OPTIMO_ATX - truly linear ATX power supply

[Marcin_gps]

OPTIMO_ATX

SNEAK PEAK

 

In JCAT we work to develop and bring to you new exciting products. Here is a short sneak peak of what we work on right now the JCAT Optimo ATX linear power supply. We are in advanced stage of R&D and hope to launch production by the end of the year.

 

 

 

 

KEY DESIGN FEATURES:

 

TRULY LINEAR ATX POWER SUPPLY

OptimoATX will be truly linear ATX power supply capable of 23A on all main lines (12, 5 and 3.3V) fully compatible with ATX2.0 specification. It is designed to be able to power computer platforms with 95W TDP processors. Unlike other similar products on market it will use only low noise linear regulators for all voltages including control circuits. Cutting edge linear regulators for noise performance <25uV RMS will be used. For best stability regulator circuit will have analog cable voltage drop compensation.

 

SUPERB TRANSFORMERS

Three bespoke massive low induction transformers with magnetic and electrical shielding sealed in stainless steel cup with epoxy resin that guarantees noiseless operation will be used. Transformers are designed to deliver all it’s power in linear part of core magnetic characteristic, with minimal stray field and impedance for best performance. One 400VA for 12V line we found to be most important for sound quality, second for 5V and 3.3V lines and third for all other less important voltages. 

 

ACTIVE RECTIFIER

For OptimoATX massive current we designed unique active rectifier. It’s using MOS FET transistors instead of diodes that are switched at zero points of AC waveform by special circuit. This ensures best noise performance, low impedance and very low heat dispatch. 

MICROPROCESOR CONTROL

OptimoATX will use industry standard low noise DSP for power management, soft start and ATX control functions. This will ensure best compatibility with ATX standard of complex linear design and trouble free user experience. Control circuit will be separated from rest of sensitive circuitry and will have own galvanically isolated linear power supply.

CONVENIENT CONNECTIONS

Optimo ATX will feature set of ATX connectors (including CPU, PCIE and drives connectors) as well as two AUX connectors for 5V and 12V aux power (active after power up cycle of computer).

 

 

CHASSIS

OptimoATX chassis will be bended from single thick sheet of laser cut stainless steel for high structural rigidity and low mechanical resonance. Stainless steel is not only much stronger than aluminium typically use in such enclosures, but also is a non magnetic material. This is very important for best performance as magnetic materials can introduce additional noise. For this reason also all bolts, nuts and other small mechanical parts in our power supply will ne made of non magnetic stainless steel.

 

 

AUDIO GRADE COMPONENTS

High grade audio components will be used. OptimoATX will be made in EU to very high standard for best audible results.

DISCLAIMER

All above information and specifications are preliminary/prototype and final product may vary.

 

 

[Marcin_gps]

3 hours ago, ASRMichael said:

@Marcin_gps with your Duo LPS being a competitive price point. Are you expecting your new ATX to be of similar price? or what commercial price point you trying to hit?

I am not trying to hit any price. With the level of quality and reliability we are are going to provide, we can't compete in terms of pricing. 

 

This is a pioneer product which does not have a competition. 

 

For now I can say that it will be more expensive than the OPTIMO 3 DUO. 

 

But it will deliver the sound that is not just a little bit better from today's solutions. 

 

More details to come... 

 

Regards, 

Marcin

[Marcin_gps]

3 hours ago, ASRMichael said:

What's strange is the above specification says capable of 23amps, but then same it's capable of 95w TDP. (At 12v is circa 8amps. So maybe the it's not a continuous 23amps, maybe @Marcin_gps can confirm?

 

I currently use 10a LPS, (12v) & run my i9 9900k @5.0ghz with HQPlayer (128DSD) and HDPlex case. 

 

If JCAT is capable of continuous 23A then i9 10900k should work with ease, but will need good cooling, only passive case I know that can do that is Turemetal UP10. If using a CAPS watercooler or fans then it should work. 

