Question: HP power supplies

[djf123]

I've been reading about which power supply to get, and all the recommendations I've been seeing have suggested that one should get a cheap old HP power supply and not one of those cheap new Chinese ones. I am looking to get a cheap linear power supply that has a small ripple. My question is though are all of the old hp power supplies more or less the same? For example I've been looking at the HP 6200B and the 6286A, but I know so little about power supplies to know what the difference is between them. Is there a big difference? And can someone recommend a particular model for me?

[CatalinaWOW]

I have worked with quite a few of that age power supply and they all seem to be nearly bulletproof.  Selection should be based on what you want to do.

Is current limiting important to you? Crowbar action?  How many volts?  How many amps?  How precise?  Tracking?  Remote control?  Voltage sense?  Noise?  Bandwidth?

If those questions don't make sense it is probably time to do some Googling before you buy any supply, new or old.  Or, buy just about any supply and keep playing until you find that it limits you.  Both answers are good in their own way.

[rdl]

This is what I use:



Caveats are that the buttons sometimes tend to develop cracks and fall apart and the earlier HP models had some "issues" that were later fixed in the Agilent versions. All of which can be dealt with. For example, the Agilent at the bottom has had two of the buttons replaced (89 cents each + some spray paint).

Another power supply that I like is the "Tektronix" CPS250. Not a lot of amps but versatile and covers all the basics.

[Paul Moir]

I have one of each.  A programmable high current (5A) Chinese power supply and an old HP similar to the 6200B.  I like having both as one's features often covers the other's limitations and if I need two voltages I have them.

Expanding a bit on what CatalinaWOW said, you absolutely want current limiting on at least one supply.  This helps keep things going up in smoke if you make a mistake.