PSA: "PSU-bomb" showcase - Foxconn ALPHAFOX, PADO N400, Hyundai Sliverfox - Never trust the weight of a PSU (feat. Wireless "PFC inductor")

[Supersonicwolfe]

*I found out about the truth in PADO PSU first, but Foxconn is probably more well known, so gonna put it in the title first.*

 

**These PSU may not actually blow up (except ones without fuse), but something in your system might. Under voltage/voltage ripples are know to cause hard drive failure.

 

***It's strongly advised to avoid these PSU as their design are ancient. They might be cheap, but certainly not good for your hardware nor your power bill.

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So if you ever come across a Case-PSU combo from PADO (半岛铁盒), double check the PSU!

I came across this PADO N400 when referbishing a SI built system with a Core i3-9100.

Didn't think much of the PSU untill I tried to clean dusts of the fan off and took it apart.

 

First Red Flag

On the label, it says "Peak 400W" and guess what, the 12V rail can only do 15 Amps... That's only 180W... 

(This is something you can check before buying the PSU. So do check that.)

 

Second Red Flag

It have the ATX power, one 4PIN EPS, and two Molex+SATA power, a bit lacking in number of outputs.

What kind of PSU doesn't provide a PCIe power cable?

 

Third Red Flag

I didn't kept a picture but the "main transformer" (it looked too big as just an inductor to me) is really close to the sides of the PSU. In addition, the heat spreader fins have holes. From some Chinese forums, they claim most of PSU used that kind of heat spreader comes from unrputable small workshops/knock offs. (Which have some truth in it, as later I found a cement PSU featuring a Cement "PFC inductor" have the same style of heat spreader).

 

Disassembly

Well four screws and my jaw dropped, wireless transformer/inductor anyone?

It's there purely so the PSU weighs heavier... It doesn't even have copper coils in it.

So yeah it will never ever get installed into a computer again.

 

Resolution 

Well to prevent it ever been used by a computer ever again, I cut off the EPS (CPU power) and one of the two SATA+Molex power cable.

Then I got this neat little board to use it as a large phone charger and adjustable power supply (it have a PSU power switch and can do PD charging too). And yes that thing innfront is a tea/coffee/drink cooler made from a flower style CPU cooler..

That "wireless inductor" is quite useful as a paper weight.

So yeah don't cheap out on the PSU! 

[Supersonicwolfe]

Oh and the "wireless transformer" is not an isolated case. 

Here is a "Hyundai SilverFox" PSU.

Less suspicious as it had sleeved cable, labeled 300W with (12V labeled 28A, 336W)

Yet still, it has the same thing. Note these two PSU are bought years apart. "Hyundai" was bought in about 2015. While the PASO's DOM is in 2019.

Looks familiar?

Even the "wireless transformer" is in the same place, screws covered by the rating label. So if you see or can feel screws under the label, be very aware. Replace it immediately.

[mariushm]

The heatsinks have round holes in them to increase surface area and also to allow airflow from fan above to go through the heatsink and go over the bottom side of the heatsinks.  Without holes, there would be practically no airflow under the heatsinks , the air would come from outside and barely touch the heatsinks before being pulled out from the psu by the fan. 

 

The "transformer" you're seeing on the case is supposed to be an inductor, used to provide Passive PFC.  Normally it's a proper inductor, wired in series with the mains voltage. In your case, they put a fake inductor to make the power supply heavier and to make the psu look like it has Passive PFC, without spending the money (copper is expensive, a few steel plates wrapped in yellow tape are cheaper). 

 

In some countries, regulations don't require or don't enforce Power Factor Correction, either active or passive, so these cheap power supplies are still made with an option to add Passive PFC or not. These literally cost around 3-5$ if you buy 1000 or more of them. 

 

The design of these power supplies is ancient, from the Pentium 4 times, and they're just beefed up a bit on the 12v output, up to 15A or so (provided the heatsink is kept cool enough)

 

The second psu seems like it has a stronger main switching transformer, and has better filtering on the output (2 capacitors per voltage), but I'm not quite sure about how effective those heatsinks are. For an office pc, it's probably good enough.

 

[Supersonicwolfe]

On 2/19/2025 at 5:00 PM, mariushm said:

The heatsinks have round holes in them to increase surface area and also to allow airflow from fan above to go through the heatsink and go over the bottom side of the heatsinks.  Without holes, there would be practically no airflow under the heatsinks , the air would come from outside and barely touch the heatsinks before being pulled out from the psu by the fan. 

Well I was just quoting what I heard from the Chinese form, "Chiphell" (that site appeared a few times in Short Circuit) if I remember correctly. But on the other hand, extruded aluminum like in the second "Hyundai" PSU probably works better with a fraction of additional cost.

After all air is blowing down to them, these holes will only create vortex and in my opinion make cooling of the surrounding components worse... But that won't be an issue for a PSU can only do 180W...

