Safe Power Supply Window

Kyrosfear

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Gentlemen,
Basically, I have three used Peter Chou switching power supplies. Two came from Tnt Amusments, and the third I pulled from another game. I have put each in my test cab and took voltage readings. All three are virtually identical. The best I can do is the 12v at 12.5 which puts +5v at 4.7. These readings are with full load and I know that can sometimes through off the voltages a little bit, but is this acceptable? I ask because I have other switchers that run at 12.1v and 4.9v with full load and I figured a ruling by the experts was the best course. Thank you for your time.
 
Is this the highest these will output or is this the lowest you can drive the 12vdc down? The 12vdc is unregulated and it is not unusual to see it as high as 18vdc. This is not normally a problem. The key voltage is the 5v line. If it is not adjustable within the 4.9v to 5.2v range the power supply likely needs to be rebuilt or replaced.
 
Thanks. No, I can put the 5v right on but that puts the 12v at 12.7v. If this is an "alright" range, then I will leave it alone, but I am just getting conflicting reports on which voltage is more important, and what an acceptable range is.
 
I'll agree, the 12 volt can be WAY off, as low as like 8 or as high as 16 and it won't cause a problem. Get the 5 volts right at the pcb and you'll be fine.
 
Thanks. No, I can put the 5v right on but that puts the 12v at 12.7v. If this is an "alright" range, then I will leave it alone, but I am just getting conflicting reports on which voltage is more important, and what an acceptable range is.

The most important voltage is the +5 and the the acceptable or ideal range is 4.95 to 5.15. Many boards will work without the +12 voltage as that is normally for the sound amps. If you loose the sound suddenly, you probably lost the +12.

Don't fret too much about what your 12 volts is at as long as the +5 is correct and your sounds are good.
 
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I wouldn't even bother measuring the +12v unless I was having sound issues on multiple boards. Many of these amps are designed for car audio applications and are happy to run on a wide range of voltages.
 
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