Thoughts on power supplies

[b16crxturbo]

I am looking to buy a power supply. What do you guys think of the Pyramid units, I know they are less expensive, but does anyone here have one that they use? If so, do you like it?

I'm kind of worried about the voltage not being stable, so if anyone has input, it would be appreciated. Thanks.

[Lapster]

Oh man, I love mine. I have the 23 amp unit at it is awesome! It is a little bit heavy... but for 75$, it is a steal.

[RH Customs]

Great power supplies with one major drawback, they are really heavy a 25amp model weighs around 30 pounds. When I get my second Pit Bull X3 I'll be getting the Competiton Electronics 23 amp model on $115 and backe by CE how can you go wrong. Currently I'm only running 1 Competition Electronics Pit Bull X3, so I'm running the Intey (Eagle Racing) 10 amp model. Runs at around 80 F all day long with no fan and I put a blue led in mine to change out the boring red one.

[baih]

as long as you buy a brand name you should be ok.
integy
rivergate
pyramid
astron
samlex 1223, radio shack, competition electronics ( might be all the same)
and a few others.
my favorite; samlex 1223

[baih]

also i recommend at least 12 amps. most people will end up buying a second charger.

[Raster]

I found out today, that the Samlex 1223, the Competition Electronics 23 and the Radio Shack 22-510 are all made by Samlex. They look almost identical.

In fact, the Radio Shack model seems to have better wire terminals than the other two and that's what I finally went with. The RS model is definitely cheaper than the CE ($99 vs. $114) and the RS model sometimes goes on sale for $60.

Any of these three have a great reputation among various Internet boards.

Hope this helps,
Ras

[b16crxturbo]

Thanks for the input, I think I will go with the RS model, I can buy it locally so I don't have to pay $20 for shipping on a heavy item. Maybe I'll get lucky and it will go on sale soon...

I thought it's interesting that the RS unit is rated at 25 amps while the CE unit is rated at 23, maybe they are talking max draw vs. continuous? Not that I am ever going to pull 25 amps for 2 chargers, but hey, why not get more than I need and have it later if I do.

[RH Customs]

Anybody like the led swap I did?

[racer234]

Yeah, it looks like a PS2; haha. I think its cool you changed it.

[Raster]

Thanks for the input, I think I will go with the RS model, I can buy it locally so I don't have to pay $20 for shipping on a heavy item. Maybe I'll get lucky and it will go on sale soon...

I thought it's interesting that the RS unit is rated at 25 amps while the CE unit is rated at 23, maybe they are talking max draw vs. continuous? Not that I am ever going to pull 25 amps for 2 chargers, but hey, why not get more than I need and have it later if I do.


B16,

I noticed that, too. I'm guessing RS is probably exaggerating the rating, but I don't know that for sure. (I'm guessing it's probably really 23 amps like the Samlex and CE units.)

Ras

[Dill]

I picked up a 12amp Victor from ProMatch for 39.99, it seems to work real well.

[RH Customs]

A friend of mine has the the RS psu and it does put out 25 amps. He uses his to power four Pit Bull X3's all at 6 amps and it hardly gets warm.

[baih]

i have run my turbo 35 and two pitbulls running at 6 amps all day and never had a problem. i am using the samlex 1223 for two years now.

[bent]

check this out.


http://www.testequipmentdepot.com/b+k%20precision/1692.htm



40amps continuos

[tadium54]

I have a Tripplite 40 amp one for my 3 chargers(each at 4 amps) and it barely gets warm. Really nice one IMO

[Raster]

A friend of mine has the the RS psu and it does put out 25 amps. He uses his to power four Pit Bull X3's all at 6 amps and it hardly gets warm.

RH,

That's great to hear. It seems like a good value to me.

Baih,

That's good to know, too.

Ras

[b16crxturbo]

Well decided to pick up the RS 25 amp model. I was running my old school Tekin BC210 and my Integy 16x2.5 pro, both charging at 6 amps, and the power supply was stone cold still. It's way more than enough for what I need. I plan to purchase a Duratrax ICE soon, which is why I wanted to get the power supply. Upon testing the output voltage, it varies very slightly. Rated at 13.8volts, my unit fluctuated between 13.72 and 13.89 under the 12 amp load I was putting to it.

Overall, I give it a big thumbs up! Cheap, nice looking, small, and lightweight. It gets my vote and recomendation.

[BrushlessHawaii]

check this out.


http://www.testequipmentdepot.com/b+k%20precision/1692.htm



40amps continuos

your name bent fits well. - that power supply is $299 - you got "bent" over if you got that one.

[StevePond]

Don't underestimate the value of a good power supply - they're not all the same. I've not had good luck with some cheap power supplies as it relates to the quality of charge for your RC pack. I used a Pyramid power supply to power my CE Turbo Matcher for a battery test article a few years ago, and the short version of the story is the run time and voltage of the batteries suffered significantly - about 40 to 50 seconds of run time at 30 amps. The moment I hooked up to a car battery (the purest form of DC power) the numbers jumped right back up to where they should have been. I'm very picky about the quality of any power supply I use for testing. This is the one I use most of the time because it's so clean it's virtually the same as a battery: http://www.bellnw.com/npro/agilent/6031A.htm

[elcid4300]

Steve,

With all due respect...for 5Gs, I'd be buying a shifter Kart!!!!!!! :D :D :D

[baih]

shifter cart gets my vote, for that much money.

[StevePond]

I didn't pay anywhere near 5Gs for it, trust me. ;) I normally wouldn't drop that kind of money, but if I use a cheap power supply, it affects the outcome of my battery and battery charger tests.

