21-11-2017, 05:57 PM
There's a lot to be said for second-hand power supplies. Modern Chinese supplies are very lightweight (small heat sinks and fans), whereas older units have large heat sinks. Plenty of choice out there. However, like any old test gear, you might need to give it a bit of TLC - as lots of us have said before, restoring and maintaining a fleet of older test gear is a satisfying sub-hobby in its own right, but it's perhaps not what a beginner needs. So maybe pick up a Chinese cheapy in the first instance. If you find that you really get into the hobby, then acquiring and restoring older, better-built gear is something to look forward to...
With lab power supplies, be aware that they give a rock-steady output voltage until you reach the current limit that you've set. Then, the output drops like a stone. That's the designed behaviour. Now, I don't know the train system, but if you're using one to drive motors and similar, you might find that this causes problems because motors, etc, take quite a surge at start-up. I'm not saying that you'll definitely have a problem, but just keep it in mind. For the train set, a separate switched-mode PSU might well be the best bet. But, suck it and see
With lab power supplies, be aware that they give a rock-steady output voltage until you reach the current limit that you've set. Then, the output drops like a stone. That's the designed behaviour. Now, I don't know the train system, but if you're using one to drive motors and similar, you might find that this causes problems because motors, etc, take quite a surge at start-up. I'm not saying that you'll definitely have a problem, but just keep it in mind. For the train set, a separate switched-mode PSU might well be the best bet. But, suck it and see
