In another thread I am on a desktop hub/docking station that has all kinds of goodies in it, one is a 3.3, 5 and 12v output as well as a variable voltage output.
I can easily get power for the 3.3, 5, & 12v from the computer PSU as it puts out 750w and it uses about 20% or so. I also have a very nice, small 1200w (960w @ 120vac) PSU from a server that was pretty pricey when it came out (it's not a cheap, over-rated knockoff).
What I need assistance with is planning my variable voltage regulator which I would assume would be run from the 1200w PSU. I've seen some of these devices that claim to deliver 5-10 A with a voltage range of ~1.2-37v. I'm not super worried about the voltage range, but the wider the better as well as amperage (higher better).
Is this something that can be designed and built with a bit of elbow grease? I'm not afraid of puttin in time to do this (PCB design and such), but I'd like to know what kind of voltage range I can expect as well as amperage that is possible.
Am I correct in thinking that it would be better to have a higher voltage DC input for the variable voltage rather than the 12v? Such as 36, 60 or 72v? From what I've read many of these IC's max input voltage varies from 30-38v.
So, can anyone give me a general idea of where to start with this? a LM338 seems like it might be a little small but I can run them in parallel, yes? Are there better IC's that offer higher amperage and voltage?
I can easily get power for the 3.3, 5, & 12v from the computer PSU as it puts out 750w and it uses about 20% or so. I also have a very nice, small 1200w (960w @ 120vac) PSU from a server that was pretty pricey when it came out (it's not a cheap, over-rated knockoff).
What I need assistance with is planning my variable voltage regulator which I would assume would be run from the 1200w PSU. I've seen some of these devices that claim to deliver 5-10 A with a voltage range of ~1.2-37v. I'm not super worried about the voltage range, but the wider the better as well as amperage (higher better).
Is this something that can be designed and built with a bit of elbow grease? I'm not afraid of puttin in time to do this (PCB design and such), but I'd like to know what kind of voltage range I can expect as well as amperage that is possible.
Am I correct in thinking that it would be better to have a higher voltage DC input for the variable voltage rather than the 12v? Such as 36, 60 or 72v? From what I've read many of these IC's max input voltage varies from 30-38v.
So, can anyone give me a general idea of where to start with this? a LM338 seems like it might be a little small but I can run them in parallel, yes? Are there better IC's that offer higher amperage and voltage?