Laboratory power supply circuits 0 30v 20a. Simple regulated stabilized power supply

Lithium-Ion (Li-Io), charge voltage of one can: 4.2 - 4.25V. Further by the number of cells: 4.2, 8.4, 12.6, 16.8.... Charge current: for ordinary batteries is equal to 0.5 of the capacity in amperes or less. High-current ones can be safely charged with a current equal to the capacity in amperes (high-current 2800 mAh, charge 2.8 A or less).
Lithium polymer (Li-Po), charge voltage per can: 4.2V. Further by the number of cells: 4.2, 8.4, 12.6, 16.8.... Charge current: for ordinary batteries is equal to the capacity in amperes (battery 3300 mAh, charge 3.3 A or less).
Nickel-metal hydride (NiMH), charge voltage per can: 1.4 - 1.5V. Further by the number of cells: 2.8, 4.2, 5.6, 7, 8.4, 9.8, 11.2, 12.6... Charge current: 0.1-0.3 capacity in amperes (battery 2700 mAh, charge 0.27 A or less). Charging takes no more than 15-16 hours.
Lead-acid (Lead Acid), charge voltage per can: 2.3V. Further by number of cells: 4.6, 6.9, 9.2, 11.5, 13.8 (automotive). Charge current: 0.1-0.3 capacity in amperes (battery 80 Ah, charge 16A or less).

Many already know that I have a weakness for all kinds of power supplies, but here is a two-in-one review. This time there will be a review of a radio constructor that allows you to assemble the basis for a laboratory power supply and a variant of its real implementation.
I warn you, there will be a lot of photos and text, so stock up on coffee :)

First, I’ll explain a little what it is and why.
Almost all radio amateurs use such a thing as a laboratory power supply in their work. Whether it's complex with software control or completely simple on the LM317, it still does almost the same thing, powers different loads while working with them.
Laboratory power supplies are divided into three main types.
With pulse stabilization.
With linear stabilization
Hybrid.

The first ones include a switching controlled power supply, or simply a switching power supply with a step-down PWM converter. I have already reviewed several options for these power supplies. , .
Advantages - high power with small dimensions, excellent efficiency.
Disadvantages - RF ripple, presence of capacious capacitors at the output

The latter do not have any PWM converters on board; all regulation is carried out in a linear manner, where excess energy is simply dissipated on the control element.
Pros - Almost complete absence of ripple, no need for output capacitors (almost).
Cons - efficiency, weight, size.

The third is a combination of either the first type with the second, then the linear stabilizer is powered by a slave buck PWM converter (the voltage at the output of the PWM converter is always maintained at a level slightly higher than the output, the rest is regulated by a transistor operating in linear mode.
Or it is a linear power supply, but the transformer has several windings that switch as needed, thereby reducing losses on the control element.
This scheme has only one drawback, complexity, which is higher than that of the first two options.

Today we will talk about the second type of power supply, with a regulating element operating in linear mode. But let's look at this power supply using the example of a designer, it seems to me that this should be even more interesting. After all, in my opinion, this is a good start for a novice radio amateur to assemble one of the main devices.
Well, or as they say, the right power supply must be heavy :)

This review is more aimed at beginners; experienced comrades are unlikely to find anything useful in it.

For review, I ordered a construction kit that allows you to assemble the main part of a laboratory power supply.
The main characteristics are as follows (from those declared by the store):
Input voltage - 24 Volts AC
Output voltage adjustable - 0-30 Volts DC.
Output current adjustable - 2mA - 3A
Output voltage ripple - 0.01%
The dimensions of the printed board are 80x80mm.

A little about packaging.
The designer arrived in a regular plastic bag, wrapped in soft material.
Inside, in an antistatic zip-lock bag, were all the necessary components, including the circuit board.

Everything inside was a mess, but nothing was damaged; the printed circuit board partially protected the radio components.

I won’t list everything that is included in the kit, it’s easier to do this later during the review, I’ll just say that I had enough of everything, even some left over.

A little about the printed circuit board.
The quality is excellent, the circuit is not included in the kit, but all the ratings are marked on the board.
The board is double-sided, covered with a protective mask.

The board coating, tinning, and the quality of the PCB itself is excellent.
I was only able to tear off a patch from the seal in one place, and that was after I tried to solder a non-original part (why, we will find out later).
In my opinion, this is the best thing for a beginner radio amateur; it will be difficult to spoil it.

Before installation, I drew a diagram of this power supply.

The scheme is quite thoughtful, although not without its shortcomings, but I’ll tell you about them in the process.
Several main nodes are visible in the diagram; I separated them by color.
Green - voltage regulation and stabilization unit
Red - current regulation and stabilization unit
Purple - indicating unit for switching to current stabilization mode
Blue - reference voltage source.
Separately there are:
1. Input diode bridge and filter capacitor
2. Power control unit on transistors VT1 and VT2.
3. Protection on transistor VT3, turning off the output until the power supply to the operational amplifiers is normal
4. Fan power stabilizer, built on a 7824 chip.
5. R16, R19, C6, C7, VD3, VD4, VD5, unit for forming the negative pole of the power supply of operational amplifiers. Due to the presence of this unit, the power supply will not operate simply on direct current; it is the alternating current input from the transformer that is required.
6. C9 output capacitor, VD9, output protective diode.

First, I will describe the advantages and disadvantages of the circuit solution.
Pros -
It's nice to have a stabilizer to power the fan, but the fan needs 24 Volts.
I am very pleased with the presence of a power source of negative polarity; this greatly improves the operation of the power supply at currents and voltages close to zero.
Due to the presence of a source of negative polarity, protection was introduced into the circuit; as long as there is no voltage, the power supply output will be turned off.
The power supply contains a reference voltage source of 5.1 Volts, this made it possible not only to correctly regulate the output voltage and current (with this circuit, voltage and current are regulated from zero to maximum linearly, without “humps” and “dips” at extreme values), but also makes it possible to control external power supply, I simply change the control voltage.
The output capacitor has a very small capacitance, which allows you to safely test the LEDs; there will be no current surge until the output capacitor is discharged and the PSU enters current stabilization mode.
The output diode is necessary to protect the power supply from supplying reverse polarity voltage to its output. True, the diode is too weak, it is better to replace it with another one.

