Here is a new twist to using an ATX Power Supply

[sam_sam_sam]

I have though of doing something like this before but I would change a couple of thing but over all he did a good job with it

https://automobilrevue.net/v/azFTdFhLV1Rudm8

[clearchris]

Re: Here is a new twist to using an ATX Power Supply

Yep, there are a lot of designs out there for converting an ATX power supply into a bench top power supply. Downside is you need a large enough printer to print them. But it does make the project much easier when you can pop your parts into a predesigned printed enclosure.

https://www.thingiverse.com/search?q...&sort=relevant
https://www.thingiverse.com/search?q...&sort=relevant

Here's one that I think looks pretty good:
https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:3084935

I will say, I haven't seen that particular meter he used, I like it, pretty nice.

[sam_sam_sam]

Re: Here is a new twist to using an ATX Power Supply

I giving it some real thought about getting a 3D printer for just this reason and some other reason as well

[CapLeaker]

Re: Here is a new twist to using an ATX Power Supply

I agree on the 3D printer!

[clearchris]

Re: Here is a new twist to using an ATX Power Supply

If you are considering a 3d printer the ender 3 / ender 3 pro is the hot and cheap one right now. I have a monoprice select mini, it was the hot/cheap printer for the prior few years. It's a solid little printer, but it's admittedly deserving of the "mini" name. I don't have an ender, but I have been very tempted.

If you are a tinkerer, like I'd imagine most of you on here are, 3d printing is great. If you expect it all to "just work", I'd take a hard pass on 3d printing right now.

[sam_sam_sam]

Re: Here is a new twist to using an ATX Power Supply

No I know that there is a little bit of a learning curve to able to use it

[CapLeaker]

Re: Here is a new twist to using an ATX Power Supply

3D printed stuff, saved my @$$ a quite a few times last 12 months. Indeed a learning curve, but worth it.

[clearchris]

Re: Here is a new twist to using an ATX Power Supply

I actually bought it on a lark, it was $160 and I said, why not? Now it's one of my go-to tools.

[sam_sam_sam]

Re: Here is a new twist to using an ATX Power Supply

I have though of doing something like this before but I would change a couple of thing but over all he did a good job with it

https://automobilrevue.net/v/azFTdFhLV1Rudm8

I found a wiring diagram for a 8200 elite computer switching power supply at this website

https://pinoutguide.com/Power/HP_Z23...__pinout.shtml
( Down towards the bottom of the page )

Now I am going to build this variable switching power supply that is in this video but I am going to change a couple of things

Make the wires a little while bit more organized put in a on and off switch and a USB port and a volt meter module in it like one in video

This power supply has two trim pots on it I am hoping that I can up the voltage a little bit I will try to test this theory out tomorrow and see if it can because I would like to charge a 12 volt lawn tractor battery with out the boost converter but time will tell if this can be done or not

[sam_sam_sam]

Re: Here is a new twist to using an ATX Power Supply

I have been able to run this switching power supply for last two hours now and works pretty good

I had remove the original cooling fan because with out the mother board the cooling fan want to run at full speed ( very loud at full speed ) because it not getting a PWM signal so by default it runs that way

I had a few computer switching power supply that I bought surplus which have a temperature sensor/fan speed controller and put this fan instead of the original fan and put the sensor with on the same heat sink and left the original temperature sensor in place

This fan runs at about half speed and noise level is low which is good for me and this is with about 2 amp load on it

So now I need to decide how I am going to mount the meter and the shut to measure the current
I also need to decide where boost converter and it’s controls for voltage and current

But I have the hardest part done which was is this concept going to work or not

I going to use the power on line wire —>to turn on and off power supply
I going to use the power good line wire —>to put a power on indicator light
I going to use the 12 volt stand by line wire—>to power the meter and USB port
The only other wire is the ( - 12 volt power line ) —> this power line is probably not going to be used

For now I not going to mess with the trim pots for now because with no load the voltage is 12.25 which is good enough for me at this point

I will take some pictures when I start mounting the panel meter module and boost converter module
and shut

[sam_sam_sam]

Re: Here is a new twist to using an ATX Power Supply

I have now run this power supply with a two amp load for hours now is running very good so I now know that the concept will work with out issues

[clearchris]

Re: Here is a new twist to using an ATX Power Supply

It's great having a benchtop power supply. Are you 3d printing a cover for it?

[sam_sam_sam]

Re: Here is a new twist to using an ATX Power Supply

It's great having a benchtop power supply. Are you 3d printing a cover for it?

