Power Supply Project

Courtney Harley

Course Code: CAD 3100

Course Name: EDA for Biomedical Engineering Technology

November 17, 2015

Submitted to: Louis Bertrand

Abstract
Purpose: give the reader a concise summary of the entire report such that the reader can get an idea of
the report without actually having to read it in detail. It is a complete overview of the entire project.
Questions it answers: what was done, why was it done, how was it done, what were the results, what
are the recommendations.
Details:

3 to 5 paragraphs

One half to three-quarter pages in length.

No illustrations

Write this section last, when the rest of the report is finished.

Acknowledgements
I would like to thank everyone who has contributed to helping me complete this project to the
best of my ability. I would like to start by thanking my partner, who contributed to the project in so
many ways. Hailey created all the coding for the microcontroller and assisted in created the PCB board.
Together we built the power supply. I would like to thank my professor Pravin Patel for teaching me
about regulators and rectifier circuits. I would like to thank my professor Tony Van Schyndel for
teaching me the basics of electronics. I would also like to thank Lauren Fuentes for teaching me about
amplifiers. Finally I would like to thank my parents for supporting me, and helping me through this
program.

Contents
ABSTRACT...................................................................................................................................................II
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS..........................................................................................................................II
CONTENTS...................................................................................................................................................II
LIST OF FIGURES.......................................................................................................................................II
1

INTRODUCTION...............................................................................................................................1

1.1

THE POWER SUPPLY PROJECT................................................................................1

1.2

PURPOSE OF A POWER SUPPLY...............................................................................1

1.3

ELECTRICAL SAFETY..............................................................................................1

1.4

OBJECTIVES OF THE PROJECT.................................................................................2

1.5

LAYOUT OF REPORT...............................................................................................2

DESIGN AND THEORY OF OPERATION.....................................................................................2

2.1

OVERALL DESIGN...................................................................................................2

2.2

SCHEMATIC CAPTURE.............................................................................................2

2.3

COMPONENTS AND LIBRARIES...............................................................................2

2.4

SYSTEM SIMULATION SOFTWARE...........................................................................2

2.5

PRIMARY CIRCUIT AND TRANSFORMER.................................................................2

2.6

SAFETY CONSIDERATIONS IN THE PRIMARY CIRCUIT AND TRANSFORMER...........2

2.7

RECTIFIERS AND FILTERS.......................................................................................2

2.8

FIXED +5V REGULATOR.........................................................................................2

2.9

+15V REGULATOR..................................................................................................2

2.10

15V REGULATOR.............................................................................................2

2.11

VOLTAGE MONITOR...........................................................................................2

2.12

ARDUINO MICROCONTROLLER..........................................................................2

2.13

LCD MODULE...................................................................................................2
4

2.14
3

OPTION SUBSYSTEM..........................................................................................2

PRINTED CIRCUIT BOARD...........................................................................................................2

3.1

PCB DESIGN SOFTWARE (PROTEUS ARES)...........................................................2

3.2

PRINTED CIRCUIT BOARD DESIGN.........................................................................2

3.3

CAD/CAM OUTPUT..............................................................................................2

3.4

PRINTED CIRCUIT BOARD PRODUCTION................................................................2

SYSTEM FIRMWARE.......................................................................................................................2

4.1

FIRMWARE FUNCTIONALITY...................................................................................2

4.2

FIRMWARE DEVELOPMENT ENVIRONMENT............................................................2

4.3

FIRMWARE DETAILED DESIGN................................................................................2

POWER SUPPLY ENCLOSURE......................................................................................................2

5.1

ENCLOSURE DESIGN...............................................................................................2

5.2

ENCLOSURE FABRICATION.....................................................................................2

FINAL ASSEMBLY AND TESTING................................................................................................2

6.1

CIRCUIT BOARD ASSEMBLY AND TESTING............................................................2

6.2

ENCLOSURE ASSEMBLY..........................................................................................2

6.3

COMPLETE ASSEMBLY TESTING.............................................................................2

RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS.....................................................................................................2

7.1

SUMMARY OF RESULTS..........................................................................................2

7.2

RECOMMENDATIONS...............................................................................................2

REFERENCES/BIBLIOGRAPHY...............................................................................................................2
APPENDICES.................................................................................................................................................2

