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Low ripple&noise 12V switching power supply


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Hi, I'm looking for an Australian seller / distributor of a 12V switching power supply, something like the Mean Well RS-35-12:

 

https://www.meanwell-web.com/content/files/pdfs/productPdfs/MW/Rs-35/RS-35-spec.pdf

 

But then with a ripple & noise closer to 10mVp-p. More or less W & A is fine. Does anyone know of such a power supply?

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1 hour ago, Ian McP said:

Jan Didden's Silent Switcher

 

That is rather impressive! I will keep that in mind for other projects.

 

For this current project of mine, I should have been more clear. When I wrote "more or less W & A is fine.", I was hoping for the current range to be around the 0 ~ 3A mark like the mean well. 2A is minimum for me. This needs to power a eurorack system of about 300HP.

 

 

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On 26/10/2020 at 11:06 AM, jleonne said:

 

The specification of that one mentions ripple&noise: 120mVp-p.

I'm looking for a much lower value, closer to 10mVp-p.

 

 

So why don't you use a linear PS, instead of a SMPS?

 

Andy

 

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I'm sure this is controversial to say, but I see evidence that switching is better than linear when you want minimal ripple/noise/hum. Large linear power supplies cause excessive audible hum in eurorack modules. EM from linear tends to detune VCOs. Let's just say I want switching. :)  Daitron claims to have switching supplies down to a mere 1mVp-p. It's very expensive though. They also have 10mVp-p versions, which are somewhat afforable, and I was wondering if there are any (cheaper) alternatives out there.

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On 28/10/2020 at 10:56 AM, jleonne said:

 

I'm sure this is controversial to say, but I see evidence that switching is better than linear when you want minimal ripple/noise/hum.

 

 

That's not controversial - simply a tenet of belief by the 'how good are SMPSs! ' sect.  :winky:

 

My own experience is different.  I make the AKSA 'Paris' head amp - ie. a gain circuit which allows a LOMC cartridge (say, 0.3mV output) to be used into a MM phono stage (which expects a 5mV input signal).  It needs a 12v DC supply.

 

The latest one I made was a custom order - and required a lot more internal wiring than normal.  When I tested it out, after finishing the build, I was disappointed to hear an unacceptable level of HF hash coming from the spkrs.  My first thought was that I hadn't done a good-enough job of shielding the internal wiring - then I realised that this was the first time I had tried powering a Paris with a 12v (SMPS) wall wart.

 

Thinking that this must be the cause of the noise ... with a bit of reorganisation of my music system, I was able to use a 12v Sbooster LPS to power the Paris - in place of the 12v Meanwell SMPS.

 

Result ... absolute quiet - no HF hash (which is how a Paris normally sounds)!

 

Andy

 

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2 hours ago, andyr said:

 I was disappointed to hear an unacceptable level of HF hash coming from the spkrs. 

Great to see a really specific, very concrete, audible report like that.  (As opposed to the more common subjective reports seen such as, "this power supply provides a lowered noise floor", or "a blacker sound", which could leave one in doubt. )

 

It's understandable that with a very low output cartridge even a very small amount of interference can become noticeable.  I guess the physical placement of power leads near the turntable could become critical - the further away the less likely to interfere.

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32 minutes ago, MLXXX said:

 

It's understandable that with a very low output cartridge even a very small amount of interference can become noticeable.

 

 

Naturally.  :)

 

32 minutes ago, MLXXX said:

 

  I guess the physical placement of power leads near the turntable could become critical - the further away the less likely to interfere.

 

 

There was no power cord "nearer the TT" when I used a 12v wall wart to power the Paris.  The only thing that was causing the audible HF hash - with the SMPS vs. the LPS - was the SMPS itself.

 

Andy

 

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16 hours ago, MLXXX said:

 

It's understandable that with a very low output cartridge even a very small amount of interference can become noticeable.  I guess the physical placement of power leads near the turntable could become critical - the further away the less likely to interfere.

 

I found the same, in a vinyl-free setup. When dealing with the residual hash (ear against speaker drivers) I found that cable routing, plugging unused ports with shorts, using better shielded interconnnects, etc. made much more of a change than upgrading power supplies.

 

FWIW, and vaguely circling back to on-topic, I used LPS models from this series in the past with good success, sourced from RS:

https://docs.rs-online.com/20db/0900766b80a2ef74.pdf

 

They have very low R&N, but wouldn’t be powerful enough for the OP.

 

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