Budget friendly adjustable bench Power supplies perfect for testing LED's and other uses!

You can pay more money for one that already comes (by the looks to me anyway) with bigger capacitors and inductors, but if you want LCD too, you're quickly headed toward thinking about the ones in the OP. I'd either be looking at the $10 with no display or go all the way for the 5015. I'll probably do both.

Yep, this is the same thing I ran into in my review thread posted in the OP.

I had an analog version to start with and to make it truly useable would have costs more then just buying one of the DPS models, so hence I tried the DP series and never looked back.

It does seem this way, but it also says:

"If you connect the supply power with output, the module will be burnt"

Hmm... so a battery on the output is ok, but a "supply power" is not? I'm guessing that's a cut and paste error from descriptions of other models. Or maybe it just means don't connect 60V to output? (Output is specced for 50 supplied voltage) Of course I wouldn't connect an actual AC/DC supply to the out, but I wouldn't think it should fry the DPS (might fry the supply if you try to turn on the DPS)

I also found this:

https://www.amazon.com/0-30VDC-0-10A-Bench-Power-Supply/dp/B01B87D14K/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1474160326&sr=8-2&keywords=bench+dc+supply+circuit+specialists

10A not 12. 30V not 50, no reviews, probably doesn't charge batteries, but the cost isn't really much more since it includes a supply, and it's all packaged up. My biggest issue with it is TA hasn't tested and reviewed it. So that makes the DPS5015 the winner.

I am thinking that is a copy and paste error or like you said, it is saying to not connect a high voltage line to the output. I have charged up to 24v packs with it without an issue so far.

That other unit is nice but for $110 you can get 2 of these if you wanted. Even if you got a very nice power supply you should still be able to buy a few flashlights with the leftover money.

Although if you want a premade unit with no DIY work needed, then it is not a bad unit based on specs alone.

Even acryllic isn't free. A nice premade generic enclosure is for both together or separate is at least $20 (and a long time searching and laying out and probably not free shipping), fans are a couple of a bucks. Switches, crimp connectors, binding posts, heat shrink, all add up too. I wouldn't exactly say for $110 you can get two. I would say for $110 AND a significant amount of scavenging and or purchasing accessories at additional cost, and time, you can get 2. Even if the time is free, I think it's hard to come in under $70 to buy all parts new to make up a nice single enclosure that has it all.

I have one of those. You can see a picture of it in Post 25. They might have a slightly lower price at Circuit Specialists’ website. Mine has too much ripple and is useless for testing LVP in drivers. I have used it to charge car batteries and such. I believe Tom E got one too and quit using it because it kept blowing emitters, if I recall correctly. You have to be very, very careful and slow adjusting voltage and current. I find it hard to control output adjustments and go painfully slow when doing so. I think the analog POT’s and the large cap it has on it’s output combined make it that way.

Check this little wonder out fellows:

eBay link(s):

A nice looking boost/buck unit!

Cheers ^:)

Original post date: Sun, 09/18/2016 - 11:53; edited for missing picture removal.

The case is optional, and doesn’t need to be made out of acrylic. Although a sheet large enough for it is all of $3 at home depot if you did do that.

You could mount it in a shoe box, a wood box or a hundred other ways if you desired. I have one mounted in an ATX power supply, heck you can get an old power supply and gut it and mount it in there. It would already have the fans included and cost you about $5 at most.

You can easily get out the door for less then $60 on one of these if you just want it to work.

$33 for the DPS (less if you get a lower amp version)
$14 for the power supply (can be a cheap 48v from ebay or even less for an ATX power supply if you only need low voltage)
$3 for acrylic or scrap piece of wood for case (among MANY other options that are free)
$3 for power switch, hook up wire and fan (only needed if you go with the cheap power supply, an ATX would have one built in)
$2 for banana jacks

Total comes out to $55 or less. That is about exactly what I have in mine, you can naturally get more expensive if you desire but that is optional.