APPENDIX A: COMPLETE SCHEMATIC.............................................................................2

APPENDIX B: PRINTED CIRCUIT BOARD DESIGN............................................................2
APPENDIX C: POWER SUPPLY ENCLOSURE DRAWING.....................................................2

List of Figures

Figure 1: Block diagram of the power section.....................................................................2

Figure 2: Block diagram of the supervisory subsystem.......................................................2
Figure 4 Choose a component.............................................................................................2
Figure 5: Placing components on the schematic..................................................................2
Figure 6: Connecting wires..................................................................................................2
Figure 7: Adding nets...........................................................................................................2
Figure 8: Adding a footprint................................................................................................2
Figure 9: LCD display.........................................................................................................2
Figure 10: Primary circuit....................................................................................................2
Figure 11: Temperature sensors...........................................................................................2
Figure 12: Schematic symbol of a capacitor........................................................................2
Figure 13: PCB package of a capacitor...............................................................................2
Figure 14: Primary circuit....................................................................................................2
Figure 15: Rectifier circuit...................................................................................................2
Figure 16: 7805 fixed +5V regulator...................................................................................2
Figure 17: 7815 fixed +15V regulator.................................................................................2
Figure 18: 7915 fixed -15V regulator..................................................................................2
Figure 19: Voltage monitor..................................................................................................2
Figure 20: Calculations for the temperature sensors...........................................................2
Figure 21: Schematic diagram of the option subsystem......................................................2
Figure 22: Film being printed (Electrocircuits, 2015).........................................................2
6

Listing 1: Scaling the analog input and displaying the calculated voltage..........................2
Figure 23: Completed Schematic.........................................................................................2
Figure 24: Printed circuit board design...............................................................................2

Introduction

1.1 The Power Supply Project

This power supply introduces biomedical students to the concepts and practice of designing a
biomedical device. This course includes developing a PCB and firmware for the power supply by
combining the Proteus electronic design and the Arduino microcontroller development. Students started
with the original schematic design and created their own personal boards, with an option that goes
beyond the basic design, for example temperature sensing. This power supply project will read the
temperature of the heatsink and the air in the case, along with reading the +15 and -15 voltages.

1.2 Purpose of a Power Supply

Many things go into a medical device such as, analog and digital hardware, microcontrollers,
and firmware that can read and measure parameters of the body. All medical devices are critical to
healthcare therefore have severe restrictions on the quality and safety of equipment. The power supply
component of a device is the most important due to the fact that if the power supply breaks down the
entire device breaks down. The power supply provides power to all medical devices. Any medical tests
or procedures would not be possible without a power supply. This basic power supply converts the
standard 120VAC 60Hz mains power to three regulated DC voltages: +5V, +15V and -15V, each
capable of a 1A output.

1.3 Electrical Safety

Electrical safety is very important when working with a power supplies. It is so important to
pay attention when working with electricity because it can potential cause death from electrical shock.
When dealing with a power supply, always have the device powered off before looking into trouble
shooting it. It is wise to have an anti-static mat and wrist band while building the power supplies; static
can easily be created on your body, then when you touch the power supplies to work on it, a shock will
happen potentially harming anyone in contact with the device. Many tests and components can be
done/placed into the circuit, to maintain electrical safety such as:
Ground Continuity Test the purpose of this test is to verify that all parts of the circuit are connected
properly to ground.
9

Leakage Current Test to make sure there is no current leakage that could harm a person.
High Current fuses are placed in the circuit to avoid a short circuit from destroying all components. If
the current is too high the fuse will melt and voltage will no longer be able to flow through the circuit.
Switches switches are added to turn off the device if overheating happens or anything goes wrong.
Switches are also placed to simply turn the instrument on and off.

1.4 Objectives of the Project

The main objectives of this project are:
i.

Design the schematic to produce, +15,-15,and +5 volts at each output,

ii.

Program the LCD to display the temperature and output voltages, and

iii.

Create a final PCB board that works.

The design of the schematic to produce each output voltage, will be achieved by using the

regulators. The programming of the LCD to display temperature and output voltages will be achieve by
programing the microcontroller (explanation of code). Finally the PCB board will be wired in Proteus
then the overall design will be shipped and fabricated at a manufacturer. It should be soldered with the
right components and tested.

