I'm considering the
Siglent SPD3303X-E vs the
Tekpower TP3005D-3 (and potentially "neither" - floating outputs would be handy so I don't think the Rigol DP832 is a contender here).
I'll preface with the meta-question of whether a switching power supply would be a viable option? (I doubt it but it's worth asking.) Linears are big and no doubt power-hungry (but no switching noise!). I really don't want to spent over $500 USD for this (if anything near it).
Specific questions then:- 3A (Siglent) vs the 5A (Tekpower) - I'm always in favor of more power, but how often does it really matter in your (very subjective) experience? I don't foresee having a need for over 30V, but I can imagine times where 5A would come in handy.
- Overshoot - I understand the Tekpower has voltage excursions on power-up, and that the Siglent doesn't. Is that a common problem? Not having that possibility is one less thing to worry about.
- Noise (including induced noise in nearby things) - both appear to use toroidal transformers so that helps, but is one significantly more noisy than the other within their overlapping current ranges?
- Mass - is it simply a fact that a triple 5A unit will weight significantly more than triple 3A unit? The Tekpower appears to be 50% heavier than the Siglent, which seems to be a bit much.
- Connectors - I understand the Siglent's plug spacing is
unique, but the loose connections seen in the EEVBlog review are no longer an issue, correct?
- Quality, including knobs, buttons, and switches - Any complaints there? I like the fact that the 3rd output is switchable, as long as it's a solid switch.
The Siglent is certainly nicer in terms of features (programmable), and it's...
not impossible to
enable a higher precision mode.
![Cool 8)](https://www.eevblog.com/forum/Smileys/default/xcool.gif.pagespeed.ic.cOxV6sPNRd.png)
(Curious if anything else is upgradable, but that alone would be worth the effort.)
The Tekpower sells me on having more power and a solid design, and of course a lower price, but I'm not sure I'll need 5A (beyond a certain point I use fixed supplies to do the job anyway). I also would prefer not to waste precious bench space, and what space is used ought to be occupied by something decent... like Siglent.
Thoughts? All things being equal, the Siglent seems like the better choice within my budget (but only 3A vs 5A). But if it's got quality issues or other quirks I'm unaware of I may have to go back to the drawing board on this whole thing.