I would like some info on old power supplies. I recently purchased a Power Designs 3650-S, which is rated for 36V at 5A. First of all, knowing what year this may have been made would be nice. Also, I noticed on the back it claims an input of 440W. But doing the math, its max output would be 180W. So does this thing actually waste that much energy?
I am really intrigued by a lot of the old electronic equipment, especially when it is functionally equivalent or better than the newer stuff. Its why I bought this one for less money and higher output specs as compared to a newer "less classy" one. But what are some of the design differences between an older power supply and a newer one?
And when I received this, I had to open it up because there was some loose metal inside (brackets for the little rubber feet). The component that by far caught my attention most was what appeared to be an enormous capacitor. I mean, this thing was bigger than a soda can! And I think it had screw terminals for it. Is this really a cap? How do I discharge this? Is it as deadly as it looks?
Also, the current limiting knob seems to be non functional. The power supply does limit current on a short, but when I turn the current knob all the way down and apply a load it does not max like it should.
Well, any information on some of the history of the design of such power supplies will be greatly enjoyed.
Thanks
-Chris P
I am really intrigued by a lot of the old electronic equipment, especially when it is functionally equivalent or better than the newer stuff. Its why I bought this one for less money and higher output specs as compared to a newer "less classy" one. But what are some of the design differences between an older power supply and a newer one?
And when I received this, I had to open it up because there was some loose metal inside (brackets for the little rubber feet). The component that by far caught my attention most was what appeared to be an enormous capacitor. I mean, this thing was bigger than a soda can! And I think it had screw terminals for it. Is this really a cap? How do I discharge this? Is it as deadly as it looks?
Also, the current limiting knob seems to be non functional. The power supply does limit current on a short, but when I turn the current knob all the way down and apply a load it does not max like it should.
Well, any information on some of the history of the design of such power supplies will be greatly enjoyed.
Thanks
-Chris P