Powerline-USB-C

Powerline is a small 3HP Front Entry USB C Eurorack power supply.

Repository Layout

The Frontpanel and main PCB have a Kicad project with footprint and symbol libraries. The main PCB also includes a 3D render of the Frontpanel as a Footprint

Specs

• 12V 1000mA
• -12V 300mA
• 5V 1000mA

  Features

  Powerline uses the cheap and readily available CH224k IC to get 20V over USB-C PD. The power brick should supply at least 2A of current at that voltage (40W Charger and above should be fine). The 20V then gets regulated to a dual +/-12V and 5V supply by two N7812-1C and an N7805-1C and can be accessed by one 16-pin Power header. You can also omit the 5V rail and solder a 10pin header if none of your modules need 5V. Powerline uses a single LED powered by the 12V rail to indicate power. The PCBs are designed to jlcpcbs 2 Layer design capabilities to be compatible with most cheap PCB services.

  Parts List

  The only difficult-to-source parts are the USB-C connector and regulator ICs. I got both from Digikey. I also recommend sourcing the CH224k from a reputable supplier like LCSC to avoid broken parts. You also need two M2 5mm standoffs and 4 M2 screws that fit the standoffs (max. 4mm) to assemble the Module.	Part Number	Value	Information
  C1	0805 1uF 50V X7R	Decoupling Capacitor for the CH224K
  C2, C4, C6	1210 10uF 50V X7R	Input Cap for the regulator
  C3, C5, C7	1210 22uF 25V X7R	Output cap for the regulator
  D1	3mm LED	3mm radial LED with a nice color
  J1	Molex-2171780001	I selected this because of its excellent availability. You can even look at the Molex website to see where there is stock!
  J2	Power header	A 02x08 2.54mm pin spacing vertical through hole pin header, do yourself a favor and get a keyed one
  L1	1210 10uH	Look out for a rated current of above 600mA
  R1	0603 1k	Current limiting resistor for the CH224Ks Powersupply
  R2	0603 5k1	Current limiting resistor for the LED: if it's too bright, pick a higher resistance.
  U1	CH224K	The PD trigger IC
  U2, U3	N7912-1C	+/-12V regulators
  U4	N7805-1C	5V regulator

  Build Guide

  TODO I still need to build the USB-C version of this power supply, so I cannot confirm that it is working fully. Currently, there seems to be an issue with the USB-C trigger section.