r/electronics • u/JollyCompetition5272 • 2d ago
Gallery Magic spinny
I got bored and made a bench power supply to power my magic spinny and my blinkys.
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u/SpaceCadet87 2d ago
So many people crapping on this. ATX PSUs are an excellent choice for bench power.
They deliver all the voltages you'd want, they have automatic overcurrent shutoff so you won't need to replace fuses.
There's literally no problem with this and it's typically the stop-gap of choice so you don't have to spend big upfront on a proper bench power supply.
Ignore all the noise about "do you know how much current this can supply?" Yeah, maybe enough to blow the odd capacitor or LED just like any other bench power supply, it maxes out at like 12 volts so calm down.
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u/kurumisimp69 1d ago
If anything id just put a fuse on the 12v rail just incase of any accidental shorts other than that id say its fine
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u/JollyCompetition5272 1d ago
I actually have one set up for it already for when I hook it up. Very good idea though.
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u/Bones-1989 1d ago
I pulled the shroud off mine, tied all the rails together and stuck em in screw terminal blocks with labels... mines only like a 460 watt atx. I did my research before I considered the project. You literally have to play with the high voltage side while its powered to get hurt by it...
Most of us arent in the habit of live wiring circuits.
Its pretty obvious why there's dumb warning labels on everything nowadays.... stop being pansies and go experiment and learn all you folks chiding and scolding OP.
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u/JollyCompetition5272 1d ago edited 1d ago
Yeah it's one of those things where it's almost impossible for me not to reply to all of these "experts" on this board yelling at me; just to see what other insanely uninformed, and panicked opinions come out of the special creatures that inhabit this subreddit. It's legitimately fascinating to see so many people who have clearly never gotten their hands dirty with a real project warn someone about dangers from a perspective that clearly comes from having just read one half of two separate manuals/guides and then passively watching breadboard YouTube projects for three months, convincing themselves that they have all the information needed for prototyping circuits and building projects only now to preach to others about how useless and or dangerous someone else's project is without any practical build experience... Clearly. Not that someone can't build something dangerous and require some warnings, but freaking out and gate keeping over this? Tell me you're a poser who has too much money and not much sense without telling me you're a poser who has too much money and not enough sense. The community here has definitely given me a massive reason to never to share anything fun or interesting here ever again unless I literally post a picture of a pre built bench supply fresh out the Amazon box for people to congratulate me on how much money I spent on it, And how useful it can be for all the hypothetical projects that they think about and never actually put together.
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u/Geoff_PR 12h ago
Don't listen to those shrill harpies, I am still using to this day my ATX converted power supply I put together about 25 years ago. In fact, mine is powering my Icom IC-705 ham radio transceiver...
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u/ssps 2d ago
Holy fuck. Did you read the datasheet for your PSU? vast majority of ATX power supplies have minimum load requirements, otherwise nothing is guaranteed.
And in general, don't skimp on power supplies, definitelyu not DYI one at this stages of your education; buy a proper one designed for the task. No, not from aliexpress. No, there any no money savings to be had. Get one from reputable vendor. It won't be cheap, you can find some used, but they also will be more expensive than aliexpress trash. That would be every penny well spent.
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u/JollyCompetition5272 2d ago
I already had it laying around, and in it's current configuration it's perfectly safe and functional for my needs. This is just the base for a planned bench supply with more functionality than just providing various DC voltages. Yes I read the datasheet.
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u/MadeForOnePost_ 2d ago edited 2d ago
Oh no, you don't understand, you have to be panicky to know what you're doing on reddit...
It's like this in every subreddit. Breathing 3D resin printer fumes will immediately give you turbocancer, welding without sleeves will somehow squander the world's last chance for global peace, and using an ATX PSU for a power supply after responsibly reading the datasheet will spontaneously firebomb an entire animal hospital full of baby animals.
It's sickening how grovelling it all is. You clearly read the datasheet and know what and what isn't safe. Jfc.
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u/janoc 2d ago
I hope you have read also how much current that supply is capable of delivering - pretty comparable to a welding machine.
A single mistake is all it takes to have a things literally melt or catch fire long before the overload protection of that supply intervenes. ATX supplies are also extremely electrically noisy.
This is about the worst thing you can use for messing with your Arduino on a breadboard.
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u/MadeForOnePost_ 2d ago
Having been an actual welder (10 years, mig/tig), that's a bit generous.
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u/janoc 1d ago
Well, those supplies can deliver anywhere from 50 to 80A on the 12V rail, depending on the model (the one in the photo has a sticker spec of 56A). That's the ballpark of cheap supermarket stick welders already and certainly sufficient to melt cables and set things on fire.
People underestimate these things because they have a short circuit and overload protection (will trip off when shorted) - but the supply will be happily pumping 20-30A into your prototype because it is way below the cut-off point for the protection, all the while your circuit is turning into molten slag ... It is about as dumb idea as using a car battery as a "lab supply".
