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View Full Version : New power supply I'm working on and 2 new footswitches



fatcashdaddy
12-23-2010, 07:53 PM
here is the newest power supply I'm working on. I call it shop in a box. this mother is BIG. you can fit your whole shop in side this thing. It even has a studio apt. built in it for your apprentice!......this thing is 25" wide x 13" deep x 11" tall

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I also have 2 new footswitches I just recently finished...

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elitexhunting
12-23-2010, 08:42 PM
how much are your power boxes?

Administrator
12-23-2010, 10:16 PM
And the foot switches? I know someone who asked about suggestions as a tip for his artist on the completion of a new sleeve.

Even if you ball park what your wares normally go for so I can pass along the info. I figured buying a footswitch for an artist as a gift is not like buying them a machine they may like to use or not use. It only does one thing and if the artist thinks its too nice to even step on they will still brag about it.

Alie K
12-23-2010, 10:44 PM
Wow! That box is pretty cool - I bet you can get a whole mess of foot pedals, machines, and cords stored away in that! The pedals are really pretty!

rotaryworks
12-24-2010, 04:49 AM
How much you pedals they look cool

The Limey
12-24-2010, 07:34 AM
The Pearl & Silver foot switch its the bomb mate!

fatcashdaddy
12-24-2010, 08:54 AM
thanks...the single voltage power boxes are 300.00 and the dual voltage ones are 400.00...the footswitches (like the ones above) are 100.00 a piece and the rat trap ones are 50.00

fatcashdaddy
12-24-2010, 09:02 AM
I have some other things in the works. I've been reading that the swash drives are best run with power boxes where you can regulate the current. I'm thinking of making a box with seperate voltage control and meter, and an amperage control and meter. this way each can be set seperately from each other...my question is, what would the prime maximum amperage be? Is 2 amps enough or should I give artists the ability to go to 5 amps?

I also have a few antique shoeshine boxes that I'm thinking of making into power supply's. I use one as a footrest right now...(see picture)
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The Limey
12-24-2010, 05:58 PM
I don't have a swashdrive but I'd be happy to run my machines flat out on my bench supply and tell you what the current draw is if that would help any?

fatcashdaddy
12-24-2010, 09:39 PM
I don't have a swashdrive but I'd be happy to run my machines flat out on my bench supply and tell you what the current draw is if that would help any?

yes thank you, that would...I think I read on the unimax website that the swashdrives were best run on the mastek power supply's because they run on low voltage and high amps. I believe they said you should turn the voltage down to zero and the amps up to the max and then slowly turn the voltage up until the machine runs perfectly. I don't know if this is correct or wes is trying to sell his power supply's..If anyone knows I'd appreciate it..

Limey if you could let me know what your particular machines run best at I'd appreciate it. I have a meeting with an electrical engineer who is going to work with me on my power supply's
and i want to make the best, stable, consistent power supply I can make. the ones I've made so far have been working fine but to go forward I think I need to understand the electrics behind power supply's better..

The Limey
12-24-2010, 10:18 PM
This is what it says on the Swashdrive website;

"Power Supplies:

The Gen 7 Swashdrive will run on almost any power supply, but we strongly recommend the use of a quality bridge rectified Dual lab, for the clean DC .

Cheap single knob supplies with heaps of ripple & noise will reducing motor life somewhat.
Tested & Endorsed power supplies for this machine.
Genuine GW Instek lab
Isotech lab (Model IPS303DD, RS Components part # 3256004)"

fatcashdaddy
12-25-2010, 02:06 AM
yeah, I think I wrote mastek in my post but it was an instek power supply. I guess wes just copied straight from craigs website. either way it can't hurt to make a power supply with separate voltage and amp controls (more dials and meters and doo-hickeys!..)

Alie K
01-04-2011, 01:17 AM
I got to see those foot pedals in person tonight! They are supercool! Don't just get one to hang on the wall - they are highly usable works of art, made by one very cool dude!

The Limey
01-04-2011, 10:19 AM
You saw them and then left without one?

fatcashdaddy
01-04-2011, 10:35 AM
it was very cool to hang out with alie K and the admin last night..I had such a great time I missed my train home!..Alie did leave with a snazzy new clipcord attachment..(belated christmas present)

The Limey
01-04-2011, 11:10 AM
Haha I knew it! Glad you guys had fun sorry about the train home though :)

Alie K
01-04-2011, 11:36 AM
You saw them and then left without one?
Mental note - bring larger bag next visit... :P

So many places I wanted to go shopping this weekend, but didn't have the time or the luggage space.