A better power supply for it would be a good idea but if you are only using it for LED’s then an ATX power supply will allow you to work with everything except XHP35’s and those can be had all day long for less than $5 for local thrift stores/computer repair stores/scrap places/craigslist ect.

Heck get 2 ATX power supplies and use one as the case to mount it in (or get a smaller version and mount it directly in the ATX case like I did).

It does cost some time but if someone’s time is worth more than that, well naturally there are lots of options for pre-made units at a significant price premium.

Like was said though, the cheap pre-made power supplies are infamous for their ripple voltage and cheap construction. Some of them have ripple as much as 10%.

I have no problems with someone buying a pre-made bench power supply, if I had the money I would totally do the same. To get something I would trust with these specs though would cost upwards of $200. I am willing to risk $35 on a china power supply but $100+ is a bit rich for my blood.

If one integrates the A/C power supply into the same enclosure, a separate fan shouldn’t be necessary.

I ordered and received this case from banggood. It’s definitely worth the $10. The dps5015 only takes up half the space so I also ordered a four port usb output with 36v input and current measurement. Now I have a the dps5015 with 4x 3amp usb outputs with capacity measurement to power some of my battery chargers. I haven’t got it all together yet but I’m very excited about it!

I am planning to build a DPS5015 buck controlled power supply utilizing this DELL external switcher power supply. It supplies 48VDC and 9.6A.



The ESP-470 was purchased on flEbay for $25.

Very nice, I am thinking about doing much the same thing.

In fact if anyone wants to buy my current DPS3012 setup, complete with acrylic case and power supply, let me know.

I would sell it as setup for $60 + shipping.

Don't get me wrong TA, I'm not arguing. Shoot, I'd use mine with no case and a laptop supply. And the other shoe dropped on the one I found, so...

That's a nice looking Dell supply. I saw the same case as the Banggod one. It's certainly big enough for the DSP, but not a DSP and a supply. I'll probably separate the two for now. It's darn hard to find a case big enough to house that ebay supply and the DPS. Even itx cases won't do it. That ebay supply is long, but it's a bunch of watts.

I was actually kinda curious to add up the costs myself since I am considering selling mine. So that post was only indirectly directed at you.

I would not bother with combining the power supply and the DPS in the same case myself unless you need to for other reasons. I found that to be too much of a pain. So I put the power supply under the desk and run the wires up to the DPS, makes for a lot less desk space used which is of far more value to me then under the desk.

So far it has worked flawlessly like this, going on what, 3 months? Now I also am not drawing super high wattage on the things I use it for, at most it is around 100 watts thus far. Just don’t have anything that needs more then that at the moment.

This is my Power Supply plan (based on what parts I find).

The utility box is an old 150W flood light housing. It will be screwed to the DELL Power Supply and the DPS5015 placed inside .

I was going to cut off the light mounting bracket boss on top, but currently plan to use it as a smoke stack and mount a handle to it. Please don’t laugh!

Hey, as long as it works thats all that matters, it is cheap and should work just fine.

I have one of these 48V 400W power supplies from playing with class D audio amps I was planing on using with mine.

The stock voltage pot can adjust it between 33-53V you can internal mod it up to 60V as seem here.

A helpful word of advice on these inexpensive switch mode supplies is they have a side switch to select between 110-220VAC input. They come set to 220V and will operate unreliably on 110V when set to 220. Several times I thought I had a defective power supply until I figured out this problem.

Has anyone had a scope on the output? My little supply is not quite stable enough to test LVP on a driver. I am considering one of these, will it do it?

Well, there may be wiiise reasons for those supplies to come preset at “220V”.

Wonder what could happen with some folks on high voltage mains if those were preset at 110V by default…

Cheers ^:)

Yes, I have put both of mine on my scope, now my scope is a cheap unit that only reads up to 2mhz IIRC but it showed zero ripple down the finest resolution it offered.