Minuses.
The current-measuring shunt has too high a resistance, because of this, when operating with a load current of 3 Amps, about 4.5 Watts of heat are generated on it. The resistor is designed for 5 Watts, but the heating is very high.
The input diode bridge is made up of 3 Ampere diodes. It is good to have diodes with a capacity of at least 5 Amperes, since the current through the diodes in such a circuit is equal to 1.4 of the output, so in operation the current through them can be 4.2 Amperes, and the diodes themselves are designed for 3 Amperes. The only thing that makes the situation easier is that the pairs of diodes in the bridge work alternately, but this is still not entirely correct.
The big minus is that the Chinese engineers, when selecting operational amplifiers, chose an op-amp with a maximum voltage of 36 Volts, but did not think that the circuit had a negative voltage source and the input voltage in this version was limited to 31 Volts (36-5 = 31 ). With an input of 24 Volts AC, DC will be about 32-33 Volts.
Those. The op amps will operate in extreme mode (36 is the maximum, standard 30).

I'll talk more about the pros and cons, as well as about modernization later, but now I'll move on to the actual assembly.

First, let's lay out everything that is included in the kit. This will make assembly easier, and it will simply be clearer to see what has already been installed and what remains.

I recommend starting the assembly with the lowest elements, since if you install the high ones first, then it will be inconvenient to install the low ones later.
It is also better to start by installing those components that are more of the same.
I'll start with resistors, and these will be 10 kOhm resistors.
The resistors are high quality and have an accuracy of 1%.
A few words about resistors. Resistors are color coded. Many may find this inconvenient. In fact, this is better than alphanumeric markings, since the markings are visible in any position of the resistor.
Don’t be afraid of color coding; at the initial stage you can use it, and over time you will be able to identify it without it.
To understand and conveniently work with such components, you just need to remember two things that will be useful to a novice radio amateur in life.
1. Ten basic marking colors
2. Series values, they are not very useful when working with precision resistors of the E48 and E96 series, but such resistors are much less common.
Any radio amateur with experience will list them simply from memory.
1, 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.5, 1.6, 1.8, 2, 2.2, 2.4, 2.7, 3, 3.3, 3.6, 3.9, 4.3, 4.7, 5.1, 5.6, 6.2, 6.8, 7.5, 8.2, 9.1.
All other denominations are multiplied by 10, 100, etc. For example 22k, 360k, 39Ohm.
What does this information provide?
And it gives that if the resistor is of the E24 series, then, for example, a combination of colors -
Blue + green + yellow is impossible in it.
Blue - 6
Green - 5
Yellow - x10000
those. According to calculations, it comes out to 650k, but there is no such value in the E24 series, there is either 620 or 680, which means either the color was recognized incorrectly, or the color has been changed, or the resistor is not in the E24 series, but the latter is rare.

Okay, enough theory, let's move on.
Before installation, I shape the resistor leads, usually using tweezers, but some people use a small homemade device for this.
We are not in a hurry to throw away the cuttings of the leads; sometimes they can be useful for jumpers.

Having established the main quantity, I reached single resistors.
It may be more difficult here; you will have to deal with denominations more often.

I don’t solder the components right away, but simply bite them and bend the leads, and I bite them first and then bend them.
This is done very easily, the board is held in your left hand (if you are right-handed), and the component being installed is pressed at the same time.
We have side cutters in our right hand, we bite off the leads (sometimes even several components at once), and immediately bend the leads with the side edge of the side cutters.
This is all done very quickly, after a while it is already automatic.

Now we’ve reached the last small resistor, the value of the required one and what’s left are the same, which is not bad :)

Having installed the resistors, we move on to diodes and zener diodes.
There are four small diodes here, these are the popular 4148, two zener diodes of 5.1 Volts each, so it’s very difficult to get confused.
We also use it to form conclusions.

On the board, the cathode is indicated by a stripe, just like on diodes and zener diodes.

Although the board has a protective mask, I still recommend bending the leads so that they do not fall on adjacent tracks; in the photo, the diode lead is bent away from the track.

The zener diodes on the board are also marked as 5V1.

There are not very many ceramic capacitors in the circuit, but their markings can confuse a novice radio amateur. By the way, it also obeys the E24 series.
The first two digits are the nominal value in picofarads.
The third digit is the number of zeros that must be added to the denomination
Those. for example 331 = 330pF
101 - 100pF
104 - 100000pF or 100nF or 0.1uF
224 - 220000pF or 220nF or 0.22uF

The main number of passive elements has been installed.

After that, we move on to installing operational amplifiers.
I would probably recommend buying sockets for them, but I soldered them as is.
On the board, as well as on the chip itself, the first pin is marked.
The remaining conclusions are counted counterclockwise.
The photo shows the place for the operational amplifier and how it should be installed.

For microcircuits, I do not bend all the pins, but only a couple, usually these are the outer pins diagonally.
Well, it’s better to bite them so that they stick out about 1mm above the board.

That's it, now you can move on to soldering.
I use a very ordinary soldering iron with temperature control, but a regular soldering iron with a power of about 25-30 watts is quite sufficient.
Solder 1mm in diameter with flux. I specifically do not indicate the brand of solder, since the solder on the coil is not original (original coils weigh 1 kg), and few people will be familiar with its name.

As I wrote above, the board is of high quality, soldered very easily, I did not use any fluxes, only what is in the solder is enough, you just need to remember to sometimes shake off the excess flux from the tip.



Here I took a photo with an example of good soldering and not so good one.
A good solder should look like a small droplet enveloping the terminal.
But there are a couple of places in the photo where there is clearly not enough solder. This will happen on a double-sided board with metallization (where the solder also flows into the hole), but this cannot be done on a single-sided board; over time, such soldering may “fall off”.

The terminals of the transistors also need to be pre-formed; this must be done in such a way that the terminal does not become deformed near the base of the case (elders will remember the legendary KT315, whose terminals loved to break off).
I shape powerful components a little differently. Molding is done so that the component stands above the board, in which case less heat will transfer to the board and will not destroy it.

This is what molded powerful resistors look like on a board.
All components were soldered only from below, the solder that you see on the top of the board penetrated through the hole due to capillary effect. It is advisable to solder so that the solder penetrates a little to the top, this will increase the reliability of the soldering, and in the case of heavy components, their better stability.

If before this I molded the terminals of the components using tweezers, then for the diodes you will already need small pliers with narrow jaws.
The conclusions are formed in approximately the same way as for resistors.

