20 Best Hobbyist Benchtop Power Supply (2023 Updated)

Do not buy. Will not output what you set it to. Rigol say this is normal to be 20mV of yet they sell a $60 HIRES code to get 1mV readings. Rigol say this is normal to have an error of 20mV. And there is no calibration for this machine meaning all the calibration papers they give you are fake.

Wow never again with this company. So why do u sell a 60 HIRES code if the 1mV is a fake number. Now I am stuck paying the return cost. Never again rigolRigol Response: Rigol Response: The voltage readback specification on the DP700 power supplies is 0.

05% + 20 mV. If that does not meet your accuracy needs we would suggest using a DMM to verify the reading or a different power supply model. The high resolution option increase the instrument’s resolution, but not the absolute accuracy.

This is useful for comparing relative measurements as the noise level is typically below 1 mV. Therefore, you can measure changes over time and changes from device to device with the additional resolution.

It should be clearly undestood though that additional resolution does not imply increased absolute accuracy. Tequipment Response: Thank you for your feedback. I have also shared your review with Rigol for their feedback as well.

Here are the exact specs for the unit: Annual Accuracy (Percentage Output + Offset) Programming Voltage: 0. 05% + 20mV, Current: 0. 2% + 10mA Readback Voltage: 0. 05% + 20mV Current: 0. 2% + 20mA Resolution Programming Voltage: 10mV (1mV with option HIRES-DP700) Current: 10mA (1mA with option HIRES-DP700) Read back Voltage: 10mV (1mV with option HIRES-DP700) Current: 10mA (1mA with option HIRES-DP700) Display Voltage: 10mV (1mV with option HIRES-DP700).

This little PS is a true home run for the price. As for the fan noise being loud, I don’t even notice it. It’s not very loud. The accuracy is very good. I believe the spec ratings are at high power. Even though the high resolution on screen is not there without the extra high Res package, adding a Fluke to the circuit reveals that selecting by the keyboard instead of using the knob produces a very accurate high resolution output.

I have only noticed this with low power output and haven’t checked the high end. The output is clean, the interface is nice and has easy to use features. The colorful display not only looks nice but also makes it easier to get a quicker look at a particular reading.

The only complaint I have is the small display. My vision is not the best anymore so having the PS to the back of my workbench don’t help either. Overall it’s a big winner for me. I’m not a professional, just a hobbyist saying that I’ve had other cheap units and did a lot of research before buying this one.

Some other units in this price range had big and fancy displays but lacked in quality, accuracy and and/or features compared to the DP711. The cheap PS’s were useless because of noisey power output, inaccuracy and poor quality.

Yeah it’s better than nothing but if you can afford to spend $300 for the DP711 you will not regret it. It makes a world of difference.

In all my time using my previous lab PSU, I had only really used one channel, so when I discovered that my current supply was out of spec, it made sense to buy another single channel PSU. The big bonus with the DP712 is that it can deliver 50vdc and 3 amps.

I have tested this unit for output accuracy against my Fluke 289 and it is spot on at any voltage. Although it looks big in the pictures, in real life this unit is quite diminutive and will fit into most places on your bench.

Probably the only valid criticism I have is with the pricing. For a few bucks more you can buy the 3 channel DP832. For my situation, I needed 50vdc output without having to bridge channels. Physically, the thing is built like a brick and reflects Rigol’s desire to be the leader in lab quality equipment.

Highly recommended PSU.

First, this model is nearly identical to BK Precision 900Watt models 1900, 1901, 1902. This unit is only 600ish watts. I wanted to share a few pieces of information that weren’t covered in the manual or anywhere else that I’ve seen online.

The max current can be set to 21. 5. I haven’t tested sustained draw at that current, but I have verified 30V, 21. 5 draw for 10 seconds using a Maynuo M9712. Second, Constant Current mode is automatically engaged when a load tops off.

