Guide: Power Supply Sense Wire Modding

**Hell-Fire** · 08-22-2004, 06:10 PM

Originally posted by Boyne7
one more thing, approximately what voltages can be achieved with this mod before the ovp kicks in?

Depends on the psu, but with the Antec TP430:

+5V trip point < +6.5V
+3.3V trip point < +4.1V
+12V trip point < +14.4V

Originally posted by mysticdrew
Thanks a Lot HF for this great guide.

Also what do you use for Hot Glue? I've tried High Heat and Multi Temp glue and it doesnt stick to PCB's very well and it's all stringy.

The first time I tried to glue the Pots to the inside of the PSU the glue didnt stick so I sanded the case down a bit so it wasnt smooth and it stuck fine, but I cant really do that to a PCB.

I use an Arrow Dual Temp Hot Melt Glue Gun and the matching Dual Temp Hot Glue that comes specifically for this particular gun.

The best advice I can give is to clean the area you plan to glue to with Acetone or rubbing alcohol first. Then, apply the glue to the area and use the gun tip to "smear" it around a bit to make sure good contact is being made with the pcb.

This has always worked for me.

**mysticdrew** · 08-25-2004, 05:19 AM

ya, i just have one of those $2 guns from walmart heh. I'll look into getting a better one then.

**mgv101** · 10-23-2004, 07:36 AM

I couldn't stand the poor timings on my RAM anymore so I've finally decided to mod my enermax EG475P-E's 3.3V line so I could hit above 3.1 Vdimm.

Well... the mod did not work for me

I've tried it with and without the fixed resistor and made sure all the soldering was done properly but still, no matter how much I turned the pot the voltage wouldn't budge at all.

Maybe this PSU is special as I've also realized that there are no Vsense line for the 12 and 5V rails.

**disco_bazoon** · 10-23-2004, 07:58 AM

Excellent guide, with excellent pics!
Got the parts I needed to do this today, so I will be doing it ASAP.
:banana4: (yes, I felt you deserved the bob marley banana

)

Oh, one thing, would it be okay to use 20k VR's aswell? Got more of those than the 10k's
Also, in some other guide I saw, he used different resistors and vr's for the different rails. Large ones for the 12v rail, small ones for the 3.3v rail. Any point in that?

**zaubara** · 11-03-2004, 04:58 AM

Originally Posted by mgv101

I couldn't stand the poor timings on my RAM anymore so I've finally decided to mod my enermax EG475P-E's 3.3V line so I could hit above 3.1 Vdimm.

Well... the mod did not work for me

I've tried it with and without the fixed resistor and made sure all the soldering was done properly but still, no matter how much I turned the pot the voltage wouldn't budge at all.

Maybe this PSU is special as I've also realized that there are no Vsense line for the 12 and 5V rails.

... same.
I will retry the mod that afternoon, but I dont think it will work this time ...
Do you have any ideas why this doesnt work? I am also not able to raise my VDIMM above 3.1volts, even though I'm using a modded BIOS that allows me 4.0V VDIMM!

-- EDIT --

As expected - a no-go.
I can only adjust between 3.37V and 3.43V ... when i turn the VR fast, I notice a short increase to 3.50V and then it drops down again to 3.43V ...
Looks like Enermax has included some kind of overvolt protection into the PSU? Is there any way to bypass it?
Or do you think I simply did something wrong on my Enermax EG475AX-VE(G)?

Thanks =)

**Hell-Fire** · 08-25-2004, 08:16 AM

I definitely recommend something that is Dual Temp.

You can find them cheaply at Lowes, Home Depot, and on Ebay.

**David302** · 08-30-2004, 06:29 PM

I have a question, the PSU from thermaltake 480watts not PFC don't have the v-sense wire in 12v rail and the 5v rail, how made this mod work on this PSU or only works in Antec PSU's ???

PD: Sorry if my english is not clear

**Hell-Fire** · 08-31-2004, 09:06 AM

No, this mod works with ANY psu that has the sense wires present.

And keep in mind that it works with supplies that have 1, 2, or 3 sense wires. All 3 do not have to be present to do a mod.

Also note that sometimes they shove the 5v sense wire in the middle of the ATX bundle versus putting it on the edges. Also, most of the time when only a 5v sense wire is present, that modding it also mods the 12v power rail as well.

I would open the psu and see whats there. You may find that there are VRs already included in the circuitry of the psu.

**David302** · 08-31-2004, 12:00 PM

Thanks a lot of reason I forgets open the PSU and look inside the PSU

**eclypse** · 09-26-2004, 08:14 AM

THANK YOU!!!!! Just what the doctor ordered! Perfect instructions and best of all.. Worked on the first attempt! THank god for that cause i also finally used my sleeving kit at the same time!

Works great on my Antec Truecontrol 550WATT P/S!

Have a beer on me

**Hell-Fire** · 09-27-2004, 11:35 PM

Glad it worked out for you bud.

Keep modding away...dont stop now.

