-controlled power strips? Here's what happened and...

www.reef2reef.com

 

[headdr]

So I bought 2 sets of replacement capacitors if anyone wants the spares let me know. With shipping everything I bought X2 was around $10. Just look at how much bigger the replacements are compared to the originals. These new on top row capacitors all have the same comparable ratings as removed ones on the bottom row. I'm not a wire nut but if I am looking for durability and dependability I oversize.

 

[Sleepydoc]

So I bought 2 sets of replacement capacitors if anyone wants the spares let me know. With shipping everything I bought X2 was around $10. Just look at how much bigger the replacements are compared to the originals. These new on top row capacitors all have the same comparable ratings as removed ones on the bottom row. I'm not a wire nut but if I am looking for durability and dependability I oversize.

That's actually a bit odd - broadly, capacitance is proportional to surface area and inversely proportional to the distance between the electrodes. These capacitors are essentially 2 sheets of foil rolled up like a jelly roll, meaning a taller capacitor should normally have a larger capacitance. I'm guessing they must have a thicker paper/electrolyte spacer and needed to take the foil wider to compensate.

 

[xwildreefx]

@_AV thank you for the information. I got all the capacitors replaced both red and green led well lit but I didnt hear the click sound. What could I done wrong?

 

[nly04]

So I bought 2 sets of replacement capacitors if anyone wants the spares let me know. With shipping everything I bought X2 was around $10. Just look at how much bigger the replacements are compared to the originals. These new on top row capacitors all have the same comparable ratings as removed ones on the bottom row. I'm not a wire nut but if I am looking for durability and dependability I oversize.

Do you still have the second set of the capacitors? I would love to get it.

 

[_AV]

These capacitors together probably cost more than the entire PSU unit they are going into.
Thank you for all the how to information. I intend to order a spare power supply but as you have indicated, replacing the low quality capacitors would be the better fix. Can you tell me what the specs are for each of the capacitors that I will need to order? Thanks in advance. My EB832 has not failed yet, but I want to be prepared for it.

There are two 470uf/25v, one 47uf/25v and one 4.7uf/400v capacitors. Other specs are really up to you to pick. I recommend longer lifespan and best available brands.

 

[frankiereef]

My EB stopped working too, I think it's the same thing that's happening to mine. Are you willing to try if you can repair it? Text me to 301-919-6655.

 

[_AV]

My EB stopped working too, I think it's the same thing that's happening to mine. Are you willing to try if you can repair it? Text me to 301-919-6655.

I can help. I'll PM you shortly. Thank you.

 

[Wiskey]

Thank you for this AV!!! I found you first by YouTube (Great Videos) then found this and your website searching for more information.

Over the weekend I took my older power bar apart, and it was the Rev. with the power supply referred to here. The Capacitors didn't have visible signs of damage, but I went ahead and replaced them anyway. Better safe than sorry.

When I got it back together I plugged it in and the power supply was not working at all anymore. I did a little snooping with my meter and found that one of the pins on the 400V Cap passes power through the board. I might have damaged the VIA when I was cleaning out solder, or maybe there never was one, but to resolve it I simply got that pin a little hotter and applied solder to the top and bottom side which fixed it nicely.

If you run into that issue, that's the first place I'd check.

Thank you!
Whiskey

 

[_AV]

Thank you for this AV!!! I found you first by YouTube (Great Videos) then found this and your website searching for more information.

Over the weekend I took my older power bar apart, and it was the Rev. with the power supply referred to here. The Capacitors didn't have visible signs of damage, but I went ahead and replaced them anyway. Better safe than sorry.

When I got it back together I plugged it in and the power supply was not working at all anymore. I did a little snooping with my meter and found that one of the pins on the 400V Cap passes power through the board. I might have damaged the VIA when I was cleaning out solder, or maybe there never was one, but to resolve it I simply got that pin a little hotter and applied solder to the top and bottom side which fixed it nicely.

If you run into that issue, that's the first place I'd check.

Thank you!
Whiskey

Happy to hear the videos and the article helped!

 

[BraenDead]

Hey - wanted to add my thanks to this list, fixed my Eb832 with new caps this weekend, working great now!

While in there I found that the fan is not operating anymore. How important is the fan? It looks like the part number is out of stock all over (digikey, mouser). I removed the fan since it didn't work anyways, and I may just leave it without a fan unless people think it's pretty important to have airflow in it?

Thanks again!

 

[_AV]

Hey - wanted to add my thanks to this list, fixed my Eb832 with new caps this weekend, working great now!

While in there I found that the fan is not operating anymore. How important is the fan? It looks like the part number is out of stock all over (digikey, mouser). I removed the fan since it didn't work anyways, and I may just leave it without a fan unless people think it's pretty important to have airflow in it?

Thanks again!

Happy to hear you got it working!
Are you sure the fan is bad though? In at least two revisions, the fan doesn't kick in unless the board is under a significant load. I'd get it to work for that very reason. Hi load causes overheating and EB832 can't handle much overheating even with the working fan...

 

[BraenDead]

Happy to hear you got it working!
Are you sure the fan is bad though? In at least two revisions, the fan doesn't kick in unless the board is under a significant load. I'd get it to work for that very reason. Hi load causes overheating and EB832 can't handle much overheating even with the working fan...

I'm assuming the fan doesn't work, I didn't actually test the voltage output to make sure it was sending power to the fan. When the EB832 was powered on with the repaired power supply the fan twitched a couple times but didn't spin. While it's powered if I try to spin it with my finger it's very stiff and difficult to spin, something is giving it a lot of resistance. If I remove the power it spins freely. Based on that I was guessing the fan is dead.

Bob

 

[Mark Gray]

Thank you for subscribing to the channel.
I don't have a good close up on the power cable, but I do have a video working in that area, check it out:

You'd want to make sure that the new cable's gauge at least as thick as the original. Also, It's important to have the rubber grummet match the original as it prevents the cable from being pulled from the board and keeps water/salt from getting inside the unit.
Otherwise, the green wire in video is ground, and the white neutral wire, both go directly to the main board. The black hot wire goes to the circuit breaker.

Have you ever worked on the Apex it's self?