The meters provide a realtime display of current and voltage. If the voltage is set to 13. 8 on the unit, a Fluke 287 will tell me that it’s actually 13. 775, so fairly close under no load. When loaded with even modest 5A loads, the voltage seems to drop at the source, but I have more testing to do to confirm.

Overall, this unit met my needs as an inexpensive small current limiting PSU capable of delivering 20 amps. Once I have more to follow up with, I will follow up with more.

This item works great I have two of these running a small process for power windows and hasn’t failed yet (knock on wood). They replaced a radio shack power unit that was no longer available due to obvious reasons.

I would definitely recommend this power unit for your everyday needs.

This is a nice little unit, this is the 3rd unit in 3 years that I have purchased to phase out older units, they have all worked flawlessly.

There are plenty of 5V power supplies/chargers on the market but the size of the DC plug is not always clearly specified and frequently turns out to be 3. 5mm. I have a number of things that need to be charged at 5V with a 5.

5mm plug and finding the correct power supply is not always easy. These adapter leads have provided the perfect solution as there are always plenty of USB sockets available in my house.

This is perfect for any little project. It was cheaper to get three of these than one triple output supply. Simple interface, and it remembers it’s settings when you turn it off. I contacted BK Precision.

They said that you can connect these in parallel to increase the available amperage for your project. I plan on buying several more of these for our lab as a go-to for any project.

Great bench power supply. Allows you to limit current, set the voltage and power USB devices. I have several of these on my bench because they are clean, accurate, and reliable.

I was looking for a replacement for my 12 V two amp DC power supply and came across this Micro Center. really good unit as far as features and price are concerned. the refinement of voltage and current goes down to.

xxx which gives you an excellent level of refinement for voltages and current. one thing I found about nice is the audio memory settings on the unit which can be very helpful. great product would definitely buy again.

I have been using a non programmable bench power supply for years, but these days with so much stuff using so little power, most of the time when I’m prototyping a project I need to set the current limiting at just a few tens of milliamps.

That’s very difficult with a traditional analog pot to set. Very, very easy with this unit though. Construction is good (see EEVBlog’s teardown and discussion), this is the new version. One thing to watch out for, the D version does NOT have the USB+serial input.

Most people won’t be using that anyway, so this saves a few bucks. Apart from that functionality is the same as the P version.

Have been waiting a long time to finally get one of these Desk Power Supplies. Has been very useful for connecting IC, and Arduino, and just about any other part of a project with LEDS and microcontrollers.

Also charging batteries has been something I didn’t know until recently. , but make sure to watch some videos, and get the documentation on your battery. Especially Lipo, since they have cc and cv during charging.

After looking over the supply and performing some quick tests, I thought it was a very well built device. However, within 5 minutes of use, the one’s digit on both the voltage and current stopped working.

It is just a display issue, because you can still set the voltage and current. But this could have been detected if there was any quality control, e. g. burn-in testing.

This little, but heavy, power supply works just as I expected, right out of the box. Of course, the displayed values and my DMM differ slightly, I think those differences are well within tolerances and my DMM is not lab quality so take that with a grain.

Switching from constant voltage to constant current is automatic and a little frustrating, but it keeps me from burning out circuits. Other than a very short power cord (for obvious reasons) I’ve got nothing bad to say about it.

Nice size, fairly small footprint. Does the job and does it well. Easy to set, easy to use.

This supply has been great compared to the cheap Ebay ones it replaced. There are many useful features like timed voltage steps and the ability to log voltage and current data over USB and Ethernet. The output is fairly accurate, well within specification and resolution on the screen.

I love that you can parallel or series connect the two channels for high current or high voltage supply without actually having to wire it. There are internal relays that do it for you! The fixed 2. 5/3.

3/5V third channel is helpful as well when powering a project. The only thing I really wish this power supply had is at least one high-accuracy channel with sense lead inputs. The little 1000 series supplies (single channel) do.

I wish that at least just one of these three did, too. Still a stellar value and something I dont regret at all!.

