I don't think I've measured it open circuit, maybe 12 volts is a nominal value like in an automotive cct. I'll have a look and find out. Yep it's 12.18 out of mine. At least it gets the battery up to 70 percent enough for a start and pretty quickly as well.

Mind you for plating work, if twelve volts is enough to transfer the plating then it is definitely a winner.

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SooperDooperMiniCooperExpertEngineering

All garage work involves equal measures of enthusiasm, ingenuity and a fair degree of irresponsibility.

For plating it is not only the voltage but the quality of that voltage.

A very clean DC supply is required which is best gotten from a battery. Any form of supply that takes AC and makes DC will have a ripple on the output, this is not good for plating.

Obviously the more upmarket your supply is, the less ripple, but any ripple will affect the end result.

Steve

I think you will find a computer supply pretty clean for DC output. Motherboards don't take kindly to DC ripple either, and the power supplies will drop out if they detect a transient as well. Batteries are a little impractical for a role like this in that you may need to leave it for a day or more to plate.

Mind you, hooking a battery up across a vary poor supply is a good way of absorbing ripple and voltage droop.

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SooperDooperMiniCooperExpertEngineering

All garage work involves equal measures of enthusiasm, ingenuity and a fair degree of irresponsibility.

With plating you have to calculate the current per square centimeter of surface area to be coated - you need to be able to vary the output to get the required current density so if you can vary your voltage so you get from like 0.5 to 3 amp output I guess it would work

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David L


My greatest fear in life is that when I die my wife will sell my Mini and tools for the price I told her I paid for them!

Nah the computer power supply won't work then unless you change the amount of metal you have in there and watch the ammeter.


The same problem would surely exist on the photocopier power supply would it not?

By removing the conductors from the solution, or driving them in further would possibly reduce or increase the conducting area available to the solution as well. This might work to reduce or increase the current also.

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SooperDooperMiniCooperExpertEngineering

All garage work involves equal measures of enthusiasm, ingenuity and a fair degree of irresponsibility.