SSPJI05:ELVDummyLoadforPSUTesting

SalvageServerProject'JunkIdeas'No.5:

ELVDummyLoadfor
PowerSupplyTesting
ProducedbytheFreeRangeSalvageServerProject.
SSP_JI05,version1.0,January2005http://www.fraw.org.uk/ssp/

Youbuildamainsorrenewableenergypowersupplyforalaptopor
othersensitivedevice,plugitin,turnitonandBANGsmoke
comesfromthepowersupply,laptop,orboth!Here'sajunkideato
avoidmakingsuchanexpensivemistake.

WhatisaDummyLoad?
Anapplianceofsomekindisintechnicalterms
a load itdrawspower.Wecansimulatethis
usingadevice,adummyload,thatdrawspower
at a known rate. Dummy loads are usually
nothingmorethanalargeresistor.Thesupply
voltageisdroppedacrosstheresistorandthe
energy contained in the supply current is
dumpedasheatoftenanawfullotofheat!
Dummy loads are common in amateur radio
where they are used for tuning transmitters
without actually transmitting. They are less
commoninotherareasofamateurelectronics.
However,thisprojecthasbeendevelopedasa
wayoftestingnotjustmainspowersupplies,but
alsorenewableenergysystemswhereyouneed
to dump the energy whilst you are setting up.
However,thisdesignisonlydesignedforusein
extralowvoltagesystems,orELV.Technically
that'slessthan50volts,butthisdesignwasbuilt
specificallyforusewith12Vand24Vsystems.

CurrentandPowerRating
Ifyoushortcircuitabatteryyoudevelopalarge
current. Large leadacid cells can create short
circuitcurrentsinexcessof500amps.Thisis
because the shorting wires have very little
resistance. If you connect a resistor into the
circuit the current will rise to a point that is
dependent upon the value of the resistor (see
the table on the next page to see how much
current a resistor draws). Then, providing that
theresistorhasabigenoughpowerrating,the
resistorwillhappilyburnofftheheatcreatedby
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TheELVDummyLoad
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SSPJI05:ELVDummyLoadforPSUTesting

MaximumDesignCurrent
Thecurrenttheloadwilldrawisdependent
upon the voltage at which it operates and
the resistance of the load. Increasing the
voltagewillincreasethecurrent.Increasing
thevalueoftheloadresistorwilldecrease
thecurrent.Theeffectofdifferentvoltages
andresistorsisshowninthetablebelow.
Load
Resistor
R
0.1

SupplyVoltage
12V
24V
A
W
A

120

1,440

240

5,760

0.15

80

960

160

3,840

0.22

55

655

109

2,618

0.33

36

436

73

1,745

0.47

26

306

51

1,226

0.56

21

257

43

1,029

12

144

24

576

1.5

96

16

384

72

12

288

2.2

65

11

262

3.3

44

175

4.7

31

123

Thecurrent(A)iscalculatedbytakingthesupply
voltageanddividingbythevalueoftheloadresistor
(R).Thepowerdissipation(W)iscalculatedbytaking
thesquareofthecurrent(A)andmultiplyingby
thevalueoftheloadresistor(R).

ThepowerinWatts(W)thattheresistorwill
dissipatecanvary,andoftenthefigurequoted
forrepresentsalevelatwhichtheresistorwill
overheat.Thereforeit'sagoodideatomultiply
the power figure by 1.25 or 1.5 and use a
resistor of this value. This will prevent
excessiveoverheatingoftheloadresistor.
The maximum current a resistor can handle,
irrespective of the operating voltage, can be
calculatedbydividingthepowerratingofthe
resistor, in Watts (W), by the value of the
resistor, in Ohm (R), and then taking the
squarerootofthisfiguretogivethemaximum
currentinAmps(A).
Anotherimportantfactorinthedesignisthat
thewiringfromthepowersupply,totheload
resistor, and then on to the transistor, must
alsobeabletohandle1.25or1.5timesthe
maximumcurrentoritwillbadlyoverheat.
Copyleft2005,TheFreeRangeNetwork

