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nannah
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Getting me a lab power supply.
Hi, i am thinking about getting a power supply to run a electrochem cell, but im not sure which one i should buy.
I have found this one that has a reasonable price, 140W, 10A (12A Peak) and 13,8 +0,12V, 140W.
Does it sound enough for the needs of a amateur experimenter?
What should you look for when shopping for a power supply? I mean, what matters, for example the amount of ampere or volt.
anks in advance. Love Nannah.
[Edited on 18-8-2014 by nannah]
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TheChemiKid
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Do you have any specific experiments that you would use this for?
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hyfalcon
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I think this would be a better solution.
http://woelen.homescience.net/science/chem/misc/psu.html
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quantime
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I like this one
http://www.ebay.com/itm/30V-10A-10AMP-110-220V-Precision-Var...
For chemistry, adjustable current regulation is important.
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nannah
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Im not really sure what experiments i want to try. I am curious maybe making some bromine at first.
I checked the link out, and it seem like a good one. I will keep it in mind.
So what i should look for is that i can adjust the amp? And the more ampere it have it will be able to do all kinds of different size experiments?
I dont want to buy one and later figure out that it doesnt have power enough to perform the experiments i want to try. I figure its best to get one
thats powerful enough right away.
Thanks for taking time to help me. 
/Nannah.
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Zyklon-A
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You should probably get one that can allows you to adjust the amps as well as the volts.
Many experiments will require different volts, and if you use too much or too little voltage, the reaction will not go as expected. Voltage is
critical.
Amperage will determine how fast the reaction goes and how hot the solution gets. So if you can't adjust the current (amperage) then you will be
limited to using only a solution quantity that fits your amps. In other words, if you use to little solution, for the amount of amps you supply, your
solution will boil. Not enough solution, it might not get warm enough, if the reaction requires heat.
Both of these are relatively easy to fix, by using a heating/ cooling bath. But more importantly, if you can't supply enough current, the reaction
may take a long time.
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BromicAcid
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I've always wondered how a cheap tattoo gun power supply would work for these sorts of things. The voltage is varied by the dial on the unit. Amps
could be controlled by immersion level and distance between the electrodes. Even the cheap <$20 units are usually 2 amps which is plenty to play
with.
I.e.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Red-Pro-LCD-Digital-Power-Supply-Uni...
[Edited on 8/19/2014 by BromicAcid]
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nannah
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Thanks Zyklon. That helped alot. I will definently get one that adjust both. I
am looking at a Pyramid, and it adjust amp, and volt between fine and coarse. Is this standard?
Also it seem like the higher the price, the lower the amp.
I am searching ebay and found a couple interesting ones. There are many cheap chinese units, that seem pretty good. Can the low price indicate that
the quality is bad. Anybody here have experience with them?
I live in the EU, so i couldnt get an american unit becouse it wouldnt maybe run over here. I have already made that mistake once.
I have heard of people using car battery chargers. Can that be an option?
/Nannah.
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mrTrifaziux
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If you manage to find a charger that has adjustable current it might be me an option, but still no match for a lab supply. I've seen people make
bromine with car battery chargers. And you can't adjust voltage on a car battery charger so that's a big minus.
I too live in EU and I got my PSU from local electronics shop, not the best one but does the job.
-Tr-
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IrC
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One thing many fail to consider is can the supply run bathed in high heat for long periods of time. Something common in runs of electrochemical cells.
In the Pyramid example you have pass transistors which will eventually fail. In others words just because a supply says it can do X amperes, the real
question should be can it do X amperes for say 100 hours nonstop. Example is looking at the surge current rating. Useless if you expect that current
level for days on end. It will fail. The car battery charger idea is actually not a bad one if you add a Variac. Also you should consider de-rating,
meaning use a supply rated for twice your expected load.
Your local TV station runs 24/7 because if they want a hundred kilowatts out they use a 200 kilowatt amplifier. Using a charger and a variac rated for
twice the current you will be running, odds are it will do this for long time periods without failures. The main advantage of using the car charger -
Variac combination is elimination of the pass transistors. Probably the only bad thing is if you are doing some experiment requiring precise voltage
or current regulation. In this case you would need a supply such as the Pyramid, though this brand is rather cheaply built as is Trip-lite and many
others. Perhaps woelen with his preference of switching supplies has already concluded many of these thoughts. A switching supply can operate for long
time frames without the heat failures common with supplies using pass transistors. In any case before you run out and buy a supply give careful
thought to what it can take over what time frame nonstop VS what you intend to use it for.