Plus I can use it for anodizing or chrome plating if I've ever got the urge. Maybe some welding too... :D

[elcid4300]

Just pulling your leg Steve. I know that you need/want the best, repeatable results when testing for the magazine. But if I had the choice between one of those or a shifter...well you know. :) :)

[b16crxturbo]

Don't underestimate the value of a good power supply - they're not all the same. I'm very picky about the quality of any power supply I use for testing. This is the one I use most of the time because it's so clean it's virtually the same as a battery: http://www.bellnw.com/npro/agilent/6031A.htm

If the RS, CE, and Samlex units are all made by Samlex, I would tend to think that if CE thinks the unit is good enough to power their units, that it is good enough for me.

And on a side note, that is the one you use "most" of the time? What do you use when you don't need the 120amp capacity of the Agilent unit.(which I might add is ridiculous since you could run about 20 chargers at once off of it!)

[BrushlessHawaii]

What about using a Optima Car Battery With a Charger plugged into a wall socket - would that work?

[StevePond]

If the RS, CE, and Samlex units are all made by Samlex, I would tend to think that if CE thinks the unit is good enough to power their units, that it is good enough for me.

And on a side note, that is the one you use "most" of the time? What do you use when you don't need the 120amp capacity of the Agilent unit.(which I might add is rediculous since you could run about 20 chargers at once off of it!)


I'll be the judge of what's "rediculous" as long as I'm spending my own money. ;) I use that power supply because it's so good, it eliminates itself from the equation when I do battery or charger testing - any shortcomings are simply NOT the result of anything related to the power supply. I didn't buy it for its amperage capacity so I can run one charger from it - I also use it for dyno testing and other situations where many amps are required. Yes, I've run five or six chargers off it at the same time. The point was not that you need this type of power supply, the point is, power supplies play and important role in battery charging. If given the choice between using CE, RS and Samlex power supplies and a 12V battery, there's no question it would be a 12V battery. Companies offer power supplies because most people want the convenience, but I'm hooked up to my power supply or a 12V battery whenever possible. Cheap power supplies just haven't produced the same kind of quality charging results in my experience. Take it for whatever it's worth - if you don't believe it, do whatever you think is best. It's not a contest. ;)

[StevePond]

What about using a Optima Car Battery With a Charger plugged into a wall socket - would that work?

That's better than any power supply you can buy, including mine. I would just suggest shutting off the wall charger while you're charging your RC pack, then turn it back on once the Ni-MH is charged to keep the 12V battery topped off.

[b16crxturbo]

I'll be the judge of what's "rediculous" as long as I'm spending my own money. ;) I use that power supply because it's so good, it eliminates itself from the equation when I do battery or charger testing - any shortcomings are simply NOT the result of anything related to the power supply. I didn't buy it for its amperage capacity so I can run one charger from it - I also use it for dyno testing and other situations where many amps are required. Yes, I've run five or six chargers off it at the same time. The point was not that you need this type of power supply, the point is, power supplies play and important role in battery charging. If given the choice between using CE, RS and Samlex power supplies and a 12V battery, there's no question it would be a 12V battery. Companies offer power supplies because most people want the convenience, but I'm hooked up to my power supply or a 12V battery whenever possible. Cheap power supplies just haven't produced the same kind of quality charging results in my experience. Take it for whatever it's worth - if you don't believe it, do whatever you think is best. It's not a contest. ;)

Please excuse my typo... In your findings, a unit such as the Samlex or any other comparable $100ish dollar power supply, do you find that the voltage is just not stable enough? Is that what causes the inconsistent performance of the charger? I respect your input as I know you have been in the hobby a long time. I can still remember back when I picked up my first issue of RCCA which had the JRX2 on the cover(I believe it was tested by yourself), which under no coincidence became my first car some years ago. Thanks for all your advice on the subject.

[b16crxturbo]

In regards to the Optima, I would recommend a deep cycle type for this type of use, I think that is the Blue top one. As an added bonus, most Optimas have handles on them, and you can get one with dual terminals for more places to hook up your equipment.

[ducati777]

I've found a 1.5 amp charger hooked to my starter box battery works well for me. Given that the starterbox battery is only 7ah, it probably won't work for you high load guys. But if you're just running 1100 packs on a micro it works pretty dang well. Plus the starterbox battery isn't too bad to move around.

I've also tried hooking a cigarette lighter adapter to my charger and using my 1:1 as a supply. The adapter makes for easy hookup, no need to pop the hood, and you can charge while you drive to the track which made me smile...

[JonBoy]

I just got the 12amp $40 one (Victor) from pro match and I like it so far.

[b16crxturbo]

TTT, Steve Pond, your thoughts?

[StevePond]

I don't have specific experience with the power supply you mention, so I can't offer specific feedback. My overall experience has shown that some power supplies produce "dirty" DC, which can result in false peaks and/or a loss of performance due to a poor quality charge. I would imagine the difference becomes more faint with the power supply you mentioned, but it's hard to know without testing it.

[b16crxturbo]

What types of tests can you think of to test it that I might be able to perform with a basic voltmeter? I am trying to make sure I made a good investment, if not, I plan to return my power supply and save some more money for a better one. I typically use my power supply to run 2 chargers, both at around 5-6 amps charge rate. With a rated capicity of 25 amps, I don't think I am over tasking it.

Under my limited testing, I originally found that under a 12 amp load, the output voltage would vary slightly between 13.72 and 13.89. After realizing my voltmeter had a damged lead, I replaced it and retested. This time the voltage was much more stable, staying between 13.78 and 13.84.

Should I hook up more equipment to it to up the load and test the voltage again?