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7) Switching Power Supply
The center area of the PowerPal pcb contains the switching power supply IC and suppor ng
components.
CAUTION! Components will become HOT when supplying high current loads!
TIP! The PCB is designed to act as heatsink, and the reverse of the PCB features
a continuous 2 oz copper ground plane which will become warm in normal use.
The PowerPal uses a switching buck regulator to efficiently drop VIN to the user selected VOUT
voltage.
It is not possible to output voltage larger than the input voltage, and the available output
current will depend on the input current. The output voltage will start to drop once you exceed
the power (voltage or current) available from your input power supply.
To minimise output voltage drop when powering high current (>2A) loads, ensure that VIN is at
least 1.5V more than your required VOUT.
8) Mounting Hole
The moun ng hole is 0.1 inch (2.6mm) diameter, with clearance around up to 0.2 inches
(5.4mm), suitable for M2.5 or #3 moun ng hardware
The hole has no electrical connec on, but care should be taken when using metal fixings, and a
Nylon washer is recommended.
The loca on of the hole makes it convenient to fix a 12mm (15/32") long nylon spacer, which
would act as a leg to support the PowerPal when inserted into a breadboard. Example: Digi-Key
part numbers: 1772-2059-ND (12mm Nylon spacer) and 36-29331-ND (6mm Nylon screw)
9) VOUT On/Off Pads
These op onal through-hole pads allow remote control of the VOUT state. When the on/off pins
are shorted together, VOUT will be switched off. The pads accept a 0.1" pitch 2-pin header.
VOUT ON/OFF could be controlled by a simple switch, or electronically by driving the ON/OFF
signal pin low using a microcontroller. The ground pin is surrounded by a white silkscreen
marking, and the signal pin is not.
Copyright © Parallax Inc.
.
PowerPal Module (#32133)
V1.0 11/20/2018 Page 5 of 6
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