1.5 Layout of Report

Section 1: This section contains the introductory material
Section 2: Covers the design and theory of operation
Section 3: Explains the printed circuit board
Section 4: Explains the system firmware
Section 5: Covers the power supply enclosure
Section 6: Covers the final assembly and testing
Section 7: Contains the overall results and conclusions

10

Design and Theory of Operation

This section explains how the power supply works. It takes you through the design process of
the Proteus schematic and the PCB layout. It goes through the theory of how each section of the circuit
works and contributes to the overall design.

2.1 Overall Design

The initial schematic that was provided has two sections: power and supervisory. The power
section contains the power entry module that sends the power in from the wall and the printed circuit
board with the step down voltages allowing a proper voltage for the microcontroller. The supervisory
contains the microcontroller that is programed to read the output voltages and LCD display that
displays the voltages. A separate subsystem of temperature sensing was added to the power supply.
Sensors where added off of the initial schematic to read the temperature at the heatsink and the air in
the case.

Figure 1: Block diagram of the power section

The fuses and the switch are a power entry module to allow power to the circuit. The
transformer steps the voltage coming in down. The circuit board regulates the voltages.

Figure 2: Block diagram of the supervisory subsystem

11

The op amp limits the voltage to what the

pro

micro can handle, these voltages are displayed on

the

LCD display. Added to this power supply are two

temperature sensors. They acquire the temperature

at the

heat sink, as well as the air in the box. These

temperatures will be displayed on the LCD display.

2.2 Schematic Capture

The schematic capture is the simulation portion of the Proteus software. Circuits can be
designed and tested when the simulation is run. It uses realistic components of everyday use and allows
users to see if a circuit of their design will work the way its supposed to before a real copy is built.
Below are examples of how to use the schematic capture portion of Proteus:
1. To choose a component click on the component mode (yellow triangle symbol). The preselected
devices will show on the list, to select a new device click on the P and search the device in the
keyword. Once a device is selected it will be added to your device list. (see figure )

Figure 3 Choose a component

12

2. To place a component stay in component mode and click on a device that has been previously
selected from your device list. Once clicked move the mouse over the schematic and click
anywhere, the device will show it pink and can be moved around and place anywhere. Once
moved to the right spot click one more time and the device will be placed.

3. A
Figure 4: Placing components on the schematic
ll components need to be connected with wires. To connect wires you can be in component
mode or selective mode. Click one end of a component, a wire will automatically start tracing
as you move your mouse around. To finish the connection, attached the wire to the end of
another component. To verify the connection, in selected mode move the component and see if
the wires follow it. If they follow it is connected properly.

Figure 5: Connecting wires

Components on the schematic can go to the PCB or can go in the case or rear panel. To determine
what goes where, is labelled on the schematic diagram. The switches are placed on the rear panel (the
side of the case) along with the power cord attachment, both are then soldered to the PCB board with
wires. The transformer is placed on the bottom of the case and soldered to the PCB board with wires.
The LCD display is placed right above the switches on the rear panel of the case and is also soldered to
13

the PCB board with wires. Finally, the temperature sensors are placed in two different positions, one is
placed somewhere on the bottom of the case near the transformer to measure the air in the case, the
other is placed on the heatsink, to measure the temperature of the heatsink.

Figure 7: Primary circuit

Figure 6: LCD display

2.3 Components and Libraries

Most components consist of a schematic symbol, simulation model and PCB package.
The schematic symbol is the symbol that is represented on the schematic diagram. The symbol
varies for each component (see figure 11, for an example of a resistor symbol). (Need to explain more)

Figure 8: Schematic symbol of a capacitor

The part number is found on the schematic diagram beside the schematic symbol. This is the
part number of the component in real life. This is number of the exact part you would need to order to
build the power supply in real life.

