Understanding Bench Power Supplies and Dr Meter PS-3010DF Review

[@juanbermudez964]

👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽 awesome explanation, way better video then other that only teach you what everyone knows, but they don’t teach you how to set the c.c Good video thank you

[@SteveH-TN]

Appreciate you taking the time to answer some questions about Power Supplies for those of us researching alternatives before purchasing. Interesting showing the ground to both grounding rod and the case of the actual power supply. As result watching you video I am making a “ Checklist “ to set dials for both V & A to zero before turning Off ! ! I just ordered a power supply earlier today from Amazon with 2 day delivery. Your video has been helpful. I probably watch it again after I get my new power supply.

[@breandanvallance3107]

I'm just getting started with electronics. This foolproof tutorial is exactly what I needed, thanks!

[@davelordy]

_"You see it stops at 9.76A, so you can see I get not quite the 10A at 30V"_ The _missing_ 0.24A is on the A-Fine knob, spin that sucker clockwise to get it to 10A.

[@edcottingham1]

Thanks...great insights! I am an old guy who has never worked with anything but voltage-only controlled power supplies (back in the day). I was more than a little befuddled by all of this. And they want me to WHAT? Short my output? Dangerous madness! Now I get it although still a little uncomfortable. But it is good to feel uncomfortable when you are not absolutely on top of what you are doing with electricity. Feeling uncomfortable means THINK and go SLOW and BE CAREFUL. A little speed will come as I settle in with this.

[@804MRMAN]

Don't feel bad, I'm 42 and I'm lost on how to use a power supply like this also lol

[@kswis]

Fantastic. This power supply will be delivered even tomorrow and now I know full well how to use it to charge my 32 headways. Thankyou sir

[@Excaliburt]

Thanks, I just bought a new power supply with Chinese instructions. It’s not the same brand but it is very similar in operation. Your video was a clear, thorough and helpful introduction.

[@Paddy_Roche]

Thank you, I bought this PSU a few months ago for a project not yet started. I appreciate the time you took on this tutorial I’m happy with my choice after seeing this. Although it is a budget “No bells and whistles” supply it will do what I need it for. I just wish I’d looked into it further as I feel sure I will outgrow the features of this particular product.

[@stclairstclair]

No bells or whistles? My power supply doesn't have a wattage read out, Have you discovered that you can do any project with this, an amazing amount, electro plating, Charge Li ion battery's, see how many amps a headlight draws, endless

[@utkf16]

I get my first bench power supply today and your video has been really useful thank you

[@robertriddle4822]

Thank you, i had no output, the CC light was on and that meant nothing until you clarifed all this for me. Well done.

[@artistcg]

If anyone is watching this to figure out how to adjust the PSU for Electroforming, skip to 21:20 and there's your solution for a constant current! I watched other electroforming videos, returned one rectifier, joined electroforming groups and no clear instructions (and most epic fails), then I found this video. THANK YOU SIR! I needed .3 Amps, and I got it with this guidance. Mine shows mA rather than A (300. mA rather than .3A) but that's an easy conversion. It's steady current, so I can step away and relax. I also have the button you mentioned on my unit Dr.Meter 30V 5A. There was no instruction on any of the electroforming videos of how to short circuit to set the current like he did here. I'm in business now! yay!

[@otonanoC]

Life saver video. For the touch-pad version of the Dr. Meter, the absolute knobs position corresponds to the LED numbers PRIOR to pressing the orange [Output] button.

[@plorks445]

Thanks for posting this video. It helped me a lot with my first power supply I'm about to start using.

[@Drmeter-fv9fy]

Thanks for sharing our power supply!

[@miguelcano6962]

Is this a switching or linear power supply?

[@jasonbrown467]

@@miguelcano6962 switching

[@MorganMoran]

Thank you for the detailed explanation. My Dr Meter came with an instruction manual that left quite a bit to be desired.

[@davelordy]

After reading the Dr Meter manual I knew _less_ about how to use it.

[@Excaliburt]

@@davelordy Mine came with the same manual :)

[@schytdemijn5398]

Apart from resist resistorts ,it makes me resist resist resisteors and resist resistorresistredistor resist @@Excaliburt

[@h7opolo]

great guidance. the device you showed sure leaves much to be desired.

[@adampastor]

Good explanation of the ground terminal function. By the way, you swapped the black and green terminal covers when you put them back on.

