Small Bench DC Power Supplies - Review and How To (Constant Current vs. Constant Voltage)

[@Funjaunts]

At last someone who gives clear detailed instructions on how to use a PSU. Ive watched loads of videos but your is by far the best for a total female beginner. THANKYOU

[@-o-The-Duke-o-]

and a male apparently. Thank you!!

[@goosewalkhero]

Thank you for not having a 12 minute intro.

[@iainbruce2758]

For the last few hours, I've been trying to bring myself up to speed on using my entry level benchtop power supply. Your video is the clearest and straight forward so far. Thank you very much.

[@TheWilltoBuild]

Glad this helped. I went through the same experience.

[@ivanhoe6366]

Agree.😎

[@quatreraberbawinner2628]

Definitely the best one I've seen so far

[@centralcoaster33]

Mine has been sitting in the box until finding this video... It's like getting a birthday present all over again!

[@p__jay]

@@TheWilltoBuild if I set mine on 14V and connect it to a battery it automatically jumps into CC 🤦🏻‍♂️ HOW does it stay in CV?

[@cavemandanwilder5597]

The Kungber on the right is the exact model I just bought! The instruction manual looks like Google translate was drunk, so I appreciate the info.

[@aaronbinder6903]

Thank you so much for this video!! I just bought a cheap power supply and i was just getting ready to send it back because i didn't think it was working. You explained everything so well!! I have been watching videos for the past hour and they all had me confused. Your video got me back on track. Thx again!! Take care!! Aaron

[@Dr.Scorpio]

I saw videos regarding this power supply. I must say that this is one the BEST video and awesome explanation. Thanks a lot. 💐

[@ElimGarak_DS9]

Very good tutorial! I cracked up when you perfectly placed the ad segue when the camera mount moved. I like your videos!

[@zezeA380]

Very helpful video! This is really what people will need if it's the first time they bought themselves a bench power supply

[@royalblues5485]

I started researching how to use these because I thought the one I bought was broken! At 3:00 you answered my question! Don’t forget the rubber gloves! 🤣

[@ivanrodriguez4236]

Thanks man! I got myself a power supply about a year ago similiar to the one on the right except mine's Evetek and it doesn't show wattage, but to this day I had been rocking my brain in figuring out how to display the change in current output on the machine, so I gave up on it supplying current and just focused on voltage. Appreciate the help!

[@Hahehhwgajshah72726..]

Thank you for a great explanation on setting the power supply up to read voltage and current.

[@eriku571]

Super helpful video for me to learn how to use a bench power Supply that is new to me.

[@quatreraberbawinner2628]

i bought a power supply because i plan on doing some electroplating, and this is the best ive seen so far I know this video is 2 years old and you've probably since moved on or perhaps have already done so but a best practices and safety video would be nice for those of us who are a bit gunshy

[@michealradd264]

Great video man, it took me 5 or 6 trys with other clips but as soon as u spoke I knew exactly how smart u are and how articulate.😊

[@MrWhtbred94]

loved this video, perfect explanation. not too much fluff and an easy way to understand. Thanks man!

[@azucar151]

Finally ! A clear explanation on how to use these things properly and safely .... thanks brother ! 😊

[@zerodegrekelvin2]

I found your video via Perplexity 8-) which is cool to have a human explaining. Thanks for showing the setting of ceilings values, and charging that li-on battery which I was trying to do to revive a death dewalt 20V pack.

[@sreetips]

Excellent, I never knew that I could set my power supply like this until I watched your video - thank you!

[@Tekjive]

I knew I could set them but I never really knew how they worked in concert with eachother, also that’s crazy bro you just found that out with all that you do @sreetips lol :)

[@randydicotti3975]

Finally! An explanation on CC/CV power supplies that I can understand. Thanks

[@TheWilltoBuild]

Glad it was helpful.