Optimo ATX nominal continuous output current will be 23A on each of main rails (12, 5 and 3.3V). The capability to support 95W processor platforms comes from Intel recomendations for power supplies.

 

 TDP has nothing to do with actaual power consumption of processor. It stands for Thermal Design Power it is more theoretical term describing the chip ability to generate heat.

[Marcin_gps]

6 hours ago, AudioDoctor said:

so... for those of us with PCs similar to the CAPS server Chris built, is this even remotely enough to power it?

No, building a true linear PSU for such a beast would increase the size and the cost drastically. 

[Marcin_gps]

6 hours ago, Patatorz said:

I’m using today an atx power supply to feed a server only (not player) and the impact of this atx is huge. Depending on the price not sure it would makes sense to me to invest. Perhaps more designed for people having a player/server based PC. Time and budget will tell 🙂

at this point of time, waiting for the netcard XE 🙂

 

anyway this is a really good move forward for audiophiles people. Congrats @Marcin_gps

Which ATX PSU are you using now? 

[Marcin_gps]

8 minutes ago, AudioDoctor said:

 

Darn, thanks for the reply.

Why  would you want to use a linear PSU for such a build which I presume is for gaming? 

[Marcin_gps]

10 minutes ago, AudioDoctor said:

Its not for gaming, it has two programs on it, Roon and HQPlayer.

Then why do you need such a graphic card?  

[Marcin_gps]

50 minutes ago, Vlaag said:

As a fan of the Ansuz feets and isolators, will they retro fit on this case, can the feets be replaced or are they already some fancy on? Thx

You will be able to use the Ansuz feets. There will be a small rubber type isolators included.

 

I personally use foQ footers under my components with good results. 

 

17 minutes ago, Pablooo said:

I am trying to understand where to place this power supply in terms of quality.  Is the aim to match or improve the Optimo 3 with regard to the 5v lines that, for example, feed the Jcat usb and net cards?  I read that it will beat all competition, does that include your own Optimo 3 (which is not comparable in terms of functionality of course)?

 

Like I wrote in the USB XE thread, the Optimo 3 Duo will perform better if used with low-powered components.  The 5V AUX output is shared with ATX lines, so it's still a good idea to use the Optimo 3 Duo for the cards for best  performance.

 

The quality is exceptional, but slightly below optimo for that purpose. It is simply not possible to achieve that kind of low-noise at 23A. 

 

That said, I think the OPTIMO ATX will be an attractive all-in-one package.

[Marcin_gps]

The AUX connectors are planned for external devices such as external drives, CD rippers, network switches etc. 

 

It doesn't make sense to use AUX for powering computer components, because for that you can use ATX outputs - it's the same quality in this case  

[Marcin_gps]

On 10/3/2020 at 2:47 PM, ASRMichael said:

Marcin what will make your new ATX LPS so special it will beat all competition? 

 

This is world's first truly linear ATX power supply.  Other power supplies on the market are hybrid switching type power supplies with some linear regulation - it's not the same. 

 

Quality backed up by real world performance, not just marketing slogans. 

 

Reliability - the power supplies are built to last.

 

Safety: CE compliance proven in documentation and lab tests.

[Marcin_gps]

11 hours ago, ASRMichael said:

Marcin

 

I’m not trying to be a pain here but Sean Jacobs DC range is True Linear Power supply. Many use his LPS for ATX. 
 

My question was more on the specific parts. Maybe details will follow in due course. 
 

Cheers

It's not an ATX power supply as far as I know. 

[Marcin_gps]

2 hours ago, ASRMichael said:

My DC3 is an ATX LPS. Anyway looking forward to the release, sure will be another excellent product by JCAT. Thanks

 

Full ATX and ATX 2.0 compliant without any DC-DC converters? 

[Marcin_gps]

4 hours ago, Exocer said:

Hi Marcin, very interested in this unit. Any chance you'll be able to provide an approximate price range? Will there be a "smaller" option for those who already have an Optimo or smaller two-rail LPSU for PCI-E cards?