I really like this power supply. It is very quiet and easy to use. Glad I purchased the Spd3303x version. The leads it came with are very good. The banana plugs fit perfectly. Highly recommend this DC power supply.

TEquipment shipped the next day after I ordered the previous evening.

This Siglent supply offer two variable outputs, with a third limited-selectable output. The color screen is a handy feature for easy display of all the output parameters. It also shows output plots and is programmable.

It has an ethernet connection for use with Siglent’s EasyPower software, which is makes it easier to program the supply. The power button is not a soft-switch like on some of their other products, it is a true power switch.

There seems to have been an issue with the banana plug fitment on early units, but that appears to have been corrected. The two variable supplies can be put in series or parallel for up to 60V output at 3 Amps.

When I tried to use the supply the very first time the pos. thumb screw fell apart. The brass insert pulled out of the thumb screw. I voided the warranty by removing the cover and installing quality power output jacks.

My first test of the power supply was to hook a automotive head light to it to see if it could handle it and shine brightly. It shut down and would not put out any power. It sees the light as a short circuit and stops the output.

Next I hooked it to a 100 watt ham radio transceiver and loaded it up to 50 watts. (That takes about 10 amps ) It held the load solid for 15 seconds. That is sufficient for ham radio work. Its a nice looking supply and is no doubt able to handle audio and other types of higher resistance loads but its no good for testing auto head lights—–I dont regret buying it because I will be using it for radio work.

I think next time I will buy a tripp lite supply.

The Pyramid PS14KX power supply is just what I need—12 volts at 12 amperes. Actually, 13. 8 volts at 12 amperes. The 13. 8 volts insures the device I am running receives all the power it requires. The power supply features temperature and overload protection— valuable insurance against fire.

A word of caution: the heat sinks located on the back of the unit get very warm (which is normal), so be sure to keep heat sensitive objects away from the back. Also, there are ventilation holes all over the chassis box.

Don’t cover the unit with anything which might block this ventilation, as that could cause overheating, and it could shut down. This unit is more a utility power supply, and does not offer elegance—but it suits my application perfectly.

One more note: There are two power terminals with black and red nuts to attach the power output cord, so you may need to purchase an adapter to connect it to the device you are running. Make sure you get the polarity correct!.

I bought this for a 12V CB in my house. When using the power supply there is a noticeable hum coming from my CB. It’s worse when I transmit. I’ve never had this problem so I’m thinking it’s the power supply.

I went out in my Jeep and talked to my wife over it and I can not hear the hum in the transmissions so I’m going to go ahead and keep it. Not sure I would recommend.

Pyramid has been around for a very long time and even though a lot of their stuff is junk, these 12 volt power supplies are very well built and have been providing myself consistently reliable, robust service.

I have purchased several over the years and will continue to do so as dollar for dollar, you can not beat the overall performance and reliability of these reasonably priced work-horse. They are great for bench work, but I especially love them for CCTV / Alarm System long term power applications.

For example, you can power 32+ CCTV cameras, a crapload of infrared illuminators and 6 lapse recorders off of a pair of PS-14’s, and if done right,. it will last for decades!.

Unit failed after two weeks by delivering low voltage. I tried power cycling it, but when I put a digital volt meter across the output terminals, I watched the voltage slowly drop below 9 VDC, even though it’s supposed to put out 13.

4.

So far after one week, this Power Supply has produced a steady voltage of 13. 78 – 13. 79 , I have had a steady 0. 30 – 10. 35 amp (3. 5 – 136. 7 W) draw on the unit with no problems. Looking to increase the amp draw to at least 22.

5 amps in the next few weeks. The unit is quiet (no noise), the cooling fan has yet to come on in a room temp of 76 degrees F. Time will tell. The manufactures Website will not let one register their purchase, this is disturbing if support is needed and a registration card was not included in the packaging, something to be concerned about.

I did send email to all available addresses on the web site to register this product with no response after a week. Will keep trying.

The PSV-300 is what I ordered and what I got. All you have to do is connect your wires and plug into 115 or 230 ac. The power supply does all the work for you while keeping itself cool with the built in fan.

