Testing

Testing — Physical Weight

 

One of the basic measures of any ATX power supply is the unit’s overall physical weight.  This may seem rather simplistic but it generally holds that more components and larger heatsinks equal a better PSU.  The Phantom 500 is unusually heavy due to the use of large internal heatsinks and the massive extruded aluminum case.

 

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Not only is the Antec Phantom 500 power supply one of the heaviest power supplies I have ever tested, it is also longer than most ATX power supplies. 

 

Transportation Note (from the Phantom 500 User’s Manual): Because of the Phantom’s unique construction, it is considerably heavier than standard power supplies.  To avoid possible damage to your case, we strongly recommend removing the Phantom and transporting it separately if you plan to ship your computer somewhere or otherwise subject it to rough handling.

 

 

Testing — DC Output Voltage Load Regulation

 

To simulate real world operation, the Antec Phantom 500 PSU was connected to my home made load tester, supplied with 115 VAC, and allowed to burn-in for 24 hrs before voltage readings were taken.  In this test we are interested in seeing how well a PSU can maintain the various output voltages while operating under different loads.  The DC output voltages were measured with a FLUKE digital multimeter. 

 

The ATX tolerance for voltages states how much each output (rail) is allowed to fluctuate.  Antec specifies ±5% for all of the Phantom 500 outputs.

 

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The following table lists the DC voltage results at different loads for the Phantom 500 PSU while operating on 115 VAC, 60 Hz.

 

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The Phantom 500 PSU produced good voltage regulation on all of the outputs across a broad range of loads.  Some of the readings were a little lower than I would like to see at the higher loads, but all were well within specification.  The only time the +12V2 rail was loaded (11.6A, 140 watts) was during the final 471watt combined load test.

 

 

Testing — AC Ripple (electrical noise) on DC Outputs

 

The amount of AC ripple present on the outputs was checked using an oscilloscope.  This AC component may be present in the KHz range where most switching power supplies operate or it may be more prevalent at the 60 Hz line frequency.  I adjusted the O-scope time base to look for AC ripple at both low and high frequencies. 

 

The ATX specification for DC output noise/ripple is defined in the ATX12V Power Supply Design Guide.

 

 

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Ideally we would like to see no AC noise on the DC outputs — the cleaner the better!  But in reality there will always be some present.  I measured the amplitude of the AC signal (in millivolts, peak-to-peak) to see how well the power supply complied with the ATX standard.  The following table lists the ripple/noise results during our 263 w load test for the five main output voltages of interest.

 

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The Antec Phantom 500 power supply exhibited good AC ripple suppression on all of the measured outputs, well within spec. 

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