Author Topic: Bench power supply suggestions [intermediate level, undergraduate EE]  (Read 4992 times)

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Offline belzrebuthTopic starter

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Hi,
I'm looking at purchasing a power supply to replace my current one which is a Farnell LT-30/2.
I get by with the one I have but my main concern is the digital readout which I don't have and I have to check the actual output voltage with a multimeter every time. Im not doing anything critical but digital readout would be a nice thing to have.
Also 3 channels would be great (additional 0-5V to the main +- outputs as the need to power something that requires 12v/-12V and 5V is frequent.
Low ripple and noise are also required for many of my projects which mainly consist of audio circuits.
I'm currently looking at the rigol dp832 as I already have a dg1022z and a ds1054z but any other alternatives would be welcome.!
(My budget's upper bound is around the price of the 832.)
 
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Re: Bench power supply suggestions [intermediate level, undergraduate EE]
« Reply #1 on: September 21, 2019, 09:01:09 am »
My personal preference would be to go for a pre-owned HP or something similar, I'm not a big fan of any of the Chinese brands for serious work.
I expect they'll get there eventually, quality wise, but they are a long way off yet imo
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Offline belzrebuthTopic starter

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Re: Bench power supply suggestions [intermediate level, undergraduate EE]
« Reply #2 on: September 21, 2019, 09:44:52 am »
I was looking at the 6236B in order to get triple output but again no digital display..
E3630 would be another option for old HP but it is more difficult to find in good condition and ends up almost as expensive as the dp832 (which can provide a lot more current) including shipping and taxes to EU.
 

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Re: Bench power supply suggestions [intermediate level, undergraduate EE]
« Reply #3 on: September 21, 2019, 10:10:44 am »
Well, if the only bad thing about your existing psu is the lack of digital metering, how about one of these?

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Thandar-TTI-TS3023S-linear-bench-power-supply-PSU-0-30V-0-2A-triple-output/254336895974?hash=item3b37a90be6:g:VzQAAOSw5R5dXXO0


Or buy yourself a nice toroidal tranny and build your own  :-+
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Offline belzrebuthTopic starter

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Re: Bench power supply suggestions [intermediate level, undergraduate EE]
« Reply #4 on: September 21, 2019, 10:36:23 am »
Too bulky but thanks for the suggestion!
Building my own is not an option as I want it to be safe and reliable and it's probably going to look ugly if it's diy.
What's wrong with the DP832?
It's Chinese alright but Rigol seems like a solid company from what I read around.
I also have no problems with what I've bought so far.
 

Offline tautech

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Re: Bench power supply suggestions [intermediate level, undergraduate EE]
« Reply #5 on: September 21, 2019, 10:42:42 am »
Recent thread:
https://www.eevblog.com/forum/beginners/beginner-bench-power-supply-question-before-buying/

There is an issue with DP832 in that 2 outputs share a ground you need be aware of.
Others have been put off them because of this.
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Offline belzrebuthTopic starter

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Re: Bench power supply suggestions [intermediate level, undergraduate EE]
« Reply #6 on: September 21, 2019, 11:08:28 am »
So the problem lies if I want to have say +-12 and -5V ??
Meaning I can only have two truly independent voltages (ch1&2) or three independent voltages (making the appropriate connections) but keeping in mind that ch3 could only be +-5V?
If setting both ch1 and 2 to 10V and connecting say the ch1(+) to ch2&3(-) couldn't I get +-10v and -5V?
What's a practical use that's hindered by the dp832's limitation?
 

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Re: Bench power supply suggestions [intermediate level, undergraduate EE]
« Reply #7 on: September 21, 2019, 11:13:56 am »
The thing that puts me off is the inconsistent build quality; hand soldering in particular seems to be a skill in short supply.

