Variable Bench Power Supply for Less than $12! (USB-C PD)

In this video I'll show you to make a USB-C Powered Bench Power supply, that was actually surprisingly decent given it's simplicity and low cost.

00:00 - Intro
00:17 - USB-C Power Delivery (and how it differs to a bench supply)
01:35 - Parts Needed
03:45 - Enclosure
04:14 - Other Things Needed
04:26 - Assembly
05:36 - Initial Configuration
07:57 - Basic Operation
09:02 - Is it Good?
10:08 - Potential Improvements
11:53 - Conclusion and Sign-off

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Parts:
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3D Printed Files
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Power Delivery Supplies
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RavPower 60W PD Battery Bank

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TS100 Flex-C-Friend:
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The Flex-C-Friend is an open source external module for the TS100 soldering iron that allows you to power the Iron from a USB-C Power Delivery PSU.

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My Discord:
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Come hang out and talk about this video or any project you are working on!


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Github Sponsorship:
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I have set up a Github Sponsorship page, it's similar style thing to patreon, but Github are offering to match all sponsorships for the first year! (you sponsor $2, I receive $4)


Some people have said they would prefer a once off way of supporting the channel, here is a Paypal link if you would prefer that!



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My Tindie Store:
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I've started to sell stuff on Tindie, check it out!


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Other Platforms:
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My Tools & Kit*:
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Ender 3 Pro 3d Printer - I got one of these recently and I love it!

Ts-100 Soldering Iron - I have this a couple of years and I love it, I thinking about getting a second!

Logitech C920 HD 1080p Pro webcam - I use one of these for my videos


*= Affiliate Links

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[BrianLough]

It was my goal to release this on Monday (12th) but I was 5 minutes late, oh well! Let me know what you think of the Video!

[dogukancil]

You "can" set a specific voltage with PD, it is called PPS. A 100-watt PD charger that supports PPS will be able to push any voltage between 3.3 and 21V and can limit the current in 50mA intervals, some even have a higher resolution. Therefore, if you have a pps charger you actually just need a pps trigger board, which is around 6 dollars on Amazon.

[hexefx]

When the current limit kicks in, the supply goes into CC (Constant Current) mode. The output voltage is a result of the ohm's law: U = I*R, where I is the max set current and R is the load resistance. Hence the output voltage is not going down to 0V. PSU is regulating the voltage to keep the current at constant value.

[andymouse]

What a neat little supply for the money ! ...nice work Brian...cheers.

[IanSlothieRolfe]

These modules are designed to be capable of being used to power industrial equipment like CNC machines, so defaulting to "ON" makes sense in that context, you'd want to power up the whole device with one switch if you have separate modules powering the different axis, for instance. They give you the option to select because they are also designed with charging batteries in mind (NiCd and NiMh and possibly lead acid). These goals make them ideal for a cheap bench power supply as you have found. I recently bought one of these and ran it through its paces, and it seems pretty solid, more so than the more expensive module I bought 18 months ago, and the user interface is easy to use. The use of a PD module is an interesting idea, although at the moment the only power banks I have will only supply 5 or 9v so that might be a future upgrade - at the moment I am using an old 45w laptop supply whose irreplaceable connector broke forcing me to replace the whole supply.
The case I designed has a sloping top like yours - great minds think alike!

[MartynDavies]

Thanks Brian. I will definitely build one of these, as more and more USB-PD power supplies are now turning up. Re: your power switch: I built a power supply a couple of years back and have often wished that I put the main switch on the front panel, since the power supply now sits underneath a monitor and I can't easily reach the back.

[PMcDFPV]

Good stuff ! I just ordered the parts :) month or so and they should be here, but i have time to refine the case design till then :) thanks sir !

[allthegearnoidea]

Bugger you beat me to building this by two years! ❤ great video

[vince]

Built something very similar recently, super useful for my projects and takes up barely any desk space. Also added a XT60 connector so I power it from a LIPO when traveling. Used the RIDEN DPS5005, it only does step down so when using type-c I'm limited to the max of PD, wish I had known about the module you used. Although the interface on mine is way nicer.

[TheTinkerDad]

Nice project Brian! If I remember correctly, a year or so ago Seon, you, me and some other guys talked about USB-C via Twitter and I remember that back then I didn't see all the goodness USB-C brings. Oh boy I was wrong! :) I wonder what else USB-C will be useful for in the future.

[edwardfletcher]

This is an excellent solution for hobbyists, I love the size compared to my stupid big desktop PC power supply ! Thanks very much for sharing !

You're doing some really great stuff on this channel, Subscribed !

PS: I found the ZK-4KX $3 less than that !

[wandersonsilva-fxcs]

I'm intending to build this font, and I really liked your project. Well explained. Thanks

[pault]

Nice job. For better heat dissipation through natural convection the top could be vented above the heat sink, because hot air rises. To avoid dust these slot openings could be louvered. The colder air will flow in nicely from the existing slots in the base.

[deankqadj]

I know that it needs improvements, but this was a great design and concept!

[jerzeek]

I'm willing to work on the case :), Just ordered all the parts!

[ericchang]

If someone wants to bundle all this stuff together, including the buck/boost module, I'd be interested in buying it. If you do, maybe add a separate DC input via barrel plug (for laptop power supply) as we all have plenty of those laying around and this module can isn't picky about input voltage.

[lifegoeson]

In this video found what I was looking for, I bought an earlier voltage controller motor but not working well as expected now I believe that this would go good on my project :)

[jerril]

Thanks Brian. This is great. I've been thinking how I could make a portable electronics kit. A couple of batteries the PowerBlough with a TS80 and this PSU covers a lot of the basic needs.

[darknessblades]

For the 3D printed case you can make it as big or as small as you want. [within limits] using smaller switches is also highly reccomended

[tomb]

With this ZK-4KX you can use any old modem, router, laptop DC power supply, no need for fancy usb-c stuff :)