A Little About The Its Power Supply, Reasons why it won't last long. |
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  Dec 13 2007, 04:36 AM
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#1
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Ok, well I don't want to pretend I know everything, It's been a while since I've done any electronics. Still remember the basics.
Power supplies would be one of those things. Figured I'd share my findings on the ITS power supply that came with my kit. It still works mind you, just not well. Odds are my machine issues are related to my power supply. What makes a good power supply? Well the quality of the components, the way the circuit board is designed, overload/surge protection good heat dissipation and quality of the output. The high end bench PSUs used in electronics will run in the 500$+ range. The ITS is not, what I would call, a good power supply. It's perfect for small circuit testing. Circuits like a LED chasers, or small LED VU meter. Things that don't need much power (500mA, 1A MAX). A tattoo machine can take up to 2 Amps. Something this power supply can handle, just not for very long. Here are some of the reasons:  I've built a few 0-5 and 0-12 volt power supplies for projects and finals at school. This PSU is very basic 5volt PSU with the regulator changed to give give 30 volts. Normally this wouldn't be a bad thing, but since a tattoo machine can take up to 2 amps the heat sink is not the ideal model. Also, the casing itself is not designed for the placement of the circuit either. Heat rises, so vents should have been cut on top, and not on the sides like it is now. Another thing is the lack of protection. The circuit has no IC (integrated circuit.. a chip basically) to project from power surges and overload. Good power supplies are designed to shut down before damage can done to themselves and whatever "load" is using it. The "load" is your machine is this case. And the famous analog volt meter. Just because it's analog doesn't mean it's not accurate. Unfortunately this one is. Good meters will usually have there own little power supply so they can do there job correctly without leeching power (Analog and Digital). The one that's used in the ITS, of course does not have this. It's plugged parallel to the power output, hence dividing the amps supplied by the PSU. What does this mean? Well the ITS power supply is not only giving power to your machine, but also to the needle.  This one shocked me. The whole unit is not even grounded, and a few wires are lose... lol So ITS is selling this stuff how much? 80$ USD I can tell you right now, you could build this for under 30$. The most expensive pieces are the knob, transformer and casing. The rest of the parts are all under 2$ each. Hope this helps a bit. Of course I'm missing a few details, but at least it gives you an idea why someone would need to buy a new power supply not long after one receives his ITS kit. -------------------- Loneferret
___________________________________________________ *** The comments expressed in this reply are those of it's owner, and does not necessarily reflect opinions of the rest of the moderating team or other forum members. *** "Freedom is a right for all sentient beings..." I want to become a tattoo artist so I can shed this geek image people have of me... |
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Dec 13 2007, 07:57 AM
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#2
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Great review loneferret, I use to have one and ditched it for a better power supply, i rember for small tats it was great. But god forbid if you have it on for 2 hours, the power load just totally bogs out.
-------------------- "TATTOO'S ONLY HURT IF YOUR A WIMP!"
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Dec 13 2007, 11:00 AM
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#3
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Wow...thats a break down product for your ass right there!
Good job man! -------------------- An OFFICIAL Hip Hop head since 1978
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Dec 13 2007, 01:50 PM
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#4
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i have an i.t.s mine that ive had for a few years now
it works fine for me .... i also have an eikon meter that i never really use at the shop i use a p.s that a close freind made special for me (its one of a kind) but if i have to travel i usually take the i.t.s mine it hasnt let me down yet and it cost less to replace than the eikon -------------------- i've got your mamma's maiden name tattooed on my arm...
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Dec 13 2007, 06:04 PM
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#5
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I have one of the ITS PS that is digital and has a toggle switch to toggle from a Liner to a Shader while both are connetced. I have found for some reason that my machines are all sputterin' with this PS versus my old small black $50 PS.
-------------------- Ink - It Does the Body Good!
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Dec 13 2007, 06:29 PM
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#6
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i second that supreme, mine does the exact same!! which is why its being placed well out of the way as soon as my cyclone arrives!
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Dec 13 2007, 07:14 PM
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#7
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do you think you could do a tutorial of what is needed to make a power supply I am totally interested and it would be good to know how a supply works.
