Compact Low-Noise Bench-Top PSU - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / testgear

author: Faith
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: August 29, 2016, 03:27:00 am
content: Hello everyone. I've been looking to find a compact-ish bench-top power supply for some time but I'm a little stumped at the moment.Now I do realise that "low noise" and "compact" don't usually go hand-in-hand, but what's the best option?The Keysight E36100 Series has a form factor which fits my needs perfectly as I could stack two of them vertically to minimize on the amount of horizontal bench space utilized, but with 2mV RMS & 30mV p-p I'm not so sure.Another consideration originally was the Rohde & Schwarz HMP2030 since it's really slim. So that would work I guess. Ripple is 1.5mV RMS, no p-p value specified.Anything else I should look at? Budget is <1,800US$ and I need at least two (preferably three) channels with at least 30V/1A per channel.

author: Muxr
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 29, 2016, 04:00:22 am
content: For low noise and compact form factor I like Agilent(HP/Keysight) linear power supplies.. E3630A and E3620A are probably the closest to your requirements.

author: testmode
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: September 16, 2016, 12:16:02 am
content: Have you checked out the supplies from Matsusada?https://www.matsusada.com/product/psel/dcps/They may perfectly fit the bill for "compactness" but not sure on the "low noise" criteria, as you have also mentioned. I guess it's a tough stretch as compact usually means = switch-mode.On the other hand, they look nice in my opinion and would love to have one in my desk. Can't speak for its real-world performance though. Almost had one some time back but big company bureaucracy went in the way (the purchase had to be made directly to their office in Japan and our international purchase policies are well....meh)

author: nctnico
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 16, 2016, 12:27:16 am
content: Look for the HP/Agilent 66311B. These are low noise (electrically speaking) power supplies but they do have a fan.

author: Faith
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: September 16, 2016, 02:56:18 am
content: Quote from: testmode on September 16, 2016, 12:16:02 amOh wow, that really is tiny. In fact that might even betootiny, haha! But I really do like the form factor of the slightly larger R4GT Series which goes down to 0.5mV RMS, no p-p value specified.I'm definitely going to keep this one bookmarked. Thank you so much for replying to my thread!I actually just bought the Keysight E36103A (awaiting delivery) as I couldn't find anything else which fit my requirements.Ultimately despite it being a little bit on the noisy side at 2mV RMS & 30mV p-p I did like its small form factor, accurate output and measurements, and also the fact that the sense terminals are in front.Thus for my usage scenarios that would often mean one less DMM I need to have hooked up to my DUT.

author: raptor1956
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 16, 2016, 05:25:10 am
content: I looked over the Matsusada page but couldn't see anywhere where they confirm the type of power supply, but to be that compact I suspect they are SMPS. They do look pretty nice, but even there most precise ones seem to be limited to 10mA control versus, say, 1mA control.Now, for a lot of work using a SMPS wouldn't be a problem at all, but for circuits that are noise sensitive the filtering is not easy.I also did not see a price or where to buy them so...Brian

author: andyturk
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 16, 2016, 01:16:52 pm
content: http://www.aimtti.us/product-category/dc-power-supplies/aim-qlseriesnoise: 350uV RMSI like the TTi supplies because the front-to-back dimension fits my small bench.

author: TheBay
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: September 16, 2016, 02:17:51 pm
content: I like TTI myself,I have a TSX3510, it's superb.

author: testmode
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: September 17, 2016, 08:39:51 am
content: Quote from: raptor1956 on September 16, 2016, 05:25:10 amI couldn't seem to find it anymore but if I remember it correctly back when we were considering their supplies at work, I read somewhere that they are SMPS. At that size and voltage/current range it supports, they have to be.Quote from: raptor1956 on September 16, 2016, 05:25:10 amYup, this was one of the difficult part when we were trying to source them. I believe they only sell directly from their office in Japan. We were able to contact them by filling up the inquiry form in their website then a guy from Japan gave us a call a few days afterwards. They quoted JPY 67500 (~US$660) for the R4K36-1-L model. The R4K-80 model was at JPY 85000 (~US$830). Interestingly, there is a JPY 5000 "handling charge" additional per order. And shipping is not yet included too. This was about a year ago.Unfortunately, we were not able to buy from them due to difficulties in making international purchases in our company especially if the vendor is not in the "qualified suppliers list".Typical big company problems I suppose.Let me know if you are interested and I'll send you the contact info of the guy we talked to.