Is Your Podpoint's Power Supply Not Enough?

[rauman]

Although I have previously stated that the podpoint pp-e-170209-1 pcb makes some very concerning arcing noises when the relays turn on and off, I have continued to use it. It appears to be the case with every podpoint I've ever had, so whatever.

My board only has two single-phase power relays, but there's enough space for four huge ones to switch three phases. These two, when connected in series, have a resistance of 78 ohms and likely draw about 150mA from the 12v rail.

I just built a cmos timer for the system, and it runs on a 12v rail fed by a 7806 regulator, a couple of 1000uF capacitors, a diode, and a 47 ohm resistor for some smoothing. A handful of LEDs are driven by the circuit, which uses no more than 10mA to demonstrate its operation. It would take a significant drop in the 12v rail to upset the regulator, since it is likely to be satisfied with a 9v input.

Regardless, I still get the same result as when I initially turn on my Rolec tester whenever I plug in the charging cord. As chatgpt suggested, I increased the capacitance on the podpoint board from 680uF to 1000uF, but I still don't get it.

The podpoint power supply may not even have enough juice to run its own relays, I'm not sure. What do you think?

[rauman]

Amazon.co.uk : Podpoint EV charger

[rauman]

https://www.amazon.co.uk/s/?search-alias=aps&field-keywords=automotive+LEDs

[rauman]

Amazon.co.uk : Tovip 15amp Diode Axial Schottky Blocking Diodes for Solar Cells Panel,15SQ045 Schottky(20Pcs)

[Maidaser]

Adding the timer supply could cause the 12V rail to dip at switch-on, since those relay coils already consume a fair amount of current. When the arcing noise occurs frequently, it can be a little unnerving.

[JamesStv]

In the span of six months, I've had three smart sockets from Ikea—all of which were returned under warranty—die due to welded relays; those cr#p little things really can't reliably switch mains.
For occasional use, I purchased a cheap oil-filled heater. When the built-in thermostat turns off, the room is illuminated by the flashover of the relay!