For rgb lights and my Opus and stuff, I just bought whatever was on amazon, mostly 12V@5A but last one 12V@10A.
They’re generally all commodity supplies, like 1 mfr of the same supplies by the billions that get shipped off to mfrs who stick ’em in plastic boxes and sell them as “their own”.
If you have a PC Recycle place around you may be able to score 12v/5W power bricks for cheap and simply rewire them to your purpose. Those actual PS is pretty sealed up.
For outdoor use I’d go for one of the outdoor rated supplies.
Amazon has lots of them.
Like this one Led power supply
Not necessarily this one but pick one that suits you needs.
If you can find an actual UL rated supply that should be good.
If the supply can be protected from weather something like 12 v power brick
All the Best,
Jeff
Hello Lightbringer, thanks for the response. I *understand *and agree that
the there are much fewer manufacturers than label names and brands. The same thing
has existed in PC computer type power supplies. But then I started reading the FEW reviews
that would put them thru their tests. There were some that are very good and many others that are junk.
They disassembled and photo how they the PSs were built, cheap capacitors or 105 deg C high rated caps.
Other things. Some that claim UL or ETL were not and could not. I have had a few cheap led supplies pop
and spark and self destructed on first use. The same quality issues are most surely true with the led suppliers.
Hello flydiver, thanks. I go back to
the old S100 computer days. Pre IBM PC.
The open frame transformer PS were very reliable,
one decade to two. I do have a few 12V 5V switcher
encased, US made. Certainly for dry locations. Will
give that a thought.
UL Certified LED Driver 12v 60W Waterproof IP67 Class 2 LED Power Supply Transformer 100V-277V AC to 12V DC Low Voltage Output for LED Light Outside(60W-12V)
I like that it shows the internal pcb and that it has a higher grade 105 Deg C rated capacitors, although I can only really see that
on the largest cap. I have used Samsung computer monitors, which started having problems, bought the upgrade kit, which had
high grade Nichicon capacitors (105 deg C) , replaced the 85 deg C lower grade electrolytics in the monitors, and was up and running!
I would (do) assume most led power supplies use the lower / lowest grade electrolytic caps. Probably cheaper with
the other parts too.
I have a converted PS from a desktop PC that powers some of my chargers. Works great. Not suitable for outdoors.
Some of my other chargers have been ‘upgraded’ to repurposed laptop 12v/5A PS, instead of the lame power bricks some come with.
That’s one of the problems with getting pretty much anything nowadays. “105°C” caps might be like Crapfire rewrapped cells, junk-grade electrolytics with a lie of a wrapper.
Not too long ago someone posted a pic of the guts of something (plasma-globe power supply??) which had a power-FET just sticking up in the air, no heatsink whatsoever, even though there’s the space and everything for it, even marked off on the silkscreen, but to save the ¼¢ on a bent piece of sheet-Al, the mfr skipped it.
And goggle around The Big Clive and his channel at what crap is out there. “Torch your home for 4€” and similar titles. Not just badly designed, but flat-out dangerous.
And most of that crap probably has bogus UL/CE/ETL “certification” as well.
So you gotta ask yourself one question: do you feel lucky?
I thought there was a similar discourse on Eevblog but I didn’t find it. You might also check in there, it’s a great place for this kind of thing. It’s like a Lightbringer convention:-) https://www.eevblog.com/forum/