1/21/2026 - CAD Pt.1 ; First design prototype

21-01-2026

I started off by defining the features that this Power Station is going to have.
Since it was really going to be always on my desk, even when I'm studying, I wanted it to serve some other purpose other than powering up the electronics projects.
And by taking inspiration from YouTube and other platforms like Pinterest, I decided to include :

• A 3.3V fixed output
• 2 5V fixed outputs
• 2 12V fixed outputs
• A 0.5V - 40V 8A variable output using the SK150C module
• A XT60 port connected to the SK150C module to charge some batteries
• A USB charging module
• A wireless charger
• Fuses to protect everything, especially the fixed outputs

Everything will be put in an encloser made out of laser-cut and engraved 5mm MDF wood.

And with that in mind, I hopped on Solidworks to start by making the first design prototype, as I didn't have the idea fully planned in my head.

I started by making some holes, really just approximate dimensions, and some dimensions I could find on GrabCad.

I laid them in a way that would group each family of components together.

For example, for the 3.3V fixed output, you would have the positive and negative terminal, and the fuse, directly ligned up vertically.

For everything linked to the SK150C module, meaning 2 positive and 2 negative terminals, the XT60 port, and the fuse, are also put in a same block on the left.

I did that so that I can group them together using engraved frames just like I did with another project (check out the Educational Amplifier Model).

I also left space in the top right for the power switch, USB charging module (which I didn't choose), and a status LED and a switch for the wireless charger that I also didn't choose yet.

So after finishing the hole layout after a lot of prototyping, I proceeded by making the frames to group everything just like I said.

Here is how everything turned out up until now :

1/24/2026 9 PM - CAD Pt. 2 ; First assembly

22-01-2026

When I got the front face shape and approximate size last time and the major components placing holes, I went ahead to start designing the enclosure.

I first started with the side panels. Nothing special, just some teeth that would mate with the ones of the front side, mirrored them for the back side.

I saved a copy of it, so that I could have separate files for each side, to allow for modifications for each side on its own.

With that ready to be attached to the front plate, I hopped into an assembly, put all of the components that I could find on Grabcad, and that had mounting holes ready, and attached the new side plates to see how big this was going to be.

Threads always make my computer freak out when placing them in assemblies. It was a bit painful to do, but I got them about right.

1/24/2026 10 PM - CAD Pt. 3 ; Ditching the first design prototype

24-01-2026

When looking back at what I did in the design and some brainstorming, I decided to remake it.

I realized that I made the front plate bigger than the ATX power supply in width and height. This will make the need for an internal bracket to hold the PSU in place.

I wanted to avoid 3D Printing altogether since it can make the project more expensive.

I also couldn't see how I will mount the enclosure together without having 3D Printed brackets, while having it sturdy enough to transport.

I tried brainstorming with my friend on solutions for these issues.

My friend has more experience with MDF wood than I do, so he suggested shrinking the design, and using glue to hold everything together.

Glue is sturdy enough to hold everything together. And I also figured that I won't really need to transport the Power Station. If I have to do that, I'll lift it carefully from the bottom.

Anyways, I immediately started working on the new face plate, or the new design to be more precise.

I took measurements of the power supply, and started making the face plate with a few millimeters to spare.

Oh, and I also decided to ditch the wireless charger and the USB charging modules. They are quite expensive, and I don't see myself, keeping an old sketchy PSU, running 24/7, especially considering the fact that I got electrocuted while touching the heatsinks inside for "testing purposes", I guess.

BTW, I do want to warn everyone to avoid touching high power circuits, especially old ones since they have fewer protections. Always make sure to unplug the devices and leave some time to discharge the capacitors before touching the internals. Gloves are strongly recommended.

Here is what I did for the new face plate after a lot of prototyping :

I made it a lot smaller. The layout significantly changed, but for the better.

I truly think that this looks a lot better than the previous design.

I placed the variable output block on the top, the 3.3V, 5V, 12V outputs respectively on the bottom starting from the left.

I also decided to place the 4 fuse holders together on the left.

And finally, I made the frames to group the parts.

Overall I am really satisfied with the redesign.

1/26/2026 - CAD Pt. 4 ; Enclosure

26-01-2026

Since I edited the design and made it smaller, then the enclosure parts should also be revised.
I made all of the plates just like I did before.

Saved a copy of the front plate for the back one and removed everything from it except for the teeth.
Made one side plate and copied it.

And finally, the top and bottom plates and copied them.