[@Mecano.r]

Thank you for this great video. Also your reaction 20:23 lol

[@miketony2069]

this was very helpful. I was thinking mine wasn't working because I didn't understand how to adjust constant current. It looks like you have to fiddle with it to get the constant current you're looking for. Furthemore, I was experimenting with a fixed load. I was trying to see what happens if I connected a 12v-24v 10w dc flood light and I fed an amp of constant current.

[@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?

[@reverend11-dmeow89]

I went and bought two of these things last night. not the same one, but one that has the - gnd and +, but nowhere, not even the useless as you say manuals, can I get an exact definition of their use of Ground and Negative> I see some testers with theirs having a bridge connector hooking their negative direct to their unit's Ground connector. I am presuming that means they are only using it in monopolar mode or whatever that is called. If the bridge is not present, is the 0-30 Volts split exactly between the minus and plus feeds? Or does it float around, or nine bazillion potential results? THANKS! i nearly forgot to mention, Way back when I ran my own design & build lab, was when using a Linear power supply was not a Capitol Offense. and one amp each was always plenty enough from a pair of 78xx & 79xx voltage regulators was all I needed to worry about, never bought one of these bbefore.

[@hilarioalmonte378]

Very instructions and clear thanks 👍👍👍

[@dr.aimanmukhtar2171]

thank you so much, I was having the same problem adjusting the amps

[@johnmcgiv1]

Thank you very informative could you fit a on/off switch directly into the +ve 4mm slot then you have isolation from your circuit, just a thought Peter. Many thanks.

[@tinamarie4875]

Can you please give examples on when it is suitable to leave or remove that jumper plate between the ground and the negative terminals? Mine came with one attached, but the user manual doesn't mention it nor give scenarios when to remove it and etc.

[@sreekumarUSA]

120422/1900h PST 🇺🇸 Thank you for, painstakingly, explaining, not too important matters regarding your DMM reading. Did you forget,that the cheap DMM is way off reading? I is calibrated? I’d have appreciated if a FLUKE was used. Oh by the way, the cheap Chinese power supply is also way off it’s output reading. Why not use a professional DC power supply , B&K (#8601)and talk about it? The resistor tolerance under test is 10% Plus or minus in reading. Why not we call off the test, if you may, please Sir? Best wishes and 73s…

[@EETechStuff]

As the video title clearly states, one goal of this video series is to review this particular bench supply. Which is why I didn't use a different power supply. I've been an electrical engineer for over 45 years, and inexpensive DC supplies like this are generally more than sufficient for the vast majority of my needs. In fact, often I'll use a cheap wall adapter with a voltage regulator (which I did a video on). Electronic circuits can generally accept a very wide range of VCC supply, so super accuracy is generally irrelevant. I've found that this device meets its ratings of 30 volts and 10 amps, so I'm not sure what your concerns are. And I'm not sure what you mean by "way off its output reading". If you're relying solely on the internal meter accuracy, and didn't first check the display accuracy specs (of this or ANY device) then I can understand your disappointment. Use the right tool for the job. Which means first understanding its capabilities and limitations. And don't let hobbyists convince you that you always need the most expensive device with the best specs.

[@jasonbrown467]

i ordered a similar model, i cant wait to start learning from it.

[@port513]

Not sure if that applies to all DC Power units but... I set it by first setting every knob to off, then setting V to the value I want t o use in my circuit, then I short circuit + and - and set A to the value I calculated my circuit will max out at. Then the current is set to a safety value (at least for my unit)

[@804MRMAN]

Ahhhhhh, the simplest answer I've been looking for!!! So if I got this correct. My headlight unit says 12 volt 3.8 amps 55 watts, with 3 separate connectors for high/drl, low, and turn signal. I would set my bench power to those numbers for each connector, right? Or do I have to have 3 leads into one for negative, and 3 leads into one for positive to power all three bulbs at once? Or each one can recieve those power numbers mentioned above separately?

[@port513]

@@804MRMAN If you have 3 separate +, - and a common ground you should do this for every security for A you need, just make sure you use the correct cables to the correct circuit.

[@804MRMAN]

@@port513 Gotcha

[@opera5714]

I bought one of these for my off grid power shed. Actually, I didn't know I had bought it till I checked my email. Amazon is tricky! At 30V this is really operating on the edge. With my MSW inverter it will only get up to 25V. It can also run on 140V DC in the 220V switch position as it uses a voltage doubler on the input. I should have bought the 5A version as often these will work at lower voltages, or they can be modified to. I really wanted to avoid having to use an inverter with it. The test leads have those spiral fingers and have found so many of those banana plugs can have a lot of resistance as they age. I've had to file and solder many of them to prevent voltage loss. A decent supply for a beginner, it just doesn't suit my purposes for a low power supply.

