Breadboard Power Supply with Real-Time Monitoring
Interestingly, I’ve been wanting to write up the XIAO Powerbread product for quite a while. In a rare peek behind the scenes, we here at the Tindie blog only tend to write about products that are in stock at the time of writing. A while ago I came across the XIAO Powerbread and promptly bought one and, naturally, my purchase took it out of stock!
Now back in stock, the XIAO Powerbread is an excellent and clever breadboard power supply. While there are lots of breadboard power supplies available, this one has features that take it a notch above most. It offers two outputs of the commonly used 3.3 V and 5 V. With the built-in LCD display the onboard voltage and current sensing functions are clearly shown and updated in real time. It’s excellent to be able to see voltage, current and power use.
Supplied as either a kit or assembled the XIAO Powerbread utilises an onboard RP2040 IC and the entire project is open source. There’s mention on the product page that future updates might include additional functionality such as USB serial communication and even PWM control. However, as a robust power supply capable of delivering up to 1.5A it’s a fantastic tool to have on your desk as it stands.