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- Feb 1, 2015
- Messages
- 9,616
Most battery chargers are not constant current. If you watch the ammeter, the current tapers off as you approach full charge.
A bench type power supply is probably the best choice. Most of them have adjustable voltage and current. They will also have less ripple than a battery charger. A search on e-bay will turn up hundreds of options. There are some kits that will supply up to 3 amps and 30 volts for around $10 but you have to supply a transformer. I have pulled suitable transformers from defunct computer UPS. You can buy a complete bench supply starting around $30. I built my own, a 50 amp supply. I added a digital volt/ammeter, also from e-bay, for around $5. Otherwise, HF has digital multimeters for around $5 that can be used to monitor voltage and current.
You can anodize without a constant current supply. You would need a rheostat to control the current and adjust it from time to time during the anodizing process. Switching type power supplies are fairly common on e-bay and a 24 volt 3 amp supply can be found for around $10.
Another option would be to combine the 24 volt switching power supply with a kit based on the LM338 voltage regulator ( http://www.eleccircuit.com/adjustable-power-supply-1-2-30v-5a-using-lm338/ ) ( http://www.ebay.com/itm/1x-LM338K-3...760133?hash=item3ce79b6b05:g:KDwAAOSwq7JUAZid ) This kit could be modified to serve as a constant current source.
