cheap DC-DC converter with external serial or USB control ?

[JBeale]

My feeble searches for this have come up short. It seems possible, because of the existence of things like "DROK Buck-Boost Converter, 80W"  https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BQBXMH67 for only $22. I have one of those, and it works satisfactorily for my needs. You can control both the voltage and the current-limit separately, using one digital control knob and some buttons. The adjustment response is slow: apparently they are driving the DC-DC block with a PID loop implemented in software that relies on the slow ADC (maybe 0.5 sec per update) that also drives the I and V display, so in response to a step change, you can observe the voltage and current bounce around for several seconds, before settling.

At any rate it's good enough for my project, and it is clearly using a MCU with strictly digital inputs; several switches and the push / turn rotary encoder control. I guess I could hack those, but I'm just wondering if anyone took the next step and offers a similar item with external serial port or USB port that accepts voltage and/or current setpoints. I understand "programmable power supply" is a standard item, but the models I know about are in a different price class, in exchange for better performance in ways I don't actually need. Given the existence proof of a $22 item, I was imagining a serial-control-capable version of the same thing might be only slightly more.

[KungFuJosh]

These are good: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09B1NW9NH/

I use variations of that in my tube tracers. I have that one in my current tracer with the intent of controlling it over Bluetooth, but haven't tested that part out yet. It comes with USB and BT boards.

[JBeale]

Great, that looks exactly like what I was thinking about, thank you!

The user manual that Amazon links to only mentions using a provided Windows program, but I see that full user control details are available in a nice review at

 

which describes a very usable python program that allows for all the control you probably need under script control from https://github.com/TheHWcave/DPS5005-control
(which is all I need) or if that's not enough, the modbus protocol register description provided in the documentation folder at
https://www.mediafire.com/file/1bwi72wovy10oe1/DPH5005_file_%25282017.11.08%2529.zip/file

[KungFuJosh]

If I find the links, I'll share them, but people have gone crazy with that unit. I think there might even custom firmware for it somewhere. Do some googling and you might find it. There's all kinds of stuff out there.