 

On 2/19/2025 at 5:00 PM, mariushm said:

The "transformer" you're seeing on the case is supposed to be an inductor, used to provide Passive PFC. 

Passive PFC itself is ancient and PSU using that arguably should be avoided too.

But, that thing is there mainly because, in the past people suggested and believed to use weight to judge a PSU (I was a victim of this). That's why you see they took the trouble to stuff in a dummy like that in both, waste of material.

I also heard the sketchy PSU makers also put cement in them to make the PSU heavier...

 

On 2/19/2025 at 5:00 PM, mariushm said:

The design of these power supplies is ancient, from the Pentium 4 times...

...The second psu seems like it has a stronger main switching transformer, and has better filtering on the output...

Believe me or not, the second PSU lasted for about 8 years powering a Core 2 Q6600 system, because it did have a sticker started with 2015... I don't recallb if I started watch LTT yet, and certainly don't know about shitty PSU and what brand is good... Probably got ripped off and bought it a a computer shop because it's heavier. Hyundai is a known brand... RIGHT? (WHAT A FOOL I WAS)

 

While the first PADO unit was taken from a SI built system with a 9th-gen series CPU... PADO is a known case maker in China, but as you can see, their PSU is...

(I got that system because someone nolonger wants it, but the PC is fine...Well after I uninstalled buch of bloatware including 360 and got rid of the slow SU580, swapped in my used Samsung 980 into the Begging-to-be used M.2 slot)

[Caroline]

Huh, that transofmer thing is sus.

I've seen shitty units with a cement weight before, it's done to fool third world users still perpetuating the 'good PSUs weigh more' myth.

 

The guys assembling the first one fucked up and forgot to drill the holes before applying the label.

 

180W is about right for those units, but I always assume 150, and that drops to 100 if you have a resistive load with a large inrush current peak.

I don't use them for actual computers but they're still somewhat useful for other stuff like LEDs, simple soldering irons, cell chargers, etc. the most I was able to get out of one was 150W to power a parabolic halogen light, but the voltage drops harder than a memecoin after an hour, 10.3V, it's fine for just a light but it'd suck if it was for something electronic in nature.

[Supersonicwolfe]

11 hours ago, Caroline said:

Huh, that transofmer thing is sus.

I've seen shitty units with a cement weight before, it's done to fool third world users still perpetuating the 'good PSUs weigh more' myth.

 

The guys assembling the first one fucked up and forgot to drill the holes before applying the label.

 

180W is about right for those units, but I always assume 150, and that drops to 100 if you have a resistive load with a large inrush current peak.

I don't use them for actual computers but they're still somewhat useful for other stuff like LEDs, simple soldering irons, cell chargers, etc. the most I was able to get out of one was 150W to power a parabolic halogen light, but the voltage drops harder than a memecoin after an hour, 10.3V, it's fine for just a light but it'd suck if it was for something electronic in nature.

These 3 (found 1 more... gonna update this thread) fake inductors probably have cement in them too. Quite heavy...

 

Exactly why I turned lowest rated one into a phone charger. ( And I don't connect my phones directly into them, rather outputs from the charging board are connected to wireless chargers and powerbanks, as well as a self-made monitor. Things I'm not frying.)

[Supersonicwolfe]

Fox-Con

Foxconn is pretty well known OEM right? But doesn't mean they can't Con you like a sly fox. (Sorry about the stereotype on foxes)

 

Found this "Alphafox” “Superfox 520” “professional power“ in another SI system my colleague got while I was away... 

 

The system had a 10400f with a 1030... in it. And the sticker on the PSU claim it's made in 2023.

3-year warranty... Well there goes your first Red Flag.

 

Seems familiar?

Oh yes, looks very familiar to the PADO and Hyundai unit.

But at least this thing have an inductor, maybe PFC?

Sure it looks like it, even have a connector so it can get disassembleed to be repaired.

BUT Think again...

They put both terminals on the same copper trace... It doesn't take a genius to know it means the "inductor" is not doing anything...

And look, the "inductor" itself looks identical to the fake PFC taken from the Hyundai "Sliverfox" PSU. Need I say more?

 

So yeah, they are still doing this as late as 2023, using a PSU design going all the way back in 2004 maybe.

Tread carefully, and if you got a cheap system using a PSU you never heard of, double check if your PSU.

[mariushm]

Without actually opening up that inductor,  there's no way of knowing if those wires are actually going to a coil of wire or not.  I can't say for certain if it's got a working Passive PFC or not.

 

The second chunk on the case ... it's most likely for weight, to make the psu look better.

 

Anyway... how should I put it.... Power Factor Correction isn't an indicator of the quality of the power supply. It doesn't make the voltages cleaner, smoother... power factor correction is for helping power companies and most power supply manufacturers are for power factor correction because it makes it easier to pass various standards related to how much "noise" is sent back by the power supply into the mains cables, into the house's electricity system.

