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  • Author Author: shabaz
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MP710086 / MP710087: Lab Bench Power Supply Quick Review!

shabaz

I've desired a decent linear low-noise power supply for ages, and I think I've finally found one at a reasonable price.

image (Image source: Farnell website)

It's actually been around for ages.  reviewed the 30V 5A 150W model several years ago! I had forgotten about that review, and recently rediscovered it. I went for the 60V 3A 180W model, since that will suit my needs I think.

It's well worth reading Frank's review, and special thanks to both Frank and (+) Gough Lui - element14 Community for figuring out how to interface the instrument to a PC; I'm looking forward to using that feature as well.

I created a brief video review with a mobile phone so the video quality is a bit shaky. First, here's a quick bullet-point review:

Things I Loved

* The compact size (although it's very heavy of course, due to the internal transformer)

* A really simple, easy-to-use user interface! 

* Surprisingly low-noise

* Good behavior when the PSU output is enabled/disabled, and under changing loads

* Very large, easy-to-read display

* Dual interfaces for programming; RS-232 and USB

Things I Liked

* Construction seems solid

* Proper front-panel rocker switch for power

Things that could be Improved

* The charting capability could do with some more work

* Ethernet interface option would be useful

* The font could be cleaned up, seems weird to have 7-segment-style characters on a dot-matrix TFT.

* Price is admittedly quite fair, but it would be nice to see a discount, and perhaps a saving for a bundle of two PSUs

Video


Thanks for reading / watching!

  • in reply to shabaz

    Nice power supply. Yes, the DIY kit has a good educational aspect. With manually selected components and, let's say, your own project of a PCB, it probably can end with a really nice device. Similarly, with enclosure, where these days we have the possibility to use 3D printers, etc.

  • in reply to kk99

    Zero or low audible noise is definitely a good thing : )  

    Interestingly I'd seen some reports that the Owon badge version of this MP71008x PSU made a lot of noise, but the fan noise seemed reasonable to me (i,e. as expected, for a linear PSU, and it adjusts depending on the load).

    I also have this crude thing built ages ago, assembled from ready-made modules and Velleman project kits:

    image

    It's quite low-noise, just a couple of tens of mV p-p perhaps. At that ballpark level and at the frequencies involved, the noise rarely becomes a limiting factor, especially since most projects will have some element of filtering and regulation too. I've used it a lot with op-amp experiments, and the dual outputs are useful.

    There is no current limit adjustment (doesn't really need it, since it cannot provide more than a few hundred mA). Anyway, particularly for (say) sub-500mA uses, personally I'd definitely consider a DIY build (hopefully constructed better than this, and maybe with a better regulator, say LT3081 or LT1963? - don't know though!) since then it can be completely silent, and considerably lower-noise than most cheap ready-made power supplies, and to keep it simple, as mentioned, personally I wouldn't miss a current limit in that case; I know that wouldn't suit everyone. I sometimes look to see if there are nice PSU DIY projects online, but most of them overcomplicate things. There are LT1963 boards with large heatsinks pre-assembled on AliExpress, for low-cost, and that seemed appealing to me.

    Photo of the insides:

    image

    The voltage regulators, P1823 kits, are LM317 based:

    image

    Really ugly hole drilling, I didn't have many tools at that time:

    image

    The power entry uses an IEC inlet block. Could have added a filter there:

    image

  • in reply to shabaz

    I saw used 1305X model around 176euro, but yes, the drawback is that it does not have 60V. Additionally, I am not sure if it behaves well in the case of power on/off on different loads. I also saw HP E3610A for around 100 euro, but is limited only to 0-8V 0-3A or 0-15V 0-2A and lacks programming etc. The only benefit is that it does not have a fan.