DROK Buck converter for reducing 6V DC voltage to 3V DC voltage

[David Kilnapp]

Hello fan friends. You may recall a recent post in which I asked our members to suggest how I might reduce the voltage from a 6V DC battery (that I use to power my Manhattan No. 3 fan) to 3V. Many suggestions came in and the one I settled on was to use a DROK Buck Converter which you may purchase on Amazon for $14: https://www.amazon.com/DROK-Adjustable-Converter-Transformer-Protective/dp/B07JZ2GQJF?ref_=ast_sto_dp&th=1

This little gizmo comes unassembled and the directions for assembling it are not included.

The first thing to do before assembly is to remove the plastic covering from both sides of the plexiglass pieces. You'll need a razor to lift the corner to get it started. The covering is on both sides of the two pieces of plexiglass.

There are two red pieces that must be laid on top of the toggles on the upper right side of the device. There are also eight little plastic corner pieces. Four have points on them. Attach the ones with the points to the top piece of plexiglass with the points facing downward. The top piece of plexiglass is the one that goes over the digital readout. Use the screws provided to attach the four plastic spacers. Now place that piece of plexiglass over the top of the device so that the red toggles protrude through the plexiglass. Flip the device over and screw the remaining four plastic spacers onto the points that are protruding from the four corners. Make sure that the orientation of the rear plexiglass is correct so that you can access the set screws on the wire ports. Those need to be loosened before you insert the wires. The input wires go on the left side of the device (marked "in"). The positive input wire from the battery goes into the port marked "+". I use red nail polish to mark the ends of the wire which goes to the positive battery terminal. Now insert the last four screws to hold the rear plexiglass cover.

The device will light up when you attach it to the battery. Push the lower of the two red toggles (on the upper right side of the device) to turn the digital readout on. The top red toggle, switches between F0, F1, F2 and USB (there is a USB connection for output in addition to the wire ports). F0 shows the output voltage; F1 shows the input voltage and F2 toggles continuously between the output and input readouts.

On the bottom of the device are two tiny gold screws which are for adusting the output and input voltages. The screw on the left will adjust the output voltage. This must be turned about ten times, counterclockwise, to get the output voltage to reduce. Set the device to F0 so you can see the voltage that you want. Watch the video below for clarification.

The directions for using it are quite clear and easy to understand. I had some difficulting inserting the ends of the wires into the little input and output ports but figured out a way to do this. I soldered the wire tips to stiffen them and then used my one inch band sander to flatten the soldered ends until they fit nice and snuggly into the ports. That did the trick. I'm sure that there are better ways to do it but this way worked for me.

I set the output voltage at approximately 3 volts and it worked exactly as advertized. See the video below.

Edited April 21, 2023 by David Kilnapp

[Dennis Back]

David, even though this post is over a year old, I wanted you to know that I REALLY appreciated your posting it! As you know, I recently acquired a DC fan and was looking for ways to power it.  The Drok Buck works GREAT. It's hard to believe that it was so cheap (but well made), too!  You were correct whey you said there are no assembly instructions.  I almost sent mine back because it apparently had NO clear plexiglass top and bottom like yours.  What I found were two sheets of what I thought were thin, brown press-board. I went back to the listing (on Amazon) and saw a similar model and was going to order it and send mine back.  LUCKILY...I looked at the photos. There was a video.  Most of the videos in with the photos on Amazon aren't really helpful.  Low and behold....the guy in the video PEALS OFF a brown paper covering on the plexiglass!  It saved me from having to return it.  So THANK YOU for the post that keeps on giving.  😎