But there are differences during installation.
If for components with thin leads installation occurs first, then biting occurs, then for diodes the opposite is true. You simply won’t bend such a lead after biting it, so first we bend the lead, then bite off the excess.

The power unit is assembled using two transistors connected according to a Darlington circuit.
One of the transistors is installed on a small radiator, preferably through thermal paste.
The kit included four M3 screws, one goes here.

A couple of photos of the nearly soldered board. I won’t describe the installation of the terminal blocks and other components; it’s intuitive and can be seen from the photograph.
By the way, about the terminal blocks, the board has terminal blocks for connecting the input, output, and fan power.



I haven't washed the board yet, although I often do it at this stage.
This is due to the fact that there will still be a small part to finalize.

After the main assembly stage we are left with the following components.
Powerful transistor
Two variable resistors
Two connectors for board installation
Two connectors with wires, by the way the wires are very soft, but of small cross-section.
Three screws.

Initially, the manufacturer intended to place variable resistors on the board itself, but they are placed so inconveniently that I didn’t even bother to solder them and showed them just as an example.
They are very close and it will be extremely inconvenient to adjust, although it is possible.

But thank you for not forgetting to include the wires with connectors, it’s much more convenient.
In this form, the resistors can be placed on the front panel of the device, and the board can be installed in a convenient place.
At the same time, I soldered a powerful transistor. This is an ordinary bipolar transistor, but it has a maximum power dissipation of up to 100 Watts (naturally, when installed on a radiator).
There are three screws left, I don’t even understand where to use them, if in the corners of the board, then four are needed, if you are attaching a powerful transistor, then they are short, in general it’s a mystery.

The board can be powered from any transformer with an output voltage of up to 22 Volts (the specifications state 24, but I explained above why such a voltage cannot be used).
I decided to use a transformer that had been lying around for a long time for the Romantic amplifier. Why for, and not from, and because it hasn’t stood anywhere yet :)
This transformer has two output power windings of 21 Volts, two auxiliary windings of 16 Volts and a shield winding.
The voltage is indicated for the input 220, but since we now already have a standard of 230, the output voltages will be slightly higher.
The calculated power of the transformer is about 100 watts.
I parallelized the output power windings to get more current. Of course, it was possible to use a rectification circuit with two diodes, but it would not work better, so I left it as is.

For those who don’t know how to determine the power of a transformer, I made a short video.

First trial run. I installed a small heatsink on the transistor, but even in this form there was quite a lot of heating, since the power supply is linear.
Adjustment of current and voltage occurs without problems, everything worked right away, so I can already fully recommend this designer.
The first photo is voltage stabilization, the second is current.

First, I checked what the transformer outputs after rectification, as this determines the maximum output voltage.
I got about 25 Volts, not a lot. The capacity of the filter capacitor is 3300 μF, I would advise increasing it, but even in this form the device is quite functional.

Since for further testing it was necessary to use a normal radiator, I moved on to assembling the entire future structure, since the installation of the radiator depended on the intended design.
I decided to use the Igloo7200 radiator I had lying around. According to the manufacturer, such a radiator is capable of dissipating up to 90 watts of heat.

The device will use a Z2A housing based on a Polish-made idea, the price will be about $3.

Initially, I wanted to move away from the case that my readers are tired of, in which I collect all sorts of electronic things.
To do this, I chose a slightly smaller case and bought a fan with a mesh for it, but I couldn’t fit all the stuffing into it, so I purchased a second case and, accordingly, a second fan.
In both cases I bought Sunon fans, I really like the products of this company, and in both cases I bought 24 Volt fans.

This is how I planned to install the radiator, board and transformer. There is even a little room left for the filling to expand.
There was no way to get the fan inside, so it was decided to place it outside.

We mark the mounting holes, cut the threads, and screw them for fitting.

Since the selected case has an internal height of 80mm, and the board also has this size, I secured the radiator so that the board is symmetrical with respect to the radiator.

The leads of the powerful transistor also need to be slightly molded so that they do not become deformed when the transistor is pressed against the radiator.

A small digression.
For some reason, the manufacturer thought of a place to install a rather small radiator, because of this, when installing a normal one, it turns out that the fan power stabilizer and the connector for connecting it get in the way.
I had to unsolder them, and seal the place where they were with tape so that there would be no connection to the radiator, since there is voltage on it.

I cut off the excess tape on the back side, otherwise it would turn out completely sloppy, we’ll do it according to Feng Shui :)

This is what a printed circuit board looks like with the heatsink finally installed, the transistor is installed using thermal paste, and it is better to use good thermal paste, since the transistor dissipates power comparable to a powerful processor, i.e. about 90 watts.
At the same time, I immediately made a hole for installing the fan speed controller board, which in the end still had to be re-drilled :)

To set zero, I unscrewed both knobs to the extreme left position, turned off the load and set the output to zero. Now the output voltage will be regulated from zero.

Next are some tests.
I checked the accuracy of maintaining the output voltage.
Idling, voltage 10.00 Volts
1. Load current 1 Ampere, voltage 10.00 Volts
2. Load current 2 Amps, voltage 9.99 Volts
3. Load current 3 Amperes, voltage 9.98 Volts.
4. Load current 3.97 Amperes, voltage 9.97 Volts.
The characteristics are quite good, if desired, they can be improved a little more by changing the connection point of the voltage feedback resistors, but as for me, it’s enough as is.

I also checked the ripple level, the test took place at a current of 3 Amps and an output voltage of 10 Volts

The ripple level was about 15mV, which is very good, but I thought that in fact the ripples shown in the screenshot were more likely to come from the electronic load than from the power supply itself.

After that, I started assembling the device itself as a whole.
I started by installing the radiator with the power supply board.
To do this, I marked the installation location of the fan and the power connector.
The hole was marked not quite round, with small “cuts” at the top and bottom, they are needed to increase the strength of the back panel after cutting the hole.
The biggest difficulty is usually holes of complex shape, for example, for a power connector.

A big hole is cut out of a big pile of small ones :)
A drill + a 1mm drill bit sometimes works wonders.
We drill holes, lots of holes. It may seem long and tedious. No, on the contrary, it is very fast, completely drilling a panel takes about 3 minutes.

After that, I usually set the drill a little larger, for example 1.2-1.3mm, and go through it like a cutter, I get a cut like this:

After this, we take a small knife in our hands and clean out the resulting holes, at the same time we trim the plastic a little if the hole is a little smaller. The plastic is quite soft, making it comfortable to work with.

