Bench power supply

[Atomicrox]

Hi guys, I just received some "spam" from BG with this bench power supply:
CPS-3205 0-32V 0-5A Portable Adjustable DC Power Supply 110V/220V - US$61.61

It seems quite interesting - small, cheap and the range is good. I'm inclined to buy it.

Is this suitable to drive laser diodes?
What are the advised ripple/regulation values?

 

[Rifter]

Im looking for one as well so im very interested if anyone has used this unit.

Everything I have read says stay away from the cheap Chinese PSU's as there power on ripple spike is more than enough to fry something as sensitive as a laser diode and I should get a mastech or B&K Precision but those two brands are both $$$$$$.

 

[Atomicrox]

I'd get a Mastech if I could source one locally, but local stores only sell local brands which I also don't trust. And they're not cheap either..

I'd have to pay 2x the price to buy a Mastech on ebay due to international shipping. Chinese sellers usually have free or very cheap shipping.

Edit: doesn't even have to be this unit/brand. Anything with cheap shipping would be OK

 

[Cyparagon]

Without knowing anything about electrical/thermal performance, I see 3 problems already:

Banana jacks on BACK?
UI is terrible. 1 knob for everything is just asking for user error.
Included leads are useless for anything over 1/2A (30awg)

 

[vortish]

I have a feeling its not a good one.. I have a Chinese psu I got off ebay for 65 dollars that works well I have had several members look at the stat sheet and say its ok for a beginner psu you want some thing that at least 30 v at 5 amps to start with and have fine adjust knobs this one does not

 

[Rifter]

I have a feeling its not a good one.. I have a Chinese psu I got off ebay for 65 dollars that works well I have had several members look at the stat sheet and say its ok for a beginner psu you want some thing that at least 30 v at 5 amps to start with and have fine adjust knobs this one does not

the issue is stats cant be trusted on cheap PSU's. I almost purchased this unit

30V 5A 110V DC Power Supply Precision Variable Adjustable Digital LAB Grade 305D | eBay

But then I seen a scope shot of it overshooting set voltage by over a full volt on power up.

 

[Rifter]

Not the scope shot I was talking about above but a good indication of how crappy these cheap Chinese PSU's are compared to the quality mastech units.

Be aware: Yihua YH-305D bench PSU - Page 1

 

[Atomicrox]

Damn. Guess I'll never have a bench supply after all. I still welcome any suggestions that can be shipped reasonably.

Does anyone know of other good brands?

 

[Rifter]

Damn. Guess I'll never have a bench supply after all. I still welcome any suggestions that can be shipped reasonably.

Does anyone know of other good brands?

Are you in the US? have a amazon prime account?

 

[Atomicrox]

As I said before I'm not in the US, that's the root of 90% of all my DIY/hobby problems.

 

[Rifter]

As I said before I'm not in the US, that's the root of 90% of all my DIY/hobby problems.

Im in Canada and its bad here too. If you are in Canada let me know where as I have found a few mastech suppliers across the country here but it doesn't do me any good none are within driving distance of me.

 

[Atomicrox]

Unfortunatley I don't but thanks for the offer :beer:

 

[IWIRE]

Mine is a cheap 10a version I got from fleabay. I didn't know if I would stick with this hobby when I got into it so I didn't want to spend a lot. I think I paid $85 for it. I don't have a way to scope it and I'm sure I'd probably be disappointed if I did. But checking the volts and the amps is spot on when checked with a Fluke meter. Not sure if it overshoots when first turned on or not. I never turn it on hooked to anything. So far it hasn't fried anything.

 

[Atomicrox]

Allow me to bump my own topic. Haven't bought a bench supply yet, but one popped up locally for a reasonable price with the following specs:

32V/5A

CV
-Line regulation: <= (0.01%+3mV).
-Load regulation: <= (0.01%+2mV).
-Ripple & noise: <= 1mV RMS.

CC
-Line regulation: 0 ~ 5A <= (1%+3mA).
-Load regulation: <= (0.1%+10mA).
-Ripple & noise: <= 3mA RMS.


Display
-4 digits.
-Precision: <= ± (1.0% of reading + 2 digits).
-Voltage resolution: 0.1V.
-Current resolution: 0.01A.
(I think these resolution specs are wrong, the photo looks like 0.01V and 0.001A)

Do you guys think this is good enough for laser work?

 

[Cyparagon]

Looks better than the other one at least. You'll never know if it's safe unless you test it with a scope, or find someone else who has. The chinese tend to treat CC operation as more of a rough current limit, rather than actual constant current. Nobody checks that, and very few people have the need for clean constant current, so they skimp.

 

[Atomicrox]

It's probably made in China but it's being sold locally with warranty, if the specs are way off I can probably do a return.

That said, assuming the specs are correct, is it good enough or should I keep looking?