12VDC Power supply for etcher?

J S Machine

J S Machine

Well-Known Member
I was reading on the internet today trying to find information on plans to build myself an etcher. I ran across a person saying that you can use a 12v DC power supply. I figured I would give it a shot. That person said I would need a 12VDC 2.5 amp power supply. When I got to radio shack tonight, all I could find was a 12VDC 1.5 amp. I bought it anyway and came home to test it out. This is what I found. $25 for the power supply.

powersupply1.jpg


At first I hooked it up with the negative alligator clip on the tip of the blade and the positive clip on the end of the Qtip. I soaked the Qtip in saltwater. This produced a sizzling sound, but no results. So I swapped my clips and put the + on the blade and the - on the Qtip. Wallah :D it worked. It started dong something and actually turned the blade dark. This is a small cheap pocket knife I had laying around so I used it for the test. Hard to see in the picture, but the etch worked and the blade has a medium gray mark.

powersupply2.jpg


Are there any comments about this? Anybody ever tried this? Anybody know any pros and cons?

I ordered my stencils from Ernie yesterday, so I guess when I get them in I'll try those with it.
 
You will be able to etch with the power supply but you need an ac side to put the black in the mark.
Stan
 
My dad just built me (he's an electrical engineer) that etching unit that Josh referenced. I have to wait for my stencils to get here, but in my tests, it's working wonderfully.
 
I used a 6/12 volt battery charger with great success before I actually bought a real machine. I tried it with my motorcycle trickle charger and it worked too. I'm not sure but it seems they operate on the same prinipal. Anyway it worked.

Rudy
 
Check with Stephen Fowler. He uses a small battery charger and home made etchant solution and gets beautiful results.

Carey
 
I took the power supply back last night and picked up the parts and started on the new etcher with parts from Chris Crawford's website. Radioshack had everything but the transformer, which I'll have to order off of the RadioShack website. I got started on wiring it up and putting the rest of it together last night. I'll order the transformer thing in the next day or two and should be able to get the thing set up in the next week or two 2thumbs
 
The etcher on Chris Crawford's web page was designed by me.

Since its conception I have learned that lower voltage (12.5) from the center tap on the transformer will work as well and save your stencils. Get or make good stencils and you will get a great etch.
 
Hey Bob, thanks so much for sharing your design for the etcher on Chris Crawford's web site. You have helped so many people out.
 
Hey Bob, I just went back and looked at the etcher design on Crawfords site.

I see he advises the workpiece being negative, and the pad being positive.

Is that how you designed it?

It's the opposite here, I have a positive workpiece, negative pad...
 
I can't remember off the top of my head, it has been a LONG time since I built one. I can tell you that if you get them backwards it will not work. If that is happening, just reverse the wires.
 
Fellhoelter said:
Hey Bob, I just went back and looked at the etcher design on Crawfords site.

I see he advises the workpiece being negative, and the pad being positive.

Is that how you designed it?

It's the opposite here, I have a positive workpiece, negative pad...
Click to expand...

I haven't built the etcher yet, still waiting on the transformer from radioshack.com to come in the mail. I can't advise on that, but when i did this trick with the plug in power supply, the only way it would etch was with positive on the blade neg on the pad (or qtip in my case).
 
Based on some threads in other forums, it looks like most folks are wiring these up bass ackwards, using red as negative, and black as positive.

So, it may just appear that he advises the workpiece being negative, and the pad being positive.

Hard to tell because there is no real schematic...
 
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