Power supplies play an important role in our lives – both at work and at home. They are available in all sizes and quality levels and for different uses. But there is one thing that they all have in common– they are not comfortable around moisture, heat, and dirt. Our electronic repair Winnipeg professionals gathered top tips to help you avoid having to repair or replace power supply unit by extending its life expectancy:
- Our best tip is to buy the best power supply within your budget that is sufficient for the load. When it comes to buying a power supply, always remember – you get what you pay for. If you purchase a cheap unit, it may not supply sufficient current even when you use it within nominal power ratings. When a power supply fails, it doesn’t fail alone– it usually takes down other components with it. Buying a cheap power supply now will cost you more down the lane.
- Find out the MTBF of your power supply, that is “Mean Time Between Failures” rating. To find this out you can check the electrolytic capacitors used in your power supply unit. Capacitors do not have a good life expectancy which also affects the life expectancy of the power supply. Ask your sales representative for this information or check on these:
- Size of Capacitor – bigger is better
- Operating Temperature – the hotter the work environment, the shorter the life of the power supply
- Component Rating – the amount of voltage safe for the unit to handle
- Ensure good ventilation in the area around the power supply.(Remember… excess heat is not good for power supplies)
- Clean the vent and fan regularly (at least once a week) ensuring they are free of dirt, grease, lint or whatever it is that gathers in your industry.
- Reduce vibrations.
- Keep your power supply dry – always. Unless it is designed to operate in wet conditions. And, if your power supply does give up, know that our electronics repair Winnipeg experts can repair most power supplies. Even those clogged up with grease and dirt (as they usually are). If your PSU is still under warranty call the manufacturers for help. If your unit has lost the warranty, you can still get it repaired from an experienced third-party industrial electronic repairs shop – such as GC Custom Electronics. However, none of this will solve your problem, if you purchased one of those supplies which have no name, are super cheap and were available on a shady website. If this is the scenario, your best bet is to get it replaced with a better quality power supply.
Have questions? Feel free to contact our electronics repair Winnipeg experts.
