Work

has begun on my mains powered switching system, the first of the transformers have arrived and been tested. They are exactly what I hoped for so next I will be checking out the bridge rectifier and voltage control electronics. The next job then will be to build a strip board version of the breadboard circuit and make it all work as one unit. You may be wondering why I am so keen on using mains for this particular job. In fact, not just mains but a home brew mains unit. The answer is very simple, this unit is intended to be built into the supply chain for my soldering irons, Piranha lights and screwdriver chargers. To do this and remain green, I want to have something that, when switched off, is completely isolated from it's power supply and doesn't need to be charged or new batteries added every so often. As I have more than one project in mind here, it would seem to be a good idea to manufacture my own system and build it into the various boxes instead of running it from a wall wart. There is also the fact that it should work out cheaper, I will be learning and it will be a lot more fun this way.