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Power supply with current output

electronicsLearner77

Jul 2, 2015
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I know that if i have linear power supply of 0 to 5V, i can vary voltage from 0v to 5V. But do we have a power source which gives me current output instead of voltage from let us say 0amp to 5amp etc? I want to buy.
 

Tha fios agaibh

Aug 11, 2014
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To be clear, You can not have current flow without voltage and a load applied. Enter Ohms law.

If you have a 1 ohm load applied to a 5v power supply capable of delivering 10 amps or more, it will never draw more than 5amps.

If you have a 1 ohm load applied to a 3v power supply also capable of delivering 10 amps or more it will never draw more than 3amps.

If you have a 1 ohm load applied to a 5v power supply capable of delivering only 2 amps, it will not be able to deliver enough current and the voltage will get drawn down to 2v.

That said, current can be limited on a power supply but you can't arbitrary dial in x amps on a dial.

Yes, There are many linear power supplies where you can set the maximum current limit.
 

Bluejets

Oct 5, 2014
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There are adjustable constant current output.
I built a small one to charge nicad cells using an LM317 regulator and a 15V dc plug pack.
Output current can be adjusted anywhere from 50mA up to 500mA and from 1 to 8 nicad cells.
 

shrtrnd

Jan 15, 2010
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As noted by Bluejets, what you want is commercially available, but they're pricey.
Bluejets built one for low current, there may be plans available for your 0-5A needs.
Mine is an old Hewlett/Packard Harrison 6203B but it wasn't cheap when I bought it years ago,
and it'll only do 0-7.5V at 0-3Amps.
If you're just a hobbyist, you might check eBay and see what's out there to save money.
 

Bluejets

Oct 5, 2014
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