Inexpensive DC Power Supply

Need something for the bench that will not break the bank?
[FONT=&quot]http://www.rakuten.com/prod/p/q/sellerid/23643196/277207384.html?scid=em_Promotional_20160307Dedicated&adid=17580&rmatt=tsid:1012038|cid:4438|cgid:44383068684[/FONT]
I have no idea if it's any good but it is cheap.

I have a very similar-looking unit that's been running my low voltage circuits on the bench for several years. I can't vouch for that particular one, but at least it's got a cooling fan and a prominent power button.

yep good one, it will tick a relais at about 15 volt.

I haven't looked it up lately, but years ago I was looking for a Weber grill. Rakuten was the cheapest by far. With a little research I found the site was fake. It may be legit now, but I'd be cautious.

kjacoby said:

I haven't looked it up lately, but years ago I was looking for a Weber grill. Rakuten was the cheapest by far. With a little research I found the site was fake. It may be legit now, but I'd be cautious.

Click to expand...

My IT dept. browser security is blocking it from me as a malicious site.

When the price of something is too good to be true, there is always a reason.

With DC power supplies, the issue is often the quality of the components and construction methods, plus the "overload capacity" of the PSU. So cheap ones will use a crowbar circuit and if you ever have a surge load, they just turn themselves off. Better ones will have the ability to handle short term surges, such as a solenoid, coil or small motor. I used to do a demonstration of a good quality Puls power supply against a cheap Chinese one (Chint, probably the world's worst choice of brand names), both rated at 5A continuous output. We turned on a machine tool relay with a 24VDC coil. The Chint shut itself down, the Puls didn't even hiccup.

We have a couple of the earlier model of this one out in our shop and have never had a problem with them:
http://www.newark.com/tenma/72-2010/power-supply-bench-30v/dp/66F3559

I’ve got a Protek 3006B and love it. Granted it’s a “bit” more expensive however one thing I really like is that not only does it have power “on/off” switch but it also has separate “DC Out” switch. With that, I can power the unit up, set the voltage and max current then turn the DC output on.

If you look at a 'breakdown' on these cheap units, you'll see why they are dirt cheap. The components are garbage. While it will probably do the job, there's no guarantee it's short circuit protection or any other features will work properly. Let's just say I wouldn't keep it plugged in when I'm not home or in the office.

Not that cheap, but they can be found for reasonable prices... Kikasui Supplies. I've used them for years, very solid units, and features all over the board depending on what you are looking for or can pay.