It will cut itself off if the fan can not keep it cool enough. Right after I bought mine it went on sail for less than $100 dollars. Oh well. If you do not know what you are doing get help hooking it up so you do not damage anything.

The 30 amps is what I needed for mobile radio and amplifier. You may need less. I would recommend Pyramid to anyone. Their products last forever.

Second one of these. Great for amateur radio. They only funny thing is that the latest one says Pyle and not Pyramid, but it seems to be the same unit.

Sure, it’s lightweight, switching power supply instead of of the “heavies” which use a heavy and stable step-down transformer. Switch supplies have got a bad name over the years, primarily because of the RF hash they are prone to produce on nearby AM/SSB receivers.

But, this unit produces no HF interference. Indeed, I have several other switching supplies which do not either — not a bit. On the other hand, I have had switching supplies that I needed to toss away, or not use anywhere my ham shack equipment.

Switching supplies seem to have improved over recent years, proving that the inherent RF noise they produce can be suppressed. I do have a heavy, DC-transformer 40-amp supply, and this switching supply makes no more noise than the “big boy.

” There is also almost no AC riffle leak-thru; another bane of some switching supplies. This supply will give you want you want in a bench supply. For those hobbyists and folks who need a variable output power supply – and who doesn’t for testing and equipment operation, this will fill the bill.

Like most switchers, it’s small and light, taking up little bench space, and provides the wide range of DC voltages advertised. The digital readouts are a plus, and tested against a calibrated VTVM, are accurate to within one-tenth of a volt or ampere.

Of course I would always rather have a conventional DC-transformed, rectified and filtered supply, but had all switchers performed as well as this one did, I might not feel that way. :).

I bought this power supply along with a set of power jacks for testing electronics like toys, radios, routers, and possibly the odd laptop. Its rated output is ample for this purpose and the controls are intuitive and precise.

The indicated voltage and current seem to be within the margin of error of my cheapo multimeter. It runs cool due to the fan which varies based on the load. When running, the fan is relatively quiet and has a hushed sound due to being muffled inside the unit.

It’s light (about 4 lbs), but feels well-built due to the metal case and sturdy knobs. I tested it on a few electronics I had laying around and they all worked fine, as expected. Overall, I’m very satisfied with this unit.

It works well and is accurate enough. It seems to have a warning about an inductive load. I do have intention of inductive loads so i have to be careful i presume. I am not sure why this is but it is very light and that suggests its a switcher and they are sensitive to feed back pulses.

This may be a problme but for the money its great.

I have bought about 20 of these over the course of a year. I use them for my basic electricity class, so they do get slightly abused. Out of the ones I have 2 did not work after assembly. I did not return them because I had students assemble them (a process that I hate, but they’re way cheaper that way), and who knows what they fried during the soldering process.

I have had three others fail over time. Typically they get stuck at 20 volts. Even with all of the failures, I will continue to use these power supplies because they are so cheap. I have yet to find a product that will do the same job at a price even close to this unit.

The only other thing I will add is that these boxes will go into a protection mode when it is shorted out. I don’t particularly like this function, because I want students to blow the fuse in their ammeter when they improperly connect it to the circuit.

This box goes into protection mode before the amperage reaches the 300 mA limit of the meter’s fuse.

Great little power supply. And a great DIY/educational kit. Good quality and works perfectly. Replaced a wall-wart power supply, which was very noisy when powering audio circuits. This one, being regulated and filtered, is dead quiet.

Instructions are detailed and complete, including an explanation of how it works. Okay, the dial (voltage selector) doesn’t have any markings, so you have to hook it up to a multimeter to determine its various voltages, but that’s no big deal and I’d probably do that anyway just to eliminate variations.

Have purchased other Elenco kits, which were also all good quality. This is more than a kit, it’s a great power supply, which I’ll be using to power electronics projects and anything else that needs it.

