30V/5A DC Power Supply

As I am learning electronics for the first time, the Dr. Meter linear DC power supply is my first PS. I spent days looking over specifications of similar units including reading all the reviews. I take reviews lightly because I know that, in this day and age, you can't tell the expertise of the person writing the review, and so many people just don't know what they are doing. I can get a bit of an indication by how they use grammar, write sentences, and overall how they write about their experience. It seemed that the Dr. Meter linear power supply received slightly better reviews than others. I knew I wanted a linear power supply for the reduced noise they produce, however, I have not yet tested for noise at the time I write this review. From being a craftsman most of my life, I can usually tell quality when I see and use it. The packaging of this unit was very good, better than other pieces of equipment I've received over the years. Amazon double boxed it which is the prefered method of packaging I prefer so as to reduce possible damage during transportation. Upon opening the first thing I noticed was the fit and finish of the power supply. They were excellent. I was also initially impressed by the marketing card for their customer service. The company seems to care that their customers are satisfied. The manual is another thing, however. It was obviously written by a person whose English is a second language. For someone who is more of a beginner than I, this could be an issue. Luckily I have a friend who is an electronics engineer who can guide me through proper operation of the PS. While I have not pushed the unit to it's capacity (I see no need to do that), it has worked perfectly under the loads I've required thus far (20V 1A). Those loads are well below the maximum the unit states it was designed to carry. The constantly running fan, although audible, doesn't seem to be as annoying as other reviews have stated. The clicking of relays as voltage is increased or decreased is a bit odd, but that just might be because I lack experience with power supplies. Finally, the voltage and amperage settings remain stable during use which indicates to me to be from a good design. Even when the relays trip as voltage increases or decreases, the rate of change remains smooth. All in all, I'm glad I chose the Dr. Meter Linear DC Power Supply for my needs.

Research alot of differnt models of power supplies and settled on this unit. So far it has performed well for my applications in testing of 5v-20v circuits, as well as, for electroplating activities. Have run it under load for 2-3 hours without any issues with overheating or tripping any fuses. The output readings are consistently accurate when tested. The fine adjustment knob comes in handy for ensuring that you delivering a precise amount of voltage/amps. The front panel is easy to use and all controls are logically placed. Having the master power shut off and the temp shutoff on the front is very handy and allows you to place it on a workbench without have to use a alot of space to reach behind the unit to power off. The size is reasonable and does not take up alot of space.

This power supply has been great, bought my first one about 5 months ago and got a second one so I can have one in my classroom and one at home. I am new to using these and found it very easy to get started after watching someone's video explaining how to set the current limit. If you are not familiar with constant current power supplies it seems counter intuitive to short the leads but now I'm used to it. Of course you short them at a low voltage. One of the best and must useful features is the STOP and OUT switch (I think it's called that) so you can turn on and off your power output quickly and safely. Like it says this is only a single output and I have only come upon one project since getting this where I would have liked to have a dual supply, powering a vacuum fluorescent display module. There is one odd thing, and the reason I dropped one star off the materials rating. The first one I purchased starts up the fan quickly and is a bit loud. That's not the problem, it's that the second supply I got is much quieter and starts up the fan very slowly. So they are clearly not made the same and one is to the manufacturer's spec and one isn't. I don't know how it's supposed to operate and if the fan working differently is a problem, hopefully not. One last thing, the alligator clip probes it comes with are uncomfortable and bent quickly, I got these much better ones: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01MYP5YTJ/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1