A good, inexpensive PS I''ve found
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Posts: 46,084
I've noticed a few questions on here about power supplies and thought I'd share
an inexpensive solution that I've found works well for me. I built a supply for
my own use around a PS taken from an old AT (Pentium or older) computer. The AT
supply is a switch-mode supply that easily provides me with a very well
regulated high current +5v (~20A, red), +12v (~5A, yellow), and lower current
-5v (white), -12v (blue). Blacks are ground. Usually there's a sticker on top
of the supply with exact current ratings. You can get other voltages between
+12 and -12 with the addition of a simple regulator. I wouldn't recommend it
for applications requiring very large amounts of power, but it works well for
electronics work.
They retail for about $30 (last I checked) but many times you can just pull one
out of an old PC you've got lying around. Just be careful when working with the
power switch on an AT supply. Remember that it's switching both sides of 120
RMS VAC across its DPDT contacts so use caution when connecting the four wires!
(I've got an AT switch with a black scorch mark to prove the point). Also, note
that even though the supply has a grounding wire, the chassis still needs to be
separately grounded.
an inexpensive solution that I've found works well for me. I built a supply for
my own use around a PS taken from an old AT (Pentium or older) computer. The AT
supply is a switch-mode supply that easily provides me with a very well
regulated high current +5v (~20A, red), +12v (~5A, yellow), and lower current
-5v (white), -12v (blue). Blacks are ground. Usually there's a sticker on top
of the supply with exact current ratings. You can get other voltages between
+12 and -12 with the addition of a simple regulator. I wouldn't recommend it
for applications requiring very large amounts of power, but it works well for
electronics work.
They retail for about $30 (last I checked) but many times you can just pull one
out of an old PC you've got lying around. Just be careful when working with the
power switch on an AT supply. Remember that it's switching both sides of 120
RMS VAC across its DPDT contacts so use caution when connecting the four wires!
(I've got an AT switch with a black scorch mark to prove the point). Also, note
that even though the supply has a grounding wire, the chassis still needs to be
separately grounded.