On 2/10/10 23:15 , bpnjensen wrote:
On Feb 10, 8:55 pm, wrote:
On Feb 10, 10:56 pm, "D. Peter
wrote:





On 2/10/10 21:34 , bpnjensen wrote:

On Feb 10, 3:08 pm, "D. Peter
wrote:
On 2/10/10 16:41 , dxAce wrote:

"D. Peter Maus" wrote:
I replaced my wall warts in the radio room with an Astron VS-20M.
Serious power. Serious regulation. Very clean power. Nice listening.

I use an Astron RS-20M here to power the Drake R7.

May be where I got the idea.

It's a great PS.

You could probably power a dozen R7s with 20 amps!. I'm shooting for
the Astron 7 amp job - that should tide me over.

In boating...they call it '2 foot-itis.' In audio we call it a
'4-track fix.'

No matter how bit a boat you have, you find it's just about 2 foot
shy of what you need for a really good party. No matter how many
channels you have, you find you need 4 more channels for the right mix.

If you're figuring 7 amps, within a year, you'll be looking for 2
more amps.

Think future growth.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Absolutely! I always expect to have a safe
operating environment, and a bigger power supply is a must, not an
overkill. In industrial installations, which run around the clock,
p.s. are mandatory to be much heftier than what seems necessary to
handle the usual load, so nothing terrible could possibly occur in the
worth case scenario. At home I played with 12V gell cells for awhile,
and was planning to acquire a deep discharge cycle battery from Sears,
eventually. By the way Pyramid's p.s.current rating cannot be
trusted.The 7 amp claim to supply a constant current is just not
possible at all. Their ratings (and of many,many other brands) are
based upon intermittent(!) use only. Actually, building a decent
medium size (10 -15 Amp) regulated linear p.s. is not that difficult
and parts are widely available from discarded electronics.
P.S. Switching p.s. should be avoided by all means,if possible. Just
look how much RF the new florescent bulbs are causing lately.

Thanks Peter and Arthur - right now and foreseeably, my total demand
at maximum is probably 3 amps. One main radio (Icom R75 - maxes at
about 1 amp), a MFJ-1026 (500 - 600 ma) and maybe one other small RX
or dsp unit at a time (1 amp max). All the other things I have do
just great on 115 VAC. This, after 4 decades of s-l-o-w collecting!
I have no TX and do not intend to resurrect my ancient ham license, so
that sort of larger drain will never happen.

So, at 5 amps continuous on the unit I am thinking about, that will
already give me another 100% of headroom to play with. I know I'm a
bit odd in this respect ;-), but I don't collect stuff to run
simultaneously (My entire active shack at any one time fits on 3
square feet of tabletop).

I could get a ~12 amp I guess, but that would be considerable overkill
for anything I can foresee.


Arthur makes a pretty good point. PS ratings assume intermittent
service. Continuous current rating is based on a limited time of
service...a few minutes...against unlimited continuous demand. The
result is not a lack of current, but an abundance of heat. And
subsequent failure. In much the same way ham transmitters used for
pirate stations experience failure. They can make their rated output,
but they can't sustain it beyond an intermittent, conversational
exchange. They can make half their rated output, but they often can't
sustain that indefinitely either. The problem being inability to dispose
of component heat.

So, look for a PS that can maintain your demand, plus a decent
reserve and do it indefinitely, without component overheating. Most
'continuous' ratings do not actually reflect unlimited duration.


Not figuring on the Pyramid any more.
You guys and some research have pretty much talked me into Astron :-)


A good choice. Don't skimp. You may regret spending the extra money,
but you'll never regret having the extra capacity.

On Feb 11, 1:01*am, "D. Peter Maus"
wrote:
On 2/10/10 23:15 , bpnjensen wrote:





On Feb 10, 8:55 pm, wrote:
On Feb 10, 10:56 pm, "D. Peter
wrote:

On 2/10/10 21:34 , bpnjensen wrote:

On Feb 10, 3:08 pm, "D. Peter
wrote:
On 2/10/10 16:41 , dxAce wrote:

"D. Peter Maus" wrote:
* * * I replaced my wall warts in the radio room with an Astron VS-20M.
Serious power. Serious regulation. Very clean power. Nice listening.

