Help buying a power supply

[Ethan donahue]

So my 3d printer has a power supply that I accidentally broke, and now I need to buy another one. I looked on the back on the power supply, and this is what it says

AC INPUT 110/220V ± 15%
DC OUTPUT 12V 20A

I checked the voltage on our outlets and I got 120 volts. I am not sure if I can just buy another power supply with the same specifications, or if I have to get a different one. The reason I say that is because of my outlets voltage. I have two different ways I think I could have broken the power supply. 1, I kept printing things for 12+ hours for two days, 2, When I was printing for 12+ hours, I was at my sisters house for Christmas, and I think the voltage of her outlets are different from mine. The reason the power supply is broken is because I checked the power on the power supply with a multi-meter, and it was 4.5 volts instead of 12 volts. So to wrap things up this is what happened: I got the printer on Christmas, works for the whole time I stayed at my sisters house, I drive back to my house, I print a few things, three days after I was at my house with the printer the power supply failed on me. So my main question is, is my AC input voltage too high for the power supply?

 

[davenn]

Hi Ethan
welcome to EP

110VAC is referring to any mains supply in the 110 - 120VAC with a mean voltage of 115VAC
so shouldn't be a problem there

Dave

 

[KrisBlueNZ]

Hi Ethan and welcome to Electronics Point

Your original power supply is a "universal" type that will run from 110V or 220V using an automatic changeover circuit that detects the voltage. It is specified for ±15% voltage variation, which is 93.5~126.5V or 187~253V.

Since you're in America, your mains supply is nominally around 115~117V. There are voltage variations between houses and between suburbs, cities, etc, and the voltage also varies depending on the time of day, but it's not likely to exceed 126.5V at either your house or your sister's house.

The failure is more likely due to overheating from constant use.

The fault may or may not be in the power supply. A fault somewhere in the printer could be causing the printer to "drag down" the power supply voltage. If you can measure the current flowing from the power supply to the printer, you may be able to tell whether the fault is in the printer or in the power supply.

Alternatively you could just buy a new power supply and try it. I'm hesitant to recommend buying on eBay but at least the products aren't too expensive. Here's a suitable-looking power supply: http://www.ebay.com/itm/110V-220V-A...ing_Parts_and_Accessories&hash=item418f413d73

Here are some other possibilities on eBay:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/12-24V-2A-5...arts_and_Accessories&var=&hash=item58b97a5aae (select the 12V, 20A model)

http://www.ebay.com/itm/12V-2A-5A-6...arts_and_Accessories&var=&hash=item3f38de044c (select the 12V, 20A model)

You can also get known good quality unit for several times the price. Personally I would choose this option over a no-name budget product on eBay, but only if I was sure the problem was in the power supply. Here are some possibilities:

http://www.digikey.com/product-detail/en/QPDF-320-12/Q652-ND/2377492
http://www.digikey.com/product-detail/en/VF-S250-12A/102-2165-ND/2352691
http://www.digikey.com/product-detail/en/RWS300B12/285-2292-ND/4755629
http://www.digikey.com/product-detail/en/EMH250PS12/1470-1303-ND/4487684