-------------------- FUCK YOU www.EvilTattoo.com
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Dec 13 2007, 08:20 PM
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#8
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don't know if this is of any use but i picked up a grt powersupply from "Maplins" (not sure if u have them) for about £55 and wired in my own foot switch
it's a mason which goes upto 30volts 2.5 amp loads more than any tattoo gun will need i know ....but because the unit is designed for these higher frequencies it run happily all day at lower settings giving u a gd stable power flow. Specifications: Power requirements: 230Vac/50Hz Variable output: 0 to 30Vdc Maximum current: 2.5A Fixed output 1: 5Vdc/0.5A max. Fixed output 2: 12Vdc/0.5A max. Ripple & noise: 5mV Line regulation: 0.05% + 10mV Load regulation: 0.05% + 10mV Dimensions: 200 x 150 x 145mm Weight: 2.8kg anyway thought i'd share here's a link to the UK website http://www.maplin.co.uk/module.aspx?Module...=14m12#overview This post has been edited by Pink3unny: Dec 13 2007, 08:21 PM |
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Dec 13 2007, 11:48 PM
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#9
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QUOTE(mark @ Dec 13 2007, 10:14 PM)  do you think you could do a tutorial of what is needed to make a power supply I am totally interested and it would be good to know how a supply works. Yes, I'll be posting a tutorial in about a week or 3, depends on when parts arrive. I could type up something quicker, but I think it's better to have pictures of the parts then just an image of the symbol (some of them are pretty odd looking  )Hopefully all will go well. These are some of the specs. - output : 0-50VDC - current maximum : 3A. - current limit protection (fuse and auto shut-down) - reset switch when current limitation mode is working for start again. Will also have a digital volt display, and down the road either a Amp usage display or a frequency counter. I'll try it out first before posting anything. Thanks for the interest in my little thread. I'd be glad to build'em for anyone that asks, even perhaps a few custom add-ons like 2 outputs for 1 pedal type setup. Just don't expect an awesome looking casing...  who moved my post? LOL -------------------- Loneferret
___________________________________________________ *** The comments expressed in this reply are those of it's owner, and does not necessarily reflect opinions of the rest of the moderating team or other forum members. *** "Freedom is a right for all sentient beings..." I want to become a tattoo artist so I can shed this geek image people have of me... |
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Dec 14 2007, 04:10 AM
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#10
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QUOTE(skoda19 @ Dec 13 2007, 09:29 PM) i second that supreme, mine does the exact same!! which is why its being placed well out of the way as soon as my cyclone arrives! Ah ha! I KNEW it! SOB! Thats why its now on eGay and I'll be ordering a Cyclone next! -------------------- Ink - It Does the Body Good!
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Dec 14 2007, 05:09 AM
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#11
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mine died!!!
haha i cant try my forgiven machine out now... unless i can somehow get it to work.... its shitty... need to get a bigger better one... maybe i convert something else into a power supply -------------------- ][\][ (( )) ][\/][ //=\\ ][)).... says:
hahaha sifffffff im pure sex ☆ My Name Is Andrew ☆ *insert sadness here* ♥ Tattooing Is Life ♥ says: PURE BUM SEX! ☆ My Name Is Andrew ☆ *insert sadness here* ♥ Tattooing Is Life ♥ says: HHAHAHAAAHAHAHAHA ][\][ (( )) ][\/][ //=\\ ][)).... says: rofl |
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Dec 15 2007, 06:41 AM
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#12
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Would be really coool to have a parts list for building your own power supply. A wiring diagram would be nice too.
I went to tech college with a former tattoo artist who said he could make a better power supply then most of the stuff you could buy, and for a hell of a lot cheaper too. But he never did tell me what I needed. |
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Dec 15 2007, 07:08 AM
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#13
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?? lol
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Dec 15 2007, 08:54 AM
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#14
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QUOTE(loneferret @ Dec 14 2007, 07:48 AM) Yes, I'll be posting a tutorial in about a week or 3, depends on when parts arrive. i,d like to see that lferret may make a case from clear perspex and put neons inside lol I could type up something quicker, but I think it's better to have pictures of the parts then just an image of the symbol (some of them are pretty odd looking )Hopefully all will go well. These are some of the specs. - output : 0-50VDC - current maximum : 3A. - current limit protection (fuse and auto shut-down) - reset switch when current limitation mode is working for start again. Will also have a digital volt display, and down the road either a Amp usage display or a frequency counter. I'll try it out first before posting anything. Thanks for the interest in my little thread. I'd be glad to build'em for anyone that asks, even perhaps a few custom add-ons like 2 outputs for 1 pedal type setup. Just don't expect an awesome looking casing... who moved my post? LOL -------------------- monkeyrattattoos@msn.com ..... http://www.myspace.com/monkeyrattattoos http://forum.ink-trails.com/Rebuild-Machine-t9774.html
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Dec 15 2007, 03:28 PM
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#15
