Power Board 6

Power Board 6 - Multi-Rail DC-DC Converter Board

A flexible power distribution board featuring three cascading buck converter stages for rapid prototyping and R&D testing.

Overview

While working at Sable Systems International, I needed a way to quickly access multiple voltage rails during R&D testing without constantly rewiring power supplies. This board was developed to solve that problem by providing regulated outputs at different voltage levels from a single input source.

Features

• Primary Stage: 24VDC → 12VDC buck converter
• Secondary Stage: 12VDC → 5VDC buck converter
• Tertiary Stage: 5VDC → 3.3VDC buck converter
• High-efficiency power delivery optimized for multiple simultaneous loads
• Integrated protection and filtering on each rail

Design

The board is designed in KiCAD and includes:

• Full schematic and PCB layout
• Custom component footprints and symbol libraries
• Thermal and power analysis documentation
• 3D model for visualization and assembly planning

Files

• Power_Board_6.kicad_sch - Complete schematic
• Power_Board_6.kicad_pcb - PCB layout and routing
• Power_Board_6.kicad_pro - Project configuration and design rules
• 3D_Model.glb - 3D visualization
• Reports/ - Power analysis and design documentation

Getting Started

To work with this design:

1. Install KiCAD 10.0 or compatible version
2. Open Power_Board_6.kicad_pro to view the complete project
3. Review power analysis reports in the Reports/ directory before modifying converter stages

Use Cases

• Rapid prototyping with devices requiring multiple voltage rails
• R&D testing platforms needing flexible power distribution
• Educational demonstrations of buck converter design
• Reference design for multi-stage power delivery systems

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Developed for efficient power distribution during research and development work.