What adjustable power supply - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: Jane
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: August 05, 2016, 07:02:45 am
content: I would like to buy an adjustable power supply for a hobby use. Can you recommend any?What kind of power supply do you use in your workshop?

author: ZeTeX
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: August 05, 2016, 12:12:56 pm
content: That's great, Would you also like your power supply to make you coffee at the morning? I don't know, you didn't tell us what you want from your PSU.What voltage? What current? you want current limiting? or only voltage limiting?you care about weight? about low noise and ripple? about extreme stability? about precision? about enclosure color?We need more information.

author: rdl
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 05, 2016, 01:30:45 pm
content: If you don't mind used, one good choice for hobby use is a Tektronix CPS250. You can find them on ebay for around $100-150. Some people might whine about the lack of digital meters, but it's never been a problem for me. I actually prefer analog for current anyway.

author: uncle_bob
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: August 05, 2016, 01:43:57 pm
content: HiWhat country are you in? Some places are far more "surplus friendly" than others. Here in the US or in some parts of Europe, used gear on eBay is by far the best answer to the "I need a supply" question. In other parts of the world, brand new gear at a much higher price actually is the cheaper option due to weird shipping, taxes, and duties.Best guess is that you don't need one supply, you need several. You can do that with a monster "many supplies in one" unit or with a couple of smaller supplies. Each approach has it's benefits. I would suggest that a dual output supply putting out +/- 0 to 25 V at about an amp is one thing you need. Something else that puts out 0 to 15 at several amps is also likely to come in handy.When you go surplus shopping, the units with digital displays seem to sell for more money. They don't *work* any better. In my experience they are less reliable (the displays die). They also seem to be more expensive. Power Designs is a company that apparently no longer exists. At one time they made great bench supplies. They show up at pretty good prices if you are willing to shop a bit. As always, your first search for surplus will turn up gear at 5X to 10X the going price that has been listed for ten years ... odd that it's not selling ...Bob

author: FireFlower
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: August 05, 2016, 02:17:40 pm
content: If you can order from farnell trough someone then you can look for TenmaUS recommendation:http://www.newark.com/tenma/72-8335a/power-supply-3ch-24v-2a-adjustable/dp/47X1648UK / Europe:http://uk.farnell.com/tenma/72-10505/power-supply-3ch-30v-3a-adjustable/dp/2251949

author: David Hess
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 06, 2016, 06:22:21 am
content: Quote from: rdl on August 05, 2016, 01:30:45 pmLack of digital meters? My Tektronix PS503A power supplies shake their fists and yell at you to get your analog meters off their lawn!For design and development work, I really like having a floating positive and negative tracking supply.

author: rdl
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 06, 2016, 04:48:41 pm
content: I really like the CPS250. It pretty much covers all the bases for entry level hobbyist electronics, with a few minor drawbacks. The dual supplies are pretty versatile.I actually bought a small digital panel meter to replace the analog volt meter but it's been almost a year and I still haven't installed it. The analog ammeter stays though. I like the bouncing needles when circuits are running.The first one of these I bought was a BK 1651 but I got to where I couldn't stand looking at its hideous mustard yellow/avocado green color scheme. Then I found out Tektronix had sold a version and ended up with the one in the photo.

author: MarkF
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 06, 2016, 09:46:23 pm
content: I like these little HP 6216 power supplies from eBay for $50 or less.

author: David Hess
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 07, 2016, 02:38:15 am
content: As much as I like old Tektronix equipment, HP has a lot of old but good power supplies and unlike newer ones including the Tektronix CPS250, they have full documentation.Off of the top of my head, I would look for an HP6236 (2 x 20 volts 0.5 amps and 6 volts 2.5 amps) or HP6237 (2 x 20 volts 0.5 amps and 18 volts 1 amp). The Tektronix PS503A is nice and what I use the most but lacks meters and is a larger investment since it requires the mainframe.

author: bitseeker
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 07, 2016, 04:18:58 am
content: Quote from: Jane on August 05, 2016, 07:02:45 amThere are so many to choose from since no single power supply meets all needs. I currently have over a dozen in my lab. What will you use it for and what power requirements are needed by those use cases?