14

Figure 9: PCB package of a capacitor

The PCB package is the pattern of pads and

outline of the component shown on the PCB layout. The
PCB layout shows the exact measurement of the circuit
board and components placed on it. It is a real life
representation of the board with the exact dimensions of
the component

Adding a footprint. To change the values of the components in the schematic double click on
the component that has been placed. This will bring up an options window where you can change the
component value. If the footprint is correct leave it the way it is, if it needs to be changed click on the
question mark and choose the appropriate category, type and sub-category. It is import to have the right
footprint to ensure that the component will be correct in the real life board.
(need a better explanation of a footprint)

Figure 10: Adding a footprint

2.4 System Simulation Software

Proteus Virtual System Modelling (VSM) is a program that allows you to develop and test
designs before a physical prototype is created.
The schematic circuit portion of the program allows users to design live circuits with a
programed microprocessor. The created circuit can be tested using LEDs, LCD displays, and switches.

15

The PCB section of the program then takes the working schematic design and recreates it on a real
circuit board that can be fabricated by a manufacturer and used in everyday devices.
Nets can be added where needed. A net is a certain section of wiring that is interconnect
together. The voltage or current can be measured at each net with a probe. In figure, shows a voltage
being measured in the negative half of the rectifier circuit. All wires connected in the negative half of
the rectifier circuit belong to one net.

Figure 11: Adding nets

2.5 Primary Circuit and Transformer

The primary circuit supplies the power, which is eventually used by the secondary circuit. The
primary circuit contains the line cord, fuses, switches and the primary side of the transformer.
The line cord is the main cable that connects the appliance to the main electricity with a wall
socket. The main electricity carries in 120Vat 60Hz.
The fuses are placed for a safety precaution; if the electrical circuit exceeds more than 0.75A of
current a strip of wire in the fuse will burst and disconnect the circuit, therefore, shutting it down. The
switch is used to power the device on and off when needed. There is a switch and a fuse in each leg of
the transformer for safety reasons. If something happens in either section of the leg a fuse will blow
and stop the current flow. The transformer has a 6:1 ratio and is a step down transformer. It steps down
the voltage from 120V to 20V. The turns ratio was calculated by taking the primary voltage and
dividing it by secondary voltage.

Figure 12: Primary circuit

16

2.6 Safety Considerations in the Primary Circuit and Transformer

It is important to make sure the power cord and plug are in good condition, with rubber
covering supple and not cracked. If there is an issue with the cord, it should be replaced immediately.
There should not be any burning smell coming from the transformer, the transformer should not be hot
at all.

2.7 Rectifiers and Filters (reword)

The power supplies contain a split-phase dual voltage rectifier circuit.
During the positive half of the input voltage:
a) The transformer secondary voltage at the top and center wires, will result in D1 to be forward
biased, current flows through D1 to C1 to the center tap.
During the negative half of the input voltage:
a) The transformer secondary voltage from the center and bottom wires will result in D4 to be
forward biased, current flows through C2 to D4.
Capacitors are added in parallel to smooth out the pulsating DC voltages. With a large size of the
capacitor, the dc average voltage would be a nearly flat line approaching the Vpeak rectified value.

17

Figure 13: Rectifier circuit and filter

2.8 Fixed +5V Regulator

The fixed +5V is created with the 7805 regulator. The input voltage of the regulator is 20V,
along with the output current at 1A. The minimum input voltage is 7.5V, this voltage needs to be
obtained in order for the regulator to work. Since the voltage going in is 20V a heat sink is required to
dissipate the heat (where is the heat dissipated). The regulator is important to maintain a steady +5
voltage, allowing all the other components in the circuit to function correctly.
Other components required include: a 10 capacitor that works as a bypass capacitor, as shown in
Figure 15.

Figure 14: 7805 fixed +5V regulator

18

2.9 +15V Regulator

The fixed +15V is created with the 7815 regulator. The input, +20V is coming from the positive
rectifier circuit. The maximum input voltage to the regulator is 30V, along with the maximum current at
1A. The minimum input voltage is 17.5V, this voltage needs to be obtained in order for the regulator to
work. Since the voltage going in is 20V a heat sink is required to dissipate the heat. (how is heat
produced). The regulator is important to maintain a +15 voltage, allowing all the other components in
the circuit to function.
Other components required include: a 10 capacitor and a 1N4004 diode (does what) as shown in
Figure 17.

