(S) OT, Power Supply Options

[NARP74]

Can someone suggest a decent 12v power supply for bench testing automotive parts and stereo equipment? I have some projects coming up that this would help if I had one.
Not lab grade. What do I need?

[Superhawk996]

Sort of a trick question.

Here’s what I use.

For stereo repair you’re going to need higher DC voltages to power the rails - usually 32V & 3A is enough for solid state circuits. You will also need a dual power supply - one rail will be positive voltage and the other rail will be negative voltage.

For 12v work the 3A limitation is too low to power things like fans, starter solenoids, etc. In those cases where I need high current, I’d just use an actual 12v battery. The 3A limitation is a non issue for other things like lights, gauges, coils, etc.

I originally started decades ago with the 12v 3A Radio Shack power supply on the left but honestly the Tenma variable power supply is 100x more useful and they can be had at reasonable pricing. Google.

A low amperage regulated power supply is just the ticket for hooking up to a freshly restored car. Much better to find any shorts with a limited power supply than hooking up an unregulated battery that can supply hundreds of amps and waiting for the smoke. Word to the wise.



Note: if you’re going to be doing stereo work you need to build a dim bulb tester at a minimum. Not going to go into the details of what it is or how it works here. Google or PM me. But seriously you need this at a minimum if you’re trying to fix stereo gear.