TX7A

TX7A

Well Known Member
I have a DC power supply and was wondering if it would be suitable for testing avionics & instruments rather than using a 12v battery. Here?s the info that is on the power supply:

Trippe Mfg. Co. Model PR-4.5

Trippe Lite Powerverter

Precision Regulated DC Power Supply

Output 13.8VDC 4.5amp

Fully Regulated

Low Ripple

Electronic Overload Protection, Automatic reset

It has positive & negative screw posts.



I checked the voltage with a VOM and it reads as specified.



Thanks for any feedback on this.
 
It sounds like it will be ok. It may not support testing a landing light, but it ought to power up a few instruments.
 
I wouldn't do it..

Unless it a high dollar supply I'd run it with a battery hooked up to it to smooth the output. Many of the cheaper supplies will not be able to smooth the output adequitly with any kind of load, and the higher the load the worse it gets. When I was doing this I went and bought a cheap mower battery from walmart to use for testing.
 
Since I was building an "all-electric" airplane, I did a lot of power-up testing. I used a supply similar to what you described when all I had was a sinlge EFIS or radio powered - the first time I hit the flap switch or powered on the strobes, I blew the fuse and undervolted the system. I traded up to a 55 Amp Pyramid supply and was a much happier camper. I think if all I had was a 4.5 Amp unit, I'd use a battery instead.
 
Also, some of the really cheap supplies have poor regulation at low load conditions, so you might overvoltage when not drawing a load.

Trippe Lite is usually a decent brand. Don't draw more than rated current and you'll be ok.
 
I'll stick with the battery method

Thanks for the input guys. I think I'll just get me a cheap Walmart battery as suggested. I don't want to risk goofing-up some expensive piece of electronics.
 
If the output of the electronics (and other stuff) is less than the rated output, then go ahead. If it's more, yes, use a battery in parallel - plain old deep cycle RV battery from your favorite big-box store will work fine - about $50.

TODR
 
I Googled that model number but couldn't find it. I'd try it on something disposable first, like an old car radio or CB. If they don't blow up, I'd go for it. A cheap battery will work too, just be sure to put a fuse in the line. A car battery will source a tremendous amount of current in the event of a short circuit. Enough to cause a bad burn at best, or a big fire at worst.

Hope this helps.
 
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