Just ordered this new power supply

[DW1961]

It's another free Amazon Vine product. 1.5 to 12V power supply that says it can do up to 120 watts output DC and up to a10 Amps. I'm skeptical.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08N4FB7MF

[lucatz]

hmm drop the N and you get SHITPWR

[xrunner]

Knob is in a good location for the cat to super-power-up your device by playing with it. 

[DW1961]

It retails for 30 bucks, so I'm hoping it's decent. You can get a cheap bench power supply 30V 5-10 amps for 50-60 bucks, right? So 30 bucks for this little thing is actually asking quite a bit.

[radiolistener]

You can find these Chinese PSU on aliexpress: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4000041619582.html

Their cost is 5...10 USD. I think you can buy it on taobao for about 2-3 USD.

But it doesn't looks safe

[pickle9000]

I've never seen a mounting plate on a wired adapter before.

[DW1961]

You can find these Chinese PSU on aliexpress: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4000041619582.html

Their cost is 5...10 USD. I think you can buy it on taobao for about 2-3 USD.

But it doesn't looks safe

That's not the same unit. The one I posed is a 10 Amp. Also, just because they use the same outer container doesn't mean the electronics are the same. I've learned a lot from ding reviews for Vine. I've found the EXACT same outer container, for instance, on USB drives, same size, and look identical. They are from different vendors, and each one performs differently than the other. Some crappy, some decent.

[DW1961]

hmm drop the N and you get SHITPWR

LOL. Like having teh last name Kuntz.

[sleemanj]

Thin looking double insulated wires for 10A I think.  Looks completely enclosed with no cooling.  10A peak maybe very briefly, but not continuous I expect.

[Gyro]

Any power supply where they need to silkscreen "Professional Power Supply Manufacturer" on the front should be treated with extreme caution. 

[radiolistener]

"Professional Power Supply Manufacturer" on the front should be treated with extreme caution. 

they warn you - such equipment should be used by professional personnel only 

[DW1961]

Thin looking double insulated wires for 10A I think.  Looks completely enclosed with no cooling.  10A peak maybe very briefly, but not continuous I expect.

That's what I was thinking too. That's a lot of amps for a little tiny brick.

[DW1961]

Any power supply where they need to silkscreen "Professional Power Supply Manufacturer" on the front should be treated with extreme caution. 

No, dude. It means it's for P-R-O-F-S-S-I-O-N-A-L-S. Come on!

[DW1961]

I can see now I'm gonna have to tear it part, if possible. (and seeeee whhhhhaaat isssss INSIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIDE!)

[alextwin007]

I have a similer one that I got from banggod.  Honestly they are kinda terrible, but I find myself reaching for them all the time they are so convenient.  One thing I did notice is that they produce a tone of em interference, I was using one to power a PC fan for a fume extractor, and I was picking up a ton of noise on my oscilloscope when probing a circuit it wasn't connected it. 

Despite that, they are just too easy to use and convenient that I keep them on unplugged on my bench.

[HerbTarlek]

Any power supply where they need to silkscreen "Professional Power Supply Manufacturer" on the front should be treated with extreme caution. 

In the same way, if the brewer has to print the word "Premium" on the side of the beer can, it almost certainly isn't.

[lucatz]

For sure!

[DW1961]

So I got the unit and before I write one of the shittiest reviews I  have ever written, I wanted to run it buy you guys. It's not really a small unit. It's 6" x 2.5" x 1".

Problems:

1. When turned off, the unit stays n and slowly bleeds off its capacitor. To me, that means the off switch is on the upstream side of the capacitor. It takes about 5 minutes for it to finally shut off, and I can watch the voltage bleed off using my meter, and on the unit's display itself.

2. It advertises from 3V to 12V. I reality, it cannot get below 4V and above 11.9V. That pisses me off. Should it?

What do you all think?

[nctnico]

What do you all think?

Return it and buy one of the Gophert power supplies from Aliexpress.

BTW: did you measure the output voltage unloaded? It could be there is so much noise on the output that your DMM gets confused. Always measure power supplies with some load attached.

[DW1961]

What do you all think?

Return it and buy one of the Gophert power supplies from Aliexpress.

BTW: did you measure the output voltage unloaded? It could be there is so much noise on the output that your DMM gets confused. Always measure power supplies with some load attached.

I didn't. However, the LED screen also says 3.99 V, and that's the lowest it will go, so it's confused also.

[sleemanj]

SEt it to the minimum and stuck a 10A load on it, the wires should easily drop the rest 

[DW1961]

SEt it to the minimum and stuck a 10A load on it, the wires should easily drop the rest 

YEah that's what I was thinking to--yeah, 10A at 3 volts, suuuure.

Anyway, I get a reply from the vendor/manufacturer. I do like the honesty of Chinese vendors.

"Hello,
We tested it with load tester in the laboratory, the minimum output voltage is 3.5 ~ 4V, the maximum output voltage is 11.8 ~ 12.3v, with an error of about 0.5V.
The smaller the voltage is, the more accurate the components, and the higher the cost. And the smaller the voltage is, the more sensitive it is to the changes of temperature and magnetic field.
If the minimum voltage reaches below 3V, the cost will double. This is a compromise between cost and precision. I hope you can understand. If this product does not meet your requirements, we can issue full refund. Sorry.
Best regards
SHNITPWR"

So, ok, it says 3V to 12V and I expected 3V, but with that explanation, I'm ok with the unit at this point, especially since it's free. It will work. I need it for 5-12V anyway, and under 5amps.

The problem I have is that I have another one of these in a NON LED version from another vendor. It's really small and looks like a wall wart, but a little bigger. It's 3-12V and 2 Amps max. When I tested it is was spot on all the way through from 3V (3.3V) on up. Other reviewers actually loaded it and said it was true to it's specs, and actually would cut off automatically after 2.5Amps.

The Shintpower unit is 30 bucks! that's probably why it's 10 Amps. I'll ask the dude when I write him back how the 10 A spec is rated.

Maybe I'll collect all of these units I can and sell them on Craig's List, and get myself a bench power supply which I really want.

Question: If I have over 8 multi-meters and I get a bench power supply, does that qualify me as an electronics geek? Or, do I need a scope to get to that level?

[radiolistener]

The Shintpower unit is 30 bucks! that's probably why it's 10 Amps. I'll ask the dude when I write him back how the 10 A spec is rated.

I think this unit is 30 bucks because it has nice label on it "Shintpower". This is a price for a brand name.

Without label such unit cost for about 1 or 2 USD on China market.

[DW1961]

The Shintpower unit is 30 bucks! that's probably why it's 10 Amps. I'll ask the dude when I write him back how the 10 A spec is rated.

I think this unit is 30 bucks because it has nice label on it "Shitpower". This is a price for a brand name.

Without label such unit cost for about 1 or 2 USD on China market.

Please send me 500 at $1 USD each. I know I can quadruple my money on those!

[radiolistener]

Or, do I need a scope to get to that level?

You're need high voltage pulse generator to test equipment for safety.
Safety, noise and reliability performance is the difference between cheap crap and good well made PSU.