thecurrent.Electricfiresusethesameprinciple.
Thebars of the electric fire havea resistance
that means one kiloWatt of heat will be
producedbythefireatmainsvoltage(andonly
atmainsvoltage).
Youcancalculatethemaximumcurrentdrawn
byaloadresistorusingOhmslaw:
Current(A)=Voltage(V)Resistance(R)
However, this is the easy part. The most
importantissueinthedesignofthedummyload
isthatthepoweroutputshouldnotexceedthe
power rating of the load resistor. You can
calculatethemaximumpowerthataresistorwill
dissipateusingthepowerequation:
Power(W)=Current2(A)xResistance(R)
Conversely, if you know the power ratingof a
loadresistoryoucancalculatethecurrentthatit
canhandlebyrearrangingtheaboveequation:
Current(A)=[Power(W)Resistance(R)]
Thecalculatedpowerratingforaresistorusually
representsthelevelthatwillcauseproblematic
overheating.Thereforetheresistorusedshould
have a capacity about 1.25to 1.5 timesmore
than the calculated figure. Likewise the main
currentpathinthecircuit(discussedlater)must
usewirethathasacapacityof1.25to1.5times
themaximumcalculatedcurrent.

CurrentControl
Asnotedabove,ifyouhaveafixedresistorthen
connecting it to a battery or power supply will
create a fixed level of current or power load.
Whilst useful for checking circuits at a single
load, it's not very useful for checking how the
power supply works at different power levels.
Thereforeweneedtobeabletovarythepower
drawn by the load without the hassle of
continually disconnecting and reconnecting
differentvaluesofresistor.
Thedummyloadusesafieldeffecttransistor,or
FET,toswitchthecircuitonandoff.Byvarying
theperiodthattheFETswitchesonoroff,using
asystemcalledpulsewidthmodulation(seethe
boxonthenextpage),wecanvarytheamount
oftimethattheFETisonandhowmuchload
theresistorwilldraw.
FET transistors are able to switch very large
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SSPJI05:ELVDummyLoadforPSUTesting

currentsusingaverysmallcontrolvoltage.That
means we can avoid using very expensive
powercomponents,suchashighpowervariable
resistorsorrheostats.Insteadthedummyload
controlcircuitusesasinglelowpowervariable

resistorandasingleintegratedcircuittochange
theswitchingperiod,or dutycycle,oftheFET
andhencehowmuchcurrenttheloadwilldraw
(seetheboxbelow).

CurrentControlandPulseWidthModulation(PWM)
The power figures used to rate resistors are
quotedinWatts.Thisisameasureofthepower
flowingeverysecond.Thereforeifweturnoffthe
flowforhalfasecond,onlyhalfthepower,and
hencecurrent,willflow.Thisisthetheorybehind
pulsewidthmodulation,orPWM.Byturningoff
the current flow for a greater proportion of the
timewereducethecurrentflow.

The figures below, taken from an oscilloscope,

shows the triangular waveform and the output
from the comparator. The comparator is either
fullyonorfullyoff.Wemeasurethewidthofthe
pulses, or the duty cycle, in terms of a
percentage100%isfullyonand0%isfullyoff.
At100%thecomparatorisfullyon.At95%the
controlvoltagerisesjustabovethelowervoltage
of the triangular waveform and transistor is
turned off for 5% of the time. As the control
voltage rises to one quarter and then three
quartersofthewaveformvoltagethedutycycle
decreasesto75%and25%.At5%thetransistor
isswitchedoffformostofthetimeandat0%,
when the control voltage is higher than the
triangularwaveform,itdoesnotswitchonatall.

