Review on 💡 Precision Adjustable Regulated Power Supply - KORAD KD3005D by Ryan Hampton

I looked at many items and bought this one because of the reviews. As a retired engineer, I'm used to using high-tech equipment, but $500+ is way too much for home use. $30-$50 devices seemed underpriced and the reviews certainly reflect that. The first thing I did when I received this was remove the cover. I was impressed with the construction. Good practice has been applied. The cables are laced up (always a good sign of care), the transformer is huge and the heatsink looks nice. I don't have access to the schematic so there's no way to rate the design, but the internals look great. The controls exceeded my expectations and are very easy to use. Voltage is displayed in units of 0.01V and current in units of 0.001A. Of course the accuracy isn't that good (nor should it be), but you can easily tweak the settings as needed for fine control. To set any of these, simply turn the knob. Pressing the button will change the number it is changing (10 volts, 1 volt, 0.1 volt, or 0.01 volt). The same for electricity. Note that the handle clicks, but not always perfectly. For example, to change a setting on the fly, I can select the next unit and switch to the new setting with 10 clicks instead of one. I will describe how to use the power supply in constant voltage mode. True DC mode is rarely used, so I won't waste time on it. First disable all outputs. The GND connection is nothing more than a ground wired from the AC line card. It is generally recommended to connect the earth to what is considered "common". (Yes, I know about ground loops and the need to avoid them sometimes, but for digital work this is rarely a problem.) For most of what we do, the "-" pin is common, so connect it to Dimensions. This is easy to do by using a jumper wire and jumper wire using the holes in the posts that you will see if you unscrew them a bit. Now turn on the power and adjust the voltage to the desired voltage (e.g. 5.0V). Adjust the current to what you think is twice the expected current required. This helps protect your circuit in case something goes wrong. Now, if you hold down the power controller until the OCP indicator lights up, set the power supply to turn off when the current limit is exceeded. If you don't do this and too much current is drawn, the power supply will go into constant current mode and simply reduce the voltage to the level required to increase the current set by the current limit setting. If it's caused by a bad connection, you might be frying your circuit at this point. OCP helps prevent this by turning off the feed. You can still blow something up, but the chances are less. If the power goes out, you can start it up again just by tweaking the voltage regulator a bit. Once everything is set, press and hold the voltage dial until panel lock engages. This prevents someone (e.g. small prying hands) from accidentally changing your settings. The gauges have a dual purpose. When you turn the knob, they show the voltage or current limit setting. After a while they return to reading the current and voltage supplied by the power supply. I did not evaluate such parameters as regulation, accuracy, ripple, etc. If I see anything unexpected I will update this post. Keep in mind that the counters are not accurate to 4 digits, but are pretty good (better than 1%). It's useful to have more resolution than precision. For example, you can look for small current changes. I take my hat off to the designers who set it up that way. This is helpful when you understand the limitations. I think it's good practice not to bring a cheap offer to the calculated limit. I bought the 5 amp model with the intention of never using it to deliver more than a few amps. Current is a stock killer, and I'm hoping being conservative will help it last.