Bench Power

[12milluz]

http://www.circuitspecialists.com/prod.itml/icOid/8238

Does that look like a good bench power supply? I'm buying a breadboard and wanted something like that. Is it good?

[Jered]

  Looks like a fine choice.
  Jered

[12milluz]

How many amps should the supply be? I'm looking on eBay, too and I found this one: http://cgi.ebay.com/HP-6216A-Power-Supply-0-to-25VDC-0-to-400mA_W0QQitemZ200197182062QQihZ010QQcategoryZ58286QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

[mojo_hand]

The 400 mA one would be fine for most solid state pedal projects, but that wouldn't be enough for most projects involving power amplification or tubes (heater filaments use a lot of current).  The 400 mA one does give a wider range of voltages, though, which could be handy... IF you're going to do something that needs >12v. 

So, they both have their limits, which may or may not matter depending on what sorts of projects you do.  Either one would be fine for 95% of pedals, which neither use over 12v or over 400 mA.

[12milluz]

Okay, thanks!

[mdh]

One thing you might consider is that it might be nice to have a bipolar supply for bench use, particularly if you plan to build circuits like R.G.'s Neutron (Mutron III workalike) or other filter/modular synth inspired stuff.  But if you're mostly interested in boosters & distortions, it's probably not a deal-breaker feature.