Thedummyloadcontrolcircuit(discussedonthe
nextpage)createsatriangularwaveformthatis
usedtoswitchtheloadresistoronandoff.The
triangularwaveformoscillatesbetween1.2volts
and6.8volts.Thisisfedintoacomparatoralong
with a control voltage that is set by a variable
resistor.Ifthecontrolvoltageisgreaterthanthe
levelofthetriangularwaveformthecomparator
switchesthetransistoroff.Ifthecontrolvoltageis
lessthanthevoltageofthetriangularwaveformit
switches the transistor on. Consequently the
interactionbetweenthetriangularwaveformand
therisingcontrolvoltageswitchesthetransistor
off for a progressively longer period of time.
Thereforewecanfinelycontrolthewidthofthe
thepulsesbyvaryingthecontrolvoltage.

The effect of this is to reduce the current, and

hencetheload,theloadresistordraws.Ifaload
resistor theoretically draws 6 amps, at a duty
cycleof50%itwillonlydraw3amps,orat25%
1.5amps.Thisishowthecontrolcircuitofthe
dummyloadisabletofinelycontrolhowmuch
powerthedummyloadunitwilldraw.

100%

75%

5%

95%

25%

0%

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SSPJI05:ELVDummyLoadforPSUTesting

TheControlCircuit
Thecircuitdiagramforthecontrolunitisshown
below.Thereareessentiallythreepartstothe
circuit:
ThecomponentsaroundQ2forman8V
voltageregulatorthatpowersthecontrolunit.
ThecomponentsaroundQ3atoQ3cformthe
oscillatorthatcreatesthetriangular
waveform.
ThecomponentsQ3dandR2formthe
comparatorandpulsewidthcontrolsystem
thatdrivestheFET.
Therearetwomajorlimitationstothevoltageat
whichthecircuitcanoperate.Oneistheworking
voltage of the FET, but the other is the
maximum workingvoltage of the 7808 voltage
regulator.The7808waschosenbecauseitwas
sparea7806(6volt)or7805(5volt)would
haveworkedequallyaswell.Most78XXvoltage
regulators have a maximum input voltage of
around 36 volts to 40 volts. The use of a
regulator is important because it allows the
dummyloadtohaveawideoperatingvoltage.
Anotherrestrictionisthedropoutvoltageofthe
regulatortheminimumdifferencebetweenthe
regulated voltage and the voltage input that is
allowedtoensurereliableregulation.Formost
78XX type regulators this is around 2.5 to 3

volts.Ifyouwantthecircuittoworkwitha12
voltbatterysystemthenithastoworkdownto
around11volts.Thereforea7808isthehighest
voltageregulatorthat'ssuitable.
Theoscillatorisalittlemorecomplex.Q3aisa
unitygainamplifierthatworksfromthepotential
dividerformedbyR7andR8.Thiswillproduce
avoltagethatishalfoftheregulatedoutput
4.0V. This is used as a voltage reference by
Q3b and Q3c which form the oscillator. Q3b
createsasquarewavesignaloscillatingatafew
hundredHertz.ThisisfedtoQ3cwhichturnsit
intoatriangularwaveform.
R2 is a multiturn cermet trimmer. In order to
workoveritsentirerangeyouhavetoturnthe
screw on the trimmer eighteen times. This
means that you have a far greater level of
controloveritsresistance,andhencetheload
drawn by the dummy load. You could use a
standard threequarter turn trimmer, but you
wouldn'thavethesamelevelofcontrol.Ideally
R2 should be a linear trimmer. However, you
canusea logarithmic trimmer(aswasusedin
thisdesign)anditworksfine,butyoulosesome
precisionatthelowercurrentendofthescale.
R2 acts as a potential divider to provide the
control voltage to the comparator Q3d. The
triangular waveform is connected to the non

CircuitDiagramoftheELVDummyLoad(seeendofreportforthecomponentlist)

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SSPJI05:ELVDummyLoadforPSUTesting