There will be one model with some options that will affect the price. 

 

I will announce the price when the product is ready. 

 

Best regards,
Marcin Ostapowicz
JPLAY & JCAT Founder

[Marcin_gps]

OPTIMO ATX – world’s first truly linear ATX PSU for audiophiles. We are almost there.

The heart of JCAT OPTIMO ATX PSU’s is a separate  Linear Regulator Board for each power line; 12V, 5V and 3.3V, providing 23A of continuous current. Its main components are: rectifier, smoothing capacitors bank and linear regulators.

KEY DESIGN FEATURES:

ACTIVE RECTIFIER

For the OPTIMO ATX whopping current we designed unique active rectifier. It is using MOS FET transistors instead of diodes that are switched at zero points of AC waveform by special circuit. The MOS FET in this application has forward resistance below 1 mOhm (0.001 Ohm) – this outperforms diode resulting in much better dynamic response. JCAT designed analog control circuit with so called “floating ground” which means that there is no ground connection for rectifier at any point that otherwise might be path for introducing noise into DC circuit. This further ensures best noise performance as with GHz speed of MOS FETs there is practically no switching noise.

SUPERB PERFORMANCE

Eleven low impedance capacitors of total 110mF (110.000 uF) will ensure outstanding dynamic performance of OPTIMO ATX. On the graph below, the green line shows output voltage. You can observe superb response for step change of load (turquoise line).

 

 

CAPACITORS BANK

We chose high quality 105 Celcius degrees capacitors for trouble free operation in years to come, and designed in significant margin so even with some capacitance lost over time, there will be no effect on the OPTIMO ATX’s performance. Built to last, as we like things in JCAT.

 

 

LINEAR REGULATORS

The OPTIMO ATX is world’s first truly linear ATX power supply with no switching power circuits at any point. For cutting edge performance, instead of discrete elements, we used 11 state of an art LT3086 integrated linear regulators working in parallel. In result, the RMS noise of the OPTIMO ATX is impressive <15uV. We carefully optimised the PCB layout for shortest signal path, impedance and heat dispatch.

 

 

 

SUPERB BUILD QUALITY

High quality components, from resistors to connectors. Significant design margins. Gold plated 70 um copper PCB. Heat transfer elements made of pure copper. EU placed supply chain. Everything to ensure superb quality. The OPTIMO ATX PSU complies with these safety regulations: directive 2014/35/UE EMC, 2014/30/UE RoHS 2, 2011/65/UE, EN 62368-1, EN 50419 and EN-61558-1.

 

 

 

 

 

DISCLAIMER

All above information and specifications are preliminary/prototype and final product may vary.

[Marcin_gps]

16 minutes ago, RickyV said:

Very nice Marcin. Two questions, what are its input requirements? And of course what does it cost?

Input comes via power cord from AC wall socket (100-240V). It's a complete ATX power supply unit with DC cables to power all components: motherboard, CPU, drives and other peripherals 

 

6 minutes ago, luisma said:

I'll be following this thread, if I understand this properly @Marcin_gpsthis will be purposed to power PC components like motherboard, cpu and such with moderate power requirements like miniITX or mATX boards, efficient CPU's etc. is that accurate? if so considering the 23 amps total this would be "similar" and I understand this is linear not switching, to let's say a conventional 250W ATX PS (and I mean conventional from the comparisons standpoint as I know this ATX linear PS is not conventional at all)

Thank you

 

Luis V

 

Correct. Not just 'moderate' as the current capabilities are 23A per rail. 

 

For miniITX/mATX requiring only a single rail, we will probably have a simplified product at a lower price. But initially it will be a ATX PSU. 

 

And correct, the function is the same as a typical computer ATX PSU, only at a very high quality level required for any high-end music server.

 

Yes, this is truly linear ATX PSU - no switching power circuits at any point - which makes this product unique world-wide. 

 

If will be announced officially in January 2021. The final price is not set yet, but it will be 3000EUR minimum. 