Figure 15: 7815 fixed +15V regulator

2.10 15V Regulator

The fixed -15V is created with the 7915 regulator. The input, -20V is coming from the negative
rectifier circuit. The maximum input voltage to the regulator is -30V, along with the maximum current
at 1A. Since the voltage going in is -20V a heat sink is required to dissipate the heat. (how is heat
produced)
Other components required include: a 10 capacitor and a 1N4004 diode as shown in the figure
(HOW DO THEY WORK)

Show ground connection in this

picture

Figure 16: 7915 fixed -15V regulator

19

2.11 Voltage Monitor

The +15V and -15V outputs are reduced by op amps to be in the range of 0-5V to be measured
by the ADC inputs of the microcontroller. The microcontroller cannot handle more than 5 volts, hence
why the 15 V cannot be used directly. The gain of the op amps are 0.3 for +15 and -0.3 for -15.(SHOW
CALCULATIONS) The +15 is attached to a non-inverting amplifier, the -15V is attached to an
inverting amplifier.
Vout=Vpos x

R2
R 1+ R 2

Vout=Vneg x

( RR 12 )

Figure 17: Voltage monitor

2.12 Arduino Microcontroller

The Arduino Pro Micro is added to the board to read inputs and convert them to voltages and
temperatures. It uses an ATmega32U4 C microcontroller. The supply voltage for the Arduino is 5
volts. The 8-bit AVR CPU has a max clock rate of 16 MHz. Inputs on the Arduino can be digital or
analog. When you read from an analog input, you read 0-1023. When you read from a digital input, you
read HIGH (5 volts) or LOW (0 volts). The outputs being used are AD0, AD1, AD2, AD3, IO10, and
20

RESET. The purpose of the LED on input 10 is to show that the controller is working. The momentary
contact button is a reset button.

2.13 LCD Module

The 16:2 LCD screen is connected to the main board by the microcontroller. It is powered by
pin 2. The contrast is adjusted by the potentiometer at pin 3. It is backlit by A&K at pins 15 and 16. It
uses connections to the board at pin 4, 6, 11, 12, 13, 14.

2.14 Option Subsystem

The temperature sensing subsystem is modified to add sensors that measure the temperature of
the heatsink and the inside air of the case. The temperature is displayed on the LCD. The LM35
temperature sensors produce a 10mV/C voltage proportional to the chip temperature, the sense voltage
is amplified by an op-amp non-inverting amplifier and measured by an analog input of the Ardunio.
The range of temperatures to be measured is from 10C to 35C for the inside air temperature, and 15C to
60C for the heatsink. Both sensing outputs are connected to the Ardunio on pins AD2 and AD3. The
firmware must be modified to also measure these inputs and calculate the corresponding temperature to
be displayed on the LCD. The LCD should show the voltage and temperature readings together.

21

Figure 18: Calculations for the temperature sensors

Figure 19: Schematic diagram of the option subsystem

22

23

Printed Circuit Board

The Printed Circuit Board is the heart of the final power supply. It required the most work and
time. It has most of the components directly on it. The PC Board was made in Proteus along with the
schematic and code for the microcontroller. The parts of the board were identified and tested in the
schematic, then the components were placed on the board on Proteus and the wires were routed, Gerber
and Excellon files were then made and sent to be printed.

3.1 PCB Design Software (Proteus ARES)

Proteus ARES is a payware that is used to design a circuit board. Eagle is a similar program that
a PC board can be designed on, however eagle does not have to added bonus of being able to simulate
the circuit you are putting together. After a Schematic capture is made in Proteus ISIS, the parts that
you asked the program to transfer to ARES are listed for you at the left of the screen. Clicking on those
components and then clicking on the board allows these components to be visible. Attached to each
part as you move it around the screen is a little yellow arrow. This is a force vector. This arrows tells
you where that part wants to be in terms of the parts it needs to attach to. Attached to the component as
well are green ratsnest wires, these show you where this component is to attach to other components
on the schematic. A DRC error will appear if you overlap components or have clearance violations.
When you click on the DRC error on the bottom of the screen, it will show you exactly where the error
has occurred so you may fix it. When the board is complete, Gerber and Excellon files were produced
to describe the board in text files and output artwork for PCB fabrication for drilling machines.

