High Power Switch-Mode Power Supply

Personal project · 0–20 A @ 24 VDC

A high-power switch-mode power supply capable of delivering up to 20 A at a regulated 24 VDC output. I designed the full system, including the high-frequency power stage, transformer, feedback loop, protection circuitry, and mechanical packaging. The goal was to build something closer to an industrial supply than a simple bench supply, with proper filtering, efficiency, and repeatable performance across a wide range of loads.

Full view of the SMPS during assembly.

TECH: SMPS topologies, MOSFET switching, transformer design and winding, constant voltage current source, thermal management and enclosure design

Gallery

Hand-wound high-frequency transformer with ferrite core + 22 AWG enameled copper wire.

PCB layout focusing on high-current paths and switching node routing.

Amazon purchased metal enclosure; fully grounded :)

Description

I started by defining the electrical requirements: 24 V regulated output, 0–20 A load range, acceptable ripple, and rough efficiency targets. From there I selected an appropriate switch-mode topology and designed the power stage around high-current MOSFETs and a custom transformer, which I wound and characterized myself.

On the analog side, I designed the feedback network, overcurrent protection, and input/output filtering to keep noise under control.

Mechanically, I laid out the PCB to separate noisy switching regions from sensitive feedback traces, paid attention to creepage/clearance, and integrated the board into an enclosure with proper airflow and access to measurement points.