Hi,
new to all this and looking for a bench power supply, any advice for power range, voltage and other features would be greatly appreciated.
Im based in the UK so need to buy from a UK supplier or one that will dispatch to the UK.
At the moment im looking for something in the range of 50v 10A.
Is a self build an option?
Thanks for any advice.
Is a self build an option?
Not for a beginner.
Ten amps is a lot for a bench supply, what is your budget?
What do you make of this Bench supply
Or this one Cheaper but lower volatge
50V@10A seems like a very specific use is in mind. Is that the case, or was it an arbitrary number thrown out there?
If you are looking to get into this, you will eventually find you need multiple supplies, and unless you are getting into some high power transmitters, 5A and under normally fit the bill well. I have 2 identical Tenma CC,CV, 0-20V@5A supplies, plus a fixed 12V and 5V and a few multiport USB units with varying amps. Only once have I needed more than the 20V, and that was for calibrating an oscilloscope. I have come across some older HP/Agilent supplies, but never felt that I needed them.
What are you looking to get into? It would help with recommendations.
I bought one of these when it was on sale for about half that price. It works well and does most of what I need though for high power stuff I also have a couple of (fixed voltage) second-hand HP server PSUs (which can be had for peanuts).
Steve
if you're just starting out, you're better off With a wall wart. a fix voltage keeps you from applying too much voltage/current to your project. Once you have some experience under your belt, you can step up to a Lab type power supply. I recommend 30 V 5A to start with. If you need more voltage, buy a second one. they are stackable, you can get up to 60 V at 5 A or 30 V 10 A from 2 power supplies. having multiple power supplies is more versatile.
on my bench, I keep a selection of wall warts, 3 lab power supplies, and a couple of Hi current fixed voltage power supplies leftover from when I was doing automotive radio work.
Note: Do not try to stack the Hobby power supplies, only lab power supplies. and double check to make sure the lab power supplies are stackable.
im looking for something in the range of 50v 10A.
That's ... very big. I originally bought a 30V 3A supply, and rated it as one of my more useful impulse purchases...
You might want to check out the RD Tech line of supplies you can buy on eBay for ridiculously low prices (you'll need an external DC supply to run them.) DPS3003 Constant Voltage current Step-down Programmable Power Supply module NEW | eBay
There have recently been some very favorable reviews:
I bought this when I first starting out.
Not exactly the specs you are looking for.. but cheap enough.. and its a good, stable/decent benchtop power supply.
UK supply voltage is 240v not 110v
Definitely go for 30V rather than 20V if you can, definitely go for analog meters, not digital
(which are pretty useless for catching pulsing or spiking loads).
One of the key uses for the meters on a supply is to tell you if your new circuit you are commissioning
is drawing too much current and you need to react immediately if so - a moving needle is vastly superior
for this than rapidly changing numbers.
If you need to measure a voltage accurately, then a digital multimeter is the tool for the job.
Hi All,
Thanks for all of the replies, i hadnt realised id had any!
Ive done some googling and come up with a self build option (im only a noob to arduino, im an electrician)
I came up with 50v 10A because that will cover all of the DC applications that i can think of, Ill be using the arduino to control biggish DC motors for various CNC applications, and although 10A is big id rather over spec and under use than the other way arround.
i was thinking of getting something like this:
And powering it with this:
i know its Chinese but the reviews on Amazon seem ok and cheap enough not to matter to much.
Any opinions welcome
westfw:
That's ... very big. I originally bought a 30V 3A supply, and rated it as one of my more useful impulse purchases...
You might want to check out the RD Tech line of supplies you can buy on eBay for ridiculously low prices (you'll need an external DC supply to run them.) DPS3003 Constant Voltage current Step-down Programmable Power Supply module NEW | eBayThere have recently been some very favorable reviews:
EEVblog #1030 – $20 DIY Bench Power Supply! – EEVblog
yes the did catch my eye!
Loose modules connected with a bunch of wires will be horrible on a work bench.
Get TWO identical 0-30volt 0-3Amp (or 0-5Amp) lab supplies.
Then you have the option of 0-60volt/0-5Amp, 0-30volt/0-10Amp, 5volt and 12volt, or +12volt and -12volt for opamps.
0-30volt lab supplies could be cheaper than loose modules.
Leo..
MarkVK:
Hi All,Thanks for all of the replies, i hadnt realised id had any!
Ive done some googling and come up with a self build option (im only a noob to arduino, im an electrician)
I came up with 50v 10A because that will cover all of the DC applications that i can think of, Ill be using the arduino to control biggish DC motors for various CNC applications, and although 10A is big id rather over spec and under use than the other way arround.
i was thinking of getting something like this:
And powering it with this:
i know its Chinese but the reviews on Amazon seem ok and cheap enough not to matter to much.
