A Noise-Free DIY Switching Power Supply - How Hard Can It Be?

#0:00 Welcome to element14 presents
#0:12 Overview
#1:06 Attempt 1: Breadboard
#1:47 Attempt 2: Auto Router
#4:36 Attempt 3: 6 mil Traces
#7:03 Attempt 4: 6 mil Trace ... With GND
#8:03 Attempt 5: Copper Pours FTW!
#10:03 Give your Feedback

#SMPS #powersupply #PCBdesign #SMPSdesign #PCB

[efox]

This is an unbelievably great video. The early mistakes and making incremental changes to show what each change does.. Nice. For new EEs this is invaluable. Great video!

[JamesFraley]

Great video. I love the way you show how there’s more to the project than just connecting the pins.

[rossjohnson]

It would be really interesting to see what difference a 4 layer PCB would make, with the ground plane shifted up to layer 1 (just below the top layer). Rick Hartley often makes the point that the bottom layer of a 1.6mm PCB is just too far away to be truly effective, and that there's almost never a good time to use 2 layer PCBs for EMC management. The prepreg separating the top two layers would typically be less than 0.2mm thick.

[jstro-hobbytech]

Great video. Switch mode design is a specialty all it's own. Infact i know someone who has spent his whole career designing switch mode and he is at the top of his profession and still struggles with emi problems. He's almost had to dedicate most of his ongoing learning to that. Hes told me about testing the design in different attitudes, temps, humidity; controlled and relative. It's definitely an artform.

[roberts]

Helpful to see the comparison between each successive improvement, particularly when the 2nd gen looked to be worse. Good job

[brandtharen]

I quite like those PCBs with clear solder mask. They're helpful for seeing traces, but they also look great.

[UnexpectedMaker]

Great Video - You explain stuff in such an easy to understand way James! Love your work!

[ChristopherBrandsdal]

Now this is a VERY good video for explaining how this works. So many new makers makes these mistakes on power supplies. I have done it myself. Several times.

[peteraland]

This video randomly pop up on my recommendation, but im very grateful it pop out since im always confused why all smps design use pour instead of trace and how to design one, you answer all the questions i have about smps, thank you, gonna subscribe to this channel

[housseinbenabdelhamid]

Conclusion = Introduction to Power integrity
Very nice video thanks for the educational content

[grins]

Another great video and this was very informative. Thank you.

[umutk]

Amazing, as an ameteur I learned tons of stuff in 10 minutes. Thank you.

[epremeaux]

Really great structure to this video. I almost shouted at the screen at your first attempt, then I realized what you were doing. ;) Excellent tutorial method. A board I would have liked to see is one that uses the final parts placement, but rather than fills, using VERY LARGE traces. Like 5 mm, and following the same "route" as the final copper pour method. I suspect it would perform somewhere in the middle, but just how bad? I also suspect that may be another path a beginner might take, not knowing about or understanding how to do copper pours.

[absurdengineering]

Pours are the means to an end. The end is low impedances between nodes in the power path where switching currents flow *and* small loop areas. The best-performing layout can still be improved. Ultimately, with a 2-sided board, it’s possible to close the current loops with loop area projecting sideways through the board, and it’s possible to get the on and off state current loops at right angles to each other. For some hints as to how that may work, look into multiphase converter app notes where they really emphasize small loop areas on the layout. Components on two sides of the board can make a big difference. The resulting volume is still the same or better.

[DeltaLima]

That was very educational! Thank you for this!

[Ajaykrishna_]

Great video and thanks for the reference files

[petersage]

If there's a suggested layout in the datasheet, it's there because reasons. The manufacturer did the hard work for you.
I'd still probably add a bit of LC filtering on the output to clean up the remaining noise.

[jafinch]

Great detail! Similar, if not the same I'm thinking generally, for RF designs... with more details to consider the higher in frequency you go I'm thinking since every trace is like an antenna with LCR characteristics to consider.

[HL]

I once built a flyback converter on a breadboard. It worked. Until the output capacitor became loose. Then the USB unplug sound sounded a bunch of times as USB connections half a meter away were killed due to interference.
But other than that, if you try to minimize parasitic inductance, resistance and capacitance in the critical sections, it should be fine to test a SMPS design on a breadboard before making a permanent PCB. Just make sure the connections are solid.
It would be interesting to actually see a breadboard version of the circuit from this video.

[jackjmaev]

I've been designing power supplies for 30 years .. WELL DONE ! Too many scammers wiring SMPSs on perfboard.. that won't ever work unless you are switching at 60 hz haha