5 ms·

While this is fine for the home tinkerer, an ATX power supply doesn't provide any of the basic safety features that are one of the main points of a professional

by mrmekon 15y ago

While this is fine for the home tinkerer, an ATX power supply doesn't provide any of the basic safety features that are one of the main points of a professional lab power supply: protection against over-voltage and over-current. You really don't want your power supply to be damaged by a faulty circuit. And who knows how clean the power is. Most people who have a use for a bench supply should also be able to figure out how to make this box for $2 instead of $45.

HeyLaughingBoy 15y ago
You're not kidding. I used an old PC power supply bolted to the underside of my lab bench with a set of banana jacks on a panel facing the front for years. Then I spent a whopping $200 on a real lab power supply with adjustable current limiting and variable 0-30 volts and I've been using it for the last 15 years. Sure is nice to be able to set a comfortable 50mA when bringing up new hardware knowing that you can't blow anything up! That alone is worth the price. It's a nice project, but $45 for something you could build from $10 in parts in literally less than 10 minutes? Really?
- keenerd 15y ago
  I just picked up a new power supply. 0-20 volts, 0-3 amps, adjustable voltage, adjustable current. Digital meters for voltage and current. Only $80. I was shocked. (By the price, not by lack of proper grounding :-) It is even fully isolated, something I figured would have been cut for cost savings. Mastech HY1803D if you are curious. Working great so far, my only complaint is 0.1V thermal drift over a few hours.
fr0sty 15y ago
Can you make a power supply recommendation for the casual hobbyist? Edit: I mean a variable voltage variable current bench/lab power supply.
- r0s 15y ago
  For the voltages here any used ATX power supply will work. Instead of this box you could just clip the appropriate wires for the same effect. What I really want is a variable voltage supply easily made from any old ATX PSU. As an amateur that would be an invaluable tool.
  - memset 15y ago
    One gentleman has done a writeup on creating a variable supply from an ATX. http://hackaday.com/2010/12/09/atx-psu-turned-into-an-adjustable-voltage-bench-supply/ http://hackaday.com/2010/12/09/atx-psu-turned-into-an-adjust... It might be a good starting point for a kit which doesn't require a modification of the power supply itself.
- keenerd 15y ago
  http://www.google.com/search?q=mastech+hy1803d&tbm=shop http://www.google.com/search?q=mastech+hy1803d&tbm=shop Posted my thoughts regarding this supply elsewhere in the thread. Good reviews on Amazon too.
- HeyLaughingBoy 15y ago
  My suggestion is eBay. Back when hp meant something other than crappy computers and the good stuff wasn't called Agilent, hp made some very nice lab power supplies that can now be found for less than $50 on eBay. I can't recommend any specifically simply because I have never seen a bad product come out of hp's Test & Instrumentation division. They're all good.
pingswept 15y ago
$2? How? That seems totally impossible to me.

by mrmekon 15y ago

HeyLaughingBoy 15y ago

You're not kidding. I used an old PC power supply bolted to the underside of my lab bench with a set of banana jacks on a panel facing the front for years. Then I spent a whopping $200 on a real lab power supply with adjustable current limiting and variable 0-30 volts and I've been using it for the last 15 years. Sure is nice to be able to set a comfortable 50mA when bringing up new hardware knowing that you can't blow anything up! That alone is worth the price. It's a nice project, but $45 for something you could build from $10 in parts in literally less than 10 minutes? Really?

keenerd 15y ago
I just picked up a new power supply. 0-20 volts, 0-3 amps, adjustable voltage, adjustable current. Digital meters for voltage and current. Only $80. I was shocked. (By the price, not by lack of proper grounding :-) It is even fully isolated, something I figured would have been cut for cost savings. Mastech HY1803D if you are curious. Working great so far, my only complaint is 0.1V thermal drift over a few hours.

fr0sty 15y ago

Can you make a power supply recommendation for the casual hobbyist? Edit: I mean a variable voltage variable current bench/lab power supply.

r0s 15y ago
For the voltages here any used ATX power supply will work. Instead of this box you could just clip the appropriate wires for the same effect. What I really want is a variable voltage supply easily made from any old ATX PSU. As an amateur that would be an invaluable tool.
- memset 15y ago
  One gentleman has done a writeup on creating a variable supply from an ATX. http://hackaday.com/2010/12/09/atx-psu-turned-into-an-adjustable-voltage-bench-supply/ http://hackaday.com/2010/12/09/atx-psu-turned-into-an-adjust... It might be a good starting point for a kit which doesn't require a modification of the power supply itself.
keenerd 15y ago
http://www.google.com/search?q=mastech+hy1803d&tbm=shop http://www.google.com/search?q=mastech+hy1803d&tbm=shop Posted my thoughts regarding this supply elsewhere in the thread. Good reviews on Amazon too.
HeyLaughingBoy 15y ago
My suggestion is eBay. Back when hp meant something other than crappy computers and the good stuff wasn't called Agilent, hp made some very nice lab power supplies that can now be found for less than $50 on eBay. I can't recommend any specifically simply because I have never seen a bad product come out of hp's Test & Instrumentation division. They're all good.

pingswept 15y ago

$2? How? That seems totally impossible to me.