Electronics > Beginners
beginner bench power supply question before buying
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ergya:
Hi everyone,

First off if this is too much to answer because simple my knowledge is low on this topic can someone point me to a good read/book where I can learn more about this topic?

I'd like to buy a bench power supply. At the moment I am a complete beginner to EE things. I am sure I won't work with high current/voltage in the near future but I like high quality stuff and I don't want to limit myself if I need more power (and I especially hate when I have to buy a new something because the first one was compromised). So I am thinking of buying one of these:

* Rigol DP832
* AIM-TTI MX180T(P) for more power if I need in the future
As I am a beginner I need all protection I can get (shorting...) with reliable components so that I won't kill the PSU. Are there any other alternatives to consider? Is AIM-TTI regarded as a high-quality reliable PSU?

One another question, Dave talks about "floating" or "isolated" power supplies in this video (at 7.44): https://youtu.be/xaELqAo4kkQ?t=444. According to AIM-TTI MX 180T manual on page 7 here: http://resources.aimtti.com/manuals/MX180T+MX180TP_Instruction_Manual-Iss6.pdf

* "Both are fully floating and either can be connected to ground or to a terminal of another output".Are the 2 things (what Dave is talking about and what the manual says) the same?

Just to have better knowledge on this topic, if I compare for example R&D HMP4030 (if I am correct it is regarded as a high-end PSU) with AIM-TTI MX180T are these numbers make any big difference for a hobbyist?

Accuracy (reading):

* R&S: < 0.05% + 5 mV and < 0.1% + 2 mA
* MX180T: Voltage - 0.05% of reading ± 3mV; (± 30mV on 120V range) and Current - 0.3% of reading ± 3mA to 3A, 0.5% of reading ± 3mA to 10A: 0.5% of reading ± 4mA to 20ALoad regulations:

* R&S: < 0.01 % + 2 mV and < 0.01 % + 250 μA
* MX180T: <0.01% +5mV (CV mode) for any load change using remote sense.Line Regulations:

* R&S: < 0.01% + 2 mV and < 0.01% + 250 μA
* MX180T: <0.01% +5mV (CV mode) for a 10% line voltage change.Ripple & Noise:

* R&S: (between 3 Hz to 100 kHz) < 250 μV (RMS), typ. <150 μV (RMS); (between 3 Hz to 20 MHz) typ. < 1.5 mV (RMS)
* R&S: current ripple: < 1 mA (RMS)
* MX180T: Typically <2mV rms, <15mV pk-pk, 3mV rms max. (20MHz bandwidth).; (120V range: <4mV rms, <30mV pk-pk, 6mV rms max.)
Nusa:
The numbers you're comparing aren't going to matter much to a complete beginner. Or to many non-beginners for that matter, unless they have special needs. The fact one supply has remote sense capability is far more significant. A feature a complete beginner isn't likely to use for a long time.

But bottom line is either of those supplies is far better than most hobbyists start with, because either of them cost far more than beginners are usually willing to spend.
andyturk:
AIM TTi supplies are nice. I have a QL564T. The metering is very accurate and easy to see. The big 7-segment displays to look a bit retro, but they work. The knob is very handy. You can either grab it between your thumb and finger for precision tweaking, or spin it rapdily using the dimple. The thing is a beast though, in terms of weight.

I've only used the remote sense feature once or twice. It's a pain because you have to use the fiddly press-to-release connectors on the front panel with conductors that are entirely separate from the bananna jacks. On my supply, two channels are fully configurable, but the third is only good to 6V/3A. That's fine, and I use it to power USB devices while keeping the other two free. The ability to set/view limits in 1mV/100uA steps is super handy for the the battery operated projects I spend time on.

Is a $1k power supply in "hobbyist" territory? Depends on your hobby budget, I guess. You probably don't need a lot of "power" starting out as a hobbyist, or a lot of configurability either.

Buy what what makes you happy. If you end up spending many hours in front of it, the money will be well spent.
Hobby73:
Look at the Korad product line for an inexpensive bench power supply that has good specs.  I have one and it works great.  It provides up to 30V and 5A DC with mV and mA precision, which makes it a good general purpose unit. 

Unless you have specific requirements, which you don't appear to, I would not overbuy at this point.  If I were to buy again, I would consider a dual power supply.  But all the other features of my single supply Korad are more than sufficient for my low power projects.
rstofer:
If you want to do this thing just once, you should probably look at a triple output supply.  A common requirement is +-15V for analog and +5V for digital, at the same time.

I got along for decades with wall warts and batteries.  When I decided to buy a bench PS, I went with the Rigol DP832.  It is more than adequate for my needs.

Here is what is important:  A method for setting the current limit that doesn't require shorting the output and turning a knob while watching a readout.  A nice digital display that shows the voltage set point and the current limit, simultaneously, seems important.

With the DP832, there are really two current limits:  The first type of current limit is Constant Current and when the circuit reaches this current, the output voltage falls to prevent delivering more than this current.  The second type of current limit is Overcurrent and when the circuit reaches this value, the output shuts off.  Both of these help prevent damage due to mistakes.  Both are set on a digital display and the values are always shown, you don't have to go looking to find the setpoints.

I want those features.  If a PS doesn't provide them, I'm not interested.
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