Testing – Real Time Power Monitoring
To check the accuracy of the ZM-MFC2’s real time power monitoring feature I used my power supply test bench to incrementally load a PC power supply and compare the ZM-MFC2’s real time power reading to that of the Extech AC wattmeter.
It’s important to note that the ZM-MFC2 measures real time AC power. Keep in mind that PC power supplies are typically rated by their DC power output. In other words, a 600W power supply is designed to deliver up to 600 watts of DC power. If we assume an average efficiency of 75% that means the power supply would actually draw 800 watts on the AC side, to deliver 600 watts on the DC side.
The real time power monitoring is one of the ZM-MFC2 multi fan controller’s most unique features. It also appears to be one of the ZM-MFC2’s greater weaknesses. By 500W AC, the ZM-MFC2 real power display was showing almost a 20% error. I don’t expect the ZM-MFC2 to deliver the same level of accuracy as a much more expensive piece of test gear but I do expect it to perform a lot better than this.
