Benchtop power supply recommendations

Have Fun! Rich

This isn't really cheap, but it is super-spiffy:

John

Thanks for all the replies. I searched online before posting, but I do not know what is good quality and reliable. I looked at places like digikey, jameco and mouser. There is also mpja.com, but I was not encouraged by some of the reviews about them. Are there other places for electronic parts and equipment?

Thanks again.

Extech makes a lot of nice stuff. I've got some of their things (ir temperature gadget, air flow meter, sound level meter, whatever) and they all seem fine.

AADE's L-C meter is cool.

Buy a Fluke DVM... they're very reliable.

John

Well, yeah. You could try the local Radio Shack. The web site is, ahem, not very useful and the stores seem to shrink but maybe you find one that has some bench supplies.

Important: Always mind that the series transistor in any bench supply can short out and that it won't announce anything before it does. This sends the full rectified transformer voltage to the circuit which usually destroys it quite completely. What I do when I have really expensive stuff hanging on it or a one-of-a-kind client prototype: I place a resistor in series and a zener across, plus sometimes a fuse.

Regards, Joerg

Hello John,

The price isn't bad at all. But the enclosure? Oh man, now this designer stuff starts to encroach into electronics design. Does the LCD backlight flash in rainbow colors? I vote for keeping things utilitarian like it used to be. Then fanciness level shouldn't exceed that of HP gear.

Lascar makes interesting stuff such as USB stick data loggers etc. And the lady who answers when you call has that nice rightpondian accent. Their panel meter I needed more specs for wasn't a "meet'r" but a "meetah".

Regards, Joerg

I had that reaction at first, but I kinda like it now. It has a nice feel. And after just pulling an ugly grey HP608 RF signal generator off a high shelf (my back should be OK in a few weeks) I sorta like cute little instruments.

Incidentally, the power supply is a switcher.

Some of their DPMs are cute little round buttons. Neat designs.

Say, we could use a new RF signal generator: < 5 MHz to > 1 or maybe 2 GHz, low phase noise, no fancy modulation, just need a clean sine wave. Any suggestions? We'd probably buy used to get the best performance per buck, unless something radical has just been introduced.

John

It looks like it belongs on the dashboard of a sports car or motorcycle.

Does the curvature of the enclosure keep it from being stackable?

Go see if "Halted" still has some of those Zantrex supplies on hand. No paperwork and no power cord is a small price to pay for the deal.

Just checked: they stack nicely. They also have little flip-out bails on the bottom, in the front, and a sticky silicone strip on the bottom to reduce tendencies to slide around the workbench. This is seriously good design.

John

I've finally looked at it, and I wouldn't buy one. Too Retro Deco for my tastes. I like boxy stuff for utility use. Smooth curves are for women.

Cheers! Rich