Power Supply for Electrolysis

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Rick_B

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I'm considering buying a power supply for electrolysis and was wondering if there are any recommendations. I would like to keep the cost under $50. This is one I was looking at LRS-350-12 https://www.amazon.com/LRS-350-12-S...9Y2xpY2tSZWRpcmVjdCZkb05vdExvZ0NsaWNrPXRydWU=.

I am admittedly over my head here so any thoughts are appreciated. The one question I have is the need for a power supply that has a built in ammeter - not sure if an ammeter is required for control of the electrolysis process.

I've already gone down the path of computer power supplies and converting a smart battery charger so let's keep it to something I can buy :)

Thanks
Rick
 
I don't know. I have used a car battery charger the few times I have done it.
I guess it should work.
 
Any power supply will work.

It just needs to be rated for continuous duty.

Something with Amp meter helps so you know when to clean electrodes.

New battery chargers need to see a battery with voltage to work so avoid those.

Old used one at thrift store works.

Make sure whatever you use has overcurrent protection.

We added circuit breaker as sometimes things get bumped and short out.


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That power supply should work but I think a simple transformer and bridge diode would also work just fine. You may already have a suitable power supply, if you have a box of old "wall wart" power adapters.
The ammeter doesn't need to be built in, one can be easily added into the circuit.
 
Yep Ed nailed it again- something like this would work fine for small projects:
I don't know how much current you need- for tens of amps the one you linked would be cheaper than building it
You can add an external ammeter to any supply you buy; be sure it is an internal shunt type-more convenient
Some ammeters require an external shunt for measuring larger currents (more than 20 amps)

electolysispower.jpeg
 
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Thanks fellas - just to clarify - do I have to have an ammeter? I would rather not have to add one if I can run without it. The supply I linked to has 29 amp capability - Thats significantly more than a normal battery charger so I was thinking that it was more than enough for me. I would like to de-rust old machine parts - most pretty small. The biggest I currently have to do is a hollow steel column 6" in diameter and 30" long.

Rick
 
Any power supply out of a computer works. Plus, you get multiple voltages to choose from.
The bricks you get with laptops are good to.
 
Rick_B said:
Thanks fellas - just to clarify - do I have to have an ammeter? I would rather not have to add one if I can run without it. The supply I linked to has 29 amp capability - Thats significantly more than a normal battery charger so I was thinking that it was more than enough for me. I would like to de-rust old machine parts - most pretty small. The biggest I currently have to do is a hollow steel column 6" in diameter and 30" long.

Rick
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29 amps is like 10x more than necessary, 2-3 amps is all you need. Increasing the available amps isn't going to change anything, the electrolyte solution and setup you have is going to draw the current it needs. Increasing the conductivity of the electrolyte solution will increase the amperage draw and might speed up the process, but you then get into the realm of possibly removing good metal. Even then, 5-10 amps would be more than enough.
Note: I have abandoned using this method, in favor of Evapo-Rust, much easier and better results IMHO.
 
I'll chime in here and say that I'm also an Evapo-rust convert. I find electrolysis is too messy and results are not as good as Evapo-rust.
 
Removing rust is only one application for electrolysis, but if that is your intention then I have to agree, evapo-rust is easier.
You don't really need an ammeter, but I would add a cheap inline circuit breaker:
 
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