19 Jan
2009
19 Jan
'09
12:10 p.m.
I still can't see anything wrong with a
good-quality mains
transformer in an earthed metal box with primary and secoondary side
fuses. That's what I normally uild to replace wall-warts.
Well, from the point of view of the people selling the stupid things,
the thing wrong with that is simple: the cost difference isn't nearly
worth it. Especially for mass-market consumer gear, almost everyone I don't like it either. But we (FVO
"we" approximating "those who care
enough") will have to pay the price of a good supply one way or another
in order to get a good supply, and I actually think I'd rather pay it
your way; then I _know_ the supply in question.
Oh, I'm happy with a commerically-built supply if I've seen the
schematics, know it has adequate protective devices and know the
components are adequately rated. I don't have to build it myself.
I too have some old stuff with power-brick supplies putting out
voltages like regulated +5 and +/-12, typically with something like a
DIN-5 connector. I treasure them. :) At $DAYJOB, among other things,
we (re)sell VoIP phones, and I've noticed that they used to come with
wall warts and now come with tiny little bricks with a mains-cord
socket rather than mains prongs instead. They appear to be switchers,
which has good sides and bad sides....
You may find those SMPSU blocks will work from either 115V or 230V mains
with now user adjustments. In which case all you need to do to sell the
product in any country is supply the correct mains lead [1], which is
probably easier than having to have a different wall-wart with the
correct outputs for the product. I assume the input connector on the
SMPSU is either an IEC plug or one of those figure-of-8 connectors, or at
least something stnadard.
[1] Don't get me started on moulded mains leads. I have about the same
affection for those as I do for wall warts, and for much the same reasons.
-tony