"Science is the belief in the ignorance of the experts" Richard Feynman
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Metacelsus
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A variac (1.2 kVA) connected to a rectifier and smoothing capacitors is what I use for most stuff, including electrochemical cells.
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nannah
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I found this one that is in the link. From what i know it seems like a good choice, but i wanted to check with you guys if you would recommend this
one.
http://www.circuitspecialists.eu/switch-mode-dc-bench-power-...
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IrC
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I studied your link and it looks like a very nice power supply. Being able to set voltage and current independently is a plus. I imagine this supply
would be a very good addition to your lab. Overload and thermal protection as well. I do not think you would need anything else for your experiments
other than maybe something producing high voltage if you ever decide to delve into plasma experiments. If you did you could build a high voltage
supply and use this one to power it.
"Science is the belief in the ignorance of the experts" Richard Feynman
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hyfalcon
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I've bought from them before myself. Soldering station and hot air rework station I have came from them. Only not the ones in the EU. There's one
here in the states also.
[Edited on 20-8-2014 by hyfalcon]
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nannah
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I think i will go for it and buy that one. It seem great, but the only thing that i wonder is that it say that it runs 8 hrs continously or something
like that. I dont know what that mean, but i hope not it means that it shuts down after 8 hrs. In that case its not that great.
What would you do to cool down your p.s if it gets too hot. This one has a overload/over heat protection, but you dont want it to come to that, right.
Have a great day, and thaks to everybody.
/N
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IrC
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Quote: Originally posted by nannah  | I think i will go for it and buy that one. It seem great, but the only thing that i wonder is that it say that it runs 8 hrs continously or something
like that. I dont know what that mean, but i hope not it means that it shuts down after 8 hrs. In that case its not that great.
What would you do to cool down your p.s if it gets too hot. This one has a overload/over heat protection, but you dont want it to come to that, right.
Have a great day, and thaks to everybody.
/N |
It may mean 8 hours at maximum ratings, which I doubt you will do anyway.
"Science is the belief in the ignorance of the experts" Richard Feynman
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nannah
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Yeah, you got a point there.
One thing i was thinking about is that a Hg pool cathode is pretty common used, but for someone like me its pretty hard to aquire that much Hg. That
got me thinking of a thread here on the forum about the use of Ga to substitute mercury salts in Al/Hg amalgam. As i understand it worked out pretty
good, right? Eventhough Al/Hg use Hg salts, and the Hg cathode use Hg metal i wanted to hear with you guys about this thing i was wondering about.
Its just a thought, but i wonder if you think that a pool of Ga as cathode could successfully substitute Hg? It would require the temperature of the
reaction to start up at 30C.
Even if it works, i don't know if it is even worth it. If i could use other kinds of metals for cathode that are much cheaper, and that may get the
same end results as Hg would, or better, i would not use Ga for my cathode.
As i understand, in electrochemistry different metals have different properties (ofcourse), and they are used for different types of redox. Im no
expert in this field, as you already know. But i going to read up on over potential.
Take care.
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gdflp
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For lots of instances gallium won't work, either because the higher temperature needed to keep the gallium molten is unfavorable for the reaction, or
the products will dissolve the gallium (such as making sodium hydroxide from sodium chloride). The success with amalgams has to do with reductions in
organic chemistry and doesn't have much in common with electrolysis.
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Fantasma4500
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i bought a 5V 40A power supply from china (i recall it was?)
it works well but one day it killed my 1x3'' MMO anode in saturated KBr solution, it still seems to run in NaCl solution however..
if you are thinking about electrolysis as in for chlorates, iodates and bromates you want to go for 5V, 3.3V being the lowest for electrolysis -- i
recall
the more voltage the more heat, using 24V can easily get a beaker shockboiling
the amperage shouldnt be a problem, you can simply dilute solutions to get it running abit less aggressive, but 1.5L NaCl solution usually went abit
past 50*C after 3 days of electrolysis
if you want to use it for electrocoating you might want to get one abit smaller where you can adjust voltage/amperage, which of what i have come by on
this forum plays a big role
you could perhaps buy a few, now that they are so cheap anyways..
http://www.ebay.de/itm/5V-5A-10A-20A-40A-60A-Power-Supply-Tr...
note its free shipping
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jock88
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Folks need to stop obsessing about 'the voltage needed' for electrolysis.
