Power Supply for Home lab?

I've designed and built many power supplies in my lifetime and if you want something simple that's premade then e14 has reasonably priced adjustable and programmable power supplies.

The Tenma  72-253572-2535 is a good start with both Constant Voltage and Constant Current modes

With both modes available it is very easy to use it to test LEDs.

Another handy tool to have is an accompanying DC load unit as this will enable you to properly test power supplies and batteries)

LOOkatu .. I'm going to build it myself.. MAKE IT MYSELF..
Thanks COMPACT

mudz

Banana!

If you live in a cold area you could use linear regulators with bypass transistors to provide you with both regulated power and heat.

It has the bonus of less of a chance of blowing up the attached load.

If you're more adventurous you could build your own power supply with some 741 opamps.

King Bob!

Papple?

No the cold is not a problem here. It's the
I am going to research some more then I will choose components for it.
Thanks !

mudz

Donut!

If you're going to build a SMPS then consider some Wurth Inductors to save you the trouble of winding them yourself.

Definitely going to buy components!

Two sources on the Internet. I don't have specific URLs, but here goes. At the MOOC www.coursera.org was/is a course on Switching Power Supplies. IDK (I Don't Know) when they will offer it again. Then there are numerous Electronics/Power-Supplies/Load-Testers at YouTube. I have been thinking along the same lines as you, so I'll try to keep-up w/ this discussion. At another Blog, another Blogger gave me an URL for a Switching Power Supply Primer. I have to look for that URL. Sorry. But speaking on a Practically Level, if you are just starting out, A Variable Voltage/Current-Limiting LINEAR Power Supply would be Best. Again check YouTube.

Ah ha - you've given me  a perfect lead in here !

In the old days (and I do mean old) the 741 was the universal op amp - the first part most engineers considered when they started thinking about using an op amp in a project.

I want to point out to those who haven't moved on (either at all or past TL07x type parts) about my suggestion for the universal op amps for the second decade of the 21st century (actually there are a pair of them):

TI's OPA191 and OPA192.

Sample from the OPA192 highlights:

and from the OPA191:

The opa191s are hard to get right now but Farnell have OPA192  - this isn't  achopper amp but just look at those specs for offset, drift and noise  all with 36V (yes 36V) differential input range and RRIO.

I'm currently designing a board for a  tester (only 8 maximum will ever be made) and I'm using them everywhere - one opamp to fit all sockets, about 10 per board !

They do cost more than 741s 

but are otherwise as near perfection as it gets !

MK

Ah ha - you've given me  a perfect lead in here !

In the old days (and I do mean old) the 741 was the universal op amp - the first part most engineers considered when they started thinking about using an op amp in a project.

I want to point out to those who haven't moved on (either at all or past TL07x type parts) about my suggestion for the universal op amps for the second decade of the 21st century (actually there are a pair of them):

TI's OPA191 and OPA192.

Sample from the OPA192 highlights:

and from the OPA191:

The opa191s are hard to get right now but Farnell have OPA192  - this isn't  achopper amp but just look at those specs for offset, drift and noise  all with 36V (yes 36V) differential input range and RRIO.

I'm currently designing a board for a  tester (only 8 maximum will ever be made) and I'm using them everywhere - one opamp to fit all sockets, about 10 per board !

They do cost more than 741s 

but are otherwise as near perfection as it gets !

MK

You just took me down Memory Lane. I still have 741 Op-Amps in those Cylindrical Can Housings. Haven't done much w/ ICs and discrete Components in Decades. Doing mostly PC, RaspPi, Stuff. as a Hobby not a Vocation. Full Disclosure: I am a BSEE JD, Patent Attorney. Keep up the good work especially w/ TI Components.

Full Disclosure2: I have TI Stock

Hey michaelkellett
Thanks for the heads up.. This is what I was really looking for an Experience, I'm definitely not going with the old age things. I know those are masterpiece of their time and some are still believed to be still in phase but I am going to make an advanced version of that. I might fail over few things but hey I'm building this up for the most important thing "Experience" then comes my power supply requirements.
Well I'm still figuring out what will be the best to build with.. I will come up with a solution within this week..
I can get my hands on those op ams.. bdw I have never worked on OP ams before.. So I am considering it straight away.
Thanks a lot !

mudz

Nothing like jumping in at the deep end !

I can't post the complete design for the tester I mentioned  but it has a pair of interesting power supplies (tracking, +/- 0-12V, with current limiting) and I 'll post an extract showing that part of the design in a few days.

It uses OPA192s.

MK

Looking forward to it..
Thanks!

mudz

My comments here is Not to be taken as Legal Advice. It is just an Simplified Overview of the US Patent Process as recently modified by the 2011 AIA (America Invents Act)  NOT ACA (ObamaCare). AAR. Do post your designs if you do not believe they are Patentable. If you believe the Designs are Patentable (over the Prior Art) then keep them secret and seek further Legal Advice for Patent Protection. By posting your (possibly Unpatentable) designs, you are contributing to the Prior Art.

To which other people's designs will be judged against. i.e. they will not be able to Patent what you designed. In "closely similar" inventions (designs) your Prior Art will help to exclude any later Designer from "exclusively benefiting' from your design (b/c your design is now Prior Art)

Dear Edward - thanks for your comment.

My own, admittedly unusual, opinion is that patents are a bad thing for society in general and that they usually benefit those with power and resources at the expense of everyone else. Sometimes my customers insist on patenting stuff -  I can't stop them !

I am always delighted to put my own tiny spanners into other peoples patenting works - and in this case it might even have the spin off effect of being helpful to someone as well.

MK

Great looking op-amps Michael - they also have pretty good output drive current capability.

Doug

Hi Michael,

I'm new to this blog, but I've been in engineering for many years, mostly test equipment and microwave communication equipment. Microwaves requires lots of good analog and digital control so I've done a lot of that too. My interest in your blog on a lab power supply fits into my latest project that I thought you might find interesting. That is to create a platform of control, display, packaging, cooling, and power management that would allow engineers to build specialized equipment that they would need for whatever their specialty was. Examples of what I know everyone needs is of course, lab power supplies, so this would be my first product. Next would be a programmable load, several varieties of microwave frequency synthesizers, microwave power detectors, block converters for extending the range of radios, and spectrum analyzers. Because you have a lab power supply designed, it seemed to me that you might be interested in participation in creating a product on this platform that would be remotely controlled, have a display of the voltage and current, a single knob control that would allow setting the output very precisely and stepping or scanning over a predetermined range with variable size steps. I am well on the way of completing the housing, control, display, etc.

These would have a standard interface so that they could easily be integrated into an automated test system.

I strongly believe that in order to sell test equipment one needs to be able to provide many different solutions in a multitude of areas so that a catalog would be extensive, and one would go to it for a solution of whatever their problem is. Hewlett Packard used to do this when Dave and Bill were around, but the new company has moved into bigger and more complex systems meant for volume manufacturers. (For example, a top of the line spectrum analyzer and now run several hundred thousand dollars.) They have also split off various companies that Dave Packard spent his lifetime collecting. I want to provide an alternative for consultants and engineers that have small labs and smaller budgets, In order to quickly generate a multitude of test equipment many different engineering talents would be required, so I plan to make the platform open source with standard interface so that engineers could easily create what they needed, but not have to worry about all the details of making a salable product, and marketing it. My role in this is to create the system for this to happen, define interfaces, create the market, and communicate with the participants.

Would you have an interest in participating in this?

Fred Storke

Hi Fred,

What is your opinion of the Red Pitaya?

Compact

My 2c worth... its awsome, I have one and am currently performing a review of it