PSU 5V out is 5.26V - is that allright?

[shadewind]

I got myself a Caltek PSM3/2A which is rather nice for the price I suppose (a Chinese brand, surprise) which arrived home with UPS yesterday. The adjustable outputs measure very well compared to my Agilent U1242B but the fixed 5V output measures around 5.26V pretty much regardless of load. I know it's a cheap PSU but is this really fine? Will this work anyway for most chips or should I worry about it? Anything I can do?

[Bored@Work]

I know it's a cheap PSU but is this really fine?

When it is within specs it is formally fine. What do the specs say? For my liking +260 mV aren't fine.

Will this work anyway for most chips

This depends on the chips, but many 5V should be able to survive this. You definitely lose headroom when it comes to the maximum rating of 5 V ICs.

or should I worry about it?

I would at least be careful. That voltage is, for example, at the upper limit, if not above, what a typical 7805 regulator would deliver.

Anything I can do?

Check the specs. If it is out of spec one option would be to return it.

If it is within spec, you could of course open it, see how they internally generate the voltage and, depending on how they do it, adjust or alter the circuit. You will lose your warranty.

[shadewind]

The manual says for CH3 "Voltage range: 5V (±8%)" which is quite an odd way to put it but in that case it's definitely in spec. Well, you get what you pay for I suppose. I doubt I could find something better without going to a significantly higher price.

[dayve]

Check this out:  http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1030827

Based on the last picture, it looks like it may be adjustable.  He doesn't have anything shown for CH3, though.  Based on the other pictures, I'm guessing that picture is of a slightly different model that doesn't have a CH3.  I see a few empty spots, though, so maybe CH3 is implemented the same way.  It might be worth checking out if you don't mind voiding your warranty.