Looking forward to getting home so I can upload pics of my snazzy new adapter! Thanks, Thom!

rjdadio
01-06-2011, 11:31 AM
I would say that 2 Amps is plenty, but testing is good and it sounds like Limey is going to provide you with data.

The lab power supplies are good old analog designs with a transformer inside which makes them run smooth but adds to the weight. The modern power supplies use a technology called switch mode and can be made small and more efficient. Most of the small tattoo power supplies are built around the LM2576 family of regulators. You can use this IC in the basic form, but I run double regulated and with more filtering on the output side to make my units run a smooth DC and not let any noise from the machine effect the PS......just more inductance and capacitance via a text book schema.
You can go online and find the data sheet, and go from there.

The Limey
01-06-2011, 01:15 PM
I would say that 2 Amps is plenty, but testing is good and it sounds like Limey is going to provide you with data.

You are pretty damn close Ray; under some really unnatural conditions which would probably equate to tattooing a Rhino with Tar, I got a couple of my machines to peak at just over 3 amps however, my arsenal is pretty small and I don't have any coil machines either so maybe someone else could help Thom out too.

fatcashdaddy
01-06-2011, 01:51 PM
thanks ray. all of my power supply's use an external switching PSU, 18.5vdc 2amp (same as laptop power supply's) and my earlier boxes were based off of LM317 regulators but I will definately look into the LM2576. I'm working with an electrical engineer right now who is unfamiliar with tattoo power supply's and I'll pass the info on to him. P.S....dealing with an electrical engineer about something as general as a tattoo power supply can be a nightmare..at first he was insisting that each power supply HAD to be matched to a single tattoo machine. it only took me a month to explain to him that this wasn't the case,lol

rjdadio
01-06-2011, 10:32 PM
Another good way to go is to pick up one of the HY1803 clones an ebay. open it up and replace the voltage pot with a ten turn. They all seem to be the same....have a 10K pot. You ream the hole for the original to .375" and purchase a Vishay ten turn 10K pot from Mouser for around $14.00 and solder that puppy in place of the old one. You will need to replace the knob. This works very well and it is switchable between 120 and 250 volts 50 60Hz.

I have done many of these over the years.....still use two of them in our shop today. The power supply used to run $55.00 - $65.00 and $14.00 pot and .75 for new knobs and you got a great heavy duty power supply. 0-18V 0-3A

fatcashdaddy
02-01-2011, 11:34 AM
1407
took your advice ray and picked this up. I'm going to gut it and work it into a custom power supply for someone on here. I'll post pictures when its done...

Rattus
02-01-2011, 02:18 PM
Maybe this might help you.
http://www.mobileword.ru/index.php/download/doc_download/25----hy1803d.html

Love your creations btw.

merky
02-01-2011, 02:21 PM
hey i had a question, for you guys do have a pic of a wiring for the foot pedal and clip cord jacks cause the one i tried to make runs and when i step on the foot switch it stops ass backwards like my life.....

fatcashdaddy
02-01-2011, 05:02 PM
everything I've built up to now has used a circuit board and LM317 voltage regulator. it wouldn't be much help to post pictures of it. I'll ask my electrical engineer about your problem, he can probably give you an answer...

fatcashdaddy
02-01-2011, 05:09 PM
hey thanks for the compliment rattus..I don't do the wiring.I have an electrical engineer who does it for me..I build everything else and then just pass it on to him...I tried wiring one myself and for the life of me I couldn't get it to work either. you make one tiny mistake (like forget a ground wire) and you can blow the whole circuit (done that more than a few times,lol)

Rattus
02-01-2011, 05:21 PM
hey thanks for the compliment rattus..I don't do the wiring.I have an electrical engineer who does it for me..I build everything else and then just pass it on to him...I tried wiring one myself and for the life of me I couldn't get it to work either. you make one tiny mistake (like forget a ground wire) and you can blow the whole circuit (done that more than a few times,lol)

You don't have to tell me twice. There was a short period, when I was fresh in the biz and about to become a father for the first time, I freaked out on making the cash and went back to college. Studied Electronic Engineering for a couple terms before life went all crazy.