I use an Astron RS-20M here to power the Drake R7.

* * *May be where I got the idea.

* * *It's a great PS.

You could probably power a dozen R7s with 20 amps!. *I'm shooting for
the Astron 7 amp job - that should tide me over.

* * In boating...they call it *'2 foot-itis.' In audio we call it a
'4-track fix.'

* * No matter how bit a boat you have, you find it's just about 2 foot
shy of what you need for a really good party. No matter how many
channels you have, you find you need 4 more channels for the right mix.

bpnjensen wrote:
Hi, folks - If you please, I am looking for recommendations for a PS
that will provide the usual 12 or 13.8v, about 5 - 7 amps be plenty.
Love to get rid of the myriad 500 ma wall-warts. I'd rather not have
it be too expensive, but it would be nice if it didn't send spikes,
blow up or cause hash or electrical hum. Any thoughts? There is a
plethora of manufacturers and models, reviews are all over the place,
I have no idea which ones are OK. Pyramid makes a 5-amp job that
would be great, if it's any good. I also see Radio Shack PSs at about
twice that current. Would a switching PS be better?

Thanks in advance ~

Bruce Jensen

I use an Astron switch mode supply. It makes no noise. It makes no
heat. Linear supplies waste electricity.

On Feb 10, 10:27*pm, wrote:
On Feb 11, 1:01*am, "D. Peter Maus"
wrote:





On 2/10/10 23:15 , bpnjensen wrote:

On Feb 10, 8:55 pm, wrote:
On Feb 10, 10:56 pm, "D. Peter
wrote:

On 2/10/10 21:34 , bpnjensen wrote:

On Feb 10, 3:08 pm, "D. Peter
wrote:
On 2/10/10 16:41 , dxAce wrote:

"D. Peter Maus" wrote:
* * * I replaced my wall warts in the radio room with an Astron VS-20M.
Serious power. Serious regulation. Very clean power. Nice listening.

I use an Astron RS-20M here to power the Drake R7.

* * *May be where I got the idea.

* * *It's a great PS.

You could probably power a dozen R7s with 20 amps!. *I'm shooting for
the Astron 7 amp job - that should tide me over.

* * In boating...they call it *'2 foot-itis.' In audio we call it a
'4-track fix.'

* * No matter how bit a boat you have, you find it's just about 2 foot
shy of what you need for a really good party. No matter how many
channels you have, you find you need 4 more channels for the right mix.

* * If you're figuring 7 amps, within a year, you'll be looking for 2
more amps.

* * Think future growth.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

* * * * * * * * * * *Absolutely! I always expect to have a safe
operating environment, and a bigger power supply is a must, not an
overkill. In industrial installations, which run around the clock,
p.s. are mandatory to be much heftier than what seems necessary to
handle the usual load, so nothing terrible could possibly occur in the
worth case scenario. At home I played with 12V gell cells for awhile,
and was planning to acquire a deep discharge cycle battery from Sears,
eventually. *By the way Pyramid's p.s.current rating cannot be
trusted.The 7 amp claim to supply a constant *current is just not
possible at all. Their ratings (and of many,many other brands) are
based upon intermittent(!) use only. Actually, building a decent
medium size (10 -15 Amp) regulated linear p.s. is not that difficult
and parts are widely available from discarded electronics.
P.S. * Switching p.s. should be avoided by all means,if possible. Just
look how much RF the new florescent bulbs are causing lately.

Thanks Peter and Arthur - right now and foreseeably, my total demand
at maximum is probably 3 amps. *One main radio (Icom R75 - maxes at
about 1 amp), a MFJ-1026 (500 - 600 ma) and maybe one other small RX
or dsp unit at a time (1 amp max). *All the other things I have do
just great on 115 VAC. *This, after 4 decades of s-l-o-w collecting!
I have no TX and do not intend to resurrect my ancient ham license, so
that sort of larger drain will never happen.

So, at 5 amps continuous on the unit I am thinking about, that will
already give me another 100% of headroom to play with. *I know I'm a
bit odd in this respect ;-), but I don't collect stuff to run
simultaneously (My entire active shack at any one time fits on 3
square feet of tabletop).