3.2 Printed Circuit Board Design

The circuit board for this power supply were to meet the following requirements:

90mm x 110mm Board

A minimum track width of 0.008
A minimum clearance of 0.008
To have 8 or less different drill diameters

The heatsink was placed for us and was not to be moved so we worked around it. On the PC Board
there is a top copper layer and bottom copper layer. These were used to place vias on the board where
we needed them. When two wires crossed, we placed a via to move one wire to the top layer and then
back to the bottom layer to attach to the component to what it needed to attach to.
24

A ground plane is an electrically conductive surface connected to ground. It is a large area of copper
foil over the bottom layer of the board connected to ground. This ensures good ground connection
throughout the pc board. This is achieved simply by going to tools in Proteus, moving down to power
plane generator. A screen will pop up and ground plane is an option there. Once selected, the ground
plane is automatically applied to the board being worked on.

3.3 CAD/CAM Output

Computer Aided Manufacturing (CAM) serves to create a faster production process with precise
dimensions and material consistency. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer-aided_manufacturing)
A Gerber file is a text file with a complete description of a PC board layer image. Planes and
Pads are explained so the need for paint is eliminated. It has a description of copper layers, solder
mask, and legend. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gerber_format) An Excellon file is used for drilling
machines. It is suitable for that task as it can specify machine specific information such drill feed and
speed. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Excellon_format)
http://circuitpeople.com/Blog/WhatIsAGerberFile.aspx

3.4 Printed Circuit Board Production

After gerber files are received, laser photoplotters are used in a temperature and humidycontrolled darkroom to make films to image the PCBs. The photoplotter converts the board data
to a pixel image.

Figure 20: Film being printed (Electrocircuits, 2015)

25

The film that is developed in unloaded for an operator and are ready for the PCB
fabrication. One film is generated per PCB layer. The films are registered so that they can be
perfectly aligned. The inner layers are printed and etched and then registration holes are
punched to align the inner layers to the outer layers. Once the board is finished, the holes for
components and vias are drilled. Then the boards and holes are plated with copper. The copper
is covered with a thin layer of tin as an etch resist. The unwanted copper foil is then removed
from the surface. In our situation, all of our boards were processed together. V-cut scoring was
done around each board so that we can break them apart to be distributed to each student.

26

System Firmware

Included in the power supply is a Sparkfun microcontroller which is an Arduino-compatible

board is a more economical form (0.7x1.3). This board samples analog voltages, converts them to
voltages and temperatures and displays the conversions on the LCD display.
Listing 1: Scaling the analog input and displaying the calculated voltage
const float scale0 = 16.3e-3;
int ad0 = analogRead(0);
v0 = scale0 * ad0;
lcd.print("v0:");
lcd.print(v0);

To declare a constant float (float is a decimal number) the command is const float scale0,
scale0 is the name of the constant and the number following is the constant number that will be used

later in the code. To have the microcontroller read an analog input, the command is analogRead(), int
stands for integer, letting the controller know that the number coming in is an integer. ad0 is the pin it
is reading. v0 is another name that will be used later in the code, which is the product of scale0 and
ad0 which are named in the above code. lcd.print() calls the microcontroller to display whatever

follows that command on the LCD display. The content in quotations is called for exactly the way it is
seen. Content in brackets without quotations means that the microcontroller is to display, in this case,
the product of scale0 and ad0.

4.1 Firmware Functionality

The Firmware of this power supply reads the analog inputs it is told to read. This inputs are
between 0 1023. These measurements are then converted into voltages and temperatures with
formulas that are in the code. The LCD display in this power supply displays the positive and negative
15 volts of the regulator in the circuit as well as the temperatures coming from the heatsink temp sensor
and the temp sensor for the air inside the device.
The + and 15 V supplies are monitored through voltage dividers that scale the output voltages
down to 0-5 volts. The positive voltage divider is buffered by the unity gain buffer and connected to the
ad0 pin. The negative measurements need to be converted into a positive voltage while being scaled

27

down to 0-5 V and then it is connected to ad1 pin. This is accomplished by an inverting op-amp with a
gain less than 1.

4.2 Firmware Development Environment

Integrated Development Environment (IDE) is a software application that provides
comprehensive facilities to computer programmers for software development.
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Integrated_development_environment)
The microcontroller needs to have a special Windows driver and hardware description files for
the Arduino IDE. The Language used in the microcontroller in the power supply is derived from C++
programming language.

