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How do Lab Grade Power Supplies compare to Eikon, Critical etc...

I have owned Eikon and Critical power supplies and really couldn't tell the difference in how they made my machines run. I am just curious, cost, meter capability and size aside (yes, lab grades are huge) what are fellow board members opinions on lab grade supplies for tattooing. They just seem so much more robust and well built and since they are lab grade, seem to have more stable power. For example, the Instek GPS-1830D that is sold by Unimax

http://unimaxsupply.com/equip/powersup/11ex19.1.htm


Replies:

RE:How do Lab Grade Power Supplies compare to Eikon, Critical etc...

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i simply love them for a few reasons:

they are highly reliable, deliver absolutely clean and consistent current and are built to last forever. i got a few old german ones you even could run over with a car and the "heavy metal" housing wouldn't even have a single scratch afterwards. you won't need the current/ampere adjustment- just turn it up the whole way- but you can read also ampere consumption and this can give you at least a bit of a clue what's going on with your machines. for example: if it shows above 1 ampere (roughly) at a coil machine, something's going wrong and you are in danger of machine overheating.
another great thing is that you literally can't make a short circuit with those, which saves quite a few fuses- btw.: i never saw a eikon or critical where you can change the main fuse without opening the whole thing...
if you miss the presets of a critical or eikon, you can build it on your own rather simply via an extra terminal with switches and potentiometers.

i still got a ems 400 for adjusting my tools but i just use it for that- and travelling, because the lab stuff is a bit big in size and weight...
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RE:How do Lab Grade Power Supplies compare to Eikon, Critical etc...

i guess this is as good a place as any to ask this question ?

i have a brief opportunity to buy a brand new un used lab grade power supply for a very cheap price, im just curious if it will be ok for running tattoo machines on ? i will provide the specs bellow and if anybody could either confirm yes or no as to whether it will be worth grabbing please let me no ? the sooner somebody can answer the better as i have about 2 days to decide at the most, here are the specs >

DC power supply, dual V/C output, 30V/5

Dual output voltage - 0~30V
Dual output current - 0~5A
Fixed output - 5V/2A
3 digit voltage and current display
Output Power - 150W

Input Voltage - 220V/110V Optional

Output channel - 2



much thanks in advance to anybody who can help me out with this ;) very much apreciated
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RE:How do Lab Grade Power Supplies compare to Eikon, Critical etc...

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if you can get it for a good price, just grab it without further thoughts- that monster delivers way more power than you'll ever need, so you are definitely on the safe side.
would you mind to tell the price and show a link to a pic of the type?
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RE:How do Lab Grade Power Supplies compare to Eikon, Critical etc...

hey thanks a million man ;) they guy who owns it (friend of a friend) will sell to me for $90(aud) he said it cost him about $200(aud), unfortunately i dont have any pics but it looks like a pretty decent unit ,i can only compare to other power supplys ive seen tattoo suppy companys offering, and it looks decent compared, i was just hoping it wouldnt be to powerfull to run tattoo machines off ect ? il try ringing the guy tonight and see if he can send me a pic yeah ;) thanks again man
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RE:How do Lab Grade Power Supplies compare to Eikon, Critical etc...

oh i have one other final question relating to my previous question ?

it looks like i will need to customise my power cords and solder some different clips on to my excisting cords to run machines from it ? are there any suppliers out there who offer well made cords ready to go for this purpose ? my soldering isnt to bad but i like using well made equipment if possible lol, and sourcing the parts needed would add up to some running all over town anyway so i might save some head aches just ordering them direct online ? any further advice welcome ;) thanks again, gary
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RE:How do Lab Grade Power Supplies compare to Eikon, Critical etc...

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that price is a bargain for a thing with those specs, so grab it before someone else does. ;o)

+
no fear about too much power, that is the reason they solder those potentiometer stuff into them for adjustment. it's always good to have reserves, because things with bigger dimensions will last longer than less ones, just because you don't have to run them at their limits.

normally they come with banana plugs, i don't know whether there's someone out there selling readymade adapter stuff- but it is definitely no problem to solder some on your own:

you need:

2 banana plugs
2 mono jacks
3 short pieces of cable
solder
a solder iron

here you go:

1. solder each banana plug to one of the cables. normally you even don't have to solder them, because higher quality bananas always have a bolt to screw-fix.
2. solder the other ends each to one of the terminals of the mono jacks. doesn't matter to which one.
3. solder the third cable to the other terminal of each of the mono jacks.
4. ready.

so now one of the jacks is for the foot switch and the other for your clip/rca. if you have bipolar caps in your machines, it doesn't even matter which mono jack you use for which purpose. if you don't have bipolar caps in your machines just solder the banana of the + side to the center of the mono jack and use this jack for the clip/rca.

costs nearly nothing and is a job of not even 20 minutes
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RE:How do Lab Grade Power Supplies compare to Eikon, Critical etc...

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sorry, was not exact at one point:

because you need female mono jacks to go along with your usual clip/rca and the footswitch, of course you have to solder the + side banana for the clip/rca to the contact of the female mono jack which is touching the tip of the male jack of your clip/rca. "center" is here a bit irritating because what you could see as the center might exactly be the wrong one...
sorry, mate.
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RE:How do Lab Grade Power Supplies compare to Eikon, Critical etc...

thanks again j.g ;) to be honest i wasnt sure anybody would reply when i posted this question here ? glad i made the effort ;) your response is much apreciated, very helpfull ect, hope you are having a good week man ;) cheers
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RE:How do Lab Grade Power Supplies compare to Eikon, Critical etc...

Not really sure how old this topic is but I recently purchased a instek and my understanding with the current is to set it before using ... Is this correct or do you strictly run on volts alone ...it will work strong and steady with he current around mid to half but does it really matter how much the current is set to
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RE:How do Lab Grade Power Supplies compare to Eikon, Critical etc...

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hey mate, don't mind how old this thread is- i think, you really are completely right to keep an old thread to a certain subject alive: it is way better to keep old knowledge upfront instead of starting from adam and eve in a new one ;o)

to your question:

turn it up the whole way on the amp side- your machines will take as much ampereage as they need and nothing more than that. just remember the water model of electric current, which tells that there won't come more water (amperes) than fitting through the diameter of the pipe. voltage is what you could see as the speed of the water, so only this side matters for you.

but if there's too less "diameter for enough water" to power your tool, it won't work properly- and this is the point, where you roughly can figure out how much amperes your machine needs to run properly, if you want to know. just start from zero and increase it slowly- when the machine starts to run fine you got it and you will figure out that above that certain ampereage nothing will change any more.
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RE:How do Lab Grade Power Supplies compare to Eikon, Critical etc...

.

hey mate, don't mind how old this thread is- i think, you really are completely right to keep an old thread to a certain subject alive: it is way better to keep old knowledge upfront instead of starting from adam and eve in a new one ;o)

to your question:

turn it up the whole way on the amp side- your machines will take as much ampereage as they need and nothing more than that. just remember the water model of electric current, which tells that there won't come more water (amperes) than fitting through the diameter of the pipe. voltage is what you could see as the speed of the water, so only this side matters for you.

but if there's too less "diameter for enough water" to power your tool, it won't work properly- and this is the point, where you roughly can figure out how much amperes your machine needs to run properly, if you want to know. just start from zero and increase it slowly- when the machine starts to run fine you got it and you will figure out that above that certain ampereage nothing will change any more.
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