Obviously everything is built to a price (lowest, best quality, best compromise etc.), I just think the Chinese gear is still on the wrong side of "best compromise" at the moment.
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Offline GerryR

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Re: Bench power supply suggestions [intermediate level, undergraduate EE]
« Reply #8 on: September 21, 2019, 11:29:59 am »
Try an older Tektronix PS280: 2__0-30 V @ 2 A ea. CC-CV;  1__5 V @ 3 A.  I don't know if you can still find them, but I have had mine for years, and it has been very reliable.
« Last Edit: September 21, 2019, 11:33:11 am by GerryR »
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Offline nctnico

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Re: Bench power supply suggestions [intermediate level, undergraduate EE]
« Reply #9 on: September 21, 2019, 11:46:25 am »
I'd recommend against getting an older power supply. These usually have very low resolution readouts so you always need to check the voltage with a DMM. Which is what you want to avoid. Besides the Rigol and Siglent PSUs already mentioned the GW Instek GPE-2323 is also worth considering as a lower cost alernative. If money is less of a concern then the Keysight E3631x series is very nice. Call me weird but I'd either buy the GPE-2323 or a Keysight E3631x series. The first has no advanced features and the latter has all the pros from the Rigol and Siglent supplies combined.

But do read the thread Tautech pointed to.
« Last Edit: September 21, 2019, 11:50:28 am by nctnico »
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Online 2N3055

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Re: Bench power supply suggestions [intermediate level, undergraduate EE]
« Reply #10 on: September 21, 2019, 11:50:04 am »
AIM-TTi makes good PSU-s.
 

Offline belzrebuthTopic starter

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Re: Bench power supply suggestions [intermediate level, undergraduate EE]
« Reply #11 on: September 21, 2019, 02:57:01 pm »
Anyone have the DP832?
Any complaints?!
I think this is my best option if buying new with my current budget..
 

Online themadhippy

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Re: Bench power supply suggestions [intermediate level, undergraduate EE]
« Reply #12 on: September 21, 2019, 03:44:26 pm »
Quote
but my main concern is the digital readout which I don't have and I have to check the actual output voltage with a multimeter every time.
Buy a couple of digital voltmeters that can be found all over ebay for pennies,and build a simple 5v psu.
 

Offline belzrebuthTopic starter

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Re: Bench power supply suggestions [intermediate level, undergraduate EE]
« Reply #13 on: September 21, 2019, 04:00:10 pm »
I thought of that too, but the 5V would require a separate 9V transformer and extra circuitry which I should mount inside the case which is already tight.
I could hack 5V in there if I wanted to but no CC.
I like the instrument as it is so I don't want to replace the meters with eBay displays etc.
An extra pair of terminals for the 5V should not spoil it for me but I don't like modding stuff in general if it's showing on the outside..
I've already replaced the pots with multiturn bourns and it made a world of difference but I don't think I want to put displays in there especially the noisy stuff you can find on eBay.
I'm going to keep using this power supply as it is just wanted a newer tool that would make it easier for me to dial in some voltages with more precision.

I don't like this power up thing..1V is not that low..I think I'm going to have to keep looking.
E3631A is nice..seems like very well built.
 

Offline Frex

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Re: Bench power supply suggestions [intermediate level, undergraduate EE]
« Reply #14 on: September 21, 2019, 04:35:26 pm »
Hello,

I own some month ago a ITECH IT6302 power supply from Aliexpress (about 300€ with shipping).
It's a very good unit, very pleasant to work with.Build quality is very good.
Note that the same unit is rebranded to Keithley 2231A-30-3  and B&K Precision 9130.

Regards.

Frex
 

Offline belzrebuthTopic starter

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Re: Bench power supply suggestions [intermediate level, undergraduate EE]
« Reply #15 on: September 21, 2019, 04:44:27 pm »
Hello,

I own some month ago a ITECH IT6302 power supply from Aliexpress (about 300€ with shipping).
It's a very good unit, very pleasant to work with.Build quality is very good.
Note that the same unit is rebranded to Keithley 2231A-30-3  and B&K Precision 9130.

Regards.

Frex
This is very interesting.Really good looking unit..I'm sure customs will appreciate it too when it gets here :D
But really, this is a very nice power supply.
I'm going to have to take a closer look.
 

