PROJECTS
MULTI-USE DIY BOARD
One of the many projects I've been working on is this nifty multi-use DIY board. Over the years I've hand built the circuits on this board numerous times, wire by wire. I designed this in an effort to save myself from tedium and to help out other people to do cool projects.
This board uses common parts, mostly 7474 logic to do an array of things: PWM generation, latching, multiplexing. It's got P-channel FETs for power switching and is highly customizable, too! I plan to install these in just about everything I crack open.
DIY Bench Power Supply
This hack all began when a friend came to my BBQ showcasing a laptop power supply that he had hacked into a mess of wires. "So what?" I said, not realizing he was powering the contraption off of 12VDC! To make things even more serendipitous: I had the exact same model power supply in my scrap parts bin! This was a hack destined to happen.
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As it turns out, my friend had found the info for hacking this PSU from an online tutorial. To have a portable 120W PSU with AC input and voltage and current limiting is pretty badass. I grabbed my drill and my soldering tools and went to work.
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I used a nifty new wireless watt meter (more geniuses making stuff in China) for the display as well as a regular LED voltmeter. Comparing them together gives a pretty accurate result as they can both float a little bit, although the LCD meter is pretty darn close most of the time. Only when things get >20V do you usually see variation in the >100mV range.
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Overall, this has proved very useful and I even used it as a makeshift 12V charger when my car battery died!
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A fun and very practical project, this homemade bench supply has a couple bells and whistles that make it a hack worth sharing.
Here are some of the cool features:​
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120W+ Output capability, 0-24VDC
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120VAC or 12VDC input
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Current and Voltage limiting
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Removable USB Wireless Watt Meter
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3x resettable fuses and reverse polarity protection
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External AC fuse
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Watt meter input for secondary power source (standalone mode)
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Dual 12v DC fan control w/adjustable speed