[@frenchcreekvalley]

I have a unit similar to the one on the right. "Nice" is the brand on it. One of the many sellers warns you to ONLY adjust the current limit (by shorting the leads) when the voltage is set to 5 volts or less! That isn't mentioned anywhere in the manual that came with the unit.

[@IamBananas007]

likely to reduce arcing at higher voltages. 60V may produce a pop?

[@deanodley]

Thanks, you have a easy way of explaining things and this helped me understand how to set the CC mode.

[@joshmiller887]

This is what I spent all day looking for. Thank you and nice job

[@kekekeernest8920]

I had challenge setting the current, thanks for the current adjusting explaination

[@mufeedco]

Thank you. I learned something today. Now I can use my power supply correctly.

[@aaronregan5061]

Thank you so much; I have a power supply and this was no where in the whole instructions and it is made by a diff manufacturer… and this works thanks thank u

[@GTAW8]

Thanks for the video. I just recently purchased the Longwei that you have. I was mostly conserned that I might damage it by miss using it. Thanks again for a clear explanation on the proper use.

[@yertelt5570]

Nice video. A couple of features to look for that don't necessarily add a lot to the price are a lock button that locks your adjustments so you can't accidentally change your settings and a separate power switch to allow you power on/off to the leads after you've adjusted your settings without turning off the main power.

[@Creomortis]

Amazing, thank you. As someone that knows nothing about this, this made it very easy to understand.

[@maneki9neko]

Thanks for this. I just bought the Kungber 30V 10A unit which I like. This said the instructions that come with the unit are okay, but only okay. I really needed to see someone step through the basic possible configurations of the device, with constant current and constant voltage, and the automatic cross over between the two, in order to understand how the controls work and what the displays mean. The Kungber seems like a well made, basic tool. The wattage display is a nice bonus.

[@804MRMAN]

Well explain to me how to use it. I recently bought the same exact model, and I really only need it to test headlight assemblies. I'm confused on to set the voltage, and amperage. Most of the assemblies I'll be testing only need 12v, about 4 amps, 55w at the highest for bulbs. So do I set it at like 13 volts, 4-5 amps, and then it's plug and play to the assembly?

[@dunk8157]

The current control is just a current limiter, that is all it does. You can leave it on maximum for most things. Its useful if you are testing something that is delicate, ie a new circuit you are testing and you want to limit the power for the trial run to make sure nothing overheats gets damaged.

[@Verminator151029]

Thank you. Recently got a similar power supply and really had no idea how to use it, so this helped tremendously! Thank you!!

[@SteveH-TN]

Thanks for sharing your experience and thoughts. I am currently researching bench top power supplies. Appreciate you explaining these details and differences. Helpful video Update: Just ordered a Longwei 3010D with course & fine adjustments from Amazon 2 day delivery 😎😄

[@tracyportersr]

You definitely explained how to set up the Kunberg better than the instructions did. Wish I had watched your video first.

[@1ohmwrecker]

Just bought one to charge my headway lithium bank for my car audio system and this is a great explanation! 👏👏👏

[@synthaholic5500]

Helpful immensely. I also read your safety message in comments too that is excellent too. Cheers hey!

[@johthor]

Very nice tutorial. I have been using the Longwei identical to the one you were demonstrating for some time, but this video actually taught me some things I did not know about the unit. Thank you.

[@joebliven3445]

I like the ad break right when you drop your camera. Very suspenseful.

[@migueld2456]

Very helpful, as a beginner I appreciate this very much.

[@JossinJax]

This was super helpful, thanks!

[@gerrys6265]

Thanks, great explanation of the constant voltage/current issue as well.

[@smug8517]

10/10 recovery on the camera drop.

[@yoshimoto2600]

Thank you so much. Now i understand it alot better. And how you explain it is 100% spot on.

[@thomasldeanjr3337]

I'm with sreetips on this one man. Great job. thank you.

[@CaneDimitrov]

Thank you so much for the concise and bs free explanation!

[@johnr.803]

Thank you for clearing this up for me. It was a complete mistory until I watched your video.