This is just what I needed for my project in a kit form. I needed a variable voltage control for a 12V lathe motor. The kit is a little hard to solder in some places. Other than that it was a nice complete kit for me anyway.

It works as it should and as a kit I saved $$$$. Thanks for offering this item in a kit form.

This PS is small, well made and accurate. Upon receipt, I opened it up for close inspection and to check for proper wiring. Internally, everything looked good and continuity testing showed it was wired properly.

However, the supplied AC power cable was miswired, phase and neutral were reversed. I tossed the supplied cable and used one from my own spares – all good now. A function check showed the display tracked actual voltage accurately to within.

1 volt across its full range, and checking the output on a 100 mhz scope showed no significant noise – this supply is well filtered. I am pleased with my purchase, it performs beyond my expectations.

A solid value but be sure to check/replace the supplied AC cable.

Pros: -Knobs feel excellent, nice and heavy and smooth. No physical backlash but a little electrical. -Readings are fairly accurate, voltage is about +- 0. 005, current is about +-0. 008 -Looks good -Comes with alligator leads and power cable -Works as advertised for most part, goes up to 28.

5 volts or something similar, not exactly 30. Didnt test current but imagine its similar -Not much to complain about Cons: -Coarse current adjustment is a little too sensitive but not unusable, just need to be a little careful with it.

Fine current adjustment barely changes current at all, only like 0. 3A. Would be nice to see a bigger range on it, then the coarse current adjustment would make a little more sense as well. -nothing much else really, I could ask for more cables or a fancier display but for the price its already a winner.

I got this power supply over a year ago and it is a solid performer on my workbench. It’s used for hobby applications and I never had issues with it. I mainly use it from the front panel but tested some simple setups in LabVIEW in combination with the DM3068 DMM and a DS2302A scope.

no issues. It took a little while to get used to it but now I really like the user interface. The huge complaint is the build in fighter jet turbine. I thought the DS2302A scope is loud, after I installed this power supply I learned the scope is whisper silent.

I don’t know how you can design bench equipment that is designed to sit in front of the user which is so noisy. Yes it’s not a pricy power supply but the efforts to minimize the noise aren’t too pricy either.

My unit is out of warranty now and I will definitely look into alternative fans that reduce the nose without loosing air flow. Other than the noise complaint this is a very nice power supply for the price.

Bought this specifically for the LAN control but it doesn’t do LAN commands well, IMHO. Too fast and it hangs up the instrument. Does not appear to conform to the IEEE commands it supports, namely “*OPC?” for synchronization.

One is supposed to be able to issue this command and wait until the instrument completes all previous commands, but the DP832 sees this and others (sometimes) as an invalid command,. Appears to need arbitrary time delays between commands, some times, so one is never sure if you’ve added enough delay.

This leads to too slow scripting and erratic faults so never sure if a long scripted measurement will work or not. Tequipment Response: The DP832 (with the interface option to enable LAN communication) is commonly used both for benchtop front panel operation and remote automation.

Regardless of whether the program is using LXI, USB, or GPIB we recommend adding delays on the order of 100-200 milliseconds between commands. Because of the standard time in which a DC power supply responds and services these requests we find that to be sufficient a majority of the time.

Certain commands such as creating or editing sweeps or saving and recalling setups can take longer and care should be taken. The *OPC command is supported and can be used, but should only be used for certain asynchronous operations.

Sending repeated *OPC commands every 10 milliseconds to see when it is ready can overwhelm the buffer service just like sending other commands too quickly. Given the speed and capability at which the DP800 series set and measure voltages and currents one can fully utilize its capabilities with a delay set between commands.

I was happy enough with this that I eventually bought two of them in total. It’s just a solid lab power supply with three programmable outputs. Not a lot of excitement, which is what you’d want in a power supply.

The user interface is decent although many complain about the encoder wheel to set values. It could definitely be more streamlined, but you get used to it. The only part of the UI that I found almost unusable was the timer functionality, where you can set it to step through different voltage and current limits.

