- forward topology,
- voltage range 0-36 V,
- adjustable current limit 0-2 A,
- alphanumeric LCD display shows set and measured values,
- possibility to disconnect the output from the powered device using the internal relay using the button or via USB,
- possibility to set voltage and current values per a value pair or using a CSV file with consecutive values via USB,
- possibility to read measured values via USB,
- the device is an early prototype but is no longer being developed.
Hardware has been designed and made by KBS.
Notable parts:
- ATmega8 - microcontroller,
- TL494 - PWM control circuit, the chip is commonly used in SMPS's,
- MCP4802 / MCP4812 / MCP4822 - 8/10/12-bit DACs with internal voltage reference,
- a cool rotary encoder instead of a cheesy potentiometer.
Toolchain used - Atmel Studio with the integrated toolset.
The device registers itself as a HID device with VID=0x16c0 and PID=0x05df.
Third-party libraries:
- V-USB - software USB 1.1 stack.
Tiny CLI program to test basic functionality of the SMPS. It should work on both Windows and Linux.
Toolchain used - Eclipse + gcc.
Third-party libraries:
- HID API - multi-platform library for USB-HID communication.
Controlling the SMPS via USB is impossible for higher output voltages because of lack of error detection mechanism in the software USB stack used in the project.
Date of project completion - October 2014.