[@EETechStuff]

Not sure what you mean by "operating on the edge at 30 volts", but mine is rated 30V 10A, and I can get more than 35 volts at 10+ amps. And you think it's "a decent supply for beginners"? I've been an electrical engineer for over 45 years, and it works fine for me. I couldn't care less if anyone buys this, but no matter what you buy you first need to understand it's specs and how to use it.

[@opera5714]

@@EETechStuff I've been designing longer than you have. I had my first employment repairing transistorized electronic organs in the early 60's when I was 14. Just surprised it doesn't handle lower supply voltage a little better. Only looking to supply 100ma. Like I said, I never really intended to buy it. It is not ideal for camp. At home all my supplies are XANTREX.

[@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!

[@shofarsogood7504]

Got one to charge batteries. Following the directions, it doesn’t stop charging up to the set voltage. Not sure if it’s broken or if im missing something …

[@azamatryskulov9924]

Hello. 3 years have passed. how did this power supply perform? could you recommend it? Thank you.

[@hiseminencetheholymacdiarmada]

My biggest problem with mine is that I don’t fully understand amps/volts. Lol, my own ignorance. Like, why does it automatically change between constant current and constant voltage and why can’t I set it to one or the other. Yesterday I was in a bind because my truck battery was dead. I ran the power supply at 14V the amps started out at 10ish and dropped down to around 7. After about 7-10 minutes, there was enough charge in battery to start the truck. I don’t know how dangerous (or not) this may have been, but that’s why I am here now.

[@jasonbrown467]

i am in your situation. i have no idea how this thing works, which is why i bought it (to learn). i cant get a handle on why you have to flip back and forth between amps and volts and the constant stuff. i wont bother to tell you what i assumed which i apparently wrong, but people charge batteries with these all the time in the videos i watch. in your situation, the battery is the load and as it charges up it requires less amps, so no matter the setting on the power supply the battery will only take the amps it can use to charge, starting at say your 10 amps until it tops off and doest take any more or possibly trickles at 2amps or so

[@bryansenulis7242]

Is it worth buying or is there a better one for the same price point...also didn't talk about noise with a scope.. I want to buy one to test car sensors. What do u think

[@theguitaristGabriel]

Mine broke down a few times, I got the fan spinning on and off, finally out of the blue it works again...I got another one which is smaller but its 3 digit and im lost with the settings now lol

[@simonilett998]

So, can someone tell me if it's possible to set a constant 3.0v output, and limit the output current to lets say 500mA? I have a piece of equipment I want to power up while I'm trouble shooting it's circuit components. The piece of equipment is normally powered by 2× D cell batteries, and is drawing around 700mA, but I believe that is a little higher than normal and something on the board has a partial short or is failing. I want to power it at the standard/correct voltage, but limit the current to roughly 500mA or maybe less during testing, then use a thermal camera to try to pinpoint any problem areas and hopefully limit the chance of any further problems by limiting the current whilst maintaining the correct input voltage supplied to the item I want to test?

[@theriverroom3184]

Thanks, helped a lot, didn’t know how to use CC mode.

[@cardp17]

Stumped! I'm trying to top balance some new LiFePO4 cells using its constant voltage mode. Directions tell me to turn the amp knobs clockwise all the way, then set it to my desired voltage (3.65v in my case), then connect the battery to the terminals. As soon as i do that, it reverts to the constant current mode. Any idea how to keep this in constant current mode?? Any help would be much appreciated. thanks for the video!

[@andymouse]

If the battery is flat it will drop into CC and increase the voltage until it reaches CV then it should hold at 3.65 and if all is well the current will drop to 50mA or so and your done, I hope you have it sorted by now !

[@shofarsogood7504]

I’m on the same track as you. Did you figure it out? I have this exact model.

[@cardp17]

@@shofarsogood7504 replaced it w a diff brand.

[@westbay5858]

Looks identical to the Kaiweets 30 volt 10 amp. Are they the same manufacturer by chance?

[@joeh690]

I have that exact meter. And I can't tell you how many times I told it to shut up as well.

[@A1hootyhoo]

Do the knobs represent absolute values or relative?

[@rafalpedros7360]

I bought the same supply and it came with no user manual. Thanks much for details.

[@TETAKLAX38]

Very clear explanations , thanks ...