The last stage of preparation is to drill the mounting holes; we can say that the main work on the back panel is finished.

We install the radiator with the board and the fan, try on the resulting result, and if necessary, “finish it with a file.”

Almost at the very beginning I mentioned revision.
I'll work on it a little.
To begin with, I decided to replace the original diodes in the input diode bridge with Schottky diodes; for this I bought four 31DQ06 pieces. and then I repeated the mistake of the board developers, by inertia buying diodes for the same current, but it was necessary for a higher one. But still, the heating of the diodes will be less, since the drop on Schottky diodes is less than on conventional ones.
Secondly, I decided to replace the shunt. I was not satisfied not only with the fact that it heats up like an iron, but also with the fact that it drops about 1.5 Volts, which can be used (in the sense of a load). To do this, I took two domestic 0.27 Ohm 1% resistors (this will also improve stability). Why the developers didn’t do this is unclear; the price of the solution is absolutely the same as in the version with a native 0.47 Ohm resistor.
Well, rather as an addition, I decided to replace the original 3300 µF filter capacitor with a higher quality and capacitive Capxon 10000 µF...

This is what the resulting design looks like with replaced components and an installed fan thermal control board.
It turned out a little collective farm, and besides, I accidentally tore off one spot on the board when installing powerful resistors. In general, it was possible to safely use less powerful resistors, for example one 2-Watt resistor, I just didn’t have one in stock.

A few components were also added to the bottom.
A 3.9k resistor, parallel to the outermost contacts of the connector for connecting a current control resistor. It is needed to reduce the regulation voltage since the voltage on the shunt is now different.
A pair of 0.22 µF capacitors, one in parallel with the output from the current control resistor, to reduce interference, the second is simply at the output of the power supply, it is not particularly needed, I just accidentally took out a pair at once and decided to use both.

The entire power section is connected, and a board with a diode bridge and a capacitor for powering the voltage indicator is installed on the transformer.
By and large, this board is optional in the current version, but I couldn’t raise my hand to power the indicator from the maximum 30 Volts for it and I decided to use an additional 16 Volt winding.

The following components were used to organize the front panel:
Load connection terminals
Pair of metal handles
Power switch
Red filter, declared as a filter for KM35 housings
To indicate current and voltage, I decided to use the board I had left over after writing one of the reviews. But I was not satisfied with the small indicators and therefore larger ones with a digit height of 14mm were purchased, and a printed circuit board was made for them.

In general, this solution is temporary, but I wanted to do it carefully even temporarily.

Several stages of preparing the front panel.
1. Draw a full-size layout of the front panel (I use the usual Sprint Layout). The advantage of using identical housings is that preparing a new panel is very simple, since the required dimensions are already known.
We attach the printout to the front panel and drill marking holes with a diameter of 1 mm in the corners of the square/rectangular holes. Use the same drill to drill the centers of the remaining holes.
2. Using the resulting holes, we mark the cutting locations. We change the tool to a thin disk cutter.
3. We cut straight lines, clearly in size at the front, a little larger at the back, so that the cut is as complete as possible.
4. Break out the cut pieces of plastic. I usually don't throw them away because they can still be useful.

In the same way as preparing the back panel, we process the resulting holes using a knife.
I recommend drilling large-diameter holes; it does not “bite” the plastic.

We try on what we got and, if necessary, modify it using a needle file.
I had to slightly widen the hole for the switch.

As I wrote above, for the display I decided to use the board left over from one of the previous reviews. In general, this is a very bad solution, but for a temporary option it is more than suitable, I will explain why later.
We unsolder the indicators and connectors from the board, call the old indicators and the new ones.
I wrote out the pinout of both indicators so as not to get confused.
In the native version, four-digit indicators were used, I used three-digit ones. since it didn’t fit into my window anymore. But since the fourth digit is needed only to display the letter A or U, their loss is not critical.
I placed the LED indicating the current limit mode between the indicators.

I prepare everything necessary, solder a 50 mOhm resistor from the old board, which will be used as before, as a current-measuring shunt.
This is the problem with this shunt. The fact is that in this option I will have a voltage drop at the output of 50 mV for every 1 Ampere of load current.
There are two ways to get rid of this problem: use two separate meters, for current and voltage, while powering the voltmeter from a separate power source.
The second way is to install a shunt in the positive pole of the power supply. Both options did not suit me as a temporary solution, so I decided to step on the throat of my perfectionism and make a simplified version, but far from the best.

For the design, I used mounting posts left over from the DC-DC converter board.
With them I got a very convenient design: the indicator board is attached to the ampere-voltmeter board, which in turn is attached to the power terminal board.
It turned out even better than I expected :)
I also placed a current-measuring shunt on the power terminal board.

The resulting front panel design.

And then I remembered that I forgot to install a more powerful protective diode. I had to solder it later. I used a diode left over from replacing the diodes in the input bridge of the board.
Of course, it would be nice to add a fuse, but this is no longer in this version.

But I decided to install better current and voltage control resistors than those suggested by the manufacturer.
The original ones are quite high quality and run smoothly, but these are ordinary resistors and, in my opinion, a laboratory power supply should be able to more accurately adjust the output voltage and current.
Even when I was thinking about ordering a power supply board, I saw them in the store and ordered them for review, especially since they had the same rating.

In general, I usually use other resistors for such purposes; they combine two resistors inside themselves for rough and smooth adjustment, but lately I can’t find them on sale.
Does anyone know their imported analogues?

The resistors are of quite high quality, the rotation angle is 3600 degrees, or in simple terms - 10 full turns, which provides a change of 3 Volts or 0.3 Amperes per 1 turn.
With such resistors, the adjustment accuracy is approximately 11 times more accurate than with conventional ones.

New resistors compared to the original ones, the size is certainly impressive.
Along the way, I shortened the wires to the resistors a little, this should improve noise immunity.

I packed everything into the case, in principle there is even a little space left, there is room to grow :)

I connected the shielding winding to the grounding conductor of the connector, the additional power board is located directly on the terminals of the transformer, this is of course not very neat, but I have not yet come up with another option.

Check after assembly. Everything started almost the first time, I accidentally mixed up two digits on the indicator and for a long time I could not understand what was wrong with the adjustment, after switching everything became as it should.

