I’ve been using the Buck Converters on my layout for about three years and they work great for regulating voltages. I have voltages for different accessories, 1.4 volts for 1mm 1½ volt micro bulb vehicle headlights. 4.5 volts for Miller Engineering animated signs, 5 volts for Arduinos, 8½ volts for the 12 volt Grain of Wheat bulbs in my structures and streetlights.
The $5 converters are powered from a $23 12 volt 30 amp switching power supply. Because of the switching type circuitry they produce very little heat. At full load only slightly warm to the touch.
I also use the Buck Converters to charge Lithium batteries as the video describes and spent hours seting them up, this video makes is very easy to set them up.
Under $2 each. Not as fancy, but I use one per circuit, not one to drive a whole bunch of things, since the 3A rating of these little things is absolute dreamland. Half that is more reasonable.
I figure, why pay over and over again for the ones with voltage readouts, when once you set them (using the voltmeter you already have), you never change them? A dab of fingernail enamel on the potentiometer screw after its set will make sure it doesn’t ever change.
For users of EasyEDA for PCB design, I have a footprint to PC mount these. Just solder 4 header pins on the corners, then solder that to the PCB of the project.
I have a single meter with a rotary switch on my control panel for checking the converter outputs.
I use the 300 watt converters for my layout. The highest current is the 8½ volt converter for my structures and street lighting at a bit over 6 amps, I’m not to far from my second 8½ volt converter.
I leave the meter on the 1.4 volt converter, I have about 300 1mm micro bulbs on that one. It runs a bit over 4 amps set to 1.35 volts.
