10-27-2021, 03:08 PM
Who would like to use this PinePower "USBench" concept?
It functions like a compact "bench power supply" with USB C in- and output, powered by a standard USB PPS power source like PinePower. Since you can adjust voltage and current, you can also use it as a "universal DC power supply" to power all kinds of non-USB devices. Hopefully it would be user-friendly, cheap and compact enough to replace all household DC power supplies (that are not in constant use).
Background
The Programmable Power Supply (PPS) mode in currently available USB PD 3.0 power supplies allows a device to trigger 3.3V-21V in 20mV steps, with current limited at 50mA steps (source). With the recently announced USB Power Delivery 3.1, the coming years will bring USB C power supplies with the maximum heart-safe voltage of 48V at 5A.
I found a few niche products exploiting PPS to offer an adjustable power source:
XY-WPDT USB Charging Trigger
And interestingly this open source Arduino project, who knows Ryan Ma who designed this PD-micro may be interested to collaborate:
https://www.crowdsupply.com/ryan-ma/pd-micro
Concept
Like the XY-WPDT there is a USB C in- and a output port, and a small display. To make it practical in everyday use it does however need a case with knobs to set voltage and current, similar to bench power supplies. It should support up to 48V 5A, and maybe voltages below 3.3V by integrating a step-down converter.
Pushing a combination of buttons starts/stops "Child lock" mode. When "Child lock" is activated, all controls are blocked. When the USB cable is pulled from the output port, voltage is stopped until "Child lock" is deactivated. This is to avoid damaging devices by accidentally raising voltage or plugging in other USB devices. Like this the power supply becomes fit for use outside the lab to power all kinds of household devices like laptops, e-bikes, ...
Ability to simply restore settings for devices, by selecting their stored name.
The bench power supply functions an amateur would need for most repairs etc.
Accessories (cables):
- USB C to banana plugs
- USB C to screw terminal
- USB C to multimeter leads
- USB C to 5.5mm x 2.1mm barrel jack, with an assortment of barrel jack converters for use as a universal power supply
It functions like a compact "bench power supply" with USB C in- and output, powered by a standard USB PPS power source like PinePower. Since you can adjust voltage and current, you can also use it as a "universal DC power supply" to power all kinds of non-USB devices. Hopefully it would be user-friendly, cheap and compact enough to replace all household DC power supplies (that are not in constant use).
Background
The Programmable Power Supply (PPS) mode in currently available USB PD 3.0 power supplies allows a device to trigger 3.3V-21V in 20mV steps, with current limited at 50mA steps (source). With the recently announced USB Power Delivery 3.1, the coming years will bring USB C power supplies with the maximum heart-safe voltage of 48V at 5A.
I found a few niche products exploiting PPS to offer an adjustable power source:
XY-WPDT USB Charging Trigger
And interestingly this open source Arduino project, who knows Ryan Ma who designed this PD-micro may be interested to collaborate:
https://www.crowdsupply.com/ryan-ma/pd-micro
Concept
Like the XY-WPDT there is a USB C in- and a output port, and a small display. To make it practical in everyday use it does however need a case with knobs to set voltage and current, similar to bench power supplies. It should support up to 48V 5A, and maybe voltages below 3.3V by integrating a step-down converter.
Pushing a combination of buttons starts/stops "Child lock" mode. When "Child lock" is activated, all controls are blocked. When the USB cable is pulled from the output port, voltage is stopped until "Child lock" is deactivated. This is to avoid damaging devices by accidentally raising voltage or plugging in other USB devices. Like this the power supply becomes fit for use outside the lab to power all kinds of household devices like laptops, e-bikes, ...
Ability to simply restore settings for devices, by selecting their stored name.
The bench power supply functions an amateur would need for most repairs etc.
Accessories (cables):
- USB C to banana plugs
- USB C to screw terminal
- USB C to multimeter leads
- USB C to 5.5mm x 2.1mm barrel jack, with an assortment of barrel jack converters for use as a universal power supply