The last stage is gluing the filter, installing the handles and assembling the body.
The filter has a thinner edge around its perimeter, the main part is recessed into the housing window, and the thinner part is glued with double-sided tape.
The handles were originally designed for a shaft diameter of 6.3mm (if I’m not mistaken), the new resistors have a thinner shaft, so I had to put a couple of layers of heat shrink on the shaft.
I decided not to design the front panel in any way for now, and there are two reasons for this:
1. The controls are so intuitive that there is no particular point in the inscriptions yet.
2. I plan to modify this power supply, so changes in the design of the front panel are possible.

A couple of photos of the resulting design.
Front view:

Back view.
Attentive readers have probably noticed that the fan is positioned in such a way that it blows hot air out of the case, rather than pumping cold air between the fins of the radiator.
I decided to do this because the radiator is slightly smaller in height than the case, and to prevent hot air from getting inside, I installed the fan in reverse. This, of course, significantly reduces the efficiency of heat removal, but allows for a little ventilation of the space inside the power supply.
Additionally, I would recommend making several holes at the bottom of the lower half of the body, but this is more of an addition.

After all the alterations, I ended up with a slightly less current than in the original version, and was about 3.35 Amperes.

So, I’ll try to describe the pros and cons of this board.
pros
Excellent workmanship.
Almost correct circuit design of the device.
A complete set of parts for assembling the power supply stabilizer board
Well suited for beginner radio amateurs.
In its minimal form, it additionally requires only a transformer and a radiator; in a more advanced form, it also requires an ampere-voltmeter.
Fully functional after assembly, although with some nuances.
No capacitive capacitors at the power supply output, safe when testing LEDs, etc.

Minuses
The type of operational amplifiers is incorrectly selected, because of this the input voltage range must be limited to 22 Volts.
Not a very suitable current measurement resistor value. It operates in its normal thermal mode, but it is better to replace it, since the heating is very high and can harm surrounding components.
The input diode bridge operates at maximum, it is better to replace the diodes with more powerful ones

My opinion. During the assembly process, I got the impression that the circuit was designed by two different people, one applied the correct regulation principle, reference voltage source, negative voltage source, protection. The second one incorrectly selected the shunt, operational amplifiers and diode bridge for this purpose.
I really liked the circuit design of the device, and in the modification section, I first wanted to replace the operational amplifiers, I even bought microcircuits with a maximum operating voltage of 40 Volts, but then I changed my mind about modifications. but otherwise the solution is quite correct, the adjustment is smooth and linear. Of course there is heating, you can’t live without it. In general, as for me, this is a very good and useful constructor for a beginning radio amateur.
Surely there will be people who will write that it is easier to buy a ready-made one, but I think that assembling it yourself is both more interesting (probably this is the most important thing) and more useful. In addition, many people quite easily have at home a transformer and a radiator from an old processor, and some kind of box.

Already in the process of writing the review, I had an even stronger feeling that this review will be the beginning in a series of reviews dedicated to the linear power supply; I have thoughts on improvement -
1. Conversion of the indication and control circuit into a digital version, possibly with connection to a computer
2. Replacing operational amplifiers with high-voltage ones (I don’t know which ones yet)
3. After replacing the op-amp, I want to make two automatically switching stages and expand the output voltage range.
4. Change the principle of current measurement in the display device so that there is no voltage drop under load.
5. Add the ability to turn off the output voltage with a button.

That's probably all. Perhaps I’ll remember something else and add something, but I’m more looking forward to comments with questions.
We also plan to devote several more reviews to designers for beginner radio amateurs; perhaps someone will have suggestions regarding certain designers.

Not for the faint of heart

At first I didn’t want to show it, but then I decided to take a photo anyway.
On the left is the power supply that I used for many years before.
This is a simple linear power supply with an output of 1-1.2 Amperes at a voltage of up to 25 Volts.
So I wanted to replace it with something more powerful and correct.


The product was provided for writing a review by the store. The review was published in accordance with clause 18 of the Site Rules.

I'm planning to buy +244 Add to favorites I liked the review +160 +378

This power supply, based on the LM317 chip, does not require any special knowledge for assembly, and after proper installation from serviceable parts, does not require adjustment. Despite its apparent simplicity, this unit is a reliable power source for digital devices and has built-in protection against overheating and overcurrent. The microcircuit inside itself has over twenty transistors and is a high-tech device, although from the outside it looks like an ordinary transistor.

The power supply of the circuit is designed for voltages up to 40 volts alternating current, and the output can be obtained from 1.2 to 30 volts of constant, stabilized voltage. Adjustment from minimum to maximum with a potentiometer occurs very smoothly, without jumps or dips. Output current up to 1.5 amperes. If the current consumption is not planned to exceed 250 milliamps, then a radiator is not needed. When consuming a larger load, place the microcircuit on a heat-conducting paste to a radiator with a total dissipation area of ​​350 - 400 or more square millimeters. The selection of a power transformer must be calculated based on the fact that the voltage at the input to the power supply should be 10 - 15% greater than what you plan to receive at the output. It is better to take the power of the supply transformer with a good margin, in order to avoid excessive overheating, and be sure to install a fuse at its input, selected according to the power, to protect against possible troubles.
To make this necessary device, we will need the following parts:

  • Chip LM317 or LM317T.
  • Almost any rectifier assembly or four separate diodes with a current of at least 1 ampere each.
  • Capacitor C1 from 1000 μF and higher with a voltage of 50 volts, it serves to smooth out voltage surges in the supply network and the larger its capacitance, the more stable the output voltage will be.
  • C2 and C4 – 0.047 uF. There is a number 104 on the capacitor cap.
  • C3 – 1 µF or more with a voltage of 50 volts. This capacitor can also be used with a larger capacity to increase the stability of the output voltage.
  • D5 and D6 - diodes, for example 1N4007, or any others with a current of 1 ampere or more.
  • R1 – potentiometer for 10 Kom. Any type, but always a good one, otherwise the output voltage will “jump”.
  • R2 – 220 Ohm, power 0.25 – 0.5 watts.
Before connecting the supply voltage to the circuit, be sure to check the correct installation and soldering of the circuit elements.

Assembling an adjustable stabilized power supply

I assembled it on a regular breadboard without any etching. I like this method because of its simplicity. Thanks to it, the circuit can be assembled in a matter of minutes.