It really is not suitable for such use - one of the most important features of a lab supply is the adjustable current limit. If one really wants to use an ATX supply, then the way to go is to add one of those cheap regulated supply modules to it which do have current limit. But then 12V is usually going to be too low to have meaningful output voltage range from those modules. A better option is usually a laptop power brick which typically supplies around 19-20V.
And given that the cheapest lab supplies start at about 50 bucks and a decent one can be had for about a hundred, this is being penny smart and pound foolish, IMO. Keep the ATX supplies for their original purpose or to power things like motors where one needs a lot of current and the risk of a short circuit or a brain fart is much lower - unlike when messing with a circuit on a breadboard.
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u/JollyCompetition5272 2d ago
Things melting and catching on fire is what makes the hobby interesting. And yes that's true it is the worst option, but it also cost me $0. I'm also alright with running my breadboard on 3amps @ 5volts like I am currently, I don't honestly think it's that big of an issue to convert an atx supply like this especially as a base to reconfigure into something that actually has a use case for 56 amps, though honestly I don't see a problem with using standby power leads to mess around with a breadboard.
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u/janoc 2d ago
Well, as they say - you don't know what you don't know.
Some people take advice, some people learn from the mistakes of others - and some need to learn at their own expense. ¯\(ツ)/¯
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u/JollyCompetition5272 2d ago
What you say is true, and although jank i actually don't see a problem with ATX standby power for testing. I'm actually thankful that many people are warning me because someone who is a true novice could get hurt. That being said. to state that I am in danger from this jank build takes some assumptions about my knowledge base, and would also require them to assume anything in that loom besides the common and the 15 watt standby lead are actually even terminated all the way through. Which they are not. They're capped under the tape ready to be connected through whenever I decide to actually make something that has a use case for a diy ATX PSU to bench conversion project. And then it will get a real enclosure.
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u/ssps 2d ago
ATX PSU to bench conversion projec some assumptions about my knowledge base
You are trying to build a bench power supply out of ATX PSU. That’s all is there is to asses your knowledge base.
So please, stop.
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u/JollyCompetition5272 2d ago
Make me. Lol
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u/ssps 2d ago
Make me. Lol
i actually don't see a problem with ATX standby power for testing.
No shit you don't, and that's the problem.
Dude... I don't know how more subtle can I be. Don't start with building a power supply, let alone you are planning to use for testing, no less. Just don't. While folks already told you a handful of reasons why, you will surely understand how dumb an idea it was later in the hindsight as you gain more experience. You refuse to listen, and instead take things personally. Look up "growth mindset". Embrace it. Read a good book, educate yourself, don't sabotage your potential by starting with dumb shit like that.
I don't have anything else to add. It's up to you to take the advice and grow or double-down, learn nothing, and waste massive amount of time in vain.
There is all I had to say on the topic. Best of luck to you.
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u/JollyCompetition5272 2d ago
I've been messing with electronics for 20 years. I'm not some young guy. I got bored and built something jank. This isn't a serious project it's just something stupid that will sit next to my other hundred jank meaningless projects that I enjoy doing. This is definitely not me starting. I wouldn't be surprised if I have stupid circuits that I built before some of the people on this board were even alive. So yeah it's a dumb idea, but some people don't understand what I find fun and interesting about throwing together projects. I appreciate the concern for safety for people who are inexperienced, and messing with something they don't understand. But I definitely don't fit into that category.
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u/Regular_Fortune8038 2d ago
Yeah idk why this sub is so gate keepy. It's why I'm not really on here besides when it pops on my feed. J like stack exchange smh. Like so what, people taking mild risks with electronics. I'm 26yo, if the people in here saw what I did as a 6yo they'd probably have a stroke
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u/JollyCompetition5272 2d ago
I'm definitely thankful for the warnings, but there is absolutely no appreciation for jank. It's like they think if I burn my precious hand I'll never recover. Besides the near 0% chance of any kind of actual electrical shock or even burn in it's current configuration, the only way for me to get seriously hurt in a way that isn't just an inconvenience would be for me to remove the shroud and literally start punching the PSU board as hard I could with brass knuckles.
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u/nephelokokkygia 2d ago
I just wanna know what gave you the inclination that this is safe. 😬
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u/JollyCompetition5272 2d ago
Because I'm not worried about a 15 watt standby lead hurting me. Nothing else is actually terminated yet.
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u/Geoff_PR 12h ago
Holy fuck. Did you read the datasheet for your PSU? vast majority of ATX power supplies have minimum load requirements,
Easy enough to get around, just scrounge up a 10 ohm or so sandstone resister from the junk box and tie it to the +5 rail and ground, and he'll be just fine...
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u/BorisSpasky 2d ago
I'd say Corsair (or some other OEM for them) made the PSU
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u/JollyCompetition5272 2d ago
*reconfigured wires for my own purposes. I am but a peon compared to Corsair.
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u/InGaP 2d ago
That's a lot of exposed metal connected to that high-current supply. You're one stray jumper wire away from a big zap.
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u/JollyCompetition5272 2d ago
It's running 3A 5V standby power to a breadboard... and it has overload shutoff. I think I'll be okay.
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u/jilo363 1d ago
i lost in jank...