**Espen** · 10-03-2004, 12:19 PM

Thanks for the great guide Hell-Fire :=)
Have just moded my Chieftec 420w HPC-420-302-DF PSU, it have only sense wires on the 3,3 line so i couldnt mod the 5/12v.
I was wondering if anyone know a way to mod the 12v on this psu because im getting as low as +11,22v when im running the cpu at high voltage. Moding the 3,3v line didnt help the +12v.
Thanks

Espen

**eclypse** · 10-03-2004, 07:06 PM

Wow i'd say just spend some cash and buy a new PS!

**Hell-Fire** · 10-04-2004, 11:51 AM

Espen, thats a pretty low line bud.

You can "sometimes" mod supplies without the sensee wires, but you need to open it up and see whats inside. You may get lucky and find it already has trimmers.

Other than that we would need to poke around to see what we find.

**eclypse** · 10-04-2004, 01:24 PM

I wouldnt even bother risking your life opening up that power supply with such a low 12v line.. That thing cant handle your computer! Buy something else.

**eclypse** · 10-13-2004, 10:42 AM

I think testing it that was is still taking a reading off the P/S and not where the voltages are being used form the M/B.

**Jeff7** · 10-14-2004, 06:22 AM

Originally Posted by eclypse

I think testing it that was is still taking a reading off the P/S and not where the voltages are being used form the M/B.

So at least my power supply is putting out good voltage then, right?
Might those Motherboard Monitor readings in fact be accurate, from the point of view of the monitoring chip?
Could upping the PSU voltage slightly help increase the low voltages reported by MBM, without causing significant (besides that caused by normal overclocking) damage?

**flyersguy85** · 10-18-2004, 10:29 PM

what exactly are the benefits of modding a psu?? my thermaltake gives out 18A on the 12v rail...i have a OCed 3200+, flashed X800 PRO to XT, and ram is overclocked...will i get better performance in overclocking by doing this? or are theese mods only for if your psu can't meet your power needs?

How can i tell if my psu isn't powerful enough?

**Hell-Fire** · 10-19-2004, 05:31 AM

The benefits are typically more stable rails, and the ability to overclock ram further.

On most boards the ram is powered on the 3.3v rail, and since the Vdimm can never rise above more than 0.2v less than whatever the 3.3v rail is at, if you want say 3.45v on the Vdimm, you need a 3.3v rail of atleast 3.6-3.7v to be stable.

Also, not all psu are actually running what levels they should be...and dont trust the bios to give you the right readings. The 5v and 12v rails may be running well under their ratings.

**NapalmV5** · 10-19-2004, 05:15 PM

Awesome guide Hell-Fire,

Modded my Enermax 651's 3.3v rail thanx to your guide.

**spaceman** · 10-19-2004, 06:47 PM

Excellent stuff, Hell-Fire, thanx!

I'm looking at doing the 3.3v and 12v lines on my PCP&C 510 Deluxe. Now my question is, would this be better, worse, or no diff, from changing out the VRs already there? I was just looking at the other thread, before I saw this. And if I just do the sense mods, can I use another VR WITH the one already being there, on the PCB? Sorry for being such a n00b, but I saw where you said too many VRs isn't good. And finally, if it's best to just change out the stock ones with 2k ones, can I just buy a couple from you? The Radio Shack's around here have very limited stock, and they always seem to be out of whatever I'm looking for.

Thanx again.

**Hell-Fire** · 10-19-2004, 07:45 PM

Originally Posted by spaceman

Excellent stuff, Hell-Fire, thanx!

I'm looking at doing the 3.3v and 12v lines on my PCP&C 510 Deluxe. Now my question is, would this be better, worse, or no diff, from changing out the VRs already there? I was just looking at the other thread, before I saw this. And if I just do the sense mods, can I use another VR WITH the one already being there, on the PCB? Sorry for being such a n00b, but I saw where you said too many VRs isn't good. And finally, if it's best to just change out the stock ones with 2k ones, can I just buy a couple from you? The Radio Shack's around here have very limited stock, and they always seem to be out of whatever I'm looking for.

Thanx again.

Thanks bro. =D

I would recommend swapping out the internal VRs, although adding an additional VR wont hurt things either. It all depends on how comfortable you are with removing the stock ones versus doing the sense wire mod.

I would be glad to send you some, but I dont have any on hand..in fact I ordered some 2 weeks ago and they havent shown up yet..thanks for reminding me..lol.

You can get them from CircuitSpecialists among other places.

Originally Posted by sparkie34

Just modded my 3.3 line tonight. Cruising now at 3.6. Now i'm able to give my ram up to 3.5v. Thanks Hellfire for the help on this mod and the vtt mod.

My pleasure sir.

**spaceman** · 10-19-2004, 07:50 PM

Awesome, I'll order some up, thanx.

Yeah, I'm not an expert solderer, but changing them out is probly better. Not only would they be good & sturdy on the PCB, but I wouldn't need to drill any new holes, lol.

Edited: Zoinks, they're only .79 each, but shipping would be $9! Maybe I'll pursue this further locally.

**sparkie34** · 10-19-2004, 07:12 PM

Just modded my 3.3 line tonight. Cruising now at 3.6. Now i'm able to give my ram up to 3.5v. Thanks Hellfire for the help on this mod and the vtt mod.