DIY Lab Bench Power Supply

Hello Everyone!

Welcome to this Instructable, where I will show you how I made this simple yet awesome looking power supply!

I have a video on the topic and I would advise watching that. It contains clear steps and all the information you need for making this project.

Alternatively you can also follow this tutorial!

P.S. I would love some support on the channel! Please like ,share and subscribe for more such content!

You will need a handful of components for the build.

Here is the list for all the electronic parts:

1. Switches (I use 7 which also includes the 3 jumper wires and connector)
2. Rotary Switch
3. 6 Binding posts
4. Voltmeter and Ammeter (I use a DSN - VC288 display)
5. USB port
6. LEDs
7. 10W 50 ohm resistor
8. 1 quarter watt 100 ohm resistor
9. 2 quarter watt 330 ohm resistor
10. 1 quarter watt 1000 ohm resistor

The rest of the things you are going to need:

1. ATX power supply with proper cord (obviously lol)
2. Soldering iron
3. Solder
4. Shrinking Tube
5. Wood
6. Proper wood cutting tools (saw, chisel,hammer, grinder etc) [Adult supervision advised]

After gathering the parts, you will need to make a layout for placing each part on the supply neatly.

This step was a pain in the ass and if you want to avoid problems, here is some advice:

Use proper tools

Use proper, good quality wood

Don't overcrowd the layout

Make sure that you don't place the parts towards the edges of the panels

After some attempts, I was able to make a proper layout and the final cutouts. My design consisted of a large front panel, 2 smaller side panels and a top panel to hold the panels and provide some place for placing the components in. If you want to follow my layout, check the video.

Most probably, your supply will have a different structure than mine. It is better you make proper calculations and your own layout.

You need to be careful while tinkering with the supply as you are dealing with high AC and DC voltages.

Check if your supply works by connecting it to the mains and then connecting a green and black wire together. The fan should start working.

Before opening the supply, switch off the mains power and connect the green and black wire together again. You will see the fan work for 1-2 sec and then turn off. This is due to the huge capacitors in there. This step is essential for your safety.

You will see the different wires coming out of the supply. I recommend googling the color codes for each wire.

I explain this in the video clearly. You can watch it above and get all knowledge in 10 minutes for completing the project.

I cut the white, blue, grey and purple wires short and stuck them away in a corner after isolating them with shrinking tube.

These either were of no use or provided too little current which was useless.

The remaining wires: Red, Orange, Yellow, Brown, Black, Green were guided out from the front and tied together to stop them falling back in.

I then put the supply back together.

There is a reason I do all the wiring outside. Inside there is a high risk of shorts and the large amount of wires making the soldering messy. It is also very beginner friendly and with the wood panels looks very beautiful and will survive for alot of years to come.

My schematic is very simple and straightforward.

I explain the schematic in my video very clearly and I would advise checking the video out.

Just having a look at the schematic, you will understand easily what is going on.

This is a hard step but with the schematic at hand you should have no problems.

Just make sure you don't tangle up the wires and do everything step by step.

In my video, I have made a montage of all the soldering steps with some NCS music. It will give you a clear idea. Go check it out!

HOT GLUE IS DA BEST!

Hot glue always works like a charm. Secure the wood panels with a good amount of glue and any components or wires to make the wiring neat and understandable.

I add another top panel of the same size behind the first one and screw in and hot glue a strap for making the supply transportable.

Well done, you just made your own Lab Bench power supply!

It delivers the basic voltage levels every beginner in electronics needs and also delivers high currents that the puny chargers or batteries just cannot match.