Choosing Voltage Regulator for IoT

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Thread Starter

FranChen93111

Hi,

I am trying to run a variety of relays for my IoT automation project.
- two Arduino Megas
- one raspberry pi

I don't know what type of voltage regulators or any other voltage source I should use or can use here.

For the main system, I have a 24V 30A power supply. Should I not or should I build linear voltage regulators for each of these use cases or use individual buck convertors for each use case or a buck-boost? Or should I use a Zener diode voltage regulator solution? There's also a battery in the system which will provide power to all those sensitive components during a power outage. I want to provide electricity(voltage and current) as clean as possible to my various sensors and the SoC and microcontrollers. What do you think I should use?

Thanks in advance.
 
Buck converters should work in all the discussed applications.

There are techniques to minimize ripple ( where this might be a potential issue). I'll let you know what I find.
 
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FranChen93111

@kellzwee ^^^

Can I ask you to elaborate?

What techniques should I use in a buck converter so that it reduces the ripple as low as linear converters and within the µV range?

And should I solely use buck converters? Or should I use a buck-boost converter?

And if you have a suggestion for the charging circuitry that might be used in this case, I'd like to know. I'm somewhat lost in this aspect.

Thanks again.
 
Unless you're wanting to enter the scientific/medical realm, there is (most likely no requirement to be so specific with such factors.

If you're staying in the 'home automation' realm then you really wouldn't need to adhere to those requirements. We rarely hear about 'μV ripple' requirements!

You'd get more 'ripple' from the power line noise.

Does that help?
 
The noise on a switching supply can be reduced by one of two ways:

- out a few turns of both output leads on a suitable ferrite ring core
- by passing them through a cylindrical core that is designed to go round a cable.

These can be very effective if utilized properly.
 
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FranChen93111

I'm planning to implement of medical sensors on the system. I intend to keep the overall electricity(voltage and current) as clean as possible with good efficiency.

I'll mount a high-resolution gyro and vibration sensor so that I can monitor the overall vibration of the building. There are often earthquakes here.
don't want any false alarm or even no alarm due to any ripples in the system voltage for these kind of critical situations.

What if I use a platinum grade computer power supply instead of any buck converters or any commercial switching power supplies? Will the computer power supply be more reliable and provide overall cleaner electricity under load? As the whole system will run 24/7/365.

Could anyone who has responded provide a more real-world example?

best,
 
A separate PSU can be used to suit these specificities. But overall your need for supplies with μV ripple is pretty overrated.

Find the specifications for the active devices being (or planned to be) used and they will state the power supply requirements. The only supply I can see from your comment that might require attention is those in item 3 - a total consumption of 4 watts.

Find a 3.3V high-grade power supply. I think that might work best.
 
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FranChen93111

Could you possibly provide an example of what kind of high-grade power supply you are talking about?

What do you think about the idea of using a full platinum grade computer PSU for this whole system?

Those PSUs also have all the necessary outputs that I might need starting from 3.3V to 12V.

So, I can also get away without using any buck converters. Will I get the same level of reliability, efficiency, and clean electricity using those high-grade computer PSUs? Would a buck converter approach be best?
 
Does this platinum high-grade PSU differ from any other typical computer PSU? Will all your devices be located in a place to take advantage of he PSU?

Worst comes to worst, proceed in a conventional manner, and address any PSU issues as they arise. You probably won't come across any.
 
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FranChen93111

Almost all the devices will be located in a single box without the relays.

The relays will be on the specific power outlets and points, but I have custom made relays with 330uF caps on each of the modules to keep the voltage stable throughout the transmission.

Maybe I made it harder than it needed to be. I'll proceed as planned and let you all know how it goes.
 
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