Any opinions welcome
I bought a similar looking Chinese PSU a few years ago. 0-16 volts at several amps. And it does just what they say. It will do either 0-16 volts, or it will do several amps. It will NOT do both at the same time!
In other words, the regulation falls over at about 50% of the rated current.
Paul
you also have to provide a power source, for the power supply. This can be in the form of a lot of batteries, A transformer/rectifier/capacitor, Or some other power source. This can double your cost. You're better off buying a couple of good Chinese made, lab type bench power supplys. This gives you more versatility, you can double the voltage by connecting them in series, or double the current by connecting them in parallel. You can also connect them in parallel and get a positive/negative voltage. I do not recommend trying this with any other type power supply. I have never regretted purchasing my lab type power supplies. They have been very handy. And in the long run, I have saved money.
You're better off buying a couple of good Chinese made, lab type bench power supplys. This gives you more versatility, you can double the voltage by connecting them in series, or double the current by connecting them in parallel. You can also connect them in parallel and get a positive/negative voltage. I do not recommend trying this with any other type power supply. I have never regretted purchasing my lab type power supplies. They have been very handy. And in the long run, I have saved money.
Im Convinced! can you send me a link to the supplies that you bought please?
Loose modules connected with a bunch of wires will be horrible on a work bench.
Get TWO identical 0-30volt 0-3Amp (or 0-5Amp) lab supplies.
Then you have the option of 0-60volt/0-5Amp, 0-30volt/0-10Amp, 5volt and 12volt, or +12volt and -12volt for opamps.
0-30volt lab supplies could be cheaper than loose modules.
Leo..
Thanks Leo, as ive said above the general opinion seems to go in this direction, if you have any make /model that youd recommend that would cool.
Thanks for your help guys, much appreciated.
Here are two choices, they are similar to what I have.
The analog controls give you a fast easy method of controlling the voltage and current. it is kind of difficult to see the control knob pointers, so you never know exactly what position your knobs are pointing. I recommend changing them. the downside to this unitis you have to disconnect one of the leads or simply turn the Unit off, To kill the power.
The second unit is a digital control unit. You can type in the voltage/current that you want. You also have a button to turn the power on and off, without turning the entire unit on and off. Handy but not critical. Also when I purchased this unit the price was more in line with the other unit.
Either type units should give you a good stable power.
Note: the jumper leads on these units are pretty much junk. Get some good jumper leads. you will need 2 types, Banana Jack to alligator clips and banana Jack to banana Jack. Also, check the female banana Jack that are used in both units. Make sure your connection is good. On one of my units I had to change the banana jacks. The metal portion was way too short, and would not make a good firm connection. The lead was constantly falling out. Not good.
I also have a BK 1601. you'll see these on eBay. But I don't recommend them. This is an old power supply, these power supplies can only be found used. I'm not sure when they were manufactured, probably Built in the 70s or 80s. There were 50 V, 2 A. The good feature about this is that they cut off when a certain current has been reached. A bad feature on this one is has two steps for the voltage. 0 to 25 V and 0 to 50V. the meters are all analog, So other than the switch position, there is no indication of which voltage range you are in.
And as mentioned earlier I have a selection of wall warts that I also use. Always check the polarity and voltage on these wall warts, Before connecting them. Although the Arduino is protected, other devices may not be.
constantly falling out.
Thanks for that, i would be happy with either and both are easily within my price range. They dont fill me with confidence about being stackable though!
Im going to need higher currents probably and voltages possibly.....
have you tried this?
yes, I have stacked both, Without a problem. If it is sold as a lab power supply, They are supposed to be stackable. That's how you get positive / negative voltage out of them. In a lab type environment, it would be almost useless if they were not stackable.
Note: when placing these in parallel, in order to get more current, Use a voltmeter To set the voltage. Do not rely on the power supply meter. The voltage should be the same on each power supply. Also the current limit and draw on each should be equal as well.
Ok Thats fantastic thanks. 2 x digital job ordered, for once cheaper in the UK than the states!
MarkVK:
)I came up with 50v 10A because that will cover all of the DC applications that i can think of, Ill be using the arduino to control biggish DC motors for various CNC applications, and although 10A is big id rather over spec and under use than the other way arround.
You will probably find little use for that.
For CNC applications ETC you will be better off buying power supplies specific for the application.
MarkT:
Definitely go for 30V rather than 20V if you can, definitely go for analog meters, not digital
(which are pretty useless for catching pulsing or spiking loads).One of the key uses for the meters on a supply is to tell you if your new circuit you are commissioning
is drawing too much current and you need to react immediately if so - a moving needle is vastly superior
for this than rapidly changing numbers.
PSU with digital settings are useful , 0 to 30V at 3 or 5 A are good and you could get 2 or 3 for the price of the supply you suggest.
A good supply will have current limiting facilities but having analogue meters is a very big plus if you can find them these days.
I have a 40 year old 2 KOhm per volt multimeter that is still in regular use.