Experiments with PIC16F628A

While prototyping your new project, you might want to know how much power your designed circuit will draw from the source voltage. One way to find it is to connect an ammeter in series with the circuit and determine the current drawn from the source. Then, knowing the source voltage you can easily determine the power. But doing this may not be always convenient. This project describes a special power supply unit that has built-in features for measuring the source voltage and current. Therefore, you can monitor both the parameters continuously while experimenting your circuit.

Introduction A variable DC power supply is one of the most important tools for an electronics hobbyist. In order to carry out an experiment you need a reliable DC power source that can be varied according to the need of the experiment. Last week I felt I must have one on my workbench, and thought to make one for myself. This design is very simple but is great for powering almost all kinds electronic projects. It uses LM350 (a 3-pin IC) to generate a variable DC power supply. I would recommend to read the datasheet before doing this project. The LM350 is an adjustable 3-terminal positive voltage regulator that is capable of supplying in excess of 3A over a 1.2V to 33V output range. They are exceptionally easy to use and require only 2 external resistors to set the output voltage.