Avitreousenamelresistor

inverting ('+') input of Q3d and the control

voltage to the inverting ('') input. This mean
that when the waveform voltage exceeds the
controlvoltage(or+>)thecomparatoroutputs
it's positive supply voltage around 8 volts.
When the control voltage is higher than the
waveform voltage the comparator outputs 0V.
ThismeanthattheFETiseitherswitchedfully
onoritisswitchedfullyoff.
AsanindicatoranLEDhasbeenaddedtothe
outputofQ3d.TheLEDisastandardredLED
with a forward current of 15 milliamps (mA).
Ordinarily,giventhatthevoltagecomingoutof
Q3disjustunder8volts,theseriesresistorfor
this LED (R3) would only need to be a few
hundredohms.However,inordertoreducethe
currentdrainthroughQ3da1,000ohmresistor
wasused.ThismeansthattheLEDlightsalittle
dimly,butitdoesitsjobitwarnstheunitis
workingatahighcurrent.
Finally, L1 is a few turns of wire on a ferrite
toroid.Thewaveformproducedbytheoscillator
has a very low frequency, but the harmonics
produced by Q3d could theoretically be in the
radiofrequencyband.ThepurposeofL1isto
dampen the harmonic frequencies to prevent
thembeingemittedfromR1whenitisswitched
bytheFET.

TheFETandLoadResistor
ThecriticalpartofthisprojectistheFETandthe
loadresistor.
Asnotedearlier,anyresistorconnectedacross
a power supply will conduct current up to a
theoreticalmaximumlevel.InselectingR1you
shouldconsiderwhatwillbethegreatestcurrent
thatthedummyloadwillberequiredtohandle.
This is because once you reach this level the
loadwillnotconductanymorecurrentfora
Copyleft2005,TheFreeRangeNetwork

Wiresuspensionloop

highercurrentyouwillhavetochangethevalue
ofR1.
For this project a 2 Ohm, 300 Watt vitreous
enamelresistorwasused(seepicturesabove).
This has the benefit that is doesn't need a
heatsink.Theseresistorsarepopularasdump
loads in renewable energy applications, and
their tubular construction means that they
dissipateheatwell.Inuseitwashungfroma
hookusingasmallwireloopfixedtooneend.It
wouldbepossibletousehighpowerwirewound
or metal film resistor, but these nearly always
needaheatsinktodissipatethelevelofheatfor
whichtheyarerated.
Note also that the maximum current will vary
according to the supply voltage. That's not a
problemwithanarrowvoltagerange,butifyou
switch between different voltages you have to
take the current load into account. For the
designshownherethemaximumcurrentat12
volts is around 5.6 amps. But at 24 volts that
risestonearly12amps(seethetableonpage
2). Provided that the resistor has a sufficient
power dissipation working over a wide voltage
rangeisnotaproblem.However,itmightcreate
aproblemwiththeFET.
For this project the FET chosen was a
HUF75333P3. This is an Nchannel ultraFET
thathasaverylowinternalresistance.AnyN
channelFETwilldoforthisjob,butthecritical
factor is the maximum working voltage and
currentrating.TheHUF75333P3canhandleup
to56ampsat55voltsmorethanenoughfor
themaximum30volts/15ampsthatthisdummy
loadwasdevelopedfor.IfusingotherFETsyou
will need to check that the selection of load
resistorandoperatingvoltagedoesnotdrivethe
device to more than 75% or 80% of its rated
capacity.

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SSPJI05:ELVDummyLoadforPSUTesting

BuildingtheDummyLoad
Thisisajunkproject,andsoasfaraspossible
the components and hardware are salvaged.
Forthisreasontheprojecthasbeendesigned
forassemblyontoastripboardtoeliminatethe
needtomanufactureaprintedcircuitboard.
A suggested stripboard layout is shown in the
diagrambelow.Apictureoftheprototypeboard
(which differs slightly from the example
stripboard below) is shown on the right. The
designrequiresjusttwelvecutstobemadein
themetaltracksoftheboard,andtwelvewire
links are used. Other than that, assembly is
quite straightforward. Q3 is placed in an IC
socketnotjusttoprotectitduringsoldering,but
alsosoitcanbereusedifyoudesperatelyneed
one.ThefiddlybitismakingL1,byputtingtwo
turnsofinsulatedhookupwirearoundasmall
ferritetoroidorbead.

