I've been trying to use the parts I already own to free up a little space and build some entertaining and possibly useful gadgetry. I previously built a bench power supply out of an old ATX PSU however that was a while back and could really use an upgrade. After watching this excellent youtube tutorial by JumperOneTV, I was inspired to build a version 2 based on his design and this is the result.

The unit outputs voltages of +12v, +5v, +3.3v and -12v using an arrangement of RCA connectors salvaged from a broken dvd player. I also added a USB port connected to the +5v line. All the electronics are packed into a small wooden box purchased from my local hardware store. Just needed to take the time to cut / drill the ports and sand them to a nice finish. Some of the components required a thinner wall to protrude correctly so I sanded back the inside of the port with a dremel.

The original fan had to be removed as it was too large and a mini fan was added to the top of the unit to exhaust the hot air. After being coated with matt black spray paint, all the components were soldered up to the power supply and secured with screws and hot glue. I made test leads by adding some alligator clips to the end of a standard RCA cable. The image below shows the units +12v connected to an old car stereo.

Considering the only parts I purchased was the box and ceramic resistor (to keep continous load on the supply), it's a very cheap project and the result is a useful gadget.