Then, I put everything in the assembly to check if everything fits :

After that's done, I grabbed the original power supply my friend gave me, and took some measurements.

You see, I have to make a large cutout in the back for the PSU fan and power cord plug, and I wanted it to go perfectly with the slots of the PSU.

So I took measurements, and made the cutout on the back plate.

2/3/2026 - 3D Design Pt. 5 ; Text

03-02-2026

Now that I am very happy with the new design, and with the enclosure, I went ahead and proceeded with what will be engraved.

I first started by making some cuts in the frames so that I can fit text cleanly.

Then I placed the text for each compartment.

I made sure to make it big so that it gets cleanly engraved.

It wasn't really that easy XD

I really had to tweak and test with different text and cutout sizes to get the perfect mix.

Some components had to be moved so that the text doesn't really interfere with them or gets so close.

I wanted to engrave the fuse values on the right plate, making the same pattern as the front plate, but adding the fuse values in each circle, but I couldn't really determine the values needed up to this point, so I decided to give up this idea and instead make a sticker when I finish building the machine.

2/4/2026 - 3D Design Pt.6

04-02-2026

I bought all of the components needed for this project.

This allowed me to take measurements using a caliper and put them on the design.

Of course I left between 0.1mm and 0.2mm of tolerance.

Then I had to think about the ventilation.

The original PSU has a fan on the back side, and some vents on the top.

I made some cutouts exactly in the position of the top vents, so that the power supply would suck air from there and not suffocate.

I also made another cutout juste next to the PSU to cool down the SK150C module mounted at the front, as it is apparently prone to overheating.

And after verifying everything, exported DXF files, and sent them for cutting and engraving at my local FabLab.

2/5/2026 - Assembly Pt.1 ; I messed up :/

05-02-2026

I went to my local fablab in the morning to get my laser-cut parts.

I really like the cutting results.

I got back home really excited to start assembling the power station, determined to get it finished today.

I first started by mounting all of the components to the front plate.

The XT60 connector already had nuts. But when I tested M2 and M3 screws, none of them did fit.

I couldn't find M2.5 screws at the hardware stores in my neighborhood, so I resorted to using M2 screws and adding extra nuts and washers.

To insert the SK150C module, you had to carefully remove the power connector, insert the module in place, and re-attach the power connectors.

Here's how it turned out :

I am in love :)

Then I slowly started connecting everything together.

I didn't really want to solder anything to make the project easier to work on and repair in the future.

I bought a set of connectors and a crimping tool. So I used connectors to wire everything together.


After connecting the terminals to the fuse holders, and connecting the components that should go together, I grabbed the power supply and trimmed the connectors.

I used some domino connectors to group ground wires, and group some power wires to make them in parallel, to maximize current flow without inducing overheating.

For the power button (switch), I used one that has an LED light. I wired the power supply activation wire and a ground wire to the switch circuit, and wired the -12V and a ground wire to the LED circuit in the opposite way to have positive current flow.

I chose the -12V wire since it is a low power wire, driving about 0.15A, and it won't be used for anything else. So it was like an extra wire that I used to drive the LED.

For the variable output module, I gave it 12V through a fuse, and the output was connected to 2 sets of banana plugs and the XT60 connector in parallel.

I bought a set of ferrules connectors for the SK150C module, but then I realized that this type of connectors needed a different type of crimping tool, which I didn't find. So instead, I tried to manually squeeze the ferrules manually using some pliers, and the other crimping tool.

I didn't get it clean, and it really gave me a hard time inserting it in the module, but it fits, I guess...

I finished grouping all of the ground wires on the PSU sides, and all of the connections going to the SK150C module.

I was really excited to test the SK150C module since it is the coolest part of the project in my opinion.

I also insulated every wire that wan't connected, with the help of my dad as they were a lot of wires, using tape, to avoid any short circuits.

Since I didn't buy fuses yet, I took some aluminium foil and made it in a small cylinder to fit inside a fuse holder.

I plugged in the power supply and pressed the power button.

The SK150C module displayed a normal UI for about less than 0.5s and the screen turned white.

I thought that maybe it was a bug, so I unplugged the power station and plugged it back in. The screen immediately veered to white, and no matter what I did, it didn't post anything :(

I also thought that mmaybe the module went in its reverse current protection, so I checked the wiring and there was nothing wrong.

I think that I damaged the module; -$20

I did not have a load resistor connected to the PSU to act as a dummy load to stabilize the power output, but I didn't think that it would cause problems.