I could get a ~12 amp I guess, but that would be considerable overkill
for anything I can foresee.

* *Arthur makes a pretty good point. PS ratings assume intermittent
service. Continuous current rating is based on a limited time of
service...a few minutes...against unlimited continuous demand. The
result is not a lack of current, but an abundance of heat. And
subsequent failure. In much the same way ham transmitters used for
pirate stations experience failure. They can make their rated output,
but they can't sustain it beyond an intermittent, conversational
exchange. They can make half their rated output, but they often can't
sustain that indefinitely either. The problem being inability to dispose
of component heat.

* *So, look for a PS that can maintain your demand, plus a decent
reserve and do it indefinitely, without component overheating. Most
'continuous' ratings do not actually reflect unlimited duration.

* Not figuring on the Pyramid any more.

You guys and some research *have pretty much talked me into Astron :-)

* *A good choice. Don't skimp. You may regret spending the extra money,
but you'll never regret having the extra capacity.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

*Amen. Oh, nearly forgotten. Latest *RShack's power supplies may be
even worse than some of the cheapest brands on the market!- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Thanks - Yeah, I gave up on considering RS awhile back. Currently, I
the only things I get at RS are phone plugs and hookup wire.

On Feb 11, 6:59*am, dave wrote:
bpnjensen wrote:
Hi, folks - If you please, I am looking for recommendations for a PS
that will provide the usual 12 or 13.8v, about 5 - 7 amps be plenty.
Love to get rid of the myriad 500 ma wall-warts. *I'd rather not have
it be too expensive, but it would be nice if it didn't send spikes,
blow up or cause hash or electrical hum. *Any thoughts? *There is a
plethora of manufacturers and models, reviews are all over the place,
I have no idea which ones are OK. *Pyramid makes a 5-amp job that
would be great, if it's any good. *I also see Radio Shack PSs at about
twice that current. *Would a switching PS be better?

Thanks in advance ~

Bruce Jensen

I use an Astron switch mode supply. *It makes no noise. *It makes no
heat. *Linear supplies waste electricity.

No hash or other electrical noise artifacts?

Thanks Peter and Arthur - right now and foreseeably, my total demand
at maximum is probably 3 amps. One main radio (Icom R75 - maxes at
about 1 amp), a MFJ-1026 (500 - 600 ma) and maybe one other small RX
or dsp unit at a time (1 amp max). All the other things I have do
just great on 115 VAC. This, after 4 decades of s-l-o-w collecting!
I have no TX and do not intend to resurrect my ancient ham license, so
that sort of larger drain will never happen.

So, at 5 amps continuous on the unit I am thinking about, that will
already give me another 100% of headroom to play with. I know I'm a
bit odd in this respect ;-), but I don't collect stuff to run
simultaneously (My entire active shack at any one time fits on 3
square feet of tabletop).

I could get a ~12 amp I guess, but that would be considerable overkill
for anything I can foresee. Not figuring on the Pyramid any more.
You guys and some research have pretty much talked me into Astron :-)

Bruce

You might try checking out other brands. I have a Kikusui I got locally for
a very reasonable price and it is a very nice power supply (0-18V, 4.5A
max.).

There's a nice Kikusui on eBay right now - item 320485731691.

Just a thought. HP power supplies are also plentious. I have an Astron
RS-35M and are well pleased with it but I think for your purposes, it might
be overkill.

You could always build a nicely-regulated power supply as well. It isn't
hard to do...

Barry - N4BUQ

On Feb 11, 1:37*pm, "Barry" wrote:
Thanks Peter and Arthur - right now and foreseeably, my total demand
at maximum is probably 3 amps. *One main radio (Icom R75 - maxes at
about 1 amp), a MFJ-1026 (500 - 600 ma) and maybe one other small RX
or dsp unit at a time (1 amp max). *All the other things I have do
just great on 115 VAC. *This, after 4 decades of s-l-o-w collecting!
I have no TX and do not intend to resurrect my ancient ham license, so
that sort of larger drain will never happen.

So, at 5 amps continuous on the unit I am thinking about, that will
already give me another 100% of headroom to play with. *I know I'm a
bit odd in this respect ;-), but I don't collect stuff to run
simultaneously (My entire active shack at any one time fits on 3
square feet of tabletop).

