Power source

krieg.17 · Post by **krieg.17** » Sat Jan 26, 2013 12:18 pm

Can someone tell me the best variable power source to use? I'm currently lighting a USS Reliant and trying to get all my lighting stuff together. I'am on a budget so I can't afford one of the many lighting kits out there.

kerick · Post by **kerick** » Sat Jan 26, 2013 6:19 pm

Do you mean the actual power supply? There is a wealth of info on the lighting forum.

krieg.17 · Post by **krieg.17** » Sat Jan 26, 2013 6:57 pm

Thank you I will check it out over there. Sorry i'm new to this forum

Sft2 · Post by **Sft2** » Sat Feb 09, 2013 4:50 am

I recommend one of two approaches to power supplies:

First, if you're only going to have the one lighted model, or more than one in different areas, go with a wall wart and coax barrel connector. Mine's 12v and 2a, and will more than supply the power needed for the 27 LEDs in my USS Houston (Defiant class).

However, if you'll have multiple lit models on the same shelf, it might be worth it to get a power supply that can handle more than one model. A PC power supply can be hacked to supply both 12v and 5v at fairly high current. I have a 12v power supply sitting on the workbench that will eventually be built into a display case with wiring going to each shelf so I can just plug in whatever model i decide to put in it.

Actually, for the time being I'm using the bench power supply to run 2' of LED tape over my lathe and the wall wart for the Houston. I'll swap those two when I get the case built, but for now I kinda like the ability to see what I'm doing on the lathe

Styrofoam_Guy · Post by **Styrofoam_Guy** » Sat Feb 09, 2013 7:53 pm

For wall power supplies I use one of those 110VAC wall power supplies that can change from 1.5VDC to 12VDC. It gives me a variety of choices on how to wire up the LEDs.

If I want a self contained unit there are a variety of AA and AAA battery holders for different numbers to give you 1.5VDC, 3VDC, 4.5VDC using 1.5V batteries. Some of the high brightness LEDs require 3.5-3.8VDC so I might use rechargable batteries that put out 1.2VDC so using 3 of them I can get 3.6VDC.

joanhernandez · Post by **joanhernandez** » Thu Mar 14, 2013 7:01 am

I need a good multiple source power supply from 0-50V.I thought of using computer source power supply but they are limited to 12-5V.Any recommendations from where can I buy this power supply.

Sft2 · Post by **Sft2** » Thu Mar 14, 2013 2:10 pm

That isn't going to be cheap unless you're willing to do some work yourself. Even then it won't be cheap, but it'll be less expensive. Look on Ebay for a 48v power supply. There were some a few months ago when I bought a 24v for a CNC project I never got around to. Then you'll have to figure out a regulation setup to get the less than 48v lines you need.

If you need an adjustable PS, be prepared to spend big and look at Digikey and similar.

On a different subject, I'll be working on my power supply gizmo shortly. This weekend I'm planning on building the shelving unit to hold a few models. It's getting LED tape under each shelf since the unit will be sitting in a somewhat dark spot, so I'm just going to wire all the sections of tape in parallel with a terminal block somewhere on each shelf to connect wiring to each model that needs it. The whole thing will be powered by a 12v power supply I found while digging through my office, leaving the wall wart available to power the LED tape over the lathe.