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Bought my first "bench" power supply 😁 (images2.imgbox.com)

submitted 1 year ago by lemann@lemmy.one to c/electronics@discuss.tchncs.de

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I've been in need of a bench supply for a while, up to this point I've been using little buck/boost boards with a multimeter to get the voltage I want when working on a project. The limitations of that started to show though, so I was after a more ideal solution.

After spending a while looking at various power supplies, I happened to come across this tiny adjustable supply. After binging a bunch of videos on it, I decided it'll do, especially compared to the absolutely chonky big alternatives.

Right out the gate, the aluminium casing feels amazing, but they could do with a bit of a stronger adhesive holding the glass screen cover in-place 🤦‍♂️ I'm personally not too bothered by this, but it doesn't set a good first impression IMO

A few seconds after pressing the glass back into place, the opposite end of the glass popped loose. At least I now know there are screws hidden under here if I ever decide to open this in future 💭

Aside from that, it has pretty reasonable specs for the size:

Dual input, either AC (mickey ears plug) or DC 7-28v (XT60)
30V 10A (max output 200W on DC, max 100W on AC)
Minimum output 1v 500mA
65W USB PD output (handy for the Pinecil I recently ordered to replace my old iron 😁)
200x200 IPS display
AC input uses GaN parts

When watching the videos a few people complained about the absence of an XT60 to banana jack. This may have changed at some point, as one came with mine

The internal AC converter appears to supply 19V into the unit, which you can use via the XT60 connector at the rear. Not sure if intentional or not, but pretty neat nonetheless - as long as you dont accidentally leave a lipo plugged in there 😳

I'm not sure if its worth the price tag ($60-120 depending on where you look) when you can get a RuiDeng clone for under $30. I mainly jumped for this because of the size, integrated AC input, and that 65W USB-C. Voltage ripple is a little concern at lower voltages where some components may not be so forgiving...

Happy with the purchase so far though, can't wait to start using this for projects!

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[-] asbestos@lemmy.world 11 points 1 year ago

Thank you so much for this post! I’ve been wanting a bench supply for years but never liked the fact they’re huge so I stuck with the same method as you.
Please give an update after a while, I’m really interested hows it goes!

[-] Eufalconimorph@discuss.tchncs.de 3 points 1 year ago

The small supplies are nice for size, but tend to have more noise than the big linear supplies. If you're working with low-precision DC circuits, or even stuff up to audio frequencies (basically still DC) it's not likely to be an issue. If you're working with RF circuits it's more likely to be an issue, though of course if they're not too close to the switching frequency it's easy enough to filter the output.

[-] asbestos@lemmy.world 1 points 1 year ago

Thanks for the info! Do you have any suggestions for low-noise supply that isn’t huge and doesn’t break the bank?

[-] Eufalconimorph@discuss.tchncs.de 2 points 1 year ago

The "isn't huge" is the issue. Linear supplies need a rather big transformer to work with 60Hz mains instead of chopping it up at 20kHz or more like switchers do. I've got a Siglent SPD 3033X-E (decent, reasonably cheap) and a BK Precision 9201 (better, more expensive).

[-] Shadow@lemmy.ca 7 points 1 year ago

Just to throw another option out there for people looking:

https://a.aliexpress.com/_mPBlw7A

I use a separate power supply mounted underneath my desk to drive it, so the presence on top of my desk is minimal. They have some rated for lower amps if you want to save a bit of money.

[-] linearchaos@lemmy.world 3 points 1 year ago

That thing looks awesome. $70 for just a head doesn't look too bad as long as the signals relatively clean. I see the power supplies in that listing for the two lower amperage models is there a power supply that mates up with this guy or do you just have to come up with something?

[-] Shadow@lemmy.ca 4 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

You can give it anything up to 60v or something like that. I just used a spare 24v PSU, but that means it can't output more than 23v.

I currently own the 6a model but need more and super happy with it, so I have the larger model linked above on order. I haven't figured out what to power it with yet, I'll probably just find some cheap PSU on amazon.

They give you data logging, and will even graph consumption on the display live.

I designed a mount to put it on my pegboard