4U Modular Power Supply (DC Wallwart Powered)

The LGE003 PCB is a simple DC:DC Based Bipolar Supply for just about any synth DIY project you might have. As long as the DC:DC converter fits the same footprint provided it can be anything from a +/-12Vdc @ 400mA up to 1.25A or +/-15Vdc (330mA up to 1A)! And it also has a 0.100 OR 0.156” based header power distribution board that can power up to 5-10 modules (Current draw depends on the modules and what you build this supply to support).

The PCB was formatted to the 4U Modular standard of 1” x 6” and has the standard mounting hole spacing for our PCB mounting brackets.
You could also just mount this into a box to power a non-module based design if you wanted. However we have other PSU options that might be a better fit
for those projects!

Powers from a simple single rail +9-36Vdc (depends on the specs of the DC:DC converter) wall wart!

How to choose a wallwart:
Voltage:
The simplest way to figure out how much Voltage your wallwart needs to be is by checking the specs of the DC:DC Converter. If the DC:DC Converter says it’s input voltage range is 9Vdc-36Vdc (24Vdc Nominal), depending on the load (The mount of current drawn by modules being powered off it), the converter will operate off a wallwart varying from 9-36V. In my experience, if you’re going to need a higher current load supply, it’s best to stick with the “nominal” supply. In this case 24Vdc.
Current:
The easiest way to establish the current required from your wallwart is to take your DC:DC Converters plus and minus voltage rail current ratings and add them together. Example: +/-12V @ 400mA = 800mA total current potential… I would spec a wallwart that supplies 1A-1500mA of current. 2A is over kill, nothing wrong with that, and usually not a big difference in cost. But round up and dont be afraid to add a little extra to help keep the wallwart running cool.
Barrel connector:
For total current draw of 100mA to 2.5A, 2.1mm Should be ok, for 2.5A-4A i’d bump up to 2.5mm in size.


NOTE: I have found that the 9-36Vdc input varient DC:DC converts behave a lot better (more stable) when you power them from the datasheet’s value of 24Vdc.
Example: The MeanWell DKMW30F-12, when powring a 400mA load via 12-15Vdc would drop it’s output voltage down to around +/-7Vdc even taking the current draw into consideration (add each rail’s current together and round up for your wallwart current rating). When powered from a 24Vdc source the power supply stays stable under load and stays solid at +/-12Vdc on the output.

Pre-Assembled PCB shipped with 400mA configuration. If you need more current handling please contact me through the contact page!

Three options available:
LGE003 - (10) 0.100” Headers (Headers Sold separately)
LGE003B - (5) 0.156” Headers (Headers Sold separately)
LGE003C - (13) 0.100” headers w/ low profile layout (0.46” in total height)

LGE003 Bill of Materials
LGE003 Schematic
LGE003 PCB Layout w/ Designators
LGE003B Bill of Materials
LGE003B Schematic
LGE003B PCB Layout w/ Designators
LGE003C Bill of Materials
LGE003C Schematic
LGE003C PCB Layout w/ Designators
LGE003C PCB Building as a Passive Distribution Board: 2 100nF ceramic 5mm LS Caps + 2 100uF @25V 2mm LS Electrolytics

Mechanical Parts BOM generally required for building Low-Gain Electronics Modules