Issue
144 July 2002
An
80C31-Controlled Power Supply
by
Noel Rios
Using
the Power Supply
To
achieve an output of 700 mV, key in .7. For an output
of 5 V, use 5.0. It will detect the number of keystrokes
needed by the position of the decimal point. Therefore,
to output 10 mA you need to press 0.01 or .01; and to
output 500 mA, use 0.50 or .50. To output 1 A you’ll
have to key in 1.00, and so on. Remember to press the
Set Voltage button first in order to set the voltage,
and then press the Set Current button to program the
current.
Additional
Uses
The
80C31-controlled power supply has many uses. You can
power numerous circuits on your workbench or charge
a 6-V gel cell for constant voltage charging and to
limit the peak current. In addition, you’ll find that
you can use the 80C31 to charge your NiCd batteries
by setting the voltage higher than the battery potential
and the current to 50 mA.