[@Liamv4696]

I'm trying to use one of these to electroplate. I set it to 3.0V, then short the terminals and set it to 0.70A. But then when I connect the object to the -ve and the zinc anodes to the +ve, it goes into constant current mode and only shows 0.3V & 0.7A. I can't adjust the voltage. I'm so confused.

[@texaszed9834]

New subscriber trying to learn as much as I can before my Lithium iron cells arrive. You explained this perfectly not everyone watching understands what each piece of hardware being used is for.

[@TheWilltoBuild]

So glad this helped. I made this video cause I was going through the same experience - I needed the most basic information when I started.

[@paramj4287]

Your video is very helpful and easily understood. Thank you.

[@edcottingham1]

It has been quite a few decades since I diddled with electronics, at least in "bench mode." I've just gotten this new Kungber and am still trying to muster the courage to actually connect it to my breadboard circuit. It is just ~so~ counter-intuitive to me to see my selected voltage in the display and SHORT THE OUTPUT! But I'm doing it...ever so gingerly. I think I am going to pretend for a while that the current controls just do not exist (like in my old-timer experience). I really do not like to work with power without feeling absolutely in control, without everything being completely intuitive. OK, I'll set the current, but only change it with great deliberation. I guess I feel like I have to, because I don't see the easily accessible fuse on the front panel, which used to put the brakes on my current. And, of course, I can see that this is really so much better, because a one-amp fuse my have limited the fire hazard in the past but didn't do much for protecting the low-power ICs and other components that we mostly work with now. (If I had been on the design team for this product, I would have insisted on a button that said "Adjust Current" and shorted the output internally without me doing such a wretched thing myself. IMO, kinda bad to initiate total newbies into any kind of electrical work without supporting their wise instinct not to connect + straight to -.)

[@christopherowens2635]

Thanks for making this video. Very helpful.

[@Onkel.Moetrik]

Your black psu do turn off instantly, but it takes a while to discharge the output capacitors. If you connect a load and turn it off you will see that it shuts down almost instantly...

[@TheOfficialDorianelevator]

i have one that has a special knob instead of a potentiometer style thing, and when you press on it, you can change which digit you want to change, so it works as a coarse and a fine knob at the same time.

[@TheOfficialDorianelevator]

plus, mine shows the max amps if you touch the amps knob for about 5 seconds, which is very useful.

[@morenothing4u]

Is there a version of these types of power supply that keeps track of how much capacity they charge over time?

[@axelgr9351]

I did the short circuit to adjust current but it burned the power supply . Any idea why this happend? I am waiting for a replacement

[@Good-Enuff-Garage]

thank you for that, my PSU sparks when I connect the leads at any voltage above zero to adjust the Constant Current, could it be that on some units you need to do that with the dials turned down to zero only

[@The_Actual_CarlJr]

Clear explanation with good examples, great video.

[@rwd1973]

Great explanation! I just bought a similar unit but 32V/6A that have the useful output on/off button.

[@jakekeip]

I have a Kungber power supply like yours and I have been using it to drive a small 12V stepper motor. Today, I went to go use it and it is showing nothing but zeros. Zero voltage. Zero current. Turning the knobs changes nothing. Any ideas on how to fix this? Is my power supply junk?

[@dolphindave3037]

Great info. The manual was more than lacking information. Especially on set up. Is there a way to set s fixed output for both Voltage and Current? Let's say I want to supply a constant 36V at 8A, could this be achieved?

[@stuffoflardohfortheloveof]

Thanks very much for this. Very helpful. Never new this at all! 👍

[@Nik.ff.]

Note and an assumption on my end. As far as the black one staying on longer and the white shutting off instantly my guess would be that they both are shutting off slowly the white just cuts off the display. Would both have caps they need to drain?

[@ArcanePath360]

Very concise and helpful for a total noob, thank you!

[@raynerstuelgalid]

Hello. Late to the game, but I am a learner. An amplifier board needs +/- VDC. How does a bench PSU supply this? Are there + and - leads/outputs? Thanks!

