Good Cheap Power Supply

Thread Starter

Andrew216

Joined Jun 24, 2015
29
Can someone point me in the right direction for a good and cheap power supply? Short Circuit Protection and 3-12volts output are my only requirements. Some how tweezers keep ending up between the power and ground causing a short that almost caught fire today. Looking to avoid this in the future if these lines were to be accidently bridged again. Thank you!
 

mcgyvr

Joined Oct 15, 2009
5,394
Current requirements?
Form factor (benchtop/openframe,etc...)?

Amazon/Ebay has a ton of "off-brand" 0-30VDC supplies (typically 0-3A).. pick one.. they are all about the same..
Here too..
http://www.mpja.com/Benchtop-Power-Supplies/products/2/

If you want "good" (quality/low ripple,etc...) I'd start looking at BK Precision,etc... from here or digikey or newark,etc..
http://www.mouser.com/Power/Power-Supplies/Bench-Top-Power-Supplies/_/N-dqmv7

I've been very happy with the
BK Precision 1685B models I picked up but also have a "cheap" Protech 6003L that works just fine too.. BK is "higher quality"/quieter,etc...
 

dl324

Joined Mar 30, 2015
16,846
Get a wall wart at a second hand store and build your own with an LM317.

Regarding shorts - train yourself to be more careful.
 
All power supplies have a power input, which receives energy from the energy source, and a power output that delivers energy to the load.A AC Power supply is the very good cheap power supply.
 

wayneh

Joined Sep 9, 2010
17,496
Head to your local electronics recycling dump. You'll find all the old desktop towers you could want. Each one has a power supply that you can have for the "cost" of the effort to remove it. They're protected against overload and overheating and make for a very nice lab bench power supply.

Laptop power bricks are darn nice and also readily available for free. They're typically smaller and quieter, with no fan. 19V and 3-6A. As noted, you can use a voltage regulator IC to control the voltage down.
 

hp1729

Joined Nov 23, 2015
2,304
Can someone point me in the right direction for a good and cheap power supply? Short Circuit Protection and 3-12volts output are my only requirements. Some how tweezers keep ending up between the power and ground causing a short that almost caught fire today. Looking to avoid this in the future if these lines were to be accidently bridged again. Thank you!
What do you consider cheap? 3 to 12 V, how much current?
Personally I have a collection of wall wart power supplies I picked up at goodwill stores and flea markets for $1.00 or less each. I can throw together a cheap power supply for most projects.
Only one bench supply? When it goes out how much of your work stops?
 

Thread Starter

Andrew216

Joined Jun 24, 2015
29
Right now we currently use a wall wart with the LM317 and a switch. The switch we use, in the up position, turns on an over head light for the operators while in the down position it will cut the over head light and deliver power to the UUT. This was the cheapest solution but now safety is an issue. We can only teach good/safe practices and hope the operators will follow. Has anyone had any experience with the Multi Voltage Regulated Power Supply MCM Part #28-2200?
 

Dr.killjoy

Joined Apr 28, 2013
1,196
I would look into a Mastech power supply .. I have one and will post pics if requested but they are made pretty good for the average hobbyist..
 
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