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Portable Laboratory Power Supply

A device that looks like a SciFi device, but it's no fiction. I use it every day to power my circuits, soldering iron and led lamp.

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In Star Trek the tricoder is used for many things. In some situations it is used as power source to energize a sensor, computer or to open a door.

The portable laboratory power supply does this job for me and it has the same colors like the tools and the tricorder in Star Trek.

This project is a merge of two separated ideas. Idea one was to design an adapter to use cordless drill accumulators for my own projects. The second idea was to create a small laboratory power supply based on the DPS5005 programmable constant voltage/current switched power supply.

The result of the merge is a small portable laboratory power supply with an additional 5V USB charger output that can be used to energize an USB LED lamp or my USB powered 8 Watt soldering iron.

I spent three days to design the adapter that fits to BOSCH LI-Ion accumulators very well and again approx. two days to design and assemble the case for the DPS5005 power supply.

The portable laboratory power supply fits in every bag and on every desk. It provides a configurable power supply using the DPS5005 module with voltage- and current-control and in this configuration with max. 12V and 5A. A BOSCH Li-Ion accumulator is used so i can reuse the accumulators which i already have.

I use the 2x 5V USB connectors with max. 2A to energize developer boards, bread boards, my 8W USB soldering iron and a USB LED lamp. Due to the accumulator it provides a galvanic isolated supply that can be used as 2nd voltage source for e.g. the high-side driver of a MOSFET half-bridge. So it's my neat power supply for daily use.

Use case #1 - Accu soldering iron

Use case #2 - Bread board power supply + LED Lamp

Use case #3 - Soldering pins to a grid-eye module

Use case #4 - Power supply for a fan

Use case #5 - AC Adapter FAILED!!!!!!!!

The AC adapter fitted perfectly into the banana jacks, i had to try this... but does not work :-)

View all 12 components

View all 3 project logs

  • 1
    Step 1

    Print the four parts

    Download the STL files from Thingiverse 2129988 and print it with a 3D printer.

  • 2
    Step 2

    Get all components

    Get all components listed in the components list.

    Here some pictures:

    • Fuse Holder

    • A 12-24V to 2A@5V USB charger for a car
    • M3 screws

  • 3
    Step 3

    Assembling the Accu-Pack adapter

View all 5 instructions

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Discussions

Karl Zeilhofer wrote 10/14/2018 at 10:31 point

Great work!

I would really love, if there would be such a power module with the high efficient step up/down converter with the LTC3780: https://www.ebay.at/sch/i.html?_odkw=ltc3780+programmable&_osacat=0&_from=R40&_trksid=m570.l1313&_nkw=ltc3780&_sacat=0

I measured 98.5% efficiency at about 100W. That module is absolutely awesome!


One question: how do you deal with prevention of deep discharge?

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weingaunity wrote 10/14/2018 at 10:41 point

There are ready to uses versions of the Power-Supply Unit with Buck-Boost functionality. But they are to large for this configuration (DPH5005).


Relating deep discharge: One week ago during soldering using this power supply my 14.4V Akku discharged below 5V. So no prevention!

But the display shows the current accu voltage, so you can check by our own.

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Karl Zeilhofer wrote 10/14/2018 at 11:59 point

if you search eBay for BMS 4S 5S or 6S you find such circuits with many Amperes of current rating. Perhaps they could be used for a proper deep discharge protection. In this configuration the single cell voltages must then be realized by some resistive voltage dividers. But it is likely that there is a chicken-egg problem.

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joe wrote 04/22/2018 at 20:55 point

Any more info on that fuse holder/terminal block?  I'm having a hard time sourcing that.

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weingaunity wrote 04/23/2018 at 06:34 point

No, i'm sorry. I got them in an electric shop for free with the hint: "this are the last one :-)". So the man also had no idea where to source them.

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Tron9000 wrote 05/30/2017 at 11:58 point

Nice, like it, lots of possibilities to make it modular!

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David H Haffner Sr wrote 02/28/2017 at 12:09 point

This is very clever and so compact, great job!

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Craig Hissett wrote 02/24/2017 at 13:06 point

This is great!

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Jan wrote 02/24/2017 at 16:02 point

+1
Fantastic use of the tool battery. Well built and sleek design!

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