For years I have tested my electronics projects with ‘improvised power supplies’, usually 5V from my laptop USB port, some AA batteries, or a LiPo battery. I have decided I’ve had enough of that.

Call me cheap, but I ended up buying a power supply module from Aliexpress. Could I have gotten a lab bench power supply off of eBay for slightly more? Probably. Would it have been as much fun as getting to design my own enclosure? Definitely not.

The model I bought was the RD DPS5005. Rated for 50V 5A, it is almost overkill for the type of projects I do, but that’s not a problem. By the time the module arrived, I had already collected all the other parts I would need for the build. The banana plugs were the only thing I had to buy separately, I had the AC-DC converter and power switch lying around. The AC-DC converter can only output a max of 16V at 500mA but that should be enough for now. If I ever need more power I can buy a better converter.

The enclosure is custom designed and 3D printed. It went through a couple of iterations and I am still not quite happy with it, but it gets the job done. I was down to my last roll of PLA and ran out during my first attempt to print the enclosure. After I ordered more PLA, I tried twice to print it with the only other filament I had laying around, some orange PETG, but both prints failed.

Before my 4th attempt, I changed the model from a single body design to a split chassis and faceplate. I would usually attach these kinds of parts with bolts, but I wanted to test using zip ties.

The zip ties weren’t too much of a pain but If I make a V2 I will definitely use bolts.