Leaning Tower of Farad (DC Power Supply), EJ17, ECE342-W24

C++
System Design
Soldering
Arduino
Embedded Systems
PCB
Hardware

This project is a digital DC power supply which outputs a 2-20.7V range, and provides up to 1.5A of current to a load by using our innovative switching supply technology for high efficiency. It integrates two channels to allow for use with separate voltages concurrently. These voltages can be controlled by the keypad on the front of the case which digitally sets the voltage. This can be viewed on the display along with the current through the channel, voltage read from the channel, and the selected channel. Some of the key technologies we implemented to achieve the DC power supply included an op-amp voltage feedback buffer, a BJT amplification circuit for PMW signals, and a DC micro controller to wrap everything together. Along with those, the main stage was a MOSFET driven with the amplified PWM signal and a corresponding LC filter which smoothed out the signal to a regulated DC voltage allowing us to achieve the engineering requirements and our personal goals for this project. Our most notable accomplishments include 84% efficiency rating, and a voltage and accuracy within tolerance of .1V or 5% of real value as required, and digital control which adjusts based on the load to keep a steady voltage. Areas of future improvement would be integrating the current sensing, the output/inputs plugs, and the micro-controller onto the PCB, reducing internal wiring and easeing the manufacturing difficulty as well as reducing failure points and decreasing size. Some improvements to the overall system we'd like to implement would be using relays and a button to digitally break the circuit instead of switches which would have the added bonus that the relays would not engage until the voltage spike from boot would be passed.

3 Lifts 

Artifacts

Name Description
PSU Black Box Diagram Power supply system level black box diagram   Download
Schematic Schematic for power control/distribution/regulation   Download
PCB Bottom Layer Bottom layer layout of custom PCB   Download
PCB Top Layer Top layer layout of custom PCB   Download
Populated PCB PCB with components attached   Download
Executive Summary Executive Summary of our project   Download
Show Case Video Video showcasing the project and design   Link
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