A Noise-Free DIY Switching Power Supply - How Hard Can It Be? -- Episode 542

Switch Mode Power Supplies (SMPS) need a printed circuit board (PCB). To see why check out this video. We look at how hard could it be to get a PCB design right! Hint: You need copper zones to get a low-noise SMPS design.

Supplemental Content:

Bill of Material:

Product Name	Manufacturer	Quantity	Buy Kit
DC/DC CONV, BUCK/BOOST/INVERT, 85DEG C	On-Semi	1	Buy Now
Small Signal Schottky Diode, Single, 45 V, 8 A, 570 mV, 120 A, 150 °C	Vishay	1	Buy Now
Power Inductor (SMD), 180 uH, 1.9 A, Shielded, 1.6 A, SRR1210 Series, 12mm x 12mm x 10mm	Bourns	1	Buy Now
CAP, 4700uF, 16V, RADIAL, SMD	PANASONIC	1	Buy Now
SMD Multilayer Ceramic Capacitor, 0.47 µF, 25 V, 0805 [2012 Metric], ± 10%, X7R, -55 °C	SAMSUNG ELECTRO-MECHANICS	1	Buy Now
Surface Mount Thick Film Resistor, CRG Series, 68 kohm, 330 mW, - 5%, 150 V RoHS Compliant: Yes	TE CONNECTIVITY	1	Buy Now
SMD Aluminum Electrolytic Capacitor, Radial Can - SMD, 330 µF, 25 V, 0.8 ohm, 2000 hours @ 85°C	NIC COMPONENTS	1	Buy Now

Additional Parts:

PCBs: Auto-Routed, 6mil no pour, 6mil with ground pour, and Copper Zones

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dougw over 3 years ago in reply to kmikemoo +1

I had an instructor that used the same phrase - I think in connection to report writing objectives. It seems to me the more I know the less obvious it becomes.
dougw over 3 years ago +1

Interesting episode, although designing for failure rubs me the wrong way. I would like to see to see if there is a difference between realistic attempts - I doubt anyone would design with a 6 mil trace…
mayermakes over 3 years ago in reply to dougw +1

I agree, a follow up episode showing how to impedance match traces and compare them to filled zones would be interesting!

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koudelad over 2 years ago

Great episode. I got to it a year after releasing, but glad I found it.

I guess one solution for less skilled HW designers might be that there will be ready made modules that would be connected to a target PCB via castellated edges or just pin headers, just like use processing power (e.g. Raspberry Pi Pico) / communication modules (many GSM / BT / GPS modules).
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koudelad over 2 years ago

Great episode. I got to it a year after releasing, but glad I found it.

I guess one solution for less skilled HW designers might be that there will be ready made modules that would be connected to a target PCB via castellated edges or just pin headers, just like use processing power (e.g. Raspberry Pi Pico) / communication modules (many GSM / BT / GPS modules).
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koudelad over 2 years ago in reply to koudelad

I also just remembered an experiment of a teaching assistant on EE university. Instead of using a 2 layer PCB, using 4 layers with ground layer and a power layer. Even a sloppy designed PCB that produced a high amount of EMI got under control using this thick.
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baldengineer over 2 years ago in reply to koudelad

That is what I had to do on the Mega IIe project’s power supply! The noise went down significantly by going to four layers.

Going forward, I will probably always use 4 layers on (standalone) SMPS designs. But as you said, pre-made modules are often a better option.
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