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Many years ago, I picked up a fan with a rather unusual design. I tried to get it running back then, but had no luck, so I ended up putting it on a shelf. Now, after all this time, it’s turned up in my hands again.

I've been asked more than once how to determine the power rating of an unmarked 50 Hz transformer, so I'll try to explain and show a couple of examples.

Some time ago, I was asked about the power factor correction circuit in switched-mode power supplies. I’ll try to briefly explain what it is and why it’s needed.

A short video about safety when using an oscilloscope to repair and test switch-mode power supplies.

Sometimes people bring me all kinds of devices to repair. This time, someone brought in an air conditioner control board with a preliminary diagnosis: the power supply had failed due to a voltage surge caused by a lightning strike.

Today's article is about the output rectifier, filter, and feedback circuit in switching power supplies. This is the final article in the general introductory series. After this, I plan to answer questions that came up while publishing the previous parts, and then take a closer look at some individual sections.

Today we'll look at the next stage after the inverter: the power transformer. This won't be a very long article, but I think it'll be useful.

Last time, I covered the input stage of a switching power supply, the bridge rectifier, and the filter capacitors. Now it’s time for the next stage: the inverter. This is the most complex and extensive part, but also the most useful.

I’ve already posted videos about individual parts of a power supply, but after thinking it over, I decided I hadn’t done it the right way—or, more precisely, not in a very logical order—so I’m putting that right. With this article, I’m starting a short series called "How It Works", where I’ll go through all the sections of a typical switching power supply one by one, explain what they do, and point out where components can fail.

I decided to answer a couple of questions people asked me in the comments on a video. This might be useful to other readers too.

A short video about power supply output filters.

It all started when I decided to make a video about power supply filters and what they do. I gave it a try, but realized the topic was too big to cover in a single video, so I ended up splitting it into two parts. The first part is about the input mains filter.

A real-world example of using a linear regulator to build a switching converter.

Not long ago, I posted a review of a 360 W power supply. I mentioned then that I was waiting for a package with a couple more power supplies, but more powerful ones. The package has arrived, and I finally got around to the first one: a 480 W model. So far, this is the most powerful power supply I’ve reviewed (apart from bench power supplies), and it also has some notable differences from the previous ones. But as usual, I’ll take a look, tear it down, and test it.

Today's brief review is about a fairly ordinary tool: drill bits. There's not much to say about them, and what could you possibly tell people about a small twist drill bit that they don't already know? Still, as usual, I'll take a look at them and try to put them through some kind of test :)

I once wrote a review of a cordless drill from MILWAUKEE, where I described modifying its original charger. Here, I decided to put the modification instructions in a separate, short post.

About a year and a half ago, I wrote an article about a homemade (well, almost) electronic load, and I’ve finally decided to take the project further.

Today I’ll talk about the simplest kind of power supply—more specifically, how to calculate its capacitor value and choose the right type. I’ll also suggest some better options for low-power supplies.