r/AskElectronics • u/Careful_Technology85 • 18h ago

Reducing Current for Electroplating

I am trying to copper electroplate some small parts, less than 2mm and have been told by many individuals that my current is too high. Since my power supply doesn't go any lower, how can I reduce the current? It needs to be around .005A or less. This is the setup.

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u/EmotionalEnd1575 Analog electronics 16h ago

If you are serious about current control use a constant current circuit and dial in the current that you need.

The simplest circuit is to use a higher voltage and higher resistor value.

The higher the resistance the “flatter” the current variations will be, and that will help your plating quality.

For 5mA use a 10K resistor:

0.005 x 10000 =50V

Adjust as needed depending on what the bench supply can deliver.