> Wonder if anyone has a PSU project or schematic they'd > like to > share or recommend ... > ... or something that > could be add I'd love to hear about it. I have many > regulators and > SMPS controllers in stock so parts aren't really an issue Following wishlist based on my experiences: These would not all be in all supplies but would be in a premium bench supply. 1 Voltage viewable and settable with DC output turned off. Extremely useful. 2 Voltage measurable to at least 1 mV resolution where possible. At least 3.5 digits (1.999) and if possible 3.75 digits so called (2.999). 4 digits would be very useful in many cases. 3 Current also measurable to 1 mA resolution. One way to achieve 2 & 3 is an autoranging meter set to the appropriate function. 4 Current limit settable with output off (just a "shorting button upstream of the DC out switch will achieve this. 5 Consider Kelvin sensing voltage inputs for optional use. Can be extremely nice - especially if extra external metering or current drops exist between psu and load. 6 Put current meter inside voltage loop so when you set a voltage it stays set across a wide range of current drains. 7 Either reverse current protected OR reverse current proof. Otherwise expensive smoke happens. 8 A bit more unusual - consider providing a load that sinks current that tries to lift output above set voltage. This current could eg be shunted to an external load terminal to allow you to choose what loads it sees. This allows rough simulation of a battery - voltage above Vbat charges the battery at a load set by the specified load. Also useful for handling eg motor regeneration. You may want to clamp returned current to Vset or to allow an impedance for it to dissipate into terminated either in ground or in Vset.I can expand on this if wanted. 9 Either fold back or linear limit overcurrent protection depending on what you want to achieve. Either can be a nuisance depending on the application. 10 Delta / fine variable voltage set and perhaps current set. Using breathing and Jedi mind control on a psu knob to get eg 5.000 volts on an output when the slightest twitch perturbs the output 0.1 V makes one feel like a real engineer but is hard on productivity. 11 Getting harder - analog or digital presets so you can jump between a set of presetablished voltages. 12 Extension off 11 perhaps - exterior control - RS232 or USB or whatever with say setting of Vout, Ilim, type of Ilim, return of V and I would allow various features to be implemented in code AND allow logging of results. eg Run this load at constant current and log V. Run this code at constant power by varying either V or I. Step V from X to Y in steps of Z and record current. (I would have made a lot of use of that in the last 6 months). Terminate in equivalent of X ohms for Vterminal > Vset. Sink all current at Vset for Vterm > Vset. ... Russell > Wonder if anyone has a PSU project or schematic they'd > like to > share or recommend > > I'm rationalising all the smallish PSUs and wall-warts I > use into > one case. I'll probably use two transformers. One is a 19V > 150VA, > the other is a multi-tap, 10-0-10, 6 and 45. I'd like to > have multiple > outputs for all those bench experiments that need doing > and PICs > that need powering > > Fixed, eg high-current 5V and 12V (perhaps include SLA > charging > voltage too) > > Variable voltage / variable current outputs > > Variable tracking +/- for op-amps etc (10-0-10 will be > useful for that) > > High voltage, either/and from the 45V / 19V with SMPS > boost > > Digital readout - LED/LCD > > All of which I'm capable of putting together but if there > are good > links or existing circuits that I should take a look or > something that > could be add I'd love to hear about it. I have many > regulators and > SMPS controllers in stock so parts aren't really an issue -- http://www.piclist.com PIC/SX FAQ & list archive View/change your membership options at http://mailman.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo/piclist