It may have improved in later firmware revisions, but it was very unclear where the sequence was supposed to stop, and using the prefab templates seemed to not work at all. However, most people will probably never use this functionality, or will automate it externally with LXI etc.

Ok, I gave this 5 star before (ready my previous review which still has valid points – only if it lasts!) I’m giving it 1 star here to catch your attention to this update. – After first month: Unit reading started to be off by 5mV and difficult to set it to zero!- Contacted both Rigol & TE but took long time to hear back and report the issue.

– RMA rules are really strict and process is time consuming. Took a month to get replacement and they refused to ship another unit right away until they receive the faulty one. – Here is what made it worse! After receiving the replacement It turns out that it has a tolerance issue with its banana plugs that I couldn’t insert any of the banana plugs I have no matter how hard I push – hence couldn’t even use the unit!I was very frustrated by this time and decided to return the unit!Both Rigol & TE were very responsive at this point and the return process was smooth – TE even payed for the shipment as well (which I appreciated as I payed once to get replacement)The fact that Banana plugs has an issue tells you something about how much testing goes into Rigol products.

It seems to me that this is a basic thing to make sure a product is usable out of the box. Also the fact that it lost its accuracy after that short period is not assuring at best! Specially I was planning in getting more Rigol products as Its still true that you get a lot for the money (if it was reliable!)I’m now thinking of paying extra money to get an Agilent or even Keithley unit at this point.

Rigol Response: Thanks for trying Rigol and for your feedback. Based on the specifications, a 5 mV offset is often within the error budget for that instrument. I am sorry that it didn’t meet your needs.

I will check into why we weren’t able to communicate that to you in a clear and timely fashion. We usually are able to answer those types of questions in the moment or at least that day. It’s great that when it didn’t meet your needs you were able to utilize our 30 day no questions asked return policy to get a new one.

Unfortunately, we had a few supplies leave the factory with tight banana connectors on them and your 2nd unit must have been one of those. We do have safety banana adaptors available for free for any customer that has a fit issue.

These adaptors allow you to connect safety banana jacks in addition to the standard banana jacks. Sorry for the inconvenience.

My Yaesu FP-1030A power supply for eight years has energized one or another HF rig for me, and currently supplies both my main and standby rigs (not at once) through an MFJ power extender. The fan can be a little loud at times, but I wear cans and the environment where I sit is louder than anything this thing does.

It never varies; I believe the reports of extremely low ripple. I never get RFI from it, nor does it blink even when my computer monitor does when I hit a KW on 20m. An external meter confirms that this workhorse cranks out the whole 13.

8V even today. My rigs pull about 16-17 A at 100W, so I’ve never approached its limits. Its specs rival or exceed those of rival models in a more elite range, and its got all the bells (multiple tie points, meters, cig.

lighter jack). If you don’t like its unlit meters, get one of those workshop LED headlamps; the panels reflect right back at you. The Yaesu FP-1030A is hands down the best ham radio power supply value in its amperage range.

I have two of the FP-1030A Yaesu LINEAR power supplies. One is 10 years old and the other about 6 years old. Never had any problems what-so-ever. They just are workhorses. These brutes have been powered up 24/7 for years if that tells you anything.

Yes, these are more expensive that the “Switching Power Supplies” because the FP-1030A is technically superior and made specifically for QUIET communications, low ripple and low EMI. There is absolutely no comparison between the two types regarding AC Ripple Voltage.

I measure the ripple on one of my FP-1030A and found it to be 1. 6mV. The typical Switcher is about 100mV This beast weighs in at about 21 pounds because of it’s huge transformer and outstanding build quality with no expense spared.

If I need another 13. 8VDC power supply I would buy this one again. it’s a no brainer. They are that good! Mike – KG6FD.

My 40 amp switching power supply gave up after approximately 2 years. I had decided to make the switch back to a linear power supply but dealer/ distributor stock was pretty lean. Well, the good folks at DX Engineering came through with a great product with a predictable lead time.

