Hi there,

Despite the obvious safety issues etc, I am very interested in building a transformerless power supply for my PICs. I am in New Zealand where the power is 240VAC @ 50Hz so most of the App Notes/Tech briefs on the web aren't quite appropriate for these conditions. I've been using rectifier diodes and or bridge rectifiers, a Zener, and some heavy duty resistors and caps. I've asked my friend who is an electrical engineer to have a think about it and he begrudgingly agreed so I'll see what he reckons. I was just wondering if anybody else out there has built a good/simple transformerless power supply to run on 240VAC @ 50Hz?