Work Desk Air Supply

Short instructable. I work best with having as many things at my fingertips as possible.My central work area (which I call my command station) has various monitors, power supplies, tools, computers, etc. for easy access. One of the things I decided I needed to add was an air compressor.

I took an inexpensive air compressor from a local department store which costs $12. It was designed to be a small compressor for use in a car to refill a flat tire.

I would have easily plugged the adapter into a converter plug, but then I would have lost a plug space. So, I cut the leads and decided to hard wire it directly into my bench power supply. I wired a +12V to a +5V in series to give me just over +16V (some loss due to connection and length). This is sufficient to run the air compressor. +12V direct line was just not strong enough on its own, probably due to some loss through the line and connections.

The power supply actually consists of two ATX power supplies and a 24V switching supply.

Once the compressor was properly powered, I just strapped it to the side case holding my power supplies. I placed an L bracket underneath and a strip of metal ribbon around the top for stability. This allows the air hose to fall beside it and is easy access for both the line and the power button. I can use it to compress air, blow away dust and shavings from my work area, run my model spray painter for delicate work, and a variety of other tasks. Having it this close just makes my work flow that much easier. Not sure if anyone else could use the same thing, but I enjoy it so thought someone else might.