 

Regards, 
Marcin

[Marcin_gps]

6 minutes ago, Vlaag said:

It will be a great update for my 2 kecess p8’s powering the pc. I wonder what casing and cables are required

It will come in a nice enclosure with high-quality DC cables.  (render image of the enclosure below)

 

The pictures above show only one regulator board. There will be 3 regulator boards (for each power line; 12V, 5V and 3.3V), power transformers (separate for each line) and control logic board. 

 

In other words; it's a plug & play product requiring no expert knowledge from a user. 

[Marcin_gps]

3 hours ago, Savolax said:

Can you give some perspective what to expect sound wise with the Optimo ATX when I have PC with standard ATX PSU but have already USB XE card (with Farad3 LPS), USB+LAN Ground conditioner and Net Isolator?

 

How substantial improvement it would be in such combination? (maybe also relatively vs. the USB XE and separate LPS for USB XE)

 

How about the length of PSU cables? Just wondering out loud possible setup if I ever obtained one when I have mid tower ATX case. Any chance having Optimo ATX on the table and leave PC on the floor as it is now? Probably need to invest some similar PC case such the one with Optimo ATX and stack them on top of other...

 

Minimum 3k obviously sounds little steep, but when I have not any other LPS's to computer parts, then I see it more sensible.

 

Sonically it's a night & day, even if you already have the cards powered by LPS and other accessories. 

 

The DC cables will be 1.5m long. 

 

The matching PC enclosure will be available as well as the next step, but of course it's possible to use with any PC as  long as you can find the way in for the DC cables.

 

1 hour ago, Exocer said:

Agreed. Likely a bit out of my price range but I am excited with the direction. Looking forward to feedback from those who migrate away from the DC-ATX converters to solutions like this.

 

The OPTIMO ATX's Linear Regulator Board is designed to work as single rail too. In principle we can make any PSU based on the Linear Regulator Board up to 24V/23A (280W)

 

There will be more affordable option availble down the path, especially for anyone who wishes to use only a single rail; to feed a miniITX/mATX motherboard, a DC-ATX converter or a NUC.  

 

Regards, 
Marcin

 

 

[Marcin_gps]

Here is a picture of the OPTIMO ATX's Linear Regulator Board side-by-side with the OPTIMO 3 DUO's linear regulator board. As you can see, it's quite a beast :)

 

[Marcin_gps]

10 hours ago, austinpop said:

Hi @Marcin_gps

 

This looks very impressive! A couple of quick questions: if powering a mobo with this Linear ATX PSU:

• Does the PSU have a separate 12V rail for EPS? Or will CPU power come from the 12V rail on ATX?
• If using the XE USB and Net cards, can these card now operate (with optimal SQ) on bus power, or does the user still need 2 more external 5V rails for these cards?

Also, how do you envisage this evolving as the ATX12VO standard becomes more prevalent?

 

Thanks.

 

Hi @austinpop

 

Good questions! 

 

During R&D we experimented a lot with different setups and cables, including connecting separate regulator for CPU power line. Optimo ATX will come with standard cables including ATX connector and CPU power connector, though this lines share common regulator.

 

However in most computer mainboards those power lines are connected anyway, and separate cable for CPU is only to provide enough power for high TDP processors that ATX cable alone can’t support. In most computers with 35W TDP processor you can disconnect CPU cable and computer will run just fine.

 

The Optimo ATX will provide superb sound quality powering JCAT USB and network cards, however on our test rig we still observe some improvement using the Optimo 3 Duo for the cards. I think that this comes as no surprise as the Optimo 3 Duo is superior in terms of power quality over the Optimo ATX and these most sensitive components will benefit from that extra quality. 

 

ATX12VO is still a song of the future as most platforms on the market are ATX, we also expect some compatibility of ATX12VO mainboards with adapters especially for lower power platforms. Developing our ATX we kept this new standard in mind. Based on the  technology developed for the Optimo ATX we will be able to build audiophile quality ATX12VO standard power supply when the time comes.