[@mariopic]

can this supply be used to.isolate a short or does it got short protection

[@TheWilltoBuild]

In order to adjust the current you have to short the leads. So I imagine you could use it to isolate a short.

[@brandonlastname889]

Hi, was wondering if you could help. On my tire lathe I have a 1/10 th scale remote car dc motor and I have the kungber power supply from this video. When using it the motor is easy to stall and makes it unuseable because of this. I confirmed with a battery for a temp power supply and the motor wont stall when using the battery. Its like as soon as I load the motor up it stall with the kungber. Any ideas? What am i doing wrong or is it a bum unit or am I a bum unit lol. Thanks

[@waynefilkins8394]

can these not be hooked directly to a motor? I connected it to a 775 dc motor and it wouldn't turn it. it did turn a smaller one though. When I try to turn the bigger one the voltage drops super low

[@sneaky_krait7271]

I just got the one on the right, but when I connect the positive and negative I get quite the spark. Is that supposed to happen?

[@Deiphobuzz]

This is so helpfull dude.. i set mine to CV.. set my settings, connect it to my battery and it would go to CC. But thats normal.. lol. Thanks bro!

[@roscianyt]

When would you use the ground plug connector?

[@tertia0011]

If you want precise outputs of voltage & current use the power supply in tandem with digital multimeters & adjust voltage & current to your requirements. You can buy two DMM for $50 & now you have better metering for you bench power supply.

[@FyvaPro]

Thank you for video, my bench psu didn’t have detailed manual, this helped

[@Yauieuk]

I know it's an old video, but it helped me get my head around how to use this. I'm using kind of the same purpose as you with lithium cells. Mine have dropped to 0v so bumping them. See if they are any use so putting them to 3.6v and testing the resistance. I'm not very good with electronics so doing this in the garage. I have built 10s4p packs and 12s3p for my electric skateboard but with new cells. I managed to get hold of couple hundred or so recycled cells see if i ca do something with them. Thanks for the quick video

[@shademe]

Well said very clear and easy to understand. Thank you.

[@mrkeopele]

i just got mine and thought it was not working, it seems to have a mind of it's own and starts to output when it's ready, i have the white Ikokocater SPPS C3005, i set the voltage and current to what i want and push output and sometimes in about 10 seconds it starts, do you think it could have an internal program that checks things and starts when it's ready or is mine defective?

[@memyselfandI0123]

Could I use this to charge a gen 2 prius module instead of a hobby charger?

[@mikegaming4924]

That Kungber has two models, 5A and 10A. I wonder if the 5A can be modified to output 10A also. I bet they have internally the same components (for production efficiency by the manufacturer). It could be just one resistor affecting the max current limit.

[@lucasholzen1214]

how can I determine the max amperage for a component? like a car fuel gauge or something of that sort.

[@bufdaman]

Hi, I have a nicd battery pack with 8 X 1.2v 800mah batteries, what would I set my voltage and amperage to for charging it?

[@mattg8787]

I have a sps w605 I set the cv to 18 for a 18v battery and the amps at 5 put the battery on it and it shows the cv but no Amps is that normal

[@nathanrice1796]

I have an Eventek 30V/10A dc power supply. It can do CC and CV. When I turn it on, it stays stuck on a CC of zero, even after I short the leads. Anyone know how to get it to quit doing this? Sometimes, after a long time, the current will begin to slowly rise above zero. Only then can I set the CC. When I turn it on, the CV light is supposed to come on, but it doesn't. I've tried everything the instructions say.

[@liamels6282]

Best instructions video of all

[@europana7]

Can you desulfate a car battery with this ... except it'll take a long time ?

[@ozzyozzy6728]

What is the point of ‘’ ground ‘’ output in DC powersupply which has below 60 v ?

[@texasroots]

Hello. Are they still working? Do you have to keep them plugged in or plug them in at least once a month to keep them working? I had one that stopped working after i didnt use it for over a year. I found the owners said to plug it in every month.

