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In this buyer’s guide we’re going to talk about the current best benchtop power supplies for 2021. Every home electronics enthusiast should have one! They make the hobby more enjoyable and provide a quick way to power not only your projects, but to test equipment and circuits when you suspect the power source is flaky or outright defective.
Answering that question first takes some understanding of what benchtop power supplies are, why you might want one in the first place, and ultimate what purpose(s) you are planning to use it for! If you want to skip right to point, our pick for the best benchtop power supply in 2022 is the KORAD KD3005D 30V 5A lab grade supply.
Benchtop power supplies are power supplies you can sit on your workbench and adjust its voltage and current capacity with dials and buttons on its control panel. This allows you to create a temporary power source that is customized to the project you are working on and lets you focus on the fundamentals of it immediately.
This is handy for numerous reasons:
Benchtop power supplies are just like any other electronics testing tool. They come in a wide range of specifications, options, and features to suit many different budgets. You should take the time to think about what will suit your budget and needs.
Let’s list off our top three benchtop power supplies. After the reading our list, you can read on below where we will step through what is important when buying a benchtop power supply and why we made the choices we did!
Our first choice for the best benchtop power supply is the KORAD KD3005D 30V, 5A lab grade power supply. This supply hits what feel is the sweet spot for price and performance and can easily handle the demands of most home electronics enthusiasts. You can see this power supply in many of my videos. I truly love it!
This power supply is robust, the specs are right for most everyone, and the price is almost perfect. It has the right mix of everything to land our #1 spot. The KORAD KD3005D is variable from 0 to 30V DC, and can support up to 5 amp loads!
This unit has built in overload protection for current, short circuit, and even temperature. These are handy protections to have in the prototyping environment where the unexpected happens!
It 4-digit LED display that is super easy to read, and displays the voltage and current values in real time. From our testing is is low ripple and noise, high reliability and high accuracy. Something just about anyone in our hobby will appreciate! It also has a great 1 year warranty, as many low cost supplies are limited 90 days.
Our second choice for the best benchtop power supply is the Siglent Technologies SPD3303X-E triple output! Let’s be clear: This supply is a lot more expensive than our first choice! However, it is packed with features that you’ll love and includes triple outputs for hardcore hobbyists. If you’ve got the budget, this is most definitely the one to buy.
When searching for the best benchtop power supply, if you’re looking for the Rolls-Royce and you’ve got plenty of budget… look no further! The Siglent Technologies SPD3303X-E is a beast of a supply that will have you stopped in your tracks. We would love to rank this benchtop as our #1, but we just couldn’t justify it at the price point of almost $400 USD.
However, this benchtop supply is an absolute dream to behold. With a support of 32V @ 3.2, supporting simultaneous triple outputs, over current protection, and output isolation, this unit has all the right specs. Add on top of that a huge (and gorgeous) 4.3 LCD display, USB, and Ethernet… you’ve got a winning combination. But Siglent also throws a 3 year warrant on their power supplies!
Our 3rd and final choice as usual is the budget choice: The IPSXP KP3005D. If you just need a solid power supply to get you buy and you need to save some cash, this is the unit. It’s not packed with features, but it does the job.
This very unit will get the job done for most low budget hobbyists. It’s not glamorous like our #2 option and its half the price of our #1 option.
The IPSXP KPS3005D will get it done on a budget! This benchtop supply supports 0-30V @ 10 amps. That’s pretty capable for a unit in this price range.
We get asked a lot of questions about benchtop power supplies. Let’s quickly cover some of the most common ones:
Q. Are cables interchangeable between supplies?
A. Most likely yes. But it really depends on the rating of your supply. The best benchtop power supplies will come with cables rated at 10 amps. However, some will only come with 5 amp cables. You don’t want to be caught using underrated cables on your supply as you could quickly cause a fire or other damage.
Q. What does it mean to be a variable output?
A. This simply means you can adjust the output of the supply to any voltage (or current) rating you need by turning a knob. Think of it like the volume control on your radio. You can adjust most benchtop supplies from 0 to 30 volts. More expensive supplies can go even higher.
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6 Responses
4.5
I really want that Siglent unit. Wish they weren’t so much!
0.5
All your “cons” with the Korad” can be addressed by moving up to the KA3005D. It has temporary on/off and presets and can be set up for constant voltage or
constant current with the load hooked up. You don’t have to short the output to set a current limit, either. There are several variants of these models and a buyer should really check to see what features he needs.
1.5
If you want the presets and a temporary on/off button, just spend the extra 30 bucks on the korad ka3005p version.