Page 1 of 1
Running 2 power supplys correctly
Posted: Tue Mar 07, 2006 1:40 am
by N2PET
Can anyone tell me the correct way to run 2 20 amp astron power supplys together so that I can have more amperage. Would this be safe to do? Just curious of how to wire them up right to keep the same 13.8 vdc but with double the amperage. Thanks in advance.
Dual PS
Posted: Tue Mar 07, 2006 9:14 pm
by W0LPQ
Not recommended. You cannot control the internals of the supplies unless they have remote +/- Sense lines.
Even diode drops will be subject to thermal variations. You would need to mount and isolate diodes, but this ... unless you can control the outputs to within millivolts of each other, make it very impractical.
We did this at Collins on a Canadian project that they paid money for commercial supplies that this could be done with.
Even with diode isolation, one supply could float higher than the other and now you have a possibility of PRV breakdown (unless they are high PRV diodes) and over current, which could not only destroy the supplies, but the radios you have connected.
Best bet get a larger supply ... cheaper in the long run.
Bill, W0LPQ
Posted: Thu Apr 06, 2006 6:01 pm
by kz9g
Another suggestion. Use a gel cell battery. I have a 20 amp supply feeding all of my rigs connected to a gel cell battery that takes up most of the load and is a backup whenever the power folds. Avoid deep cycle because of the hydrogen gas they put off when charging.