We were unable to load Disqus. If you are a moderator please see our troubleshooting guide.

Avatar
Join the discussion…


  • in this conversation
      Media preview placeholder
      Log in with
      or sign up with Disqus or pick a name

      • Avatar

        Please add gerbers or images of the pcb (.pcb are only for Altium?)

        • Avatar

          I had a bunch of jack, switches, indicator lights and so on I'd had sitting around for forty years, lucked into a Variac at a yard sale. I had a computer I was upgrading from, so a few fans and such. I had a box of phone chargers to dig through as well. Too, I had some quarter inch plastic someone gave me. I bought a few things, like a bridge rectifier, an AC and a DC volt meter and a DC cap. Put it all together and I had what I needed to make a nice test box.

          When I got done, I can tap the shop 120 for anything from 0 to 120 VAC or DC.

          The only problem I had was, when there was no load on the system, the cap stayed charged. For that reason, I used a DPDT toggle for the main power. Since the box uses a 5 amp breaker, I only needed one side of the switch. This left the other side free to use to install a 1000 ohm resistor tied to the "off" position, so when the box is turned off, the resistor kicks in and drains the cap without relays or complicated circuits.

          • Avatar

            Add an appropriate isolation transformer, and this changes from a one-run homer to walk-off grand slam.

            • Avatar

              for AC/DC radios you still have one side tied to ground, and kind of a hard way to get your DPM's, but if you like building stuff!!! (and I still like 'dim' light bulbs! lol)

              • Avatar

                Cool project. As it happens, I have a bare bones Powerstat I am looking to house appropriately. Other than your garage, any suggestion as to a source for an enclosure? Also, how would the schematic change for 230v mains?

                • Avatar

                  Really Wonderful Explanation, Thanks