Thecontrolunitbuiltonstripboard

In the prototype project all the parts, with the

exceptionoftheloadresistor,weremountedon
a large heatsink. The specification of the
heatsinkwasfarinexcessofwhatisrequiredto
dissipatetheheatproducedbytheFET,butit
wastheonlylargepieceofmetaltohandatthe
time. A 20cmsquare piece of thick mild steel
sheetwouldhaveworkedequallyaswell.
Themaincurrentdrawonthecontrolboardis

Stripboardmountedontheheatsink

Exampleofastripboardlayoutforthecontrolunit
Theexampleshownhereuses
apieceofstandard0.1strip
board(orVeroboard)22holes
wideby22stripslong(thisis
slightlydifferentfromthat
picturedaboveasthelayout
hasbeensimplifiedalittle
duringthetranspositionfrom
theprototype).
What'simportantarethe12
trackcutsespeciallythose
nearthefixingholeswherethe
metalscrewsmightshort
connectionsbetweenthe
tracks.Therearealso12wire
links,inadditiontothe17
identifiedresistors,capacitors,
inductorsandsemiconductors.

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SSPJI05:ELVDummyLoadforPSUTesting

Thedrilledheatsink
TheFETmountedontheheatsink
theLM324opamp.However,thisdrawssolittle
current that the one amp voltage regulator
doesn't require a heatsink. In terms of the
overall energy efficiency of the dummy load,
giventhattheloadresistormightbedumpingup
to fifteen amps of current, the sixty milliamps
usedbythecontrolboardisirrelevant.
TheFETwasfixedtotheheatsinkwithanM3
nut and bolt. However, because most FETs
havetheirdrainconnectedtothefixingtabthis
would mean that the heatsink, or any other
metalobjecttheFETwasconnectedto,would
be connected to the positive terminal of the
power supply. For the design of this project
that's not a problem, but if the negative lead
weretoaccidentallytouchtheheatsinkitwould
shortouttheFETandcreateasurgeofcurrent
up to the maximum theoretical capacity of the
resistor possibly damaging any low current
devicesconnectedtotheload.
To prevent any accidental power surges the
FETwasmountedonaninsulatingpad,witha
plasticbusharoundthefixingbolt,toelectrically
isolatethedrainoftheFETfromtheheatsink.
Note also that to prevent the legs of the FET
contactingtheheatsinkapieceofPVCtapewas
stucktotheheatsink.Then,topreventthelegs
of the FET being bent and broken, the wires
werefixedtotheheatsinkusingmorePVCtape
(see picture, above left). Also, to prevent
mechanicalstress,alonglengthofheavyduty
wirewassolderedtotheFETandthencoiled
beneaththecontrolboardbeforebeingfixedinto
theterminalblock.
Theheatsinkwasdrilledusinga3mmdrilltwo
holesforthecontrolboard,onefortheFET,and
Copyleft2005,TheFreeRangeNetwork

threeforthe30Aterminalblock.Forsimplicity
most of the holes were tapped to accept 4BA
screws (which were in the junk box). M3 nuts
and bolts would have worked equally as well.
Thestripboardrequiressomeformofstandoff
spacer,andforthistwo2cmlengthoftheouter
PVCinsulationstrippedfromheavydutymains
cablewasused(reuseandrecycle!!).Threaded
ontothescrews,itcompresseswhenthescrews
are tightened to form a rigid support for the
board (see the lower picture on the previous
page).
Finally, when all the components have been
fixedtotheheatsink,thevariouspartscanbe
wiredtogether.Thisisshownintheschematic
diagramatthetopofthenextpage.
Itwouldhavebeeneasierjusttosolderwiresto
thecontrolboard.ThereasonforusingaPCB
mountedterminalblockisthatthecontrolboard
isaselfcontainedunit,andcouldbeborrowed
from this project for building/testing other
devicesthatrequiredapulsewidthmodulation
driver (motor speed controllers, light dimmers,
etc.).Theuseoftheterminalblockalsomakesit
easiertoconnectanddisconnectthewiresfor
other purposes such as connecting an
oscilloscope (shown in the schematic diagram
overthepage)
The light duty (thin) wire could be any
lightweight solid or multistrand wire. This is
becauseit'snevergoingtocarrymorethanone
hundred milliamps. For this purpose some six
ampmultistrandedwirewas usedwayover
the specification required, but it was available
from a scrapped wiring loom. However, care
must be taken when selecting the heavy duty
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SSPJI05:ELVDummyLoadforPSUTesting

