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April 26, 2012
Alternative HiFi power supplies
Every (power) amplifier obviously needs a power supply. Up to now one would normally use a toroidal transformer with a bridge rectifier and a pair of heavy-duty electrolytic capacitors. Building your own switch-mode power supply is something few people would attempt at home.
Why couldn’t you just connect two standard switch-mode power supplies in series to create a symmetrical power supply for a power amplifier? What are the pitfalls and what do you need to look out for? And... is the quality acceptable?
 
April 26, 2012
Cool power
Electronic equipment needs power, mostly in the form of a static voltage (DC). The national grid delivers an alternating voltage (AC), so most electronic devices have a dedicated power supply (PSU) to convert this alternating voltage to the voltage that is needed by the circuitry. This conversion is never 100% efficient.
Switch Mode Power Supplies (SMPS) are often too quickly put aside because of their complexity. This article presents an overview to SMPS technology and a brief description of the most widely used topologies, but in a practical way, trying to demystify the topic and encourage the electronics hobbyist to start developing his own 'switchers', or at least know how to choose the right topology for a given application.
 
April 26, 2012
Dual Voltage/Current Display
For the Unilab power supply module, we have developed a special meter circuit in the Elektor Labs with a four-line display that shows the output voltages and currents of a symmetrical configuration with two Unilab circuit boards.
For the Unilab power supply module, we have developed a special meter circuit in the Elektor Labs with a four-line display that shows the output voltages and currents of a symmetrical configuration with two Unilab circuit boards.
April 26, 2012
Power Charger for ElektorWheelie
The self-balancing single-axle DIY electrovehicle uses sealed lead acid (SLA) batteries for power. You can of course use the supplied charger to charge them, but it can also be done differently (better). The charger described here is not only suitable for charging the batteries in the ElektorWheelie, but can also be used as a general charger for 12 or 24 volt batteries.
The self-balancing single-axle DIY electrovehicle uses sealed lead acid (SLA) batteries for power. You can of course use the supplied charger to charge them, but it can also be done differently (better). The charger described here is not only suitable for charging the batteries in the ElektorWheelie, but can also be used as a general charger for 12 or 24 volt batteries.
 
April 26, 2012
Sinewave Inverter with Power Factor Correction

Power inverters are used to generate AC powerline voltages like 230 VAC or 115 VAC in the field, using high capacity 12 V or 24 V vehicle batteries.

Power inverters are used to generate AC powerline voltages like 230 VAC or 115 VAC in the field, using high capacity 12 V or 24 V vehicle batteries. They come in a wide variety of output powers (anything between 15 and 1,000 watts) and quality of the AC output voltage (anything from abominable to pure sinewave). Some models even have output voltage regulation. Few however combine power factor correction (PFC) with ‘pure-sine-wave-out’, hence a suggested design appears in this article, along with a light theoretical background.
April 26, 2012
Solar Cell Array Charger with Regulator
This simple circuit can be used to charge batteries from a solar cell array. The circuit consists of an oscillator, a DC-DC step-up or ‘boost’ converter and a regulator that provides regulation of the output voltage.
This simple circuit can be used to charge batteries from a solar cell array. The circuit consists of an oscillator, a DC-DC step-up or ‘boost’ converter and a regulator that provides regulation of the output voltage.
 
(070894-IND1205P124)
April 26, 2012
Solar-powered Uninterruptible PSU
This ‘solar’ PSU having been designed for this purpose right from the start, the elements it composes are integrated to a higher extent, leading to improved efficiency. Our suggested circuit is intended to power a number of current electronic devices directly, and can provide three different voltages: 3.3 V, 5 V or 12 V, depending on component selection; all at a current of 400 mA, which can even be increased to 1 A if necessary.
This ‘solar’ PSU having been designed for this purpose right from the start, the elements it composes are integrated to a higher extent, leading to improved efficiency. Our suggested circuit is intended to power a number of current electronic devices directly, and can provide three different voltages: 3.3 V, 5 V or 12 V, depending on component selection; all at a current of 400 mA, which can even be increased to 1 A if necessary.
 
April 26, 2012
Stable Starting Points
Practically every electronic circuit needs one: a power supply. The most common source of energy for all our circuits is the AC power outlet. The function of a power supply is to turn this voltage into something more useable.
Practically every electronic circuit needs one: a power supply. The most common source of energy for all our circuits is the AC power outlet. The function of a power supply is to turn this voltage into something more useable. What do you have to look out for when it comes to designing this elementary part of a circuit?
 
(090874-IND1205A015)
April 26, 2012
T-Reg
This article describes a novel design for a high-voltage regulator that is very simple yet offers excellent performance. The output voltage is fully adjustable with a single resistor without any changes in performance. You can use several types of tubes or MOSFETs for the pass device in the circuit.
This article describes a novel design for a high-voltage regulator that is very simple yet offers excellent performance. The output voltage is fully adjustable with a single resistor without any changes in performance. You can use several types of tubes or MOSFETs for the pass device in the circuit.
April 26, 2012
Tailored Cooling
In order to ensure that analog as well as digital components have a long useful life, it is essential to keep the temperature of the silicon chips within limits. This is usually achieved with the aid of heatsinks, which are available in all sorts and sizes. Unusual solutions, such as heat pipes, Peltier coolers and liquid cooling, can be used in special situations. However, they are rarely used in prototyping, where at most you might use a fan for forced-air cooling.
Too many electronic circuits produce a certain amount of heat, which must be dissipated quickly and effectively to ensure proper component operation. All sorts of heatsinks are available for this purpose, but how can you calculate how much cooling you need, and how can you choose the right heatsink? Help is available on a variety of websites.
 
April 26, 2012
UniLab Duo
The UniLab bench supply we published in the Aug/Sept 2011 issue of Elektor has proved very popular. Here we show how to extend the project into a twin-output supply taking full advantage of the dual voltage/current display published in the same issue, including wiring plan and front panel design.
The UniLab bench supply we published in the Aug/Sept 2011 issue of Elektor has proved very popular. Here we show how to extend the project into a twin-output supply taking full advantage of the dual voltage/current display published in the same issue, including wiring plan and front panel design.
 
April 23, 2012
MAY 2012 - Power Supply & Solar Special Issue

It brings us immense pleasure once again to connect with you through this ‘Power Supply & Solar’ special issue.

It brings us immense pleasure once again to connect with you through this ‘Power Supply & Solar’ special issue.
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