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QUOTE(mark @ Dec 13 2007, 11:14 PM) do you think you could do a tutorial of what is needed to make a power supply I am totally interested and it would be good to know how a supply works. The best power supply you can use is a small 12 volt battery with a potentiometer or rheostat in line. A small 33 amp hr battery (motorcycle or lawn type) would run all day long without the need for a charge. You could use a small battery charger at the end of the day or get a cheap "wall wart" transformer from radio shack and keep it plugged in to keep the battery charged. Your machines will run smoother and cooler, and last longer using a battery than on any power supply available. You could even take that cheapo ITS power supply and disconnect the tranformer and wire your battery in so you can use the meters and phone jack on the PS unit. All of my ham radio equipment ($1000's of dollars worth) are run off of batteries, even though I have several top of the line power supplies for them. Below is a pic of my battery bank (700 amp hours at 12 volts) used for my ham gear.  Anyway, just wanted to give you something to think about. |
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Dec 16 2007, 02:57 AM
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#16
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You're right, a good battery will give a nice constant flow of power, I agree with
you 100% on that. I started this thread just try an answer the question why are ITS PSUs are not that great quality. -------------------- Loneferret
___________________________________________________ *** The comments expressed in this reply are those of it's owner, and does not necessarily reflect opinions of the rest of the moderating team or other forum members. *** "Freedom is a right for all sentient beings..." I want to become a tattoo artist so I can shed this geek image people have of me... |
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Dec 16 2007, 10:40 AM
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#17
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I am also very interested in power supply. I have a Mastech PSU that I got because the Kaplan unit I had was inadequate. The Kaplan was putting out 16V all the time and that is too much for most tattoo machines. From what I can gather, they are using the pot to limit current instead of voltage and it doesn't work very well. I tried to rewire it to control the voltage instead of the current and I melted the pot as I have limited knowledge of electronics. I am trying to learn more about it now, but it takes up the time that I would rather be using to learn about tattooing so I've put this project aside for the time being.
The Mastech 3005-D is a 0 to 30V, 0 - 5A digital metered lab unit. I know it's not high quality, but it certainly works a lot better than the old Kaplan unit. I still notice a lot of fluctuation while my machines are running. I don't think all of it is due to the PSU, but like I said, I'm not an electronics technician. I have it plugged into it's own AC circuit, meaning that nothing else in the house will run on that circuit, but I sort of understand how AC works so I know the harsh reality of it. I'm not sure what electronics are in my unit to clean up the power, but I'm sure it's not great, and the circuits in the PSU are probably stealing the power that is running the machines. It has digital LCD meters, but they aren't back lit, so that should help. I wanted to fix the Kaplan to see if it was a cleaner power source, but ran into issues that are over my head for now. I tried to replace the old ceramic pot with a new one of the same range. I wired it in the same way as the old one, and the only change from before was that the output voltage jumped to almost 26V, burned a scar in my front spring immediately turned all the way down. I then went to gather information on wiring a pot into a power supply and tried to rewire the pot to control voltage and it worked for about 10 seconds until the pot melted. The old pot and this one were 25 Ohm pots, so I went back to reference and saw that most PS pots are 5K Ohm, so I went and got one of those and it melted as well. I put the old ceramic one back in and it got really hot, so I shut it down for now and need to learn more. I am assuming that you can't use a pot to directly regulate voltage and that I should not be messing around with this until I learn a lot more about electronics. If anyone can help me with this, I would GREATLY appreciate it. -------------------- An it harm none,
Do what ye will. Ink is for life, don't make it a scar! "In any attempt to learn things, a systematic method of study is required... In any case of trying to prove things, accurate measurements must be made. A world without measurements would be a world of chaos" Bill Baker. |
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Dec 16 2007, 03:40 PM
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#18
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A good fan blowing on the heat sink would help!Open up the case and u will find a heatsink with a fan.
Bottom line Heat(and dust) kills electronics! -------------------- Whatever dick weed!
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Dec 16 2007, 04:14 PM
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#19
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QUOTE(voodoo2 @ Dec 16 2007, 06:40 PM) A good fan blowing on the heat sink would help!Open up the case and u will find a heatsink with a fan. Bottom line Heat(and dust) kills electronics! Fan won't help if the component burns up within a few seconds. -------------------- Loneferret
___________________________________________________ *** The comments expressed in this reply are those of it's owner, and does not necessarily reflect opinions of the rest of the moderating team or other forum members. *** "Freedom is a right for all sentient beings..." I want to become a tattoo artist so I can shed this geek image people have of me... |
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Dec 18 2007, 01:50 AM
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#20
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here is the only problem with batteries. I'm sure they help the machine but not the artist. I know alot of lazy people that will let the battery get low and then they will try and squeeze as much out of it as possible before replacing or recharging. I know you tech guys here suggesting it wouldn't but i know some guys that still try and use calligraphy ink to tat with.
-------------------- FUCK YOU www.EvilTattoo.com
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