Laboratory DC Power Supply SPS-606

Google translated from russian to english – original source:

http://www.radioradar.net/repair_electronic_technics/measuring_repair/laboratory_power_supply_sps_606.html

This article was prepared on the basis of the experience of the only repair of the power supply unit
(PSU) SPS-606 by GOODWILL and does not claim to be completely complete in the material
presented therein.
Basic specifications and principle of operation
The SPS-606 power supply unit is a representative of the following series of switching power supplies
of the SPS series: SPS-1230/1820/3610/2415/606. The first two digits in the designation correspond to
the maximum voltage issued by the power supply, and the rest correspond to the maximum current. So,
in particular, the device considered below provides an output voltage of 60 V at a current of 6 A.
The power supplied to the load of all the listed power supplies is 360 watts. Their main technical
characteristics are given in the table.
Table. Main technical characteristics of the PSU series SPS

Parameter Value
<5 mV when changing the supply voltage
Instability
Voltage <5 mV when the load current changes
stabilization <5 mV (cf.)
Ripple level
100 mV (peak) in the range of 20 Hz ... 20 MHz
<3 mA when changing the supply voltage;
Instability
<3 mA when changing the voltage at the load
Current <3 mA (comp. Sq.) (SPS-606);
stabilization <5 mA (comp. Sq.) (SPS-3610);
Ripple level
<10 mA (comp. Sq.) (SPS-1820);
<30 mA (comp. Sq.) (SPS-1230)
10 mV (SPS-1230/1820);
100 mV (SPS-3610/606);
Digital Display resolution
100 mA (SPS-1230/1820)
indicator 10 mA (SPS-3610/606);
Measurement error ± (0.5% +2 units of the least discharge)