A lot of similar projects on YouTube didn't use one, and I thought that the SK150C module had internal protections. And even if the power output is unstable, it won't exceed in any ways the 40V of max input power of the SK150C module I think.

Anyways, I'm not use if this is the root of the issue, but I'll make sure to order a load resistor after trying to troubleshoot the issue and see if I'll need to order a new module.

With this, the project is now paused until I find a solution. I don't really want to buy a new module, as the project now costs a bit more than what I initially planned for, and I don't want to go even beyond.

2/6/2026 - Some Troubleshooting

06-02-2026

After damaging the SK150C module last time, I wanted to do some troubleshooting to see if I could get it back to work or order another module.

First of all, I tried plugging and unplugging it multiple times, and turning it on and off with the onboard power button.

I noticed that the power button, more precisely the LED, had a strange behavior.

It would randomly turn on and off, and the module could be brought to life by turning the encoder, and I don't remember that this is possible.

I tried checking the power outputs with a multimeter, but it had low battery so it showed random values.

I plugged a small motor, and a 12V AC adapter, that I tested the module with, before starting the Power Station project, and the motor was spinning slowly.

I tried adjusting the voltage by memory since the screen doesn't work, but the speed of the motor didn't change.

I tried connecting the module to the Wuzhi Link app using an FTDI converter like I previously did, but it didn't want to establish the serial connection.

I really didn't want to give up, as the module costs ~$20, so I dove deeper in the internals.

I checked if any IC, resistor, or capacitor was blown. Everything looked just fine.

I went on YouTube to see what a white screen usually means, and I found a YouTube video of a guy working on an Arduino TFT screen module, and he suggested removing a capacitor and it worked.

I looked into the main board in more detail, and I found a capacitor pad with the capacitor missing : C15.

I knew that this isn't the same module as the YouTube video, but I thought that the control circuits do share some similarities.

I pulled back my multimeter to check for continuity, to see if that capacitor was linked to the display, and in fact, it was !

So I shorted those capacitor pads do see if it would make any difference. It didn't !

At this point, I got pretty frustrated, and determined to determine exactly what the issue was.

So I went to a close hardware store and bought a 9V battery for my multimeter.

I powered on the SK150C module using a 12V 1A power adapter, and wired the multimeter to the outputs.

I tried again varying the output voltage, and this time, it showed some change. This narrowed down the issue to the screen, or screen control modules on the main board.

At this point, I tried to start looking for a replacement screen on AliExpress.

I pulled out the screen from the module, counted the number of connection points on its ribbon cable, and started looking for matching models on AliExpress.

I found one with a matching number of pins, but I couldn't check if it was the exact same model as the one I have.

The screen I have doesn't have any model number marked on it, so I couldn't determine the model and alternatives that could work with the board control modules.

I didn't want to take the risk, even if it was a cheap display. The problem could still be coming from the main board itself, especially considering the inability to establish serial communication and the random power button behaviour.

I ordered myself a brand new SK150C module. And the combo version that included a Bluetooth module for the mobile app is just $1-2 more expensive, so I added a Bluetooth module.

I also got a load resistor. Maybe since the ATX PSU hasn't been turned on for a long time, this time it had a big power spike. A load resistor should absorb this.

I followed this video to know how to properly choose a load resistor :

https://youtu.be/oNAl5ybyaS0?si=YftPs-zCdfy473J7

I think that he did a really great job at explaining everything.

I went with a 20 Ohm 50W resistor that will be plugged on the 12V rail.

And by the way, here are the specs of the ATX PSU I am using :

Looking forward to finishing this project very soon !

2/7/2026 3 PM - Assembly Pt.2 ;

07-02-2026

After getting my parts, I pulled back the project to finish it.

I first placed the PSU in its desired spot on the bottom plate and placed the front plate in its position.

I noticed that the wire mess is going put a lot of pressure between the PSU and the front plate, that would push both of these components apart.

This would cause a lot of problems since the plates will be glued in place, and this pressure would rip out the front and bacl plates.

So I trimmed out the wires that I initially wanted to keep for future upgrades.

I trimmed those wires short, but it still didn't solve the problem.

So I opened up the ATX PSU, insulated those wires, and flipped them inside of the PSU. This way, only the wires I am using are kept out.

I also shortened all of the wires that I initially made long so that I don't have regrets when they turn out shorter than expected.

I then proceeded by wiring up the load resistor and screwing it to the back metal plate of the ATX PSU.