 

There's a few things in the pictures that point to the power supply not being the lowest end stuff. 

 

For example, they actually bothered to use a bridge rectifier, when they could have used 4 separate diodes. They also have a thermistor (the green disc like component) to limit the inrush current... I see a proper fuse (5A / 250v cartridge fuse), when they could have used some glass fuse in heatshink ... I see a proper offline switcher chip (that DIP chip with a pin missing) which would give higher 5v stand-by efficiency, when they could have used some cheap shitty circuit to save pennies.  Even the fact that the fan has connector and that the circuit board has two headers for fans is an indicator of not the shittiest circuit board / psu design.

It sucks that there's no common mode chokes, X2 capacitors, Y2 capacitors, but the psu has the footprints, they just didn't install the parts - these are again for mains filtering, to reduce the electric noise sent back into the mains.

[Supersonicwolfe]

13 hours ago, mariushm said:

Without actually opening up that inductor,  there's no way of knowing if those wires are actually going to a coil of wire or not.  I can't say for certain if it's got a working Passive PFC or not.

Well the two wires connects to the same copper trace... So yeah it won't do anything even if it's a real inductor.

I took the time to open up the PADO PSU 's fake inductors and yeah, just a bunch of steel...or iron... But I heard people found cunk of cement in them too.. hence "Cement PFC"

 

[mariushm]

31 minutes ago, Supersonicwolfe said:

Well the two wires connects to the same copper trace... So yeah it won't do anything even if it's a real inductor.

I took the time to open up the PADO PSU 's fake inductors and yeah, just a bunch of steel...or iron... But I heard people found cunk of cement in them too.. hence "Cement PFC"

 

 

It's an inductor ... it's in SERIES  with the voltage trace ....    wire ---------- [ connector pin ]   --- inductor coil  --- [ connector pin ] ----- wire  

 

It's normal to be on same trace.  You can disable the passive PFC by simply shorting the two pins of the connector to have a continuous trace.

 

I was saying without opening the inductor I can't tell if that blue wire is just  one uncut blue wire that just makes a loop under the yellow tape and returns to power supply, or that's... let's say 300 loops of thin magnet wire that has the ends soldered to that thicker blue wire under the yellow tape. Also can't tell if there's a ferrite material around the plastic or not, to make it a proper inductor.

 

 

[Supersonicwolfe]

30 minutes ago, mariushm said:

It's an inductor ... it's in SERIES  with the voltage trace ....    wire ---------- [ connector pin ]   --- inductor coil  --- [ connector pin ] ----- wire  

 

It's normal to be on same trace.  You can disable the passive PFC by simply shorting the two pins of the connector to have a continuous trace.

 

I was saying without opening the inductor I can't tell if that blue wire is just  one uncut blue wire that just makes a loop under the yellow tape and returns to power supply, or that's... let's say 300 loops of thin magnet wire that has the ends soldered to that thicker blue wire under the yellow tape. Also can't tell if there's a ferrite material around the plastic or not, to make it a proper inductor.

Look at the picture again, the two pins are on the same trace, so it is shorted already. 

This is how connected in SERIES work:

-->up stream components

- pin -wire- inductor - wire - pin -downstream components(different trace)-->

 

Instead, that suspcious inductor is connected in parallel to the trace.

 

You know what, I took the trouble to open the PSUs again to prove a point.

Looks very similar don't they?

And this is plastic where a real one would be metal for Eddy Currents, the one from Hyundai took the trouble to color that sliver while Foxconn one didn't even brother that.

Only three screws and...

Amazing... At least the wires isn't just an open circuit.

 

Like, why brother to waste the material and do all these...Fox-con indeed...

[Supersonicwolfe]

On 2/22/2025 at 7:11 PM, Supersonicwolfe said:

...But I heard people found cunk of cement in them too.. hence "Cement PFC"

Well I'm nolonger just "heard from" but now seen with my own eyes.

I was digging around the company and found a dodgy PSU in a HP 280 G1 machine.

Now I am quite certain the PSU was replaced by some dodgy computer and shop and this was what in the system as it's quite different from pictures of the same system online.

Looks very similar to the PADO PSU doesn't it?

This thing makes a terriable whine when powered on.

The fake PFC inductor is mounted to the front of the PSU, they didn't even brother to cover the screw heads with a sticker (not pictured but you can see the holes).

And open the cap with small screw driver we see:

Behold, "wireless-cement PFC".

I would be happier with a block of coal... Or metal chunks like PADO/Hyundai/Foxconn gave me.

And as far as I know this cement-PFC PSU is nolonger been made and the factory is on the "unreputable list" (like they had been sued and delayed payments, or reported to have unpaid wages to workers), most of the search results online's are from pre-2017, although some of them can still be found on AliExpress/Taobao. (Brand is BALOM or 佰珑玛, made by 广州市闪芯电子有限公司）