Hi,
I don't have a bench power supply yet (I'm saving up), but in the meantime I thought I'd make a basic bench power supply (using a LM317). I have a fairly basic understanding of electronics, so I also thought this would be a good opportunity to learn some more.
My first question is whether I need a CC / CV power supply or just a CV. Personally I would like to go for CC / CV, because I sometimes have a need to keep current limited when working with lasers, but this isn't really necessary as I have separate laser drivers. I mostly work with small battery powered things at the moment (I'm currently making a portable USB charger running from 2 3.7v 18650 Li-Ion cells), so I usually don't need more than 10 - 15v in power.
I understand that the LM317 is a good choice for this sort of application, but I am open to any other suggestions. What I need is a schematic that has more detailed information about components than most - e.g., the voltages of capacitors - because I usually don't know what sort of values I would need if they aren't printed.
I do have some experience with dealing with high energy circuits (although not the mains), so I wouldn't mind too much dealing with the mains, however I'd prefer not to - maybe I could use a plug-in adapter/transformer to power it?
Thanks in advance!