Lab power supply; a necessity
When testing an electrical circuit or components, they often need to be powered through a regulated voltage. For instance, you could use a mains adapter that may represent the similar type of power supply however these do not yield consistent waveforms. Hence when it comes to testing a lab power supply is more suitable to assessing a predefined performance to then benchmark from.
A lab power supply will show the current and voltage values as a minimum so you can see what is happening and unless you are buying one second hand, they will be digital with brilliantly vibrant displays to aid ergonomics. Unlike a power adapter, voltages and current is monitored and fed back to the user. There may be many different ways to set the current and voltage, from dials, keypads and in some solutions touch screen or remotely programmed. No matter the interactions available ergonomics need to be comfortable for users or they are more likely to make mistakes that can cost rework and part scrappage time.
A lab power supply must also provide useful connections for its usage and these need to be checked by the purchaser prior to buying one. Improper connection can lead to arcing and shock hazards however thankfully most modern devices only provide suitable connections for the draw required.
Switching or Linear; A key decision
Linear laboratory power supply products produce high losses and therefore usually have either a fan or a heatsink on the back of them. This needs to be considered as you will need space away from sensitive parts, wires and so on. You will also heat up your working environment, this with solder stations and other heat sources could be a major concern in the long term. Switching devices are efficient and therefore do not require much cooling.
Linear laboratory power supply products normally have a large bulky transformer and therefore have larger footprints than switching devices. Switching laboratory power supply products can have trouble with inductive loads while linear devices can control them. In terms of noise, switching devices normally produce a high frequency noise. While linear devices are typically silent, at least in terms of electrical noise.
Features and Functions
The lab power supplies that don’t offer current reading will only show the actual current; without this function, you can set the current through temporarily reducing the lab power supply and then setting the final value. Current setting can save a lot of time and ensure that current is set correctly with less operator error.
If you can stop the output of a lab power supply you can set the required voltage limit and current limit to the correct values, prior to going live; this functionality is called switchable output. Without this function, a physical disconnection is required from the lab power supply to remove the voltage.
Many electrical circuit boards or systems need several different voltages in different locations; a multi-channel lab power supply can offer a different voltage and current supply on each independent channel. Thus, each channel is equivalent to one lab power supply.
In many lab power supplies these channels can be connected in series or in parallel; two 24V channels can be combined into one 48V channel. Or two 1.5A channels can be combined into one 3A channel.
Summary
Regarding laboratory power supply products and their cost, you will need to consider the outlay of the device as an investment in your business; buying multiple devices due to not meeting your range of activities can be a costly mistake. No matter what you are doing, careful consideration is required to ensure you not only have a lab power supply that can produce the outputs required but also ergonomically compatible with your mode of operation.