[@meobservo]

I bought one of these to test my sailboat wc pump engine (24v / 6amps), and of course, there is no way I can set up my 30v/10 DC supply to reach the mentioned required current. How can I do it? Thanks in advance.

[@engineersiqchannel]

Dear Sir, You video is very helpful. Please help me. I have to purchase a used power supply. I have two options, 1. Topward 6303D 2. Caltron PR 3303SE I have downloaded the operating manual of S. No. 1 but couldn't find that of S. No. 2. I need durable, high quality and easily repairable out of these two options. Price is not an issue. I will be highly obliged if you guide me to choose the right one. Thank You.

[@procrastinator1842]

Has anyone worked out how to fix the display voltage lag on these? I'm thinking it might just be a RC circuit that needs tweaking...

[@kylecherrill4865]

Is there a way to preset Amps before plugging a device in? We can preset Volts but only see Amp display when device is connect.

[@__-hh3gt]

Yes, connect the + & - together, it will show you both volt and current. Good luck.

[@hansverberne806]

change out the pots at the front with Multiturn Pots but what vallue are they ?

[@stclairstclair]

I'm a retired mechanic and do small electronics projects all the way to shop repairing equipment, If you haven't bought a bench top power supply you don't know what you're missing, after you own one you will wonder how you lived without it, and you will wish you had discovered one years ago 🤓🤓🤓🤓🤓🤓

[@jondoe9581]

THANK YOU ! The booklet was totally useless .... you helped me to much better understand this device .

[@raveena6941]

what happens when a +ve and -ve wire from bench power supply touch each other accidently at 6V?

[@cmvb69]

I have an old power supply with analog meters, when powering an rf amp the dc amps start at 8 amps and goes down as i am modulating/talking, is this normal ?

[@giuliobuccini208]

Part 2: kzbin.info/www/bejne/g6mcm3ednNKlhtk&feature=emb_logo

[@travisgillespie2819]

Very helpful, thanks for sharing 👍

[@AMGTOM]

very clear explanantion, thanks.

[@williamrodriguezmswlcsw8119]

So just to clarify, are those dials "Absolute" or..?

[@stevieboi61]

thanks for sharing

[@BigDaddyJ-DcAudioFTW]

Great video ty

[@EETechStuff]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@danielnaicker2142]

Hey, I need a negative voltage to power some dual rail op amps. What is the cheapest power supply I can buy to achieve this? I am at home and do not have access to the campus labs. Will someone please help me out..

[@spongeknock7387]

Good video

[@mikehunt576]

Im not sure about this unit if your using it fir electroforming, please explain why i see 00.00 meters when most rectifiers show 0.00

[@OfficialFatLip]

Because its not a rectifier

[@3dtexan890]

Just askin' but, how hard would it be to add an output switch on this PS? Can you just install a switch in series with the positive leg of the output? Also on the Amazon page it states that it can show 0.001A, but the one I received only goes to 0.01A. I don't understand why, especially with the 4 digit display. Thanks

[@davelordy]

I suspect the 0.001A resolution claim is for the 5A version (5A + 4 digits = 5.000), on the 10A version you can - as you say - only get a 0.01 resolution (10A + 4 digits= 10.00). _"Just askin' but, how hard would it be to add an output switch on this PS?"_ Easy, just solder in a suitable power switch . . . if this is to avoid starting the unit up when it's set to "kill all my electronics", then another approach is to simply pull off the knobs and replace them with knobs that have indicators on, I did this and now when the unit is set to 0 (on all knobs) the indicators are all pointing to 9 o'clock. The unit uses standard 6mm T18 knobs, you can find them anywhere (I got gold knobs, because I'm real classy : ). Or if you are a cheapskate, just use a marker to mark each knob with a little indicator line.

[@j5892000]

Cc seems more a current limit . Because doesn't constant current force the Amps through. Like I'd amps is set at 1amp.. 1 amp will be forced through what ever it powering

[@miguelcano6962]

Is this power supply linear or a switching power supply?

[@davidahn4130]

I find the voltage wanders over time, ended up overcharging my LiFePO4 cells :(

[@jessdawn4751]

Thank you for this. I'm still going to have "an adult in the room" for my maiden voyage making colloidal silver with the power supply rather then batteries, but at least my electrician brother in law won't look at me like a total dunce on Wednesday. I can't beleive my grade 10 self didn't think these lessons were worth staying awake for in school... oh well, it's fun to learn with a purpose. :)

[@primusjohn8585]

nice review sir

[@nidayumul5118]

Indeed amazing😉😉👍👍👍

[@OfficialFatLip]

So is this AC or DC? Will it work for electroforming?

