possible to convert AC to DC for cheap???

[poopie]

i was pondering earlier and i realized you can convert AC ro DC very easily. theoretically you can just wire in a Diode and a high capacity capacitor and your electrical current will be pretty darn close to DC current. the price for a diode and capacitor is about 10-12 bucks. its just and idea so i'm not sure if it really works though. any electricity guros out there with any input??

[nitroboy2001]

yes it is possible to make Ac (Alternating Current) turn into Dc (Direct Current) There are several problems with this, and more than likely you need to solder a small circuit board, the dc current always has a positive and a negative, while Ac has a hot wire, and a cold wire, the hot is the one with the juice, while the cold is basically just ground wire, you would need some kind of regulator.....what application are you looking to use this with?

[mmmoy782]

Yea the basic idea is called the switching power supply. You can get some ideas from electrial engineering books or get a kit from radio shack or some other eletronic store, provided it suppiles ample current.

[ProjectTwin]

How much current do you need through the DC power supply? Rivergate offers a 30 amp DC supply that should handle about anything you need.

If you're looking for a simple 12VDC source for something like a charger, Radio Shack has an adpter that you just plug into the wall. The 12VDC comes from a jack that will accept a car lighter. I use a set of aligator clips and a plug to get power to my RX/TX batt charger.

Jason

[jeepinator]

Here is a power supply I designed quite a few years ago. Like about '90. I was in the NAVY and looking to refresh my electronics knowledge (hobby type stuff I guess).
Anyway, all these parts are probably still available through Radio Shack.
This power supply will supply a variable voltage output (0-14 volts or so) at 4 amps (the main transformer is usually the limiting factor). The output regulator is so tough that I accidentaly left the supply shorted out for about 16 hours once and it did not fail. The chassis and components were soo hot that in melted the carpet it was on, but the unit still worked!
At a dead short it will deliver almost 5 amps, so this will easily drive an RC charger of any type. The output is very clean, probably less that 100 millivolts of ripple.
Included in the schematic is an analog voltage meter, a cooling fan circuit (optional), a power on indicator, and an out put polarity reversing switch (optional).
If anyone wants a nifty project and has about $20 to spend on it (can go way up, depending on output amps and quality ofthe main transformer), this stuff is kinda fun. I know this works as 2 other people and myself have used this exact schematic with success.

http://www.theshreves.com/pics/ps_schematic.jpg

BTW, this is a NON switching power supply. It is much simpler, but also less efficient and requires a big, heavy, expensive transformer. You may be able to find some plans out there for switching power supplies (as mentioned above).

[ 09-16-2001: Message edited by: jeepinator ]

[poopie]

thanks for the responce. i was just looking at how much power supplies cost and just began wondering if it can be homemade. my electricity knowlegde is slowly fading from my freshman high school year.