6 Pack LM2596 DC to DC High Efficiency Voltage Regulator 3.0-40V to 1.5-35V Buck Converter DIY Power Supply Step Down Module

I built a Max97220 headphone amplifier/line driver/preamplifier and to prevent it ever being destroyed by overpowering the 5 volts DC limit, I used this power supply regulator. I blew up the first one with reverse polarity so I added two 1N4004 diodes to the front to prevent reverse polarity destruction. The diodes drop a few millivolts but better safe than sorry. Works like a charm. The resistor in the photo was just a dummy load for test and setup but I ended up leaving a 10k ohm resistor in parallel with the MAX97220 supply VCC to maintain an idle current of 0.5mA on the 2596 board. It also has an LED in series with a 1k ohm resistor drawing another 3mA. The 1N4004s turned the LM2596/Max97220 combination into a radio receiver so I connected the audio ground on the negative terminal of the LM2596 PCB and it ran 100% perfect and silent. Great little board!

Perfect item for my project...fast delivery

So far, so good. I bought a six pack of these voltage regulators. The first one I hooked up I messed up and reversed the input voltage. This immediately smoked the regulator; so beware that there is no reverse voltage protection on the input. This was completely my mistake, and not an issue with the product. I hooked the second voltage regulator up to my test setup, and it worked great. I used a 32VDC power supply salvaged from an old HP printer as the input supply. I tested the output with a high power 2kohm resistor. I was able to adjust the output voltage to a steady 12.00 volts according to my digital multimeter. The input voltage remained approximately the same as before I connected the output load. Then I switched the load to a small DC motor with a gear train attached. The voltage output remained very stable at +/- 0.01 volts from the 12.00 volts I had set with the resister test. Overall I'd say these are inexpensive and very nice little voltage regulators, and a good value for the money. I intend to add a little voltage meter and build a little benchtop power supply with this one.

The 10 units arrived inside of a box, sealed individually inside anti-electrostatic packaging. I hooked up each individual buck regulator and it's a 10/10 for me as far as getting working units goes. The potentiometer needs a solid 5 or 6 turns counter-clockwise for the voltage to come down, but I got all of them down to 5v from a 12v source. Did some quick load-testing by connecting power resistors to see if the voltage would drop, it did not. Unfortunately I don't have a scope handy so I can't comment on the output noise. I think as a simple power supply for home crafts and DIY projects these will suffice just fine. Build quality is perfectly reasonable, if anything I wish the through-holes were a bit bigger as well as the soldering pads, but it's still workable if one doesn't try to connect a 14G wire.

Did what they were supposed to do, but they do have to be adjusted with a load attached. I wasn't able to fine tune the voltage until after I put a load on it, but after that I found it easy to adjust. Though it took a lot of turns until I saw a change. Just use a bench power supply set right above your target voltage and adjust the buck converter down until you see the output voltage drop, then raise your bench supply to your target input voltage and readjust for your target output voltage. These do automatically handle changes in input voltage while maintaining a stable output voltage. Used approx 11mA @ 12v input w/ no output load. Tested with a 0.5 steady, 2A periodically spiked load and maintains a stable voltage without getting too hot to touch. I did install thermal tape connecting it to the chassis for extended operation.