12/10/2015

AdjustablePowerSupply

ADJUSTABLEPOWERSUPPLY.byJohnWilkinson.
AsIcarryoutalotofrepairsonC.B.andaudioequipment,Ineedavariablepowersupplywithverygoodcurrent
limitingandprotection.ThecircuitIdesignedforthispurposeisshowninthediagrambelow.Thispowerunitwill
deliveracurrentfromzerotoabout4.25Aatavoltagefromzerotoabout23V.Withthecomponentvaluesshown,
theshortcircuitprotectionis400mA,butitcanbesetbelowthisfigureforinstance,anLEDcanbeconnected
directlytothepowersupplyandthecurrentadjustedtolightitwithoutdestroyingit.Theunitisnotdifficulttobuild,
andinmyopinionitoutperformsmanycommercialpowersupplies.Minehasbeeninuseformorethanayear,and
hasgivennotroubleatallinthattime.

Thefirstopamp(IC1)actsasacomparator,comparingthevoltagedropacrossR10withthatsetbythewiperof
VR1,derivedfromtheZenerdiodesZD1andZD2.Twodiodesareusedinseriesinsteadofasingleonebecause
Zenerdiodesbelow5Vhaveanegativetemperaturecoefficient.ZD2hasapositivetemperaturecoefficient,sothe
twotendtocanceloutandthereferencevoltageismorestable.Thecurrentavailablefromtheunitcanbeincreasedor
decreasedbyadjustingVR1.
TheoutputfromIC1isappliedtoVR2,andbecauseitisconstantlyreactingtovariationsinthecurrentthroughR10,
ZD3isplacedinthecircuittoprovideareferencevoltageforVR2.Thesecondopamp(IC2)comparesthevoltageat
thejunctionofR14andR15withthevoltagesetbythewiperofVR2,andbyvaryingthissettingtheoutputvoltage
canbeincreasedordecreased.
DiodesDlandD2togetherwithR5provide"foldback"currentlimitingandintheeventofashortcircuitthecurrent
outputislimitedtoabout400mA.Iftheoutputisshortcircuited,thevoltageatthenoninvertinginputofIC2would
fallalmosttozeroandthiswouldlimitthebasedrivetoTr2.IfthecurrentthroughR10risestoapointatwhichthe
voltageacrossitisabout70%ofthereferencevoltageappliedtothenoninvertinginputofIC1,theoutputofIC1
willswingbelowthevoltageatthejunctionofR3andR4.DlthenconductsthroughR5andIC1thisreducesthe
referencevoltageonitsnoninvertinginputwhichinturntakestheoutputmorenegativeuntilitisatgroundpotential,
thecircuitisstabilisedandpracticallynocurrentflowsthroughR10.
Ifalargeloadwereappliedtotheoutput,averylargecurrentwouldflowthroughTr2andR10,whichwouldburnout
Tr2ifnotquicklychecked.If,forexample,thevoltageatthesliderofVR2was1OV,thevoltageacrossC4wouldbe
equaltothis.Ifalargecurrentwasflowing,IC2wouldtrytoreducethebasedrivetoTr2itwouldalsotryto
dischargeC4,butcouldonlydothisthroughVR2,R7andR9.Thiswouldtaketoolong,andTr2wouldbedestroyed.
ThepresenceofD2allowsC4todischargerapidly,soreducingthetimeforIC2toshutdown.
Trlshouldhaveagainofatleast250.ABC182LBwasusedinthecircuit,butanyequivalenttransistorofsimilar
gaincouldbeused.Tr2mustbeahighpowerDarlington,preferablyaT03typemountedonanadequateheatsink.
EitherMJ1001orMJ3001wouldbesuitable.

http://baec.tripod.com/MARCH92/adjustable_power_supply.htm

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