I initially wanted to use wood screws, as they don't need nuts when penetrating though the grill of the ATX PSU. I tried with a lot of screws, but the ones that were perfectly sized for the grill, were larger than the load resistor screw holes.

I instead used M3 screws and nuts to mount the resistor. It was pretty painful since I had to manually place the nuts inside of the ATX PSU and hold it with my finger while the PSU is almost closed, because else the wires would be very short for the resistor's position.

I had to reposition it a few times since the shortest screws I have were long enough to touch some components inside.

I ended up ordering a 10 Ohm 50W resistor to wire it to the 5V rail of the PSU. Apparently this type of PSU calibrates on the 5V rail, so we need to stabilize it using the load resistor.

I ended up receiving a 8 Ohm resistor for some reasons, but it is quite better, as this will induce more current through that resistor, causing the rail to stabilize even more. But any lower than 8Ohm will eat up a lot of current from the PSU and wasting it.

I didn't have time to reconnect the front plate components since I have somewhere to go now, but I am planning to finish this project today !

Didn't do much this time, but at least I cleaned up some wiring.

2/7/2026 10 PM - Assembly Pt. 3 ; IT WORKSSSSS !!!

07-02-2026

After getting back home, I sat on my desk again to finish this project.

After looking at the PSU, I realized thatI made a huge mistake.

Having the wires hidden like that, squeezed between the PSU's shell and heatsinks can present a fire hazard.

I don't know if I mentioned this before, but I got electrocuted by touching the heatsinks before. Add the heat that can be coming out of them, this can melt the wires insulation and cause some very dangerous, high power shorts.

To solve this, I decided to completely remove unused wires from the PSU.

I tore everything apart and pulled the PCB to the side. I noticed that the wires were soldered in groups, so I tried grouping the unused wires to a same wire group on the PCB to remove them at once.

Apparently the solder is so old that it didn't want to melt.

I cranked up the soldering iron to the max (450°c indicated) to try and desolder the wires.

The soldering iron's tip got red, and still the wires didn't budge. I tried adding some new solder on top of the old one, hoping that they would mix and melt together. This helped quite a bit, but it still wasn't very easy. In fact I ended up bending the soldering iron's hot end when pushing the wires.

Anyways, after having all of the extra wires removed (except for some that were grouped with wires that are used), I discovered some new wires. I asked ChatGPT about them, and turns out that one of them was crucial, and I could have used one of the others :

• 3.3V sensing wire (brown) : This is used to monitor the 3.3V output so that the PSU could properly regulate its outputs. This had to be wired to the 3.3V output. Leaving it to the air will make the PSU freak out and make the outputs randomized.
• PWR OK (gray) : This is a logic output. It turns to high (typically 5V) when the PSU detects that the the outputs are stable and that the PSU is safe to use. I kept this wire thinking that I would connect it to the power button LED instead of the -12V wire. This would give me a much better indication of the PSU status. But I then remembered that the power button LED uses 12-24V, so I scrapped that idea. I could've used it for a relay to power the SK150C module once the power output is stabilized, but I didn't plan for that.
• 5V STBY wire (purple) : Just a standby power rail. Irrelevant for my project.

After reattaching everything together, and wiring up everything, it came the time for testing.

I didn't want to test with the new SK150C module first. So I unplugged it, and plugged in the old one.

I got some new 10A fast blow fuses, so I cleared out all of the fuse holders, and prepared one for the SK150C.

I first wanted to test a hot plug. I turned on the power supply with all of the fuses out. Waited a few seconds for the outputs to stabilize, and plugged the fuse. The PSU shut down immediately. I got scared that it might've been a short circuit, but when I checked, all of the wiring is ok. I tried again, same result.

Then I tried a cold start. I turned off the PSU, plugged the fuse, and turned everything on. The SK150C module turned on, still with a white screen, but it beeped. I tried again and it turned on. The encoder seems to work, as it beeps. I wanted to monitor the input voltage with my multimeter, but it showed me very random values which made me ill at ease.

Then I remembered that I have a Bluetooth module that I got with the new SK150C module, so I plugged it to the old unit to try and see if I can get the input voltage. The app connected successfully and the voltage showed 12.29V, well within the margins. Then I rechecked with my multimeter, and it displayed the same value. Apparently it was acting up before :/

Anyways, this encouraged me to test with the new SK150C unit, so I plugged it back in, and adrenaline got higher the closer my finger gets to the button.

Eventually, I had to turn it on, and IT WORRKKKSSSSSS !!!!!

Even when I turned off the PSU and turned it back on, the SK150C module booted successfully without issues.

