[MN Ham Phones]

Finished my TEPS power supply tonight. It is the first module done for a full blown PPA I am slowly working on.

Ordered parts from Tangent, Digikey, and Mouser. Also needed a few misc bits from local electronics supply house and from RatShack.

Only misstep was missing the polarity of C7. I forgot that electrolytics weren't the only cap with polarization. Pulled it out, regulator still worked, so put it back in the right way. It is dam*ed difficult to clean out tiny plated-thru holes. Could only do it with a micro sized drill bit from way back when I made my own boards for ham radio projects.

All tests went fine once C7 was replaced correctly. Doh!
AC riipple is smaller than my Fluke can display. Will check ripple and waveform on a 'scope at work after the Holiday. Also will check operation with a real world load on it.

Final cost was $102 (U.S.) and change. This includes about $17 in chemicals and tools that will be used in the future.

I built nearly 150 Heathkits in the 70s-80s. Only simple scratchbuilt stuff since then. It was REAL good to be back at component level construction again!

Once I have absorbed the shock of a new car purchase I can move on to the rest of the PPA. Then a new source and new cans

Here's a couple of pics.

 

[ppl]

Use a hat pin with a plastic head Place the Pointed end of the Pin on to the solder filled hole. Heat the pin with the iron untill the pin passes throught the hole and then remove soldering Iron and twiddele and turn the pin gently in the hole intill solder hardens, remove pin and you now have a hole where once was solder. Use a type of pin that solder will not stick to. So Cheep Brass pins pleated with Nickel and sililer that allow the solder to stick to are harder to use as the cooling solder wants to also solder the pin in the hole.

 

[MN Ham Phones]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ppl Use a hat pin with a plastic head Place the Pointed.

Yup, tried this and failed. Cheap plated pin borrowed from mom. Kept sticking and was nervous about lifting a trace. Used #11 X-acto blade to start hole and finished with PCB bit.

Nice tip. Need to remember to get decent pins for my next follies.

Strange what ends up on a shopping list for PPA components

FWIW-those Tangent boards are top notch!

 

[tangent]

Quote:

It is dam*ed difficult to clean out tiny plated-thru holes

With a solder sucker, if I have trouble I just fill the hole with new solder (even making it bulge a bit on one side) in order to put some new flux on it so it flows better. That usually allows the sucker to clean the hole out nicely.

If there is still some solder clinging to the sides of the hole wall so the component won't fit in, you can usually heat the component leg while sticking it in and it will drop down into the hole quickly. You wouldn't want to do that for more than a few seconds continuously.

Quote:

Will check ripple and waveform on a 'scope at work after the Holiday.

Unless you have a preamp for that scope, I doubt you'll see anything. I had to build a 100x AC preamp to get meaningful test results for the STEPS.

 

[rayofsi]

i did it a very weird way, i heated the spot up and quickly used a can of compressed air to spray the spot, the solder splattered out the other way =P, worked for me lol

 

[MN Ham Phones]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ufokillerz i did it a very weird way, i heated the spot up and quickly used a can of compressed air to spray the spot, the solder splattered out the other way =P, worked for me lol

I tried flux solvent. Didn't work.