I ordered the Yaesu which arrived in about a week. First impressions were convenient front panel connections, large voltage and current meters and a clean front panel appearance. Once connected to my rig and powered up I noticed very low fan noise.

So far this power supply has exceeded my expectations and at a reasonable price for a linear supply. I expect to be a happy user for many years to come. Thanks DX Engineering!.

Unit is compact and light. Current and Voltage are adjusted in 0. 1 increments in Fine mode and in 1 increments in Coarse mode. Have not tried advanced features yet. Best pricing on the internet. Shipped in about two hours after placing the order.

Good product, great experience with Tequipment. net!.

I have two of these units. I use them to power my two amateur radios (Kenwood TS-570d & ICOM 2300). Both are quiet, fan Is silent really and power is always ready to go. Remember always turn on the power supply first and the radio a minute later, turn off the radio first then shut down the power supply.

Remember to look at your power requirements before purchasing.

I bought this power supply in used condition and it works quite well. I have been keeping it on without shutting it off for over two weeks now and it just stays a little warm at most. It runs my amateur radio station with 100 watts easily, that being said it could probably run an amplifier up to 350 watts or maybe a little more.

This unit runs quietly. Astron makes a good linear power supply. I had an older 50 amp that I sold and it was about 12 years old. I would recommend this brand of power supply new or used ! Brandy C.

Yes I love this power supply! It is. The. Best you can. Buy. I have a older 70amp supply I bought years ago and. It still works great. I. Wood recommend it to anyone.

Excellent design, very heavy duty, well regulated, well protected, “ripple” free power output. The 6 electrolytic caps are of good quality for the “Covid-19 availability” that we are all dealing with today!.

This supply has plenty of current, but the protection circuitry is a bit too zealous and trips way more often than it should. I work on car radios for a living, and none of them consume more than 5 or 6 amps – yet the protection circuits will trip from the momentary surge when turning on a customer’s unit, especially after replacing all electrolytic capacitors.

It’s possible that I could bring up the customer’s unit gradually from zero volts to overcome this, but alas – the supply will only go down to 6 volts which still draws enough current to trip the crowbar circuits.

When the crowbar circuit trips, it’s not as simple as turning the supply off then back on to reset it – the protection LED and beeping continue for about 10 seconds after turning off the supply, making it a real pain in the BUTT to use.

This supply may be good for general use by the layman, but for the technician/business owner who needs to work efficiently and turn a profit like myself, I don’t consider this supply a wise choice by any stretch.

Time is money, and this supply wastes my time. I have three of these supplies and they all act the same, except that one of them started acting even more weird after a few years of moderate to heavy use.

They appear extremely well built and solid, but the performance in no way matches the mechanical build quality. One more issue; the meters do not light up and can be difficult to read. I have recently replaced all my Pyramids with an HP 6268B with much better results.

Of course the HP’s are 3 to 4 times as big and heavy as the Pyramids and cost much more; we do get what we pay for and the Pyramids got me by reasonably well until I could afford industrial quality stuff.

I purchased this power supply to power my new Icom IC-7300 Ham Radio Transceiver. It powers it perfectly on full transmit power. The cooling fan runs all the time and is somewhat loud. I placed the power supply behind a filing cabinet (while leaving room on all sides for air flow for cooling) and that cut down on the fan noise.

1) This is NOT a 20 Amp constant power supply, but it appears to handle the load just fine. My radio is supposed to draw 20 Amps at 65w, but the meter says 12 Amp at this load on TX, so everything seems to be okay.

2) The fan is very loud. VERY loud. Plan on keeping this PS at a good distance so it doesn’t drive you crazy. 3) It appears to come with a light for the meter, but mine does not illuminate. It’s probably in there, but obviously broke in shipping.

All the bubble packaging was popped in the shipping box upon receipt. Overall, if you’re looking for an affordable 20 Amp PS, this will do the trick, but you get what you pay for. I went for the Pyramid brand, because I liked the 5 Amp PS I use with a CB radio in my shack, and it has been very reliable.