A Look Inside

Before reading this page we strongly suggest to take a look at this article, which will help you understand the internal components of a PSU much better.


The OEM of this unit and of all Dark Pro P10 units with higher capacity is Seasonic, one of the best PSU manufacturers. Basically the unit utilizes the same platform as Seasonic's P-860 PSU but with several modifications including the OCK switch, the fan headers, another fan and the native 24pin ATX connector. A full bridge topology is used in the primary side along with an LLC resonant converter to boost efficiency while in the secondary side synchronous rectification is used along with two VRMs for the generation of the minor rails. Both VRMs reside on the modular PCB, in order to minimize voltage drops. Cranking open this unit wasn't an easy task, however it was easier than its smaller brother (P10-550W).


The AC receptacle includes a complete line filter from Yunpen (Y015T1) which consists of one X, two Y caps and a CM choke. The transient filtering stage continues on the main PCB with one X and four Y caps, two CM chokes and an MOV. There is also a thermistor for protection against large inrush currents and the corresponding relay that bypasses it once it finishes its job.


The two parallel rectifying bridges are bolted on a dedicated heatsink. Their model number is GBJ 2506 and they are pretty strong for the capacity of this unit.


In the APFC two Infineon IPW60R125CP fets are used along with an SCS110AG boost diode.


The two parallel hold up caps are provided by Nippon Chemi-Con (420V, 390μF, 105°C, KMR series). There is void space on the PCB for installation of a third cap, for larger capacity units. The LLC resonant and PWM controller is a Champion CM6901 and it is located on a vertical PCB behind one of the two hold up caps.


As main choppers four IPP60R199CP fets are used in a full-bridge topology. A resonant converter boosts efficiency by allowing loss-less switching of the main switchers.


The inductor and capacitor are parts of the LLC resonant converter.


The current transformer for current detection, used by the OPP circuit of the CM6901 controller.


In the secondary side instead of the usual heatsink we find several smaller ones with no components bolted on them. The four fets responsible for the rectification of +12V are installed on the solder side of the main PCB and are cooled by the unit's case. Their model number is BSC018N04LS by Infineon. As you can see, between the +12V fets there is a copper plate installed for increased conductivity. Finally, mostly polymer Chemi-Con caps filter the +12V rail but we also found some electrolytic ones provided by the same company, rated at 105°C (KZM series).


The VRMs that generate the minor rails are installed on the modular PCB, in an effort to minimize voltage drops. The common PWM buck controller is an APW7159 and we find many polymer filtering caps on the front of the modular PCB, provided by Chemi-Con.


All four 12pin modular sockets are installed directly on the PCB so power is transferred to them in a more efficient way, eliminating the usage of power cables.


This daughter-board houses the protections IC, a SITI PS232F which supports OCP for up to four +12V channels, matching this way the specifications of this unit.


The off-line PWM controller is an Infineon ICE2QR4765 IC.


Soldering quality on the main PCB is impeccable, matching Seasonic's high-end units. Also we didn't spot any long component leads which can be the cause of dangerous shorts.


The high quality cooling fan features Fluid Dynamic Bearing and its model number is BQT T13525-XF20 (12V, 0.38A, 2000RPM max, 85.94 CFM, 3.50 mmH2O). At normal ambient it is totally inaudible but if you manage to push it to its limit then it makes lots of noise.