Looking to make a SIMPLE 30V SMPS.

Gents, I believe the SMPS is something I just do not have a firm grasp on. I am working on a project that will require approx 500w of 30V power and possibly a smaller amount of 12V. I have already considered the easy route of using control transformers but just TOO heavy and expensive for 500W.

I was hoping to find some reasonable layouts for one fed from 120VAC? If there are other ways to do this on the cheap and easy, please let me know!

500W is quite large for a power supply. One option is to use an ATX PSU, rewind the transformer and adjust the feedback circuit. The output rectifiers and capacitors would need to have their voltage ratings increased also. Silicon Chip magazine has an article on this from a while back for a 13.4V conversion.

I could possibly use 24V for this if using store bought but I think that defeats the purpose of this somewhat. I was hoping to "roll my own" simply to gain the experience and hopefully learn more about the SMPS. Seems I have been fixing them in a lot of things lately yet I really don't fully understand them. Sometimes a build helps there.

Good thought though. PC supplies certainly seem to hit the power requirement on the cheap...