20-amp, stable power supply for diagnostics

[workingonit]

I'm glad to see the website back up and running, after almost three days being down (at least for some of us).

Meanwhile, I bought a Solar/Clore Pro-Logix PL 2320 from Amazon, to use during my prolonged testing