I would love to but I seem not being able to get my head into how design it
And get over this learning curve

I wish I had some help with it to over come the mental block I seem to have about learning it

What I will probably do with this bench power supply is cut out the hole for the meter on the power supply cover but the shunt is another story and the meter lead jack is what I like to do with the 3D printer on this one

I am planning on building a second one out the same exact type of power supply

I bought two them from the same EBay seller

This one if I can get over my mental block with design program then I would like a to make a professionally looking bench switching power supply unit with a boost converter unit with a meter module

[sam_sam_sam]

Re: Here is a new twist to using an ATX Power Supply

I have mounted the meter to the outside of the case of switching power supply
because there was quite enough room inside of the power supply case so it got mounted on the outside of the case it turned out not to bad

Now I have to make the shunt wire so that when I have one amp load it reads one amp then five amps and so on

Pictures will come later

I also have to work on the boost converter pot controls and recap the board as well

[sam_sam_sam]

Re: Here is a new twist to using an ATX Power Supply

I was surfing the EBay site and found this

4Pin PWM PC CPU Fan Temperature Control Thermostat Speed Controller

https://www.ebay.com/itm/DC-12V-3A-4...53.m2749.l2649

I going try these boards when they come in and see how well they work with the original fan that was in it if they work correctly then I will reinstall the original fan

[clearchris]

Re: Here is a new twist to using an ATX Power Supply

I would love to but I seem not being able to get my head into how design it
And get over this learning curve

You just have to power through the initial pain, watch some youtubes on your chosen software. Don't think you can just start using them, you can't. The programs are incredibly powerful, but they are all quirky, and have a learning curve and obscure tricks you won't figure out unless shown. After using it a while, you can bang out designs very quick, and if you find something you like, you can modify it pretty quickly.

I did some modification to someone else's design and released this today. Took me maybe 15 minutes in freecad.

https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:4359500

It also help that the more you design, you can build a design library. Things that you know work and can just drop in. For example, those banana plug mount holes I have used in at least three designs so far. I just cut, paste, move into place and go. Now that I think of it, my first print of this came out perfect. Nice.

[sam_sam_sam]

Re: Here is a new twist to using an ATX Power Supply

I was surfing the EBay site and found this

4Pin PWM PC CPU Fan Temperature Control Thermostat Speed Controller

https://www.ebay.com/itm/DC-12V-3A-4...53.m2749.l2649

I going try these boards when they come in and see how well they work with the original fan that was in it if they work correctly then I will reinstall the original fan

I finally got these fan temperature sensor speed controller

I am testing one now and it seems work pretty good it allows you set the minimum speed and seems to respond to temperature but have tested its function completely yet which is the next thing I going to do soon

[sam_sam_sam]

Re: Here is a new twist to using an ATX Power Supply

I have been working on the boost converter to be able to remotely adjust the voltage and current what a challenging idea to undertake not as easy as you might think

I have three wire cable that I wanted to use to keep the wires together but the wire size to big so I use component leads wrap around the wires so they would fit through the component lead holes that were already there

Here is a picture of the board now

Now I have to mount and wire this to the switching power supply
Also need to wire up the pot controls and trying to finish this project which I have been working on and off for last month

[sam_sam_sam]

Re: Here is a new twist to using an ATX Power Supply

Progress is going very slow on this project but I still working on

[sam_sam_sam]

Re: Here is a new twist to using an ATX Power Supply

Progress is going very slow on this project but I still working on

Well I have an update

I when to a training session yesterday and I finally got my h**d out of my a** and now understand how use the program

I made a test enclosure box which printed ok but it would have been better if I had enough filament on the real ( I use the sample that came with the 3D printer) but I got the concept down for the most part the screw holes were almost big enough for the screws that I going to use but that is an easy fix

I then made a USB enclosure [ front face ] ( proof of concept ) which come out the way I expected it to which I was very pleased with I still have to make the back end face to hold the circuit board ( I did not make the depth correct yet because the print time would have been a lot longer) print time was about 2 hours 100% fill in there is a reason for this ( most other proof of concept are at 25% fill in )

The size was 20 X 20 X *7.5* mm ( this measurement really need to 12.5 mm ) cutout was 12.5 X 5.5 X *12.5* mm * this was use to make it cut all the way through

I will show a picture of it tomorrow

The only problem I have with it was that the screw holes are not big enough ( way off the mark ) but I can fix it when I redo it again into an actual project case

I going to put a USB ports on this switching power supply project with a boost converter

I not very fast with this software yet but this might take a while to get the different device ( proof of concept down ) then put all the pieces together in one project enclosure

I have figure out how to countersink the screw holes that will take some doing with the software