 

Please let me know if you have any further questions.

 

Best regards,
Marcin Ostapowicz
JPLAY & JCAT Founder

[Marcin_gps]

20 hours ago, AME said:

Hello@Marcin_gps,

 

I'm new on the forum and at the moment building a new PC which is a bit of a mix between the Taiko and Pink Faun and looking for a very good PSU to feed this build.

 

You mention also a matching PC case, 

 

Can this case house a full EATX board and how is the cooling solution?

What are the dimensions of the case, the provided picture of the PSU internals is a bit to small to see the dimensions.

My new build has 5 Low profile PCI cards, can this fit in the case

Are there any special futures in the case, like damping or compartments to house peripherals?

 

Thanks!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Full ATX stadard only. We have not decided on cooling yet. 

Please note that the maximum CPU TDP for the OPTIMO ATX is 95W (see below)

 

11 hours ago, Dev said:

@Marcin_gps any plans to build a DC-DC ATX power supply, similar to Hdplex 400w/800w units ? Those with their own DC power supply (non-ATX) might benefit from this.

We have no plans for a DC-DC ATX power supply. 

In our experience the biggest improvement comes from using a clean 12V LPS. And some DC-DC ATX boards pass-through the 12V from the external PSU to the motherboard / CPU. So for customers using DC-DC ATX converters we will have a powerful single-rail LPS (based on the OPTIMO ATX's  Linear Regulator Board )

 

Best regards, 

Marcin

[Marcin_gps]

Will be announced in March. 

 

We should have the first production unit next week :)

[Marcin_gps]

OPTIMO ATX – world’s first truly linear ATX PSU for audiophiles – heat management.

 

One of the biggest challenges in linear power supply design is heat management, as heat generation is inherent for its nature, especially for high-current PSUs such as OPTIMO ATX. 

Full article in the EDITORIAL section here: https://jcat.eu/optimo-atx-worlds-first-truly-linear-atx-psu-for-audiophiles-heat-management/

[Marcin_gps]

The revolution in digital audio is about to begin 

 

https://jcat.eu/the-revolution-in-digital-audio-is-about-to-begin-optimo-atx-psu-final-prototype-sneak-peak/

 

[Marcin_gps]

THE DEFINITIVE SOLUTION TO COMPUTER-BASED HI-FI SYSTEMS’ MOST NOTABLE WEAKNESS.

 

JCAT INTRODUCES THE ONLY 100% LINEAR COMPUTER POWER SUPPLY ON THE MARKET:

 

OPTIMO S ATX

 

 

https://jcat.eu/product/optimo-s-atx/

 

LOT 1 is available now. 

[Marcin_gps]

14 hours ago, manisandher said:

Yep.

 

"The host uses the module is a pure linear power chip, no ATX module. Do not use the switch power supply chip. The whole machine is pure separation type voltage stabilizing linear power supply."

 

http://www.teradak.com/products/105.html

 

Mani.

I can’t discuss all products on the market, especially dubious products.

 

OPTIMO S ATX is the first legit truly linear ATX power supply on the market as far as I know. It is designed according to ATX 2.2. specs and Intel’s Desktop Platform Form Factors Power Supply Design Guide. It complies with EU safety directives for CE: CE 2014/35/UE, LVD, 2014/30/UE, EMC, 2011/65/UE RoHS II and 2015/863 RoHS III. It is safe to use.

 

All specs of OPTIMO S ATX are real-world measured values. It is a state-of-the-art product. 

 

Teradak does not say anything on their website except for power transformer used. And looking at the pictures, the way it is built, I have serious doubts one can call it an ATX power supply. 

 

13 hours ago, RickyV said:

JCAT INTRODUCES THE ONLY 100% LINEAR COMPUTER POWER SUPPLY ON THE MARKET"

 

yes I saw that too, not sure what that means

 

It is an ATX power supply in human language: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Power_supply_unit_(computer)

 

Regards, 

Marcin