[@dashooting6595]

Very well explained for this newby 👍

[@andymazur9962]

Great video This is exactly what I needed.

[@Draxz_forsure]

But What Will hapen if You short them at maxium voltage Will The Home Breaker Pop?

[@khanhknapp]

I have a few devices that the charging port has broken and was wondering if I can simply use an alternative way to charge my lithium batteries from these devices mostly flashlights? Would these power sources be able to charge lithium batteries?

[@TheWilltoBuild]

These can definitely charge lithium batteries! but make sure you know what to voltage to charge them to.

[@jorgellerenas3589]

What are the settings to connect a car battery for a garage car stereo system?? Thank you

[@Captain_Kdawg]

Very good video my man. Best one out there!

[@Nathan660]

I have an odd task that eventually brought me to this video. I'm trying to shore power an 18650 powered device. I have seen a couple "dummy" batteries that have a wire coming from segregated terminals in a printed housing to mimick an 18650. Could a device like this safely shore power my 18650 gimbal? Thanks for any input!

[@TheWilltoBuild]

I've power 18650's with these for sure. Just make sure you know what chemistry you are using, and set the max volts for the voltage that corresponds to a fully charged battery, and make sure to set max amps to an amount that is safe. If you are just powering the device directly make sure to figure out its voltage and power needs and set those in the power supply, but you could definitely use this.

[@Nathan660]

@@TheWilltoBuild thanks for the help sir, this gives me the confidence to try my idea in the future, hopefully without any magic smoke. also, i asume for safety sake, best to use one power supply per battery? I also assume that depends on how the power is configured in the device?

[@DooM88]

Good morning, can this Longwwei power source be used to identify short circuits? (it turns off or does not turn off due to a short circuit in a Laptop Board), I need it to continue supplying current to heat the components that are shorted to easily identify the component to change.

[@MrKbtor2]

This cleared up a lot for me. Thanks!

[@LucasMakesArt]

This is the video i needed! I am currently trying to charge a 12 v motorcycle battery. I am limiting the volts at 12v and the amps at the max battery amp input at 2.6 amps. I am curious why when I connect the power supply to the battery it only draws 0.008 amps.

[@LucasMakesArt]

It maintains cv and will not switch over to cc to supply the battery with a decent amount of current to charge it quickly. Its a lead acid battery so i’m not eager to test my hypotheses on it. If i bump the voltage ceiling up i do notice it will take an appropriate amount of current but i don’t want to explode a battery in my garage.

[@chillstar]

12V lead acid batteries typically charge at 14.4 volts (that's what a cat alternator generates). Check the datasheet for your battery's recommended charge voltage.

[@davidfurst7233]

When calculating the max amps you state you need to connect these 2. The screen does not show what you are connecting?

[@hbk_619]

For that kind of Battery what is the right amper when you charge it?

[@ahmedtwahir]

From someone who is familiar with these, I have seen on AliExpress they have different prefixes, some are NPS, DPS, WPS and many more. I'm thinking about getting one for electronic repairs, mostly phone and laptop boards. What is the difference between the NPS306W and DPS305U power supplies?

[@ppi57]

Set my similar DCPS to charge my 12v 280Ah battery at 14.2v & 4.5 amps and smoked it in 30 seconds, what went wrong?

[@TheWilltoBuild]

Hmm, your bench supply went up in smoke? If you set it to the settings you are describing here, there should be no problem at all. These are cheap though and they do have a reputation for breaking on occasion. Return it for a new one if you can.

[@Perplexer1]

I was hoping for an explanation of what happens when the voltage on that charging battery reaches the ceiling.

[@hikolanikola8775]

Your audio quality is very good

[@p__jay]

if I set mine on 14V and connect it to a battery it automatically jumps into CC 🤦🏻‍♂️🤦🏻‍♂️🤷🏻‍♂️ HOW does it stay in CV?