Offline Vaiti

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Re: Bench power supply suggestions [intermediate level, undergraduate EE]
« Reply #16 on: September 21, 2019, 05:12:05 pm »
You can grab the ITECH IT6302 from Batronix, should save some customs hassle.
 

Offline Gandalf_Sr

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Re: Bench power supply suggestions [intermediate level, undergraduate EE]
« Reply #17 on: September 21, 2019, 05:16:20 pm »
Anyone have the DP832?
Any complaints?!
I think this is my best option if buying new with my current budget..
I have the DP832 but it thinks it's a DP832A :D

It's a REALLY nice power supply, don't know about the power up glitch thing. I changed the fan cos it annoyed me (I have a full thread on that somewhere here).
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Offline Vaiti

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Re: Bench power supply suggestions [intermediate level, undergraduate EE]
« Reply #18 on: September 21, 2019, 05:30:43 pm »
The two downsides to the DP832 are the unregulated power spike on bootup and Channel 2 & 3 sharing a ground. Other than that it is a very nice supply. Fan noise might also be a downside, but that is correctable and not all that noisey. It is easily hackable into a DP832A.
 

Offline maginnovision

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Re: Bench power supply suggestions [intermediate level, undergraduate EE]
« Reply #19 on: September 21, 2019, 06:20:59 pm »
I have the 832 and like it, the competing siglent is also nice but I would rather have a keypad for entry and fully adjustable(and monitored) channel 3 as opposed to 3 isolated channels but 1 just being a selectable voltage supply. It's like a very nice wall wart, all you know is the output voltage. I don't do much work with differential voltages though, and when I have I've used another supply. The siglent is much shallower than the Rigol too which can be a big issue depending on your workspace. The TTi supplies look good too but I haven't personally used one to compare performance.
 

Offline belzrebuthTopic starter

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Re: Bench power supply suggestions [intermediate level, undergraduate EE]
« Reply #20 on: September 21, 2019, 10:15:36 pm »
Great! Now I'm torn between the dp832 and the ITECH IT6302.. :-//
Any issues with the ITECH IT6302 that I need to be aware of?
 

Offline tautech

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Re: Bench power supply suggestions [intermediate level, undergraduate EE]
« Reply #21 on: September 21, 2019, 10:20:23 pm »
Great! Now I'm torn between the dp832 and the ITECH IT6302.. :-//
Does it give enough displayed info for your needs is the first question I would ask myself ?
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Offline belzrebuthTopic starter

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Re: Bench power supply suggestions [intermediate level, undergraduate EE]
« Reply #22 on: September 21, 2019, 10:30:59 pm »
I like the extra features of the Rigol but I wouldn't really mind just voltage and current display if the power supply is trustworthy and clean..Maybe less clutter is not a bad thing..If it's really good I don't see any reason not going with the ITECH even if I never heard this brand before.. Although having a LAN option would be great.
I'm going to have to look closer to the DP832A options that are "unlockable" on the the DP832..Maybe I could use some the advanced features and with these enabled maybe the Rigol unit would be more cost effective in the long run..
 

Offline tautech

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Re: Bench power supply suggestions [intermediate level, undergraduate EE]
« Reply #23 on: September 21, 2019, 10:37:04 pm »
ITECH have been around for years.

SPD3303X-E with its big bright display doesn't interest you ?
Yes and it's unlockable to the X model too !
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Offline belzrebuthTopic starter

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Re: Bench power supply suggestions [intermediate level, undergraduate EE]
« Reply #24 on: September 21, 2019, 10:46:09 pm »
I'm not around for years so maybe that's that.
I haven't looked at the siglent options yet..
Maybe I have to..
I'll watch a video or something of the SPD3303X-E..
There must be a lot of info available for it.
The most prominent reason price aside that I looked at the Rigol was that I also have two other Rigol units and the three of them would communicate easier (since it's unlockable even more so).

 


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