The PSU functional diagram given in the English operating manual is obviously intended only to
“confuse the enemy." Translation in the Russian version of the manual successfully exacerbates this
idea of the manufacturer. Therefore, in fig. 1 presents the author's version of the functional diagram of
the power supply. A separate description of it is not provided for in the article, since it is already quite
obvious.
 Fig. 1. Functional diagram of the power supply SPS-606, where:
1 - PWM controller of the main converter 9 - error amplifier 17 - VREF reference voltage source
2 - driver of the main converter 10 - circuit for setting the limiting current 18 - return wire repeater
3 - output stage of the main converter 11 - optocoupler for controlling the main converter 19 - PWM auxiliary converter controller
4 - mains voltage rectifier 12 - circuit for indicating the operating mode 20 - +12 V voltage rectifier,
5 - main rectifier 13 - circuit for setting the output voltage 21 - +5 V voltage rectifier
6 - internal load 14 - master oscillator 22 - remote control optocoupler
7 - regulating element 15 - output stage of the auxiliary converter 23 - output limitation circuit voltage
8 - current shunt 16 - voltage rectifier ± 15 V
Consider the principle of operation of the power supply according to its circuit diagram shown in Fig. 2
An alternating voltage of a 230 V network is converted to a direct voltage (approximately 310 V),
conventionally referred to in the + U circuit, using a BD101 diode bridge and filter capacitors C105
and C106 connected in series. Thermistors TH101 and TH102 of type N15SP2R5 are designed to limit
the charge current of the filter capacitors at the time the device is connected to the network (at normal
temperature, the total resistance of two series-connected thermistors is 5 ohms). In the future, as the
thermistors heat up, their resistance
decreases, and they practically do not affect the operation of the device. Common-mode choke T101 is
used to reduce interference from the PSU to the network during its operation.
If it is necessary to power the device from the 115 V AC mains, it is necessary to set the switch for
selecting the mains voltage located on the PS05P01F board and structurally located on the back wall of
the device, in the corresponding position. In this case, the filter capacitors are turned on in parallel to
the lower (according to the scheme) bridge diodes and the rectification circuit turns into a rectifier
circuit with voltage doubling. The above diodes under the influence of the voltage applied to them on
the filter capacitors remain locked all the time and do not affect the operation of the doubling circuit.
Through the fuse FU202, a constant voltage + U is supplied to the powerful output stages of two
independent DC / DC converters - the main and auxiliary.
Auxiliary converter generates three constant and galvanically isolated from the primary network
voltage ± 15 V, +5 V and VREF, necessary for the operation of the entire device as a whole. It is
assembled on a U202 PWM controller chip (UC3844), a Q202 transistor, and a T201 transformer. The
converter circuit does not have any features; it is assembled according to a typical switching circuit.
The U202 IC is launched after charging the capacitor C218 through the resistor R210 to a voltage of 16
V. In the steady-state mode, the PWM controller is powered (pin 7) from the secondary winding of the
transformer T201 and rectifier D201 C218. The same voltage is used as a voltage feedback signal and
is fed through the resistor R203 to the input of the FBU internal error amplifier (pin 2). The ratio of the
resistances of the resistors R203 and R204 determines its gain.The performance of the controller is
maintained by reducing the supply voltage to the pin. 7 to 10 V.
The PWM controller operates in the external synchronization mode from the generator, executed on the
U201 timer chip (P7555). The timer is powered by 5 V from the internal reference source of the
controller U202 (pin 8, VREF). The clock frequency is determined by the elements R201, R202 and
C213 and is in the range of 170 ... 190 kHz. From the output of the master oscillator, the clock pulses
through the emitter follower on the transistor Q201 are fed to the input of the RTCT controller (pin 4)
of the auxiliary converter.
The output stage of the converter (transistor Q202) is protected by a fuse F201 (1 A, 125 V).
The U204 controller (UC3846) of the main converter and the driver on transistors Q203, Q204 are
powered by + Ucc voltage from the same source as the U202 controller through the rectifier D202
C207.
The rectifier on the D205 diode and the +5 V voltage regulator on the U203 chip provide power to the
circuit for measuring the current and voltage of the measuring module (board PS05P02).
The bipolar supply voltage of all operational amplifiers ± 15 V is formed by a half-wave rectifier on the
diodes D206, D207 and capacitors C226, C229.
The main converter is assembled on a U204 PWM controller (UC3846), which is also switched on
according to its standard circuit, except that only one of its two output stages is involved.
In addition, to narrow the spectrum of impulse noise due to the occurrence of combinational
components during the operation of two pulse circuits, both converters operate from the same master
oscillator on the U201 timer chip. The pulses from the output of the emitter follower Q201 through the
