THE EXTREMELY SIMPLE DIGITAL DC-DC POWER SUPPLY!

Hello Instructables Community!
                            LET'S BUILD A DIGITAL DC-DC POWER SUPPLY TOGETHER!

Before we get started, let me tell you a little about this kit.  I have a digital DC-DC power suppy that I use daily.  However, it cost a bunch of money that I didn't want to spend and it is limited to an output current of 500mA. This supply has a current limit of 1.5A, as that is what the LM317 IC is designed to output.  I decided that while I'll stick with my current power supply, there may be people out there who are looking for a simple and practical solution for their Arduino projects and such.   I hope you all enjoy this instructable!  If you have any questions, I'll do my very best to help!  I'm also going to offer hardware kits for this project, so read on to find out where they can be found!

THE BREAKDOWN:
This circuit is made to work with a wall transformer or a battery.  You can use either.  There is no on-board AC-DC rectification, so don't apply 120VAC to the input by mistake!  The power supply for the digital voltage display should be kept under 18v.  If you're going to use a wall wart AC-Dc transformer, I suggest a 12v-14v @ 1A transformer.   You can use a 9v battery if you'd like =)  We will talk more about that in a while.

When you feed DC voltage to the input terminal block, it acts to supply power to the digital voltage display, as well as the variable DC voltage LM317 regulator circuit.  The LM317 is the key behind this device.  The LM317 is a 3-pin chip that acts to offer a variable DC voltage based on the resistance of the on-board variable resistor.  The voltage at the output terminal block is variable and is displayed for you on the 4-digit 0-20VDC digital display.   Please note that this design has limitations.  Mainly that the output is not protected from shorts.  If you short your output pins together for a short time, the circuit will likely be okay.  However, this can cause permanent damage to the LM317, in which case you'd need to replace it.  Be very careful not to short the output pins.  If you can get your hands on a fuse, you can easily protect your supply.  Place the fuse in series with the positive lead on the input DC line of the device.  Otherwise, be careful.  As well, this supply does not read out load current.  On top of that, the kit does not come with banana wires.  The neat thing about this project is that you can customize it to your liking.  We do sell parts and a kit for this project in our hobby electronic stores that can be found here: http://www.electroniclessons.com  and http://www.engineeringshock.com

Here is a video that gives you a demonstration:

                                 
This video is for our new kit that is based on this instructable:

Step 1: What You'll Need!

HERE IS A LIST OF WHAT YOU'RE GOING TO NEED:

COMPONENTS:
1x 0-20VDC Digital Voltage Display Module
1x LM317 Voltage Regulator IC
1x On/Off Switch (Included in http://www.engineeringshock.com kit, but not seen in image)
2x Terminal Blocks
1x Heat Sink for LM317
1x 5k Ohm Variable Resistor
2x 200 Ohm Resistor
2x 100uf Electrolytic Capacitors (Rated for 20v or higher)
2x 0.1uf  Ceramic Capacitors (Rated for 20v or higher)
1x 7cm-9cm PCB
1x DC Power Source (Battery of Wall Transformer) - Not included in http://www.engineeringshock.com kit.

TOOLS REQUIRED:
1) Soldering Iron
2)  Lead Solder
3) A Hand Drill
4) A Drill Bit (I used 1/16)
5) About two hours of time, give or take.  This is based on your electronic background, and soldering experience.
6) A Multimeter to troubleshoot, in case you have any problems along the way =)

Comments

[sjroth]

Awesome project! I was planning on making something very similar to this, but without the display. Do you know where I could order a voltage display module?

[Kira_gelo]

Can i use any voltage display(7-segments) for this one?

[bbmuck]

Could I add a fuse for short circuit protection?

if so, what type of fuse would I need and where would I need to install it?

[jpeg]

I wish there was a bigger version of that schematic!

[offtherails2010]

Ask & You Shall Receive, lol

Full Page Schematic !!!

{P.S - To enlarge ANY picture anyone has uploaded here on instructables, just click on the 'i' square button on the Top-Left of every single picture, then simply click on what size picture you want displayed from the "Available Sizes" box on the left hand side of the page that opens-up as soon as you have clicked the square "i" button on the picture!!!}

hope that helps!!!

[louph]

Hi there. Is there a way to put a digital ammeter also? I'm totally new with electronics and trying to build a bench supply. thanks

[EngineeringShock]

Hi
Yes, very easily. You can place it directly on the output.

Thanks
Pat

[tim127]

where could i get a digital voltage display module?

[Steel Chameleon]

Is it possible to change the LM 317 for a LM 150 to supply a higher current output? Just in case my project is pushing 1.5A+

[mattman2]

awesome thanks for replying, nice instructable by the way

[mattman2]

just wondering could you use capacitor with more than 100 UF or less cause that's all I have available

[EngineeringShock]

Yes, that is fine =)

[mattman2]

I was also thinking that if the display dosn`t have a separate source of power or the power consumption is not subtracted out of it the reading would be inaccurate.

[gormly]

Hi Patrick, love your videos.

Is this the same as the kit on your website?
I want to biuld one for a project using two 3000mAH batteries at 3.7v each, connected in series for 7.4v and be able to vary output from 3 to 5v.

I have most of these parts already.

[greyhawk83]

Patrick, All your instructables are very educational, enjoyable-great work.
My question about super capacitor is how large do they get and do you carry them?

[MROHM]

I Would HIGHLY RECOMMEND Patrick's E/bay store as I have purchased 4 Kits from him and all 4 kits worked when completed,,,,and some of the Instructions were even in Chinese!!! Do you have any ideal how much a Store Bought Variable Power Supply Costs????Like a Horror Movie,,,Very Very Scary!!!

[Electronics Man]

Very nice!!!!!!!

[jensenr30]

nice instructable!