I could get a ~12 amp I guess, but that would be considerable overkill
for anything I can foresee. *Not figuring on the Pyramid any more.
You guys and some research *have pretty much talked me into Astron :-)

Bruce

You might try checking out other brands. *I have a Kikusui I got locally for
a very reasonable price and it is a very nice power supply (0-18V, 4.5A
max.).

There's a nice Kikusui on eBay right now - item 320485731691.

Just a thought. *HP power supplies are also plentious. *I have an Astron
RS-35M and are well pleased with it but I think for your purposes, it might
be overkill.

You could always build a nicely-regulated power supply as well. *It isn't
hard to do...

Barry - N4BUQ

Thanks, Barry - have not heard of Kikusui before. Checked EBay,
actually quite a few Kikusui items there. Fairly small current output
it seems, but nice-looking equipment with a fair amount of hands-on
control. I think I'd need a manual.

As far as building one goes, I tend to be a very frightened tinkerer.
I have no reliable test equipment per se, save for a couple of simple
analogue VOMs, and relatively poor soldering skills. I know, I'm in
the wrong hobby - but I just like listening to radio, and I'm pretty
happy to let others do most of the building :-)

I do like messing with antennas, though...

Bruce

bpnjensen wrote:
On Feb 11, 6:59 am, dave wrote:
bpnjensen wrote:
Hi, folks - If you please, I am looking for recommendations for a PS
that will provide the usual 12 or 13.8v, about 5 - 7 amps be plenty.
Love to get rid of the myriad 500 ma wall-warts. I'd rather not have
it be too expensive, but it would be nice if it didn't send spikes,
blow up or cause hash or electrical hum. Any thoughts? There is a
plethora of manufacturers and models, reviews are all over the place,
I have no idea which ones are OK. Pyramid makes a 5-amp job that
would be great, if it's any good. I also see Radio Shack PSs at about
twice that current. Would a switching PS be better?
Thanks in advance ~
Bruce Jensen
I use an Astron switch mode supply. It makes no noise. It makes no
heat. Linear supplies waste electricity.

No hash or other electrical noise artifacts?


None that I've noticed. These are specifically sold for Amateur Radio.
From what I've heard the Astrons and the MFJs are both electrically quiet.

On Feb 11, 12:15*am, bpnjensen wrote:
On Feb 10, 8:55*pm, wrote:





On Feb 10, 10:56*pm, "D. Peter Maus"
wrote:

On 2/10/10 21:34 , bpnjensen wrote:

On Feb 10, 3:08 pm, "D. Peter
wrote:
On 2/10/10 16:41 , dxAce wrote:

"D. Peter Maus" wrote:
* * *I replaced my wall warts in the radio room with an Astron VS-20M.
Serious power. Serious regulation. Very clean power. Nice listening.

I use an Astron RS-20M here to power the Drake R7.

* * May be where I got the idea.

* * It's a great PS.

You could probably power a dozen R7s with 20 amps!. *I'm shooting for
the Astron 7 amp job - that should tide me over.

* *In boating...they call it *'2 foot-itis.' In audio we call it a
'4-track fix.'

* *No matter how bit a boat you have, you find it's just about 2 foot
shy of what you need for a really good party. No matter how many
channels you have, you find you need 4 more channels for the right mix.

Thanks, Barry - have not heard of Kikusui before. Checked EBay,
actually quite a few Kikusui items there. Fairly small current output
it seems, but nice-looking equipment with a fair amount of hands-on
control. I think I'd need a manual.

As far as building one goes, I tend to be a very frightened tinkerer.
I have no reliable test equipment per se, save for a couple of simple
analogue VOMs, and relatively poor soldering skills. I know, I'm in
the wrong hobby - but I just like listening to radio, and I'm pretty
happy to let others do most of the building :-)

I do like messing with antennas, though...

Bruce



I had not heard of Kikusui before I got this one either, but I am impressed
with it overall. It is built quite well. The lower-priced units don't
supply a lot of current so you might be as well off with an Astron, etc.
The one I got does 4.5A and I've never really needed that much for what I
power it with.

Good luck with it,
Barry - N4BUQ