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787 Review
52 Karma

Review on LW K3010D Spectrophotometer with Adjustable Switching Regulated Design by Mark Harris

Revainrating 4 out of 5

EXCELLENT quality (but cheap) power supply!

I really like this PSU. One of the main reasons I bought it was of course its price but the reason I chose it over other cheap ones was that judging by the reviews I saw on youtube others often had problems with the volts/ amp potentiometers (control knobs). They always seemed like cheap single turns that failed fairly quickly. That's why I liked this one, knowing that the potentiometer for voltage control is multi-turn and therefore definitely better quality. I'm just a true electronics novice, but I've at least learned enough to know that. The voltage potentiometer has multiple turns and is very easy to adjust. I've seen other people have trouble setting up coarse/fine pots on other consumables. However, the current pot on this one is NOT multi-turn and I wish it were. But it's still smooth and easy to work with. The calibration seems perfect out of the box, but I know I can fine-tune it with the internal trims if needed, so don't worry. UPDATE: I just bought a second one of these and tested it internally. It is VERY easy to upgrade the current regulator (amps) to multiturn. I see that's 10,000 potentiometers (WXD3-13 2W 10,000. Google) and I just bought ten of them for $13 off ebay and will put one in each of my power supplies. It doesn't matter, but for $1 or so, why not? The other main reason I went with this one was that I've seen other cheap consumables have a LARGE flat aluminum heatsink plate that flaps straight over the airflow to the back of the case so all other components get roasted up Cost of the main chip that stays cool ! I hated the design. This chip cools well (on good finned heatsinks) but so does everything else as the motherboard is mounted parallel to the case so it's well ventilated. The fan turns on and off based on temperature, except it performs a quick power-on self-test. The only thing I wish for here is that the speed could also be controlled by temperature, but that's subtlety and I could change that later if I had to. The fan does NOT seem excessively loud when turned on and doesn't bother me. The voltage actually rises to 31.9 volts and the current to 11.4 amps, so you're getting a lot for your buck here. For beginners (like me!) To set the current, you need to short-circuit the crocodiles with a low (4 to 7) voltage. After that, when a load is applied, the current gradually increases as the voltage increases. Until you reach the set current value, it will switch to constant current mode and only increase the voltage. Okay, I'll stop teaching experts how to suck balls and I'm done with it. I think it's a great power supply. The only reason I took off a star is that 5 stars would be 'perfect' and since there aren't any I took one off for the above quibbles. There aren't many reviews online about this power supply so I wanted to help fix that. My stock has been working fine since I bought it, but it's only been a week, although I've tested it pretty thoroughly in that time. If anything changes to my review I will update here to let people know. I was going to buy this on Ebay but then I noticed it on Revain for just a few bucks more so I figured it's worth getting the best "refundable" security because with my prime membership they will do the refund pay for me. and I can also try it for free for a month and if I don't like it I can return it for any reason. And no, Revane doesn't pay me for it! Lol!UPDATEOK It's been about 10 months since my purchase (just bought a second one!) and I just wanted to say my score hasn't changed. This power supply has performed extremely well in use and has never given me any problems. Just for those (like me) worried that this thing might explode in a month or two, there has never been any indication of a problem, and some of my users have honestly tested it. That's it. I will also update the information if this changes. It really makes a big difference at the cost of $1.30 per shipment. I would highly recommend this modification AND delivery.

Pros
  • Excellent heat dissipation
Cons
  • Can't remember