Print PDF
Favorite
Email
For my first Instructable, I decided to go with a really simple project. This guide will show you how to make a ridiculously simple and easy 28 VDC power supply that you can fit in your pocket and take with you. I used to work on airplanes, and sometimes needed to power up a component for a few seconds to test something. Having this little power supply was much simpler than turning the airplane on, hooking up external power, or finding an outlet and dragging a power supply out to the airplane. So, if you work on projects that require a quick 28 volts for testing purposes, etc. then this instructable is for you!
Remove these ads by
Signing UpStep 1The Materials and Tools
MATERIALS:
1) Three 9 volt batteries (I know 9 x 3 = 27, not 28, but electronics don't care!)
2) Wire - I used 22 gauge because it's what was laying around, but 20 would work just as well.
3) Electrical tape
4) Heat shrink tubing - preferably black and red to color code + and -
5) Electrical connector pins - find them inside any male electrical connector (If they already have wire attached to them, you are ahead of schedule!, just make sure the wire is of sufficient gauge to handle your power requirements.)
6) Solder and flux
TOOLS:
1) Wire strippers
2) Wire cutters
3) Soldering iron
4) Needle nose pliers
5) Crimpers - for crimping the electrical pins onto your wire. Not necessary if your pins are already attached to wire. You can also use a pair of vise grips.
6) Heat gun - not necessary if you are using colored permanent markers instead of heat shrink tubing.
1) Three 9 volt batteries (I know 9 x 3 = 27, not 28, but electronics don't care!)
2) Wire - I used 22 gauge because it's what was laying around, but 20 would work just as well.
3) Electrical tape
4) Heat shrink tubing - preferably black and red to color code + and -
5) Electrical connector pins - find them inside any male electrical connector (If they already have wire attached to them, you are ahead of schedule!, just make sure the wire is of sufficient gauge to handle your power requirements.)
6) Solder and flux
TOOLS:
1) Wire strippers
2) Wire cutters
3) Soldering iron
4) Needle nose pliers
5) Crimpers - for crimping the electrical pins onto your wire. Not necessary if your pins are already attached to wire. You can also use a pair of vise grips.
6) Heat gun - not necessary if you are using colored permanent markers instead of heat shrink tubing.
| « Previous Step | Download PDFView All Steps | Next Step » |
That's a great idea ironsmiter. Probably a lot safer than soldering directly to the battery. That's what I love about instructables...exchanging ideas and improving on them!
Is this because most of the electronics you worked on were really 24 volt?
It's a great trick to have in your hackers handbag...2-9volts run computer fans pretty nicely for a while. Makes for easy testing, to see if spot cooling components will solve a problem.
Never actually tried SOLDERING the wires straight to the connectors though. Suppose it's work fine, most of the time. I'd take a 4th, dead 9-volt, and rip it apart, for the terminal cap. Solder your wires onto THAT cap.(back side, not connector side) Now, that little piece can be hooked up straight, for a 9 volt supply OR to three for a 28 volt system like yours, only with the dual battery level rotated 90 degree. It'll increase the thickness of the final product, but decrease the width.
If i remember(or google provides) I'll post a picture of what I mean, when I get home.