Schematicofhowthedummyloadisconfiguredforuse

(thick)wireforthemaincurrentpath(seecircuit
diagram). The wire must be able to carry,
without overheating, the maximum current
drawn by the load resistor. Whilst solid cored
twinandearthcable(usuallyratedaroundthirty
or forty amps) is OK, 24 amp multistranded
hook wire was used. The main benefit is that
multistrandedwireismoreflexible,andthewire
can be regularly bent and moved without
thinningorbreakingthemetalconductor.
Everythingisheldtogetherusingablockofsix,
30 amp terminal blocks. It'simportant that the
componentsofthedummyloadareconnected
in the order shown. If the FET is connected
beforetheloadresistoritwilloverheatandblow
(Nchannel FET's should only be used on the
lowside,ornegativesupplyside,ofaload).It's
also important that the positive lead for the
control board is connected before the load
resistorotherwisetheboardwillnotgetenough
voltagetooperatecorrectly.
Asshownintheschematic,twooftheterminals
areusedtoconnectamultimetertomeasurethe
load current. The multimeter must have the
capacity to measure the maximum current
drawnbytheloadresistororitwillbefried!
Rather than permanently connecting a
multimeter the probes of the meter can be
Copyleft2005,TheFreeRangeNetwork

screwedintothe terminalblock onlywhen the

dummy load is used. However, if you want to
calibratetheloadtoaspecificcurrentforroutine
testingthemultimeterisnotrequiredyoucan
just connect the two terminals together with
some heavy duty wire (as shown in the
schematic).Tocalibratethedummyloadallyou
needtodoisconnectittoanappropriatebattery
orpowersupply,adjustR2untilthemultimeter
readstherequiredcurrent,disconnect,andthen
replacethemultimeterwithawirelink.
Ifyouareusingaverylowvalueresistorinthe
dummy load there is always the risk that you
mightproduceacurrentthatcoulddamagethe
FET, the wiring, the multimeter, or most
importantly the power supply that you are
testing.Forgreaterprotectionyoucouldinstalla
fusebetweenthepositiveterminalofthepower
supplyandtheterminalblockwhich,toprotect
the whole wiring circuit, would need to be
locatedatthepowersupplyend.Anautomotive
typebladeusewoulddo,althoughtheycanbea
littleunpredictableat lowercurrents.Therefore
whenusinglowcurrents,oflessthanfiveamps,
20mm quick blow fuses would be a safer
alternative.

UsingtheDummyLoad
An ELV dummy load is a very useful device.
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SSPJI05:ELVDummyLoadforPSUTesting

Youcanuseittocheckpowersupplies,totest
batterypacks,totestrenewableenergypower
systems without the need for batteries, or to
calibrate inline components like ammeters.
Whereas before you might have had to
improviseusingdifferentlowvoltagedevicesto
checkthepowersupplyatdifferentloads,with
an ELV dummy load all you need to do is
connectitupandtwiddleR2untilyoucreatethe
requiredload.
Assuming you were to buy the components
(excepttheheatsink,wireandboltswhichcan
be easily recovered from other sources) this
projectwillcostaround6.That'sreallycheap
consideringhowversatileitis!
Themainproblemwithusingthedummyloadis
thatyoumightswitchonwithR2adjustedtoturn
theloadresistorfullyon.Thereforewhenusing
the load you should follow the procedure
outlinedbelow:

Connectupeverythingexcepttheload
resistor,andswitchonthepowersupply.

PartsList
Components
Q1

HUF75333P3NchannelFETbutany
NchannelpowerFETthatcanhandle
therequiredcurrentandvoltagewilldo.

Q2

LM7808CTorsimilar1ampvoltage
regulatorbetween5Vand8V.

