Another mains controller…

I’ve designed and built a few control boards for switching on mains (e.g. this and this), because it tends to be a thing that many of my projects need. Good (and good looking!) mains switches are hard to come by, especially for higher currents, so it makes sense to use a lower-voltage switch combined with a relay or an SSR for this duty. An obvious downside to the relay-based approach is that a standby voltage is needed to control the relay, but as described in a previous post there are now several types of switching AC-DC converters able to do that job very cheaply and reliably.

However, more often than not I have found that I prefer to keep the standby PSU separate and so this addition to the control-board portfolio was delberately made smaller and to fit my usual 2”x2” format to make it stackable with my softstart-board. For anything with a large transformer in it, this is a combination that is very useful.

Another addition is an external trigger input (isolated with an optocoupler) which I don’t often use to be honest, but which I could see some potential in anyway. To make this feature a bit more versatile I have opted for the “deluxe-version”, by feeding the optocupler from a constant-current source made from an LM317L. This should mean that it’s not just the usual “12V-trigger” input, but actually it would work with any voltage between app. 3-30V and draw less than 20mA from the triggering device.

“In flight” (or at least on the way) are boards for a matching standby PSU based on the Mean Well IRM power modules – when everything is here and tested I’ll publish some files and more pictures 🙂

Project files: IRM Switching PSUs

What is it?
Since I first discovered the IRM-series of compact switching supplies from Mean Well I’ve grown quite fond of them. They are compact, cheap and very easy to implement so they are perfect for everywhere an “aux-voltage” is required to power non-critical circuitry. Through the different applications I’ve found for these I have managed to build up a full series of boards suitable for the IRMs.

While some of the boards can be (and are intended to be) used for “serious” stuff (to be shown later on), a very obvious application for most of these boards are as AUX-supplies for powering relays, displays, logic circuitry etc. where a bit more or a bit less ripple and noise are of no consequence, but where the compact size and low standby consumption is a real plus.

There are four board versions, suitable for the IRM modules in all versions from 3-30W output power (the 30W board is missing from the pictures as I couldn’t find the prototype when they were taken – sorry! 😀 ).

How big are the boards?

• The 3W board measures 1.8” x 1.5” (app. 46 x 38 mm.)
• The 5/10W board measures 1.2” x 2.65” (app. 31 x 67 mm.)
• The 15/20W board measures 1.25” x 2.95” (app. 32 x 75 mm.)
• The 30W board measures 1.6” x 3.6” (app. 41 x 92 mm.)

What is the status of the boards?
All of the board files are version 1.0 or higher. Some tweaks have been done after the initial protoypes for a few of them, mostly because of errors/issues with the IRM module footprints.

Does it use any special/expensive/hard-to-find parts?
No, none. Several places to get the IRM-modules them selves (Mouser, Reichelt, TME etc.) and everything else on the boards is more or less optional 😀

Anything else I need to know?

• The modules have worse specs for ripple and noise than most linear regulators, but obviously the switching frequency is quite high (66-100 kHz depending on model), which means that passive filtering like an LC or a CRC (“pi”) filter would be an ideal way of reducing the output noise. I have a couple of examples for that which I might show later.
• I haven’t been able to find a spec for how much capacitance the modules will tolerate on the output, but it probably should not be overdone.
• Remember that obviously one side of the board carries mains voltage, so take the necessary precautions when working with them.

Downloads:
Download design files here

Related information:
Note: Always read the “intro post” for additional important information about my designs.