Lab Power Supply + Soldering Station

1. Components laid out
Before planning how exactly I will arrange the components in the case, I laid out everything to get an overview and rough idea of placement.


2. CAD and drawings
After acquiring datasheets and drawings of components or measuring them myself, I build everything in CAD to get an accurate assembly. From the assembly, I traced mounting points, cutouts and space requirements onto the case model. This got converted into the drawings that I included in this project.

3. Wiring schematics
I laid out the wiring not only for the documentation, but also to check for errors.

4. Manufacture
From the drawings, I transferred necessary information to modify the raw case onto the case components. With a hand drill, fret saw and a file, I made all the holes and cutouts.


5. Mounting components and wiring
Components are mounted in place and wired according to the wiring schematic. I used proper connectors and ferrules wherever possible. You should, too. These little things increase the reliability and repairability of your project.
I mounted the fan so that it blows out of the case. Its purpose is to generate an air flow, drawing air from the openings in the case. Since I did not have a 40 mm fan grill, I printed one. The BOM specifies a standard wire fan grill.


6. Fan setup
Since the DC-DC converter for the fan can only be set under voltage, I set the trimming potentiometer to the lowest setting, activated the power supply and used a multimeter clamped to the output of the DC-DC converter to set 12 V as output voltage.


7. Finished
The lab power supply is now ready for usage.