Musicmanager
Well-Known Member
Hi Guys
Some of you may know, I've been laid up at home for a while recently and to avoid complete boredom I've been sorting through some junk and having a clear out. Also a while ago, I bought a 0 - 30vdc power supply kit from Banggood but I've only managed to partly build the project as yet. In the sorting process I came across a PSU for a computer, actually a SMPS, brand new in a box and decided it would be useful to convert it for a spare bench power supply because it offers 12, 5 and 3.3 vdc and with decent power, as well as -12 & -5vdc.
The basic conversion was relatively easy, but I did find a challenge in loading the unit without using the customary beefed up resistor trick. I used an LED on each of the positive outputs which is sufficient to keep the unit on and provides some pretty lights for those dark evenings by the solder station. The final challenge involved an indicator to tell me when the switch mode was active/inactive. There is a circuit in the box which provides this info for a computer but it is only signal so insufficient to power and LED. I used my new found novice learning, taught by you guys and put the signal wire to the base of a BC548; voltage and resistor to the LED anode; Gnd to the Emitter and Collector to the LED cathode.. .. .. I was a little surprised that it worked !
There are some pics below for you to have a good laugh at ..
Thanks guys
S
Some of you may know, I've been laid up at home for a while recently and to avoid complete boredom I've been sorting through some junk and having a clear out. Also a while ago, I bought a 0 - 30vdc power supply kit from Banggood but I've only managed to partly build the project as yet. In the sorting process I came across a PSU for a computer, actually a SMPS, brand new in a box and decided it would be useful to convert it for a spare bench power supply because it offers 12, 5 and 3.3 vdc and with decent power, as well as -12 & -5vdc.
The basic conversion was relatively easy, but I did find a challenge in loading the unit without using the customary beefed up resistor trick. I used an LED on each of the positive outputs which is sufficient to keep the unit on and provides some pretty lights for those dark evenings by the solder station. The final challenge involved an indicator to tell me when the switch mode was active/inactive. There is a circuit in the box which provides this info for a computer but it is only signal so insufficient to power and LED. I used my new found novice learning, taught by you guys and put the signal wire to the base of a BC548; voltage and resistor to the LED anode; Gnd to the Emitter and Collector to the LED cathode.. .. .. I was a little surprised that it worked !
There are some pics below for you to have a good laugh at ..
Thanks guys
S