[@davelordy]

It is a DC power supply, AC comes in from the mains, and this unit converts it to DC and pumps out lovely fresh juicy DC from the front. I googled 'electroforming' and got this . . . _"For electroforming, you need a steady _*_direct current_*_ to obtain a good plating"_ . . . so it looks like this will work for you, but best to double check for yourself.

[@Excaliburt]

@@davelordy Hmmmm... My power supply puts out fresh current but sadly, it is not juicy. Is there a setting for this?

[@DrGhaedi]

Thank you for being awesome.

[@JamesSmith-rf8wo]

So, you cannot get let’s say 12v 1a?

[@LewdCustomer]

Needed this info. Use a script. Freeform is too long and unnecessarily repetitive.

[@j5892000]

I'm left with more questions

[@rpdigital17]

Nice multimeter!

[@jstro-hobbytech]

I've got the same supply, different brand. Surprise. I hate the sloppy interface. I bought it when I didn't know anything. I don't know much more haha

[@robertmccully2792]

I tried calling doctor at there web site, i think its fake, no one picked up, no name on message, says can attaché pictures but no way to do it. So sick of modern day BS.

[@jacksprat7087]

Thank you for the vid! Question These cheap eBay bench power supply’s - how can I protect from reverse polarity? Put a 5A schottky diode in the line? I accidentally reverse connected a 6v battery and it blew a 2amp ES2G board diode.

[@relaxingnature2617]

How can I power a bulb in a pulse ? ..eg: 5sec on and 2sec off ..what extra device do I need ?

[@Aaron48219]

A simple, cheap, timer like this - www.amazon.com/dp/B07BT32T1M/ Just make sure you look up how to wire it and program it correctly. Ive been running one for about 6 months now, 30 seconds on, 6 hours off (30 seconds 4x a day) and it's been running great.

[@Jimnymudhunter]

Im allready a pro.. im just here for shits and giggles 😎

[@jstro-hobbytech]

I hate my psu even more now

[@BuSalom77]

[@Jnglfvr]

Very confusing explanation. The bottom line is that when you set a current limit that doesn't guarantee that limit will be reached. For a given set voltage, the current drawn will be a function of the load impedance. If the load impedance is high enough and V/R is less than the current limit, then the PS will deliver the set voltage. If, however the impedance is low such that V/R exceeds the set current then the voltage will automatically be adjusted such that V/R is equal to the set current (limit). The PS is now in constant current mode. You will not be able to increase voltage beyond that point. So the set voltage is the voltage you desire. The set current is the upper limit of current that it will deliver to your load. You can adjust the voltage up or down to the point where V/R is equal to the set current but no higher.

[@gordselectronicshobby3853]

I in all my 35 years of being an electronics technician have never linked earth ground (Chassis Ground) to power supply ground. Doing so can damage test equipment. I always have my power supplies floating which creates isolation from other test equipment.

[@EETechStuff]

If you're a trained electronics technician you learned early in your career that the connection from the case of any test equipment to ground is there to protect you against possibly fatal electric shock. If any test equipment is floating and energized, and something happens inside the equipment to connect high voltage to the floating case and you touch it, you become the path to ground for the high voltage. And it takes only fractions of an amp to be fatal. However, if you connect the case to ground it will bypass your body and protect you. I've been a professional Electrical Engineer for over 45 years, and in working on very high voltage equipment the case ground is crucial. Even if there is no internal faulty connection to the case, voltage can be induced into the floating case which can be fatal if touched. Which is why in the real world of industrial power systems they spend great effort to ensure there are huge copper ground mats under the equipment and all metal equipment cases have solid earth connections. What you choose to do is up to you, but I encourage others to at least wear some protective vinyl/rubber gloves when working near mains-connected equipment.

[@stclairstclair]

Could you do a video about having a proper resistor in the earth ground when testing, I had been using an earth grounded water pipe on projects like a mini generator, then I read I could die because my earth ground wasn't using a resistor

[@jeremykemp3782]

He never, he has linked earth ground to negative!!!! So if a live wire came in contact with the casing it would travel down the plug through your consumer unit and trip the breaker. ie a short circuit. But the main reason he does not mention, is that if the breadboard or whatever you are working on is metal and becomes live, you are also protected because the ground and neutral are together at the unit resulting in the fault traveling down the earth/ground to your earthing arrangement of the house you live in