Greetings!
I'm thinking about doing a power supply for some projects to help me learn more about electronics and I have 2 options: a laptop brick or an ATX power supply.
I have read this article about converting an ATX: http://www.wikihow.com/Convert-a-Computer-ATX-Power-Supply-to-a-Lab-Power-Supply
and would like your opinion about it, please.
To me it seems that using the brick would limit me a lot, in terms of output voltages and also the available current for output (it reads: Max 60W). The ATX provides me more voltages to work with and more output power.
About this ATX project, because I have no formal training with electronics I also ask:
1. Those different -12V and +12V, -5V and +5V can really be used in combination to obtain 24V, 7V and so on, just like that? Or do I need to worry about the amperage output of each as well? Because I see written on the ATX: +5V 30A and -5V 0.3A. Does this mean I will only be able to use a combination of +5 -5 (i.e. 10V) with devices that use top 0.3A?
2. Can I use a big screw driver to discharge the 400V capacitor? Go ahead, laugh all you want, but I would like to know of a way. I have many resistors, but I heard one has to consider their level of energy dissipation (1/4W, 1/2W, etc.). How can I find one "strong" enough to discharge that capacitor?
Any usefull remarks are very wellcome.
Thank you
I'm thinking about doing a power supply for some projects to help me learn more about electronics and I have 2 options: a laptop brick or an ATX power supply.
I have read this article about converting an ATX: http://www.wikihow.com/Convert-a-Computer-ATX-Power-Supply-to-a-Lab-Power-Supply
and would like your opinion about it, please.
To me it seems that using the brick would limit me a lot, in terms of output voltages and also the available current for output (it reads: Max 60W). The ATX provides me more voltages to work with and more output power.
About this ATX project, because I have no formal training with electronics I also ask:
1. Those different -12V and +12V, -5V and +5V can really be used in combination to obtain 24V, 7V and so on, just like that? Or do I need to worry about the amperage output of each as well? Because I see written on the ATX: +5V 30A and -5V 0.3A. Does this mean I will only be able to use a combination of +5 -5 (i.e. 10V) with devices that use top 0.3A?
2. Can I use a big screw driver to discharge the 400V capacitor? Go ahead, laugh all you want, but I would like to know of a way. I have many resistors, but I heard one has to consider their level of energy dissipation (1/4W, 1/2W, etc.). How can I find one "strong" enough to discharge that capacitor?
Any usefull remarks are very wellcome.
Thank you