00:00Hook, dead supply on bench, don't bin it
00:03Swapping one chip cheaper than new unit
00:06Dead power supply on your bench right now?
00:09Don't toss it
00:11Nine times out of ten the switcher I see popped and everything else, caps, inductor, diodes, still good
00:17Swap one chip, unit lives again
00:20Went digging for the best deals on switching regulator chips for exactly this, and these five are the ones I'd
00:25actually buy
00:27First up, the AOZ1021AI
00:30This is a synchronous buck regulator in SOP8, and that's the trick, sync means no external shotkey diode needed, so
00:37fewer parts to hunt down and one less thing to fail
00:40Runs up to 16 volts in, good for 2 amps out, so it covers a lot of router and monitor
00:45supplies you'll find dead
00:4710 pieces for $4.19, that's under $0.42 a chip
00:52Over 4,500 sold at 4.8 stars
00:56If you fix gear regularly, keep a strip of these
01:00Next, the MP2161GJ
01:04Fully integrated, 2 amps, and it switches at 1.5 MHz, that means you can use a tiny inductor and
01:10small ceramic caps, which is perfect for tight boards where the original chip sits in a crowded corner
01:16Input range is 2.5 to 5.5 volts, so this is your 5-volt and 3.3-volt railfixer
01:23SoT23-8 package, so it's small, but it's a real workhorse
01:28$2.40 for 10
01:31Highest sold count on this list at 4,492, 5-star rating
01:36Hard to argue with that
01:39Third, the TPS5410 in SOP8
01:42This one's the wide input guy, 5.5 to 36 volts in, 1 amp out
01:48That's the chip for 12 and 24-volt gear, wall warts, industrial bricks, stuff where the input can be all
01:53over the place
01:55Built-in compensation too, so fewer external parts
01:59$7.01 for 10
02:02Pricier per chip, but when you're fixing a 24-volt supply, a buck that survives the voltage swing is worth
02:08every cent
02:084,206 sold, 5-stars
02:12Fourth, the L7986 ATR
02:15This is the heavy hitter, 3 amps out, 4.5 to 38 volts in, still in a plain ESOP8 footprint
02:22When a supply calls for more current than a little regulator can give, this is what you reach for
02:28Also has adjustable current limit and a soft start pin, so it won't slam your output caps at power up
02:35$3.59 for a lot of 2 to 100 pieces, so you can buy exactly what you need
02:40Over 4,000 sold, 5-stars
02:44Skipped, a spec citations slash on-screen overlay timestamps add when you cut it in edit