Q3

LM324quadoperationalamplifier,or
similarsinglesupplyrailopamp.

C1

10uF63Vradialelectrolyticcapacitor.

C2

220nFceramiccapacitor.

C3,C6100nFceramiccapacitor.
C4

1uF16Vradialelectrolyticcapacitor.

C5

10nFceramiccapacitor.

R1

Vitreousenamelresistor(seetext).

R2

100K18turncermetpotentiometer.

R3

1K00.6Wmetalfilmresistor.

R4,R5,R7,R8100K0.6Wmetalfilmresistor.
R6

47K0.6Wmetalfilmresistor.

D1

AnyLEDwithaforwardcurrent(If)of
around15to20milliamps.
2turnsoflightweighthookupwireona
smallferritetoroidorbead.

Ifthepowersupplyworksonlythecontrol
boardwillbeusingpowerlessthan100mA.

L1

AdjustR2untiltheLEDindicatorgoesout
fully,thendisconnectthepowersupply.

Hardware

Connecttheloadresistor,reconnectthe
powersupply,andadjustR2untilthe
multimeterindicatestherequiredcurrent.

Beawarethatwhenthecurrentgoesabovefive
amps,evena300wattresistorwillheatup
quicklysodon'ttouchit!Forthisreasonyou
shouldhang/fixtheresistorinapositionwhere
youcansafelyleaveitforalongperiodafteruse
toallowittocooldown.

0.1stripboardaround22holesby22strips.
4wayPCBterminalblock(ifrequired).
6way30ampterminalblock
Aheatsinkorathicksheetofmildsteel
sufficienttomounttheprojecton.
6screwsor6nutsandboltstomountthe
dummyloadontotheheatsink.
AninsulatingpadandbushtomounttheFET
ontotheheatsink(ifrequired).
One14pinICsocketforQ3.

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TheHonestyBox
An'honestybox'isusuallysomethingthatshopshave.Youcanpicksomethingandwalkout
quicklyifyoudropthecorrectmoneyfortheiteminthehonestybox.We'retakingaslightly
differentangleonthehonestybox.We'dlikeyoureadthis,andtheotherFreeRangeproject
materialsonthewebsite,andhonestlyanswerthisquestion:

Didyoufindthisinformationuseful,helpfulorinteresting?
Iftheanswerisyes,andyou'dlikemoreinthefuture,thenitwouldbereallyhelpfulifyou
couldsendadonation.Weleavethesizeofdonationuptoyou,butpleasesendwhatyou
canspare.
TheSSPproject,liketherestoftheFreeRangeNetwork,doesnothaveamembership,
officialfunding,orstaff.Thehumanresourcesaredonatedbythosetakingpart.The
expensesforthedevelopmentofnewresourcesandinformationareusuallybeggedfrom
differentsources,tosupportspecificactivities(ortoputitanotherway,nowyouknowwhy
wemakethingsfromalotofoldsecondhand,scrappedanddiscardedequipment!).
IfyouwouldliketohelpdeveloptheSSPProjectpleasesendadonation,bychequeor
postalorder(inpoundssterling,ifyouliveoutsidetheUK),madepayabletoMobbs'
EnvironmentalInvestigations(FreeRange/SSP),to
Projects,
TheFreeRangeNetwork,
c/o3GrosvenorRoad,
BanburyOX165HN,
England.
Notealso:Overthecomingmonthswewillbedevelopingnewinformationresourcesandre
issuingourolderpublicationswithminorrevisions.Aspartofthisprocesswe'reaskingthat
peopleconsidermakingadonationiftheyuseourinformationaspartoftheirownprojects.
DonationsarenotcompulsorytheinformationwillcontinuetobeissuedundertheGnu
FreeDocumentationLicensesothatanyonecantakeawaytheinformationanduseitbutif
peoplewouldliketheSSPprojecttokeepproducingthisusefuldocumentationthenweneed
toincreasetheflowoffundsthroughtheproject.

Thanks!Bokbtarrk!!
TheSSPTeam