2-3 week inspection & PSU temp comparison

[f1eng]

First temps after 3.5 hours even tho they've remained unchanged for the last 2.5 hours. As I figured, temps run right at 10% hotter with a full compliment of thermal transfer pads in place. Pads that are 17X more efficient than OEM pads! Proof the PSU enclosure dissipates heat faster thru the cover via convection cooling than it can possibly achieve via conduction thru its top only. I doubt many are surprised by that. What I am surprised about and still do not understand is how/why A/D board temps remain a degree or two and inexorably tied to the power supply temps!?! They did with OEM 200 before any modifications (43/44/45) and they've done it since in E-V-E-R-Y subsequent temp test, ie; vertical, horizontal, no convection, passive convection, forced air convection pushing or pulling. I'm completely stumped! I fully anticipated this test turning out the way it did except for the A/D boards. I seriously thought they'd stay pretty close to their original/normal 29/29C I've been running for two weeks or maybe climb a single degree, two tops. But they continually mimic the PSU temps in every test percentage-wise and I haven't the foggiest notion why that is or how it can be. I'm open to well thought out opinions as this has dogged me since reassembly.

Testing is such an obsessive pursuit! After another day of testing this configuration I've got to see if just a sliver of heat transfer pad I used originally on the rebuild can achieve cooler temps than 29/29/31C if I just use a single 2 x 25mm strip running centered vertically (in wall-mount position) on the ceramic pad which will increase flow thru the PSU housing significantly due to reduced obstruction, ie; cleaner airflow. It may not manifest itself as even a single degree reduction on the GUI but it could! Of course then the A/D temps will follow-suit and I'll be more flummoxed than I am now. See!?! It never ends!!

Have you found the actual temperature sensors on the board?
If you have how close are they physically to the item they purport to measure the temperature of?
The hottest bit of each of the three sections will be inside one of its components. There is a temperature gradient between this internal spot and the external part of its casing which the thermal sensor may be measuring, if it is directly mounted on the actual surface of hottest component. If it is mounted on the PCB near the hottest component, rather than on it, it will definitely measure a lower temperature when conduction de-coupled from the hot spot even if the actual hot component temperature does not change, particularly if there is circulating air too.