Checking the power supply

By rotating the variable resistor you can set the desired output voltage, which is very convenient.

A radio amateur, and especially a homemade one, cannot do without a LBP. Only the prices are steep. I offer my version of a low-cost and easy-to-repeat laboratory test:

For this we need:

Tools:
Dremel (or anything for making holes)
files, needle files,
screwdrivers
wire cutters
soldering iron

Details

transformer
chip LM 317
diodes 1N4007 - 2 pieces
electrolytic capacitors:
4700 uF 50 V
10 µF 50 V
1 µF 50 V
constant resistor 100-120 Ohm x 3-5 W
variable resistor 2.7 kOhm (wirewound is better, but any will do)
voltmeter
ammeter
network and car phone charger
terminals
switch

ASSEMBLY


First, let's decide on the regulator circuit. On the Internet there is a carriage and a small cart, choose according to your taste.
I chose probably the simplest and easiest to repeat, and yet it is also the most efficient.


For clarity, I sketched a block diagram of my device, but it is not necessary to repeat it exactly, the scope for imagination is unlimited.


Next, let's decide on the body. By the way, they gave me a dead voltage stabilizer.


We remove the insides and start stuffing them with new ones (I hope everything is already soldered and laid out on the table)




Transformer. The main and most expensive part, but if you don’t have a suitable one lying around in your stash, I don’t recommend saving. The best choice is a toroid with an output voltage of 12 - 30 V and a current... Well, there can’t be too much, but not less than 3 A.

We cut out the required holes in the front part. My voltmeter fits into its normal place, and the original power switch remained in place. I played a little tricky with the ammeter; initially I used an unnecessary DT-830 multimeter, setting it to measure 10 A, then I got hold of a normal LED. Here are both options, whichever you prefer:





To power the indicators, I used a phone charger; any solution will do, but another solution is possible: if your transformer has more than one secondary winding, then select the desired voltage (usually from 4 to 12 V) and power it through a diode bridge. In the version using a multimeter, remove the zener diode from the charger. Next, we need car charging for... Well, for charging phones))) Why car charging? Because it will be connected in parallel to the output terminals of the power supply, and since it has its own stabilizer, which can easily withstand 30 V, then by accidentally turning the regulator you will not burn the gadget. Of course, you can solve it more simply and solder the USB connector to the mains charger, which powers the measuring heads, but in this case the current consumption of the connected device will not be reflected on the ammeter. My case had a nice bonus in the form of an output socket, we’ll use that too. For example, to connect a soldering station or lamp. Printed circuit board with components and instructions in the package.
In fact, this is the simplest adjustable power supply in the world!
After spending less than an hour assembling it, you will receive a stabilized, regulated power supply with an output voltage 0...12 V and maximum load current 1 A to power your structures.

This set was created based on a wonderful article on a well-known cat website. The article (see below...) describes the simplest stabilized power supply that you can imagine. And it’s not just described - the second part of this article describes all the calculations that need to be performed when designing such a power supply.
The developers just added an LED to the circuit D2 and ballast resistor Rd for LED. The LED will indicate that voltage is being supplied to the power supply.
And yes, a small radiator for the transistor is added to the kit VT2 and fasteners for it so that you can test your power supply immediately after assembly.

Characteristics:
Input voltage: 12...15 V;
Output voltage: 0...12 (±1) V;
Maximum load current: 1 A;
Difficulty: 1 point;
Assembly time: About 1 hour;
PCB dimensions: 81 x 31 x 2 mm;
Packing: OEM;
OEM packaging dimensions: ~255 x 123 x 35 mm;
Device dimensions: ~81 x 31 x 35 mm;
Total weight of the set: ~200 g.

Contents of delivery:
Printed circuit board;
Set of radio components;
A coil of mounting wire for a variable resistor (~0.5 m);
Radiator for microcircuit;
Radiator fasteners (~M3x20 screw; M3 nut; M3 washer);
• BONUS! Roll of tubular solder POS-61 (~0.5 m);
Component pinout diagram;
Resistor color marking scheme;
Assembly and operating instructions.

Notes:
This power supply requires a step-down transformer with a voltage on the secondary winding of 12...15 V and a current of at least 1 A.
Connect the transformer to the power supply via terminal block X1.
Connect the transformer to the network.
LED D2 should light up, indicating that DC voltage is supplied to the power supply.
Using variable resistor R2, set the required output voltage.
Connect the load - everything works!

Click on the picture to enlarge
(navigate through the pictures using the arrows on the keyboard)

PART 1
power unit

Yes, yes, I already understood that you are impatient - you have already read a lot of theory, read what electric current is, what resistance is, found out who Comrade Om is and much more. And now you want to reasonably ask: “So what? What’s the point of all this? Where can all this be applied?” Or perhaps you haven’t read any of this, because it’s terribly boring, but you still want to get your hands on something electronic. I hasten to please you - now we will do just that: we will apply all this properly and solder the first real structure, which will be very useful to you in the future.
We will make a power supply to power various electronic devices that we will assemble in the future. After all, if we first assemble, for example, a radio receiver, it still won’t work until we give it power. So, to paraphrase the well-known proverb - “the power supply is the head of everything” (c) by Author of the article.
So let's get started. First of all, let's set the initial parameters - the voltage that our power supply will produce and the maximum current that it will be able to supply to the load. That is, how powerful a load can be connected to it - can we connect only one radio receiver to it or can we connect ten? Don’t ask me why turn on ten radios at the same time - I don’t know, I just said it as an example.
First, let's think about the output voltage. Let's assume that we have two radios, one of which operates on 9 Volts, and the second on 12 Volts. We won’t make two different power supplies for these devices. Hence the conclusion - you need to make the output voltage adjustable so that it can be adjusted to different values ​​and power a wide variety of devices.
Our power supply will have an output voltage adjustment range from 1.5 to 14 Volts - quite enough for the first time. Well, we will take the load current equal to 1 Ampere.

It couldn't be simpler, could it? So, what parts do we need to solder this circuit?
First of all, we need a transformer with a voltage on the secondary winding of 13...16 Volts and a load current of at least 1 Ampere. It is designated in the diagram as T1.
We will also need a diode bridge VD1 - KTs405B or any other with a maximum current of 1 Ampere.
Let's move on - C1 is an electrolytic capacitor with which we will filter and smooth out the voltage rectified by the diode bridge; its parameters are indicated in the diagram.
D1 is a zener diode - it manages voltage stabilization - after all, we don’t want the voltage at the output of the power supply to fluctuate along with the mains voltage. We will take a Zener diode D814D or any other with a stabilization voltage of 14 volts.
We also need a constant resistor R1 and a variable resistor R2, with which we will regulate the output voltage.
And also two transistors - KT315 with any letter in the name and KT817 also with any letter.