capacitor C234 are fed to the input SYNC (pin 10) of the main controller U204.
The U204 controller is started and stopped at the SHDN input (pin 16) by the transistor U305, which is
controlled by the voltage comparator U401 of the remote control circuit and the output voltage
limitation (board PS05P03), which will be described below.
Pulses with adjustable duration from the BOUT output (pin 14) of the controller are supplied to the
preamplifier stage (driver) on the complementary transistors Q203 and Q204 and through the
transformer T201 to the key power amplifier on transistors Q205-Q208. Both secondary windings and
the corresponding pairs of transistors are switched in phase, that is, the transistors in the opposite arms
open and close at the same time. The magnitude of the current flowing through the open transistors and
the primary winding of the T301 transformer is controlled by the voltage drop across the resistor R231,
which is fed to the non-inverting input of the internal amplifier of the current sensor of the CS +
controller (pin 4).
The secondary winding of the transformer T301 is loaded on a rectifier assembled on diodes D301.1,
D301.2, inductor L301 and capacitors C304-C306. The rectifier circuit does not fall under any of the
known typical rectification schemes, but it can be assumed that this is a modified rectifier circuit with a
doubling of the current.
The voltage from the rectifier through the regulating element on the CMOS Q303 field-effect transistor
and, then, through the common-mode choke L302 is supplied to the main output terminals located on
the rear wall of the device and ensuring the passage of a maximum current of 6 A (for model SPS-606).
The terminals located on the front of the PSU are optional and are designed to connect a load with a
consumption current of no more than 3 A.
The control element on the Q303 transistor is controlled by both the output voltage control circuit
assembled on the op amp U302.1 and the current control circuit on the op amp U302.4.
The PSU provides a LED circuit for the current mode of operation. The circuit is built on the OA
U303.2, included in the comparator circuit, and the LEDs D317 and D318 of the controller board
PS05P01F-4. The D317 "CV" (Constant Voltage) LED lights up when the transmitter is in output
voltage stabilization mode. LED D318 "CC" (Constant Current - stabilization of current) lights up
when the IP switches to the stabilization mode of the output current.
In the initial state, when all source controllers are brought to a minimum, at the outputs of both circuits
and, accordingly, at the gate of the Q303 regulating transistor, a negative voltage of about - (13.5 ... 14)
V is set. Relative to the source, this voltage is - (3 , 5 ... 4) B, which reliably holds the transistor Q303
in the closed state. The voltage drop on its source-drain channel is 10 V, which is determined by the
operation of the U204 controller of the main converter, controlled by an error amplifier on the OA
U303.1 through a galvanically isolated U304 optocoupler. The error amplifier compares the voltage at
the source with an auxiliary -10 V reference voltage generated by the op-amp U301-2, inverting the
+10 V reference voltage (VREF). The error voltage from the output of the op-amp U303.1 controls the
state of the transistor of the optocoupler U304,which sets the voltage at the inverting input of the
internal error amplifier INV (pin 6). The collector of the optocoupler transistor, to reduce the influence
of external factors, is powered from the internal source of stable voltage +5 V of the controller.
Thus, the main converter circuit always seeks to maintain the voltage drop on the source-drain channel
of the Q303 regulating transistor not exceeding 10 V.
The output voltage control circuit is built on the OU U302.1 and is an error amplifier that compares
the output voltage of the power supply with the reference voltage from the variable resistor VR309
(VOLTAGE) of the regulator board PS05P01F-4. This voltage is supplied to the non-inverting input of
the amplifier through the resistor R312, and the output voltage of the source is supplied to the inverting
input of the op-amp. When it operates in voltage stabilization mode, the resistors R311 and R313 can
be considered as elements of the negative feedback of the error amplifier. In this case, its gain is six
(from the expression: R311 / R313 + 1 = 6), which is chosen to bring the maximum output voltage of
the source (60 V) and the maximum reference voltage (10 V) to correspondence.
Consider the power supply in voltage regulation mode. To simplify, first turn the VR307 current
regulator (CURRENT) to the maximum position. At the same time, the “CV” LED lights up,
confirming the PSU transition to the considered mode. The error amplifier of the current control circuit
in this mode works as a comparator, its output voltage is reversed and becomes positive, but this does
not lead to the opening of the control transistor, since it completely drops on the resistor R319. Despite
the fact that after this, the voltage at the output of the voltage control circuit (and at the gate,
respectively) increases to - (10.7 ... 11) V, the control transistor still remains closed, since the voltage at
its gate remains relative to the source negative.
Now, turning the VOLTAGE voltage regulators upwards leads to the fact that the negative voltage at