Statements like '24 volts can easily get a beaker boiling' are and very poor way (if not downright inaccurate) of describing a situation.
You do need to have a certain voltage to do the job of course. You need a sufficient voltage to 'shove' the required (desirable) current (current
will depend on electrode surface areas and perhaps total volume of cell).
The best thing for this job is a controlled current supply, as described above in some posts/links. Set the desired current and let the voltage be
what it will be at the that current.
Get a supply with a maximum voltage in the region of 10 volts and as many amps as your pocked can withstand.
You will then used this supply in the 'controlled output current' mode.
Forget about a controlled voltage source (whether or not the output voltage is fixed or variable).
If you are short on cash a fixed (or variable) controlled voltage source WILL do the job but you are then STUCK with only being able to put (say if
its a computer power supply (controlled voltage source)) either 5 or 12 volts to the cell. You can put resister in series to get the current you
desire in this situation.
Stop obsessing about 'the voltage needed to get the cell to run'. Think in terms of the current I want to pass through my cell.
There are people here who can put this more elegantly than I!!!
[Edited on 24-8-2014 by jock88]
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Fantasma4500
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perhaps i was not very accurate.. i mean to recall the amperage went to 20-30 at that time, meaning 24x25 approx, giving 600 watt
but really, using excess voltage would be entirely counter productive, perhaps not if you have too much electrolyte to get the cell running at a
decent temperature
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jock88
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For electrochemical cells fix the amperage and let the voltage be what it will be (you need a controlled current source or supply with a 'current
source facility', (as above in some of the links)). If the voltage required to do this is some crazy high number then you are putting far to many amps
into the cell or there is something wrong with the set up.
Obtain a controlled current source for your cells. Try to avoid controlled voltage sources (most power supplies are controlled voltage).
Some of the lab supplies above have both options which is great. Controlled current source for cells etc.
Controlled voltage source for other stuff (like running your 5v logic stuff).
When you read a statement like 'such and such a reaction product forms at a voltage of 2.1 Volts' in a scientific paper, the author is NOT measuring
the voltage across the terminals of the cell using a voltmeter. They are using a third reference electrode in the cell (like a saturated calomel
electrode (sce), or a hydrogen electrode or some other) to measure 'the voltage that the substance forms at'.
No one on this board has ever (to my knowledge) used a reference electrode and reported using it on the board. (They may used them professionally etc
etc and know lots about them of course).
Stop obsessing about the voltage across cells!!
The next best thing to having a saturated calomel electrode (or some other reference electrode) is to quote the current density on the electrodes.
If I here anyone ever again on this board saying something like "Ya need 6 volts to get perchlorate to form" (or something like that) I am going to
contact Pulveriser and have them banned for a week (I have no doubt he will entertain me!!)
[Edited on 25-8-2014 by jock88]
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nannah
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I have reconsidered the adjustable 0-30V, 0-20A power supply, and will start looking for one thats not quite that powerful. I figure that a 5A or 10A
that adjusts only the current is fine for me.
I have heard that you can use a car battery charger can be used. What are the downsides to that?
Thanks boys.
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Fantasma4500
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| Quote: |
and a voltage somewhere between 3.5 and 10 Volts.
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http://www.oocities.org/capecanaveral/campus/5361/chlorate/p...
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jock88
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A more up to date copy of the Geocities page is here
http://oxidizing.typhoonguitars.com/
Link to power supplies here
http://oxidizing.typhoonguitars.com/chlorate/powersup.html
Some modern car battery chargers are quite sophisticated devices.
The older ones consist of a transformer, bridge rectifier and a resistor.
If you are going to do some experimentation you are best with a controlled current power supply with a current meter (and if you like a voltage meter)
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