For convenience, I put all the necessary elements into a plate that you can print out and, together with this piece of paper, go to the store to purchase (or find these components or their analogues).

Designation on the diagram Denomination Note
T1 Any with a secondary winding voltage of 12...13 Volts and a current of 1 Ampere
VD1 KTs405B Diode bridge. Maximum rectified current not less than 1 Ampere
C1 2000 uF x 25 Volts Electrolytic capacitor
R1 470 Ohm
R2 10 kOhm Variable resistor
R3 1 kOhm Fixed resistor, dissipation power 0.125...0.25 W
D1 D814D Zener diode. Stabilization voltage 14 V
VT1 KT315
VT2 KT817 Transistor. With any letter index

All this can be soldered either on the board or by surface mounting - fortunately there are very few elements in the circuit, but it is recommended (to debug the circuit) to assemble it on solderless breadboard .
Transistor VT2 must be installed on the radiator. The optimal radiator area can be selected experimentally, but it must be at least 50 square meters. cm.
When installed correctly, the circuit requires no adjustment at all and starts working immediately.
We connect a tester or Voltmeter to the output of the power supply and set resistor R2 to the voltage we need.

That's basically all. Any questions?
Well, for example: “Why is resistor R1 100 Ohms?” or, “why two transistors - is it really impossible to get by with one?” No?
Well, whatever you want, but if they do appear, read the next part of this article, which talks about how this power supply was calculated and how to calculate your own.

PART 2
Power supply "It couldn't be simpler"

Yeah, did you come in yet? What, curiosity tormented you? But I'm very happy. No, really.
Make yourself comfortable, now together we will make some simple calculations that are needed to assemble the power supply that we have already done in the first part of the article.
Although it must be said that these calculations can be useful in more complex schemes.

So, our power supply consists of two main components:
A rectifier consisting of a transformer, rectifying diodes and a capacitor;
Stabilizer, consisting of everything else.

Like real Indians, let's start from the end and calculate the stabilizer first.
Stabilizer

The stabilizer circuit is shown in the figure:

This is the so-called parametric stabilizer. It consists of two parts:
The stabilizer itself on a zener diode D with a ballast resistor R b ;
Emitter follower on transistor VT.

The stabilizer ensures that the voltage remains what we need, and the emitter follower allows you to connect a powerful load to the stabilizer.
It plays the role of an amplifier or, if you like, a booster.
The two main parameters of our power supply are the output voltage and the maximum load current.
Let's call them: Uout(this is tension) and Imax(this is current).
For the power supply, which we discussed in the last part, Uout = 14 Volts, and Imax = 1 Ampere.
First, we need to determine what voltage Uin we must apply to the stabilizer in order to obtain the required Uout at the output.

This voltage is determined by the formula: Uin = Uout + 3

Where did the number 3 come from? This is the voltage drop across the collector-emitter junction of the VT transistor. Thus, for our stabilizer to operate, we must supply at least 17 volts to its input.

Let's determine what kind of transistor VT we need. To do this, we need to determine how much power it will dissipate.

We consider: Pmax=1.3(Uin-Uout)Imax

One point needs to be taken into account here. For the calculation, we took the maximum output voltage of the power supply. However, in this calculation, on the contrary, we must take the minimum voltage that the power supply produces. And in our case it is 1.5 Volts. If this is not done, the transistor may be covered with a copper basin, since the maximum power will be calculated incorrectly.

Take a look yourself:
If we take Uout = 14 Volts, we get P max=1.3*(17-14)*1=3.9 W.

And if we take Uout = 1.5 Volts, then P max=1.3*(17-1.5)*1=20.15 W

That is, if this had not been taken into account, it would have turned out that the calculated power was FIVE times less than the real one. Of course, the transistor would not like this very much.
Well, now we go into the directory and choose a transistor for ourselves.
In addition to the power just received, it must be taken into account that the maximum voltage between the emitter and the collector must be greater than Uin, and the maximum collector current must be greater than Imax.
I chose KT817 - a pretty decent transistor...

First, let's determine the maximum base current of a freshly selected transistor (what did you think? In our cruel world, everyone consumes - even the bases of transistors).

I b max=I max/h21 E min

h21 E min- this is the minimum current transfer coefficient of the transistor and it is taken from the reference book. If the limits of this parameter are indicated there - something like 30...40, then the smallest one is taken. Well, in my reference book there is only one number written - 25, we will count with it, but what else is left?

I b max=1/25=0.04 A (or 40 mA), which is not small.

Well, let's now look for a zener diode.
You need to look for it using two parameters - stabilization voltage and stabilization current.
The stabilization voltage should be equal to the maximum output voltage of the power supply, that is, 14 Volts, and the current should be at least 40 mA, that is, what we calculated.
Let's go back to the directory...

In terms of voltage, a zener diode is terrible for us D814D, besides, I had it at hand. But the stabilization current... 5 mA is not suitable for us. What are we going to do? We will reduce the base current of the output transistor.
And to do this, we’ll add another transistor to the circuit. Let's look at the drawing. We added transistor VT2 to the circuit.
This operation allows us to reduce the load on the zener diode by h21E times. h21E, of course, the transistor that we just added to the circuit. Without thinking too much, I took the KT315 from the pile of pieces of hardware.
Its minimum h21E is 30, that is, we can reduce the current to 40/30=1.33 mA, which suits us quite well.

Now let's calculate the resistance and power of the ballast resistor R b :

R b=(Uin-Ust)/(I b max+I st min),

Where:
Ust - stabilization voltage of the zener diode,
Ist min - zener diode stabilization current.

R b= (17-14)/((1.33+5)/1000) = 470 Ohm.

Now let's determine the power of this resistor:

P rb= (U input- U st)*2/R b ,

That is:

P rb= (17-14)2/470=0.02 W.