the output of the op-amp U302.1 decreases (becomes more positive) and the control transistor begins to
open, reducing the voltage drop across the source-drain channel. The controller circuit of the main
converter stabilizes the secondary output voltage by increasing the width of the power switch control
pulses, thereby increasing the amount of energy of the filter capacitors C304-C306, which ultimately
increases the output voltage of the PSU until it reaches the value set by the VR309 regulator (with
taking into account the gain 6).
In the event of a decrease in the output voltage by the VOLTAGE control, all of the above occurs in the
reverse order.
The current limitation control circuit is assembled on the op-amps U302.3 and U302.4. A current
shunt R431, composed of two parallel-connected wire resistors with a nominal value of 0.06 Ohm,
serves as a sensor of the current consumed by the load. The voltage drop across the shunt is amplified
by a differential amplifier on the OU U302.3. The gain of the amplifier is determined by the values of
the resistors R326 and R342 and is 28.01. With the maximum permissible output current I N = 6.1 A,
the voltage at the amplifier output will be: I N · R341 k y = 6.1 · 0.03 · 28.01 = 5.13 V (where I N is the
load current, k y- gain). This voltage is supplied to the inverting input of the error amplifier at the OU
U302.4 and compared with the reference voltage supplied to its non-inverting input from the resistor
VR307 (CURRENT) of the regulator board PS05P01F-4.
Consider the operation of the power supply in the current limiting mode. Let the current regulator
VR307 (CURRENT) be set to some kind of middle position, for example. The source output is
conditionally loaded with a resistor. Increasing the output voltage of the power supply increases the
voltage drop at the shunt R341, linearly increasing the voltage at the output of the differential amplifier
U302.3 until it reaches a value equal to the reference voltage coming from the current regulator VR307.
As a result of the comparison, the error amplifier of the current control circuit U302.4 changes its
output voltage to negative, opening the control transistor even more. With this action, the feedback loop
of the error amplifier of the voltage control circuit U302.1 is broken, and it changes its output voltage
to positive.From this moment, the control transistor Q303 passes under the control of the current
control circuit U302.4. The "S.S." LED lights up, confirming the transition of the power supply to the
current mode.
In the current mode, the PSU operation is to maintain a constant voltage drop across the current shunt
R341. The output voltage of the power supply remains equal to the voltage at the time of transition to
the current mode. An attempt to increase it by the VOLTAGE controllers does not lead to a change,
since the D306 diode is locked by the positive voltage of the U302.1 amplifier.
The internal load of the PSU is designed to accelerate the discharge of filter capacitors when it is
necessary to reduce or completely remove the output voltage. The need for this becomes especially
noticeable with little or no load. In these cases, the transistor Q302 opens, connects the resistor R339 in
parallel to the capacitors C304-C306 and converts the energy of the capacitors into heat.
The reference voltage source VREF (+10 V) is assembled on the U301 op amp with a zener diode in
the positive feedback circuit. This design of the circuit provides high stabilization of the Zener diode
current ZD301, which, coupled with its high temperature stability, allows you to get a precision source
of reference voltage.
To ensure that a positive voltage appears at the output of the op amp U301 when the power is turned on
(which is caused by the peculiarity of the circuit used), its direct input is connected to a + 15 V source
through a resistor R306, and a diode D302 is included in the positive feedback circuit. The output
voltage of the op-amp through a current-setting resistor R307 is applied to the ZD301 zener diode,
providing a zener diode current of about 6.3 mA. Using the trimming resistor VR301, you can change
the gain of the op-amp to set the required value of the output reference voltage during the calibration of
the power source.
The main output of the PSU, the OUT + and OUT- terminals of which are located on the rear wall of
the device, involves a 4-wire load connection circuit. The need for such a circuit arises when using
connecting conductors with insufficient cross-section and in the case of a remote location of the load.
The voltage drop across the wires can reach units of volts, which will lead to a significant decrease in
the actual voltage at the load relative to the value indicated by the BP voltmeter. This phenomenon can
be eliminated by switching the inputs of the measuring circuits (S + and S-) from the output terminals
(M + and M-) of the power supply unit directly to the load terminals. To do this, remove the jumpers in
connector J308 of the PS05P04C-1 board (located on the back of the device), and release the released
terminals (S + and S-) with the load with an additional pair of wires, as shown in Fig. 3.The cross-
section of the measuring conductors in this case does not matter and can be significantly less than the
main ones, since the current flowing through them does not exceed 1 mA.

