Help me choose a variable bench power supply - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / beginners

author: xz
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: April 24, 2025, 05:07:03 pm
content: Hello,First post on EEVBlog, long time lurker and EEVBlog Youtube channel enjoyer.I'm a radio amateur, and I just got back into tinkering with electronics. I'd like a variable PSU from AliExpress or Banggood, ideally at least to 60V. The 60V would be useful to test 50V capacitors and LDMOS transistors (I'd like to build a transistor linear amp one day). A PSU with not-too-massive ripple voltage would be great. I'm happy to spend up to 100 GBP or 130ish USD. Dual output would be nice, but I know that I can't get it all for a cheap price.Any suggestions would be most appreciated.

author: ME
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 24, 2025, 05:49:35 pm
content: Imho ,If it was me i would build a linear psu , use a 713 ic for say 3-30v and a l146 ic for higher voltages,the Lc-146 is available from aliexpress , lots of schematics about as well , clean from rfi to boot!.

author: BillyO
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 25, 2025, 12:35:51 am
content: Consider the Korad KA6005D. It's linear so the ripple and noise are very low. It's also heavy, so shipping might be high. To get dual supply you might consider two KA3005's. You can put them is series to get your 60V. Again, shipping will be the deterrent.

author: xz
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: April 30, 2025, 09:25:22 pm
content: Thank you for the advice. I've decided to go for two used power supplies from eBay. I got a linear 0-30V 0-3A, it's not too big. And the other one is a linear 0-75V 0-5A beast, it's big and heavy. I'll probably be using the 0-30V one for majority of my tinkering, but it's nice to have the higher voltage power supply too.

author: Old Printer
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: May 03, 2025, 01:53:56 pm
content: @XY I think you made the right choice. I was going to suggest this route until I saw you had already gone that way. In the US we have access to a large amount of vintage gear that was built to very high standards. Basic PS are a great place to take advantage of this, but often people who live in other countries don't have access to the same type of gear. I started building my bench about 8 years ago and was able to assemble an overabundance of analog supplies by HP, BK Precision etc at very reasonable prices on ebay. Not as spiffy as a new Siglent or Rigol, but a fraction of the cost with some careful buying.

author: BillyO
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 03, 2025, 02:27:56 pm
content: Certainly good quality used equipment can be a fantastic choice .. provided they are working properly. Even the "simpler" stuff from people like HP and many others can be quite a challenge to fix up and get working properly for the newbie. Unless they have some expertise working with them, I usually recommend new for the newbie.XY, let us know how this works out.

author: Solder_Junkie
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: May 11, 2025, 03:27:05 pm
content: I am also a radio amateur and have built a lot of equipment, as well as repair work.Before retirement I worked in the mobile radio industry where we used 10A 33V variable bench supplies that had adjustable over Voltage protection. We also had smaller PSUs that were typically 2 Amp 30 Volt.My oldest project, that has never let me down, is a variable supply that I made in 1976. I changed the analog meter for a dual Voltage and Amp LED meter a few years ago.Bench supplies seem to keep going for years, they often appear on the surplus market at good prices.