LM2576 Stepdown converter encasing

thingiverse

I printed out those half-enthusiasts to connect other DC-DC converters for my various e-bike projects where you often have to convert the voltage of the main battery (over 36V DC) to something more usable like 5V for USB charging or 12V for lighting. I ordered those converters from Ali: https://de.aliexpress.com/item/32335860410.html Keep in mind that Chinese manufacturers are often quite generous with power limits. Also, those converters are not galvanically separated. If the converter fails you will see full input voltage on the output. I guess I don't have to tell you what 42V will do to the 5V USB charging input of your smartphone for example. A simple fuse at the output might be a smart thing. In regard to limits, I often play it safe. They list stuff like maximum output current of 3A and maximum power output under 20 Watts. I would never use more than 30% of this limit. Similar to input voltage, the converters listed in the link above are rated 5V-60V input voltage. For me using this for a 13S battery (13*4.2V=54.6V) as input seems somewhat okay while a 14S battery with 58.8V maximum voltage is a bit too close to the limit for my taste. I mounted the converter using black hot glue and only left the potentiometer accessible. I have had good experiences with hot glue in the past. It's very resistant to weather. If you want to play it safe, you could also use epoxy. If you use higher current levels, I would attach a small heatsink to the IC and leave it exposed to the air while putting circuit board itself.