Fig. 3. 4-wire load switching circuit

In principle, if the connecting wires have the same resistance, then information from one wire is
sufficient to compensate for the voltage drop, if the corresponding coefficient is introduced into the
compensation circuit. For more critical applications, it is advisable to carry out separate compensation
for both connecting wires, which is implemented in the described BP. Compensation of the voltage
drop (or rather, its exclusion) on a straight (positive) wire is relatively simple - by transferring the
measuring point, as described above. With compensation for a fall on the return (minus) wire, the
situation is somewhat more complicated. In the BP of the described series, this problem is solved by the
presence in the circuit of an additional "floating" common wire (its symbol in the diagram is an
unshaded triangle) along with the main one (standard UGO of the common wire).
The circuit for the formation of a “floating” common wire is a buffer circuit in the form of a voltage
follower on the ОУ 302.2 and Q301 transistor, the voltage at the output of which exactly corresponds to
the voltage drop on the return (negative) wire. If the source operates according to the usual two-wire
circuit, then the potentials of both common wires are equal and no changes in operation occur. Since
the circuit elements involved in controlling the output voltage are connected to a floating common
wire, when switching to a 4-wire circuit, a voltage equal to the potential difference between the main
and floating common wires is added to the output voltage of the source.
The remote control circuit (board PS05P03) allows you to remotely turn on or off the output voltage of
the PSU. To do this, instead of a jumper on the T401 terminals, you need to connect any switch with
wires of the required length. Closed contacts energize the relay RL401, which with its contacts
switches the input of the output voltage control circuit either to the VR309 (VOLTAGE ") regulator or
to a floating common wire.
On the same board PS05P03, an overvoltage protection circuit is installed (English OVP - Over
Voltage Protection). The circuit is based on a comparator with a latch on the op amp U401, which
compares the output voltage of the PSU with the voltage set by the trimming resistor VR401. When the
output voltage does not exceed the set value, a positive voltage is present at the output of the
comparator, which opens the transformer of the optocoupler U305, allowing the operation of the main
converter U401. If the output voltage is exceeded, for some reason, the set limit, a negative voltage is
set at the output of the comparator. The LED of the optocoupler U305 goes out, closing its transistor,
and the converter U401 stops, the power supply, with the exception of the auxiliary converter, turns off.
PSU re-enablement is possible only after its short-term disconnection from the network. This feature
comes from the principle of operation of the latch comparator, which consists in the fact that its non-
inverting input through the D401 diode is connected to its output. In the initial state, the diode is locked
by the positive output voltage of the comparator and does not affect its operation. After the comparator
is “tipped over”, the diode opens with the negative output voltage of the comparator and its non-
inverting input is also under negative voltage. Now the rotation of the VOLTAGE controllers is not able
to return the comparator to its original state, since the voltage on them does not fall below zero.
The measuring module (board PS05P02) is designed to display the voltage supplied by the source and
the current consumed by the load. The voltmeter and amperemeter of the module are built on two
specialized ICs of the ADC type ICL7107 according to a typical switching circuit. A detailed
description of the module’s operation is not given, since the Internet is replete with circuit diagrams
and descriptions of various measuring devices on this still popular chip. Russian-Soviet counterpart -
572PV2.
Power Supply Repair
Repair of the described PSU instance was caused by the fact that there was an interturn circuit of the
primary winding of the T301 transformer. As a result, the source-drain channels of the Q205 and Q208
transistors of the IRF840 type turned out to be punched and the D211 diode of the MUR160 type was
short-circuited. Also, the current control resistor R231 0.22 Ohm burned out.
The transformer was restored on its own. Since it is saturated with varnish, before disassembling the
transformer was in a solvent of brand 646 for four days. After that, it was possible, without breaking, to
separate the ferrite core and remove both its W-shaped halves. The primary winding was divided into
two unequal parts, one of which is placed on top of the secondary winding, and the other underneath.
The upper half had 18 turns of copper wire with a diameter of 0.90 mm and, and the lower half had 20
turns of the same wire. Both halves are connected in series. The secondary winding of the transformer
is wound in parallel with two copper wires with a diameter of 0.85 mm and had 28 turns laid in three
layers.
You should pay attention to the diodes D210 and D211 in case of replacement. Diodes should be
ultrafast, since the frequency of the converter is high enough. Otherwise, the transitions of the diodes
may not have time to resolve, creating the possibility of a through current for transistors.
The transformers of the T201 and T202 converters were not understood, so the author does not have
their winding data.
Power Supply Calibration
After repairing the power supply, it is recommended to calibrate it. The following is a technique taken
from the operating instructions in English. In the Russian version of the instruction found on the
Internet, this part of the text is missing
As an exemplary measuring instrument, a direct current multimeter with a measurement error of no
worse than ± 0.1% is recommended. (For example, GOOD WILL model GDM-8145 or similar).
An arrangement of adjusting elements is shown in fig. 4.

Fig. 4. Location of adjusting elements

Voltage calibration
1. Connect an external reference multimeter with an error of ± 0.1%, set in the mode of measuring
direct voltage, to the output terminals of the power supply unit located at the rear.
2. Set the voltage regulators VOLTAGE COARSE (Rough) and FINE (EXACTLY) PSU to the
maximum position (fully counterclockwise).
3. The trimming resistor VR301 sets the readings of the reference multimeter to 12.5 V for SPS-1230,
18.5 V for SPS-1820, 36.5 V for SPS-3610 and 60.5 V for SPS-606.
4. The trimming resistor VR2 of the measuring module sets the voltmeter readings BP equal to the
readings of the reference multimeter.
Current calibration
1. The AMPS switch is set to HI (LARGE LIMIT).
2. Set the CURRENT COARSE and FINE current controls to the minimum position (fully
counterclockwise).
3. The voltage regulators VOLTAGE COARSE and FINE are set to the middle position.
4. Connect an external reference multimeter set to the direct current measurement mode to the power
supply output terminals located at the rear.
5. Trimmer resistor VR304 set the reading of the reference multimeter equal to - (minus) 0,00 A.
6. Set the CURRENT COARSE and FINE current controls to the maximum position (fully clockwise).
7. The trimming resistor VR303 sets the readings of the reference multimeter to 30.1 V for SPS-1230,
20.1 A for SPS-1820, 10.1 A for SPS-3610 and 6.1 A for SPS-606.
8. The trimming resistor VR1 of the measuring module sets the readings of the ammeter of the power
supply equal to the reading of the reference multimeter.
9. Turn the AMPS switch to the LOW position.
10. The trimming resistor VR310 sets the ammeter of the power supply to exactly half the readings of
the reference multimeter.
The author apologizes for any inaccuracies found in the diagrams or in the text, since the material
presented was obtained as a result of the analysis of the working copy.
Author: Valentin Posokhov (Petropavlovsk, Kazakhstan)
Source: Repair and Service

Publication date: 02/12/2019