What a great way to motivate me to finish this project tonight :)

I'll just take a quick break before the final dive into this project !

2/8/2026 - Assembly Pt. 4 ; Time Trial

07-02-2026 -> 08-02-2026

After being reassured that the most critical part of this project, the SK150C module, works fine, it was now time to finish what's left in the wiring and close everything up !

I am now left to deal with this mess of wires and find a way to tidy them up to make them more compact.

I first had to find a place for the ZK-BT Bluetooth module as it is an unplanned upgrade.

I ended up gluing it on the inner wall of the SK150C module, as it was the only place were I would have enough surface to glue it on using hot glue.

I tried redirecting some wires to make their path more natural and with less curves.

And when I became sure that there's nothing more I could do, I first glued the ATX PSU on the bottom plate in its desired position using a lot of hot glue.

I filled the place with hot glue, and placed the PSU. I unfortunately put it a bit sideways, and since the PSU is made out of metal and it is pretty cold, the glue hardened right away on the wooden plate.

I had a very hard time trying to pulling it so that I can re-apply a new layer of glue. I did so and glued the PSU in its right place (almost).

Then I brought white wood glue and an old paint brush to start gluing the frame together. I first tried to glue the left plate to the front plate. I put glue and then tried holding the plates by hand. I placed a lot of glue, and after a while of holding it, I noticed that it didn't stick, and that the big quantity of glue ended up being squished on the sides, and almost none of it was left on the contact surfaces.

So I thought, let's get pretty smart ! I pulled a plastic syringe, filled it with some glue and then attached the needle. I thought that this will help me minimize the amount of glue I put, but it did more then that : it ended up blocking it XD

The needle was too narrow for a liquid this thick. So I scrapped the syringe idea and reverted to using a brush.

This time I made sure to control the amount of glue I apply.

At first, it seemed like it was goind to hold on, but everytime I think about leaving it to dry on itself, the plates start separating. I didn't think that this is the solution that was going to hold a 3KG ATX PSU and 6 wooden plates together. Furthermore, my dad told me that wood glue needs too dry for hours, not minutes, and I didn't have any means to hold the plates together by themselves.

I dried the brush and closed the glue bucket !

I initially didn't want to use hot glue, as it doesn't always adhere to the surfaces well, but it really seems like the last resort. I also had a lot of tubes laying around, so I think that this is now the best solution left.

I left the gun heating for a very long time, to have some time to apply glue on each tooth and attaching the parts before it cools down. This also gives me a higher flow rate of glue to be quicker at applying it.

I started by gluing the right, then the left plate to the top plate. I used the back plate to keep a self-sustained 90° angle. This created like a hat that I was going to slide on top of the PSU and the bottom plate.

Now came time for the real time trial race !

I had to apply glue to all of the teeth on the left and right of the bottom plate. I had to very quickly apply glue to each tooth, and skip one tooth, this way I can still apply a uniform amount on each side. I also took the opportunity quickly to apply a lot of glue to the sides of the ATX PSU, as this would help hold the side plates with a larger contact area.

After that was done, I glued the back plate. I made a small mistake there : I applied glue on the wrong side :)

This is not a symmetrical part like most others, so I had to pull out the glue and re-apply it on the right side. Again, skipping teeth and running to glue it.

To add a clamping force, I made the PSU stand on that back plate to squish the glue to make for a better fit.

Then, when I was going to glue the front plate, I found that it did pretty much stick to its position by itself due to the friction caused by the 4 surrounding plates, so I ended up not gluing it. This will also enable me to make some small adjustments (like I needed to do to straighten the power button) and to show the internals to my teacher.

All of the gluing was done with the help of my father !

And finally, I fit all 3 fuses left for the fixed outputs to finish testing everything up.

I pulled my multimeter, checked all fixed outputs, and they all showed a right value within the limits.

I then checked the variable output, and the multimeter gave me the exact value displayed on the screen ; Pretty cool !

Then I hooked a small motor to the variable output to check that it can output some current without a problem.

That's it ! The project is done for now, until I decided to finish gluing the front plate !

For now, all of the fuses installed are glass 10A fast-blow fuses. I didn't do the math yet to determine the exact value to put for the fixed outputs. For the variable output, at 8A max output current and with an efficiency of 88% stated by the manufacturer, a 10A fuse is the most suitable one.

I'll update you shortly with the new fuse values.

I am really exhausted ! I spent all of this day working on this project, but I am really happy to have it finally finished !