Tag Archives: dc power supply


DIY Variable DC Power Supply with Display and PC interface

A variable bench power supply is an important equipment in electronics lab for conducting experiments, prototytyping, and testing. This cool-looking DIY bench power supply provides fixed 5V and 12V outputs along with a separate variable DC output ranging from 1.2 to 25V. The on-board LCD display shows instantaneous output voltage, current, and power drawn, which are very important parameters during prototyping of a new project. The power supply can also be connected to a PC through RS232 port to visualize and monitor these parameters graphically on screen. The project uses Atmega8 microcontroller for measuring and displaying the electrical output parameters.

DIY variable power supply

DIY variable power supply

 

A new multi-function power supply unit for my Embedded Lab

One important parameter in embedded system designing is power consumption. This parameter is directly related to the battery lifetime, if the system is to be powered from a battery. In order to determine the power rating of your designed system, you need to know how much current the system draws from the source at a given voltage. While working on my projects, I usually measure current by placing an external ammeter in series with the current’s return path. This is not always convenient to do, and so I thought of making a special power supply unit for my lab that would display both voltage and current information on a LCD screen while prototyping my circuit. This way I can continuously monitor how much power my test circuit is drawing at a specific operating voltage.

Multifunction bench power supply

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