2PCS Supper mini 3A DC-DC 3V 5V 16V Converter Step Down buck Power Supply Module
29 Dec, 2016
High noise level
Device uses the MP2307DN chip.
The output noise was quite high - around 200mV at just under 200khz (12v in 5v out) off load, increasing to 500mV at 0.5A. The spec sheet shows 20mV. The input and output capacitors are ceramic (as spec) but only half the values recommended. This will account for some of the additional noise. Not clear why still so much higher than spec.
The board I got had only 2 small vias to help conduct heat from under the chip to the ground plane on the non component side. Also the board size/area is around 2/3 the reference design that is good for size but will run hotter.
I did a test at 12v in and 5v 0.5A out and the board got fairly warm. The chip measured 75C at 16C ambient.
So overall I would suggest some thought of heat when considering the application. Extra cooling/heat sinking is probably a good idea if using above a couple of watts load, and is certainly needed to deliver the 3A rated capacity.
Noise levels will be too high for many applications. Adding capacitors to both inlet and exit (10uf and 22uf) will help but look unlikely get to the low levels on the datasheet.
The positive power tracks to the chip and chip to inductor are rather fine (~0.3mm) (different PCB to picture). This seems small for the current rating.
Overall I do not plan to use these or order them again - unless there is a fix for the noise.
Micro USB OTG HUB AND RJ45 LAN Adapter for Raspberry Pi Zero
23 May, 2018
Works great with Pi Zero
No drivers or messing around needed (on Stretch Lite). Just plugged it in, powered up and LAN/USB working fine. Great!
Leonardo Pro Micro ATmega32U4 16MHz 5V Replace ATmega328 Arduino Pro Mini
25 Jan, 2017
Great, especially mouse/keyboard emulation. Check clock 16/8MHz
Great part of the Arduino family. Especially good for keyboard/mouse emulation. The ability to set up a USB device so easily is amazing (check Arduino website for examples to get you started). One caution is to note there are two versions. One with a 16MHz clock for 5v interface and another with a 8MHz clock for 3v3 interface. Support for the latter is not included in the Arduino IDE - but I believe a plugin is available from the Sparkfun website. Programming with the wrong device set can 'brick' the board as the coms timing will be out by x2. Can probably be fixed but will be a pain to do so - so don't go there! Mike