Tekpower TP3005T Variable Linear DC Power Supply, 0-30V @ 0-5A with Alligator Test Leads

It works very well, and is easy to use. You can adjust to every digit- to the 1/100th of volt and 1/1000th of an amp! It is very accurate and repeatable, as well as stable. The values are adjusted in real time-- that was not clear in the online marketing material, and it is a very nice feature. The only minor annoyance is that there is no way to set the timeout for adjusting the voltage/amperage. The timer times our the knobs in about 1 second, and then you have to depress the button again. I wish there was an option to adjust the timeout limit or disable it. This is only a minor complaint, though. The only other minor issue, which is common on all the power supplies of this value range, is the power spike at startup. Just remember to turn on the device and let it stabilize for a second or two before attaching anything and you will be fine. It is rated at 5 amps, though it is actually 5.2 amps. For anodizing, it takes about 4.5 amps for every square foot of surface area, so this can do an item with around 1.15 square feet of surface area at the normal anodization level, and a bit more if you want a softer anodization, and a bit less if you want a harder anodization. I am really happy with this item, and I now wish I would have bought the 10 amp version in case I ever wanted to do larger pieces- just in case.

The Tekpower TP3005T is everything I would want in a bench power supply. Being able to set a voltage or current limit digitally is far better for a hobbyist. Most < $100 supplies require dialing in a 1-turn potentiometer (which can drift, has poor granularity, allows for output spikes) and reading a 3-digit display. That may be a step up from poking some meter probes into the circuit. But the TP3005T let's you digitally set the levels you want, and then it locks those values so that curious kids can't bump the knob. And it clearly indicates whether it is voltage regulation or current regulation is in play. And because it switches between transformer taps there is less power wasted by the linear regulator at high current levels. The granularity of 10mV and 1mA is something the potentiometer-based supplies just can't touch. Some others drop a display digit just to make things look "smooth." I like the neon orange display. You can read it well even across the room. To me it looks better than backlit LCDs. Cool things to do with the TP3005T: charge and test SLA batteries, set exact charge level for Ni-MH batteries (which have a nasty roll-off point late in the cycle). Hook up the load and let it run overnight. No worries because the voltage and current limits are "locked-in." Super easy to do a V-I curve. Several caveats are well stated other reviewers. My take: a) That "nasty smell" goes away within a week. It is just the varnish curing on the transformer -- not a big deal to me. b) Too easy to bump up voltage by 10 volts. Yep I agree. It is very important to do about 15 minutes practicing how to change the digits.You are given "enough rope to hang yourself" so be super careful. If you are not yet confident just remove the leads when changing settings. c) current limit shutting down the supply with no notice. Here is what I do. Just don't use it. Its a trip level which might be important to a few folks. But for most folks its an extra feature. Yes I think it would have been nice to provide an LED indicating "trip." Perhaps the next rev can improve it? d) loud fan: Only noticeable when the current exceeds 1 amp. Below that it is very quiet. Above 1 amp I want to hear the fan (even if it is a bit loud) so that I know all that wattage is getting dissipated. Maybe one day I'll swap in a quieter one. Bit for now its all fine. Some things I have not yet checked: Overshoot on power up and power down. I'll update this review with what I find. If you are tempted to buy it I'd say "Go ahead." This combination of useful features is well worth the modest price.

I received the power supply in just a few days and in good shape. Like all good linear supplies, it is heavy because of the transformer. As advertised, it supplies clean power with very low noise - much lower than a comparable voltage/current switching supply. The case and display are very neat and functional. Because of some of the reviews, I was expecting the multifunction controls to be hard to learn, but after about 10 minutes, they all made sense and are easy to use. Although the instructions do not say so, you can enter a voltage or current and then get the least significant digit you want to use blinking. Then if you immediately start turning the control up or down, it will raise or lower the voltage or current smoothly while incrementing the higher order digits when you pass 9 or decrementing them when you pass 0. Thus, you do not necessarily need to set each digit individually as they describe. It also lets you search for a voltage or current that does what you are trying to do. All of the functions worked as advertised and are typical of quality lab power supplies. This power supply is not exactly cheap, but it is a fraction of the cost of most professional lab supplies. It is definitely worth the price. There are only three negatives on the whole power supply, and one very small one was the banana plugs on the power leads. The springs were tight in the jacks, but the contact between the springs and the plug was intermittent. Whether this was poor construction or an attempt to allow the leads to swivel, it caused temporary interruptions of the current that would cause extreme problems in either analog or digital circuitry. I removed them and soldered on new plugs eliminating the problem. You should definitely examine the plugs. If the spring swivels easily on the plug, you should definitely replace them with better plugs. (Radio Shack sells banana plugs.) The second negative is the very strong paint smell as it comes from the box. I finally put a light load on it and left it to run with the fan on for a day or so to finish curing the paint. This is not a long-term problem, but unexpected in a quality product like this. The fan is very quiet under 1 amp, but jumps directly to high above 1 amp (at least with a 2 ohm load.) On high, the fan is pretty loud. A nice upgrade for the design would be a fan that is true variable speed based on heat sink temperature.

Adjusting the voltage while the X0.00 Value is blinking you go from 00. to 20-30 V into your device and destroys it