USB power has become ubiquitous — everything from phones to laptops all use it — so why not your lab bench? This is what [EEEngineer4Ever] set out to do with the BenchVolt PD USB adjustable bench power supply. This is more than just a simple breakout for standard USB PD voltages, mind you; with adjustable voltages, SCPI support, and much more.
The case is made of laser-cut acrylic, mounted to an aluminum base, not only providing a weighted base but also helping with dissipating heat when pulling the 100 W this is capable of supplying. Inside the clear exterior, not only do you get to peek at all the circuitry but there is also a bright 1.9-inch TFT screen showing the voltage, current, and wattage of the various outputs. There is a knob that can adjust the variable voltage output and navigate through the menu. Control isn’t limited to the knob, mind you; there also is a Python desktop application to make it easy changing the settings and to open up the possibility to integrate its control alongside other automated test equipment.
There are five voltage outputs in this supply: three fixed ones—1.8 V, 2.5 V, and 3.3 V—and two adjustable ones: 0.5-5 V and 2.5-32 V. All five of these outputs are capable of up to 3 A. There are also a variety of waveforms that can be output, blurring the lines between power supply and function generator. While the BenchVolt PD will be open-sourced, [EEEngineer4Ever] will soon be releasing it over on CrowdSupply for those interested in one without building one themselves. We are big fans of USB PD gear, so be sure to check out some other USB PD projects we’ve featured.
Nice, thank you for sharing! Been looking for the amateur-level stable bench power supply for some while, maybe this will do just nicely.
IMHO, finally, someone figures out that signal generator AND regulated power should have been a standard some long, long time ago (in a galaxy far, far away, where designers work with customers directly, unimpeded by the marketing department fantasies).
Thanks.
Lots of time spent on making it look good while inside it uses the worst, cheapest switching power supply modules from AliExpress which tend to break and burn just from looking at them. A perfect YouTube project.
This is a prototype unit, and on-board DC-DC converters will be used in the batch production. The device offers excellent voltage, current, and temperature monitoring features, and it has been tested for over four months so far.
If you follow the project, I’ll also be doing some heavy stress and durability tests soon — then you’ll see how robust it really is.
Also, everything is open-source, my friend — you can repair any part yourself or even upgrade the project if you like!
Yeah, for those interested, these are modules based on the XLSEMI XL6009 Buck/Boost DC/DC converter chip:
https://www.xlsemi.com/datasheet/XL6109-EN.pdf
Sorry, this datasheet : https://beriled.biz/data/files/XL6009.pdf
Can someone please counter this with good reasoned arguments?!
Because when I saw the image and looked closer I came to a similar conclusion and that’s a bit depressing (the existence of the video at all + that it was featured on HaD).
This is a prototype unit, and high quality tested on-board DC-DC converters used in the batch production. The device offers excellent voltage, current, and temperature monitoring features for reliablity and it has been tested for over four months so far.
If you follow the project, I’ll soon be running heavy stress and durability tests — so you’ll get to see just how robust it really is.
The project is fully open-source — everyone will have access to it. Complete instructions will be provided so that anyone can easily repair, modify, or even upgrade the project themselves!
In electronics, if something fails, it usually means you are exceeding the electrical specifications of a component or not cooling it properly. With good engineering, creating a reliable design isn’t actually that difficult.
… or you’ve bought the cheapest chabuduo from China that’s built with fake components and it’s primary purpose is to bring yuans to Mr. Sum Ting Wong.
Anyway, cope harder bro 😂
In electronics, if something fails, it usually means you are exceeding the electrical specifications of a component or not cooling it properly. With good engineering, creating a reliable design isn’t actually that difficult.
What could possibly go wrong?!
Man like 10 years ago i got an oscope and a bench supply that each had (roughly) one knob per function. i’m never going back. People talk about all of these specs and features and it turns out, that’s the one i care about on my bench
The knob is not the only way to make adjustments — there’s also a Python-based UI that lets you control everything.
Yeah, let me just plug that into my laptop and drive the voltages!
He’s showing it with nothing under load. Unless it’s programmed to shut down past a certain current level it’s a fire hazard waiting to happen.
can’t say I like the interface. Too small and with the knob…as mentioned above “what could possibly go wrong”
Hard Pass
The device offers excellent voltage, current, and temperature monitoring features, and it has been tested for over four months so far.
If you follow the project, I’ll soon be running heavy stress and durability tests under load — so you’ll get to see just how robust it really is.
The project is fully open-source — everyone will have access to it. Complete instructions will be provided so that anyone can easily repair, modify, or even upgrade the project themselves!
The system continuously monitors parameters like instantaneous current flow, overvoltage, and temperature. The MCU only allows power delivery over PD when everything is within safe operating limits — so risks like overload or fire simply don’t exist.
The components are thermally optimized — using many vias and a thermal pad to efficiently transfer heat to the aluminum base below. This allows the device to operate under load while staying within safe power limits.
Temperature is also continuously monitored. I’ll be sharing some under-load test videos soon — thanks a lot for your feedback!
This… has a lot of concerning issues given that you could be supplying a lot of current.
The adjustable output 1 uses an LDO, but it follows a super-basic totally unshielded switcher, and that is not easy to make low noise. It’ll cut down on the ripple, sure, but noise is more than ripple and without a doubt the switching transients will cut right through the LDO. Which isn’t easy to measure either.
The overall physical architecture just doesn’t work for low noise either. Just trace the input and return current path for the adjustable output: the input’s gotta flow along the top, which is going to be right under where the LDO is, so you’re not going to get the full PSRR from the LDO just due to the ground currents.
There’s another subtle issue too: you’ve got a bunch of separate outputs + a single ground at the end. And you’re talking about supplying like 10+ amps there. Think about that last power supply closest to the ground output. It’s normally sitting there seeing like 5-6 amps coming in the ground connector plus its own. And then at some point you unplug the first supplies… and all that current disappears and you get a shift due to the overall finite resistance. Single ground input just doens’t make sense when you’ve got multiple outputs and that much current.
Hey, really appreciate you taking the time to dig into the details — that’s the kind of feedback that actually helps projects move forward.
You’re absolutely right about the grounding and current return considerations. Adding an extra ground terminal or local return paths for each channel would definitely improve the overall current handling and minimize voltage shifts across high-current traces.
Noise-wise, yes — a single LDO after an unshielded switcher won’t magically remove all transients. The current setup already includes RC filtering and ground-plane isolation between channels, but there’s still room for refinement, especially for people who’ll use it in precision setups.
That’s the great part about open hardware — every iteration can get a bit smarter based on this kind of insight. Thanks for pointing it out!
The device offers voltage, current, and temperature monitoring features for reliablity, and it has been tested for over four months so far. If you follow the project, some heavy stress and durability tests coming soon. Also, everything is open-source anyone can repair any part yourself or even upgrade the project if you like!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wyJbAp0etwM
Maybe this video will help you better understand the project.
While I think the critiques are a little hard whats starting to become alerting is the same defense coming from like 3 different usernames
EEEngineer4Ever
Süleyman Yasin Dundar
syd_
It’s a turkish cockroach, what do you expect?
I’m a member of Hackaday.io, but when I first tried to comment there, my comments didn’t appear. I tried several times and wasn’t sure why, but after a while my posts started going through. That’s why you have seen different names.
This is not a LinkedIn dude. Just stfu and gtfo as nobody here wants to listen to you.
I only know to speak formal english dude, learned from the school :=)