4.3 Firmware Detailed Design

Function Descriptions

#include <LiquidCrystal.h> - library for LCD display

void setup() sets up program, the code in this section will only run once
pinMode() - Configures the specified pin to behave either as an input or an

output.
digitalWrite()- Writes a HIGH or a LOW value to a digital pin
analogRead()- Reads the value from the specified analog pin

28

Power Supply Enclosure

A short introduction to this chapter should identify the major subsections and what they contain. This
describes the enclosure design and fabrication.

5.1 Enclosure Design

Describe the enclosure. It consists of an off-the-shelf metal case that is modified for the project.
Describe the package of drawings and templates received.
Refer to the appendix for the design drawing.

5.2 Enclosure Fabrication

Describe briefly the work that was performed to cut out the openings.
Illustrations: photos of some of the stages, photos of the completed fabrication before assembly of
components onto the front and rear panels (phone cameras are adequate).

29

Final Assembly and Testing

A short introduction to this chapter should identify the major subsections and what they contain. This is
where the troubleshooting and assembly are described, including problems found and how they were
resolved.

6.1 Circuit Board Assembly and Testing

Overall, this section answers the question: does it work?
Describe the steps to assemble and test each section of the power supply. This is where the design is
checked against the specifications and design objectives (e.g. 5V4%? 1A current? No ripple? etc.) are
verified with the proper instrumentation (voltmeter, oscilloscope). For each objective that was stated in
the introduction and theory sections, there should be a verification.
Test the firmware functionality: does the LCD display the correct information (voltage, current,
temperature, or fault condition)
You may create sub-sections for each section of the PSU to match the subsections in Section 2 (use
styles Heading 3 and Heading 4 as needed).
You may also create sub-sections for significant problems (e.g. short between negative supply and
GND at the heatsink) that caused major repair work.
Illustrations:

Screenshots of the primary AC waveform, secondary AC waveform, full wave rectification

(without filter capacitors), DC with ripple;

Photos of the various stages of assembly (phone cameras are adequate).

6.2 Enclosure Assembly

Describe how the populated circuit board and the components (transformer, power entry module,
equipotential lug, etc.) fit into the enclosure and onto the front and rear panels.
Illustrations:

Photos of the various stages of assembly (phone cameras are adequate);

Multiple views of the completed enclosure
30

6.3 Complete Assembly Testing

Describe how the completed power supply is tested (switch, outputs, LCD display). The results can be
summarized into a table of expected vs. measured values, or a checklist of features to be tested and the
test result for each item.

31

Results and Conclusions

7.1 Summary of Results

Summarize the results of the design, fabrication and testing of the power supply what went well and
what did not. Were all the objectives achieved? Which ones were missed? Which ones were surpassed?
This should be half to a full page. One paragraph per idea avoid glomming everything into a monster
paragraph.

7.2 Recommendations
Suggestions are made for improvements in the conduct of the project, the design of the power supply,
the operation of the CAD tools, the PCB fabrication process. Recommendations should be practical and
based on your actual experience in other words, something that you did, or that happened to you
while working on the power supply should be the basis of the recommendation. Write them in point
form or a short paragraph for each.

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References/Bibliography
Floyd, T. L. (2010). Principles of Electric Circuits: Conventional Current Version (9th ed.). Upper
Saddle River, New Jersey: Prentice Hall.
Mehta, V. K., & Mehta, R. (2008). Principles of Electronics (11th ed.). New Delhi: S. Chand
Publishing.
Robertson, C. T. (2004). Printed Circuit Board: Designers Reference Basics. Upper Saddle River, NJ:
Prentice Hall.
Texas Instruments Inc. (2013, February). LM317: 3-Terminal Adjustable Regulator. Texas Instruments
Inc.

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Appendices
Appendix A: Complete Schematic

Figure 21: Completed Schematic

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Appendix B: Printed Circuit Board Design

Figure 22: Printed circuit board design

Appendix C: Power Supply Enclosure Drawing

Place the AutoCAD drawings for the case here (available on DC Connect as PDFs). They should be in
default size (1:1). Each image should have a short caption (1 or 2 lines) to explain the illustration. Fit
the image in landscape format to fill the page.

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