That's all. Thus, from the initial data - output voltage and current, we obtained all the elements of the circuit and the input voltage that should be supplied to the stabilizer.
However, let's not relax - the rectifier is still waiting for us. I think so, I think so (pun intended, however).
Rectifier

So, let's look at the rectifier circuit:

Well, everything is simpler here and almost on your fingers.
Considering that we know what voltage we need to supply to the stabilizer - 17 volts, let's calculate the voltage on the secondary winding of the transformer. To do this, let's go, as in the beginning - from the tail. So after the filter capacitor we should have a voltage of 17 volts.
Considering that the filter capacitor increases the rectified voltage by 1.41 times, we find that after the rectifier bridge we should have 17/1.41=12 Volts.
Now let’s take into account that on the rectifier bridge we lose about 1.5-2 Volts, therefore, the voltage on the secondary winding should be 12+2=14 Volts. It may well happen that such a transformer will not be found, no big deal - in this case you can use a transformer with a voltage on the secondary winding of 13 to 16 Volts.

C f= 3200*I n/(U n*K n ,

Where:
Iн - maximum load current;
Un - load voltage;
Kn - pulsation coefficient.

In our case:
In = 1 Ampere;
Un=17 Volts;
Kn=0.01.

C f = 3200*1/17*0,01=18823.

However, since there is also a voltage stabilizer behind the rectifier, we can reduce the calculated capacity by 5...10 times. That is, 2000 uF will be quite enough.
All that remains is to choose rectifier diodes or a diode bridge.
To do this, we need to know two main parameters - the maximum current flowing through one diode and the maximum reverse voltage, also through one diode.

The required maximum reverse voltage is calculated as follows:

U arr max= 2U n, that is, U arr max=2*17=34 Volts.

And the maximum current for one diode must be greater than or equal to the load current of the power supply. Well, for diode assemblies, reference books indicate the total maximum current that can flow through this assembly.
Well, that seems to be all about rectifiers and parametric stabilizers.
Ahead we have a stabilizer for the laziest - on an integrated circuit and a stabilizer for the most hardworking - a compensation stabilizer.

PART 3
power unit

In this part, as promised, we will talk about another type of stabilizers - compensatory. As the name suggests (the name is obvious, no?), their operating principle is based on compensation of something by something, somehow, somewhere. What and with what we find out now.
To begin with, let's look at the circuit of the simplest compensation stabilizer. Its circuit is more complex than a regular parametric one, but just a little:

The circuit consists of the following nodes:

  • Reference voltage source (VS) on R 2, D 1, which itself is a parametric stabilizer.
  • Voltage divider R3-R5.
  • Direct current amplifier (DCA) on transistor VT1.
  • Regulating element on transistor VT2.

This whole zoo works as follows. The ION produces a reference voltage equal to the voltage at the output of the stabilizer to the emitter VT1. The voltage from the divider is supplied to the base of VT1. As a result, this poor guy has to decide what to do with the voltage on the collector - either leave everything as it is, or increase it, or decrease it. And in order not to fool too much, he does this - if the voltage at the base is less than the reference (which is at the emitter), he increases the voltage at the collector, thus opening the transistor VT2 more strongly and increasing the voltage at the output, but if the voltage at the base is greater than the reference, then the reverse process occurs.
As a result of all this fuss, the output voltage remains unchanged, that is, stabilized, which is what is required. Moreover, compared to parametric stabilizers, the stabilization coefficient of compensatory stabilizers is much higher. The efficiency is also higher.
Resistor R4 is needed to adjust the output voltage of the stabilizer within small limits.

Well, now let's move on to the sweet stuff - to stabilizers on microcircuits. I call them stabilizers for the lazy, because soldering such a stabilizer takes about two minutes, if not less. In order not to drag too much, let’s go straight to the diagram, although the diagram is...

So, here is a diagram that is disgustingly simple. There are only three elements in it, and only one is required - the DA1 chip. By the way, integral stabilizers are compensatory in nature. Well, sir, what do we need? There is only one thing - to know the voltage that we want to get from the stabilizer. Next we go to the table and choose a microcircuit to our liking.

The voltage at the input of the microcircuit must be at least 3 Volts higher than the output, but should not exceed 30 Volts. Well, that's all.

I'm sorry, what? Do you need not 15 Volts, but 14? How capricious you are. Anyway. As an incentive prize (though I don’t know why yet), I’ll tell you about one more scheme.

Of course, in addition to stabilizers with a fixed voltage, there are integrated stabilizers specially designed for adjustable voltage. So, pay attention to the diagram!
We meet - KREN12A (B is also possible) - an adjustable voltage stabilizer of 1.3...30 Volts and a maximum current of 1.5 A.

By the way, it also has a bourgeois analogue - LM317 (in the diagram the pin numbering for it is given in brackets). Input voltage no more than 37 Volts.
If you really want to, there is something to calculate in this scheme. In any case, if you don’t have a 240 Ohm resistor, you can plug in another one, while recalculating resistor R2.

There is a clever formula for this:

The formula includes:
U reference = 1.25 V - internal reference voltage of the microcircuit between the 2nd and 8th pins, see diagram;
I support - control current flowing through resistor R2.

Generally speaking, the formula can be simplified due to the fact that this same control current is very, very small - about 0.0055A, that is, it has practically no effect on the result:

Well, now let's count.
First, let's take the MINIMUM value of the output voltage that you want to get.

So, R1=240 Ohm, Uout=1.3 V, Uref=1.25 V. Then:

R2=240(1.3-1.25)/1.25 = 9.6 Ohm

Afterwards, we take the MAXIMUM voltage that our stabilizer should produce:

R1=240 Ohm, Uout=30 V, Uref=1.25 V

R2=240(30-1.25)/1.25=5500 Ohm, which is 5.5 kOhm.

Thus, in order for the voltage at the output of the stabilizer to change from minimum to maximum, we need the resistance of resistor R2 to change from 9.6 Ohms to 5.5 kOhms.
We select the one closest to this value - I found it to be 4.8 kOhm.

These are the pies. By the way, before I forget, the microcircuits must be placed on a radiator, otherwise they will die, and quite quickly. Really sad.

Externally, the microcircuit in the KT28-2 package looks like this:

I would like to draw special attention to the fact that although the LM317 is a complete functional analogue of the KREN12A, the pin layout of these microcircuits DOES NOT MATCH, if KREN12 is made in the above-mentioned housing.

Pin layout of the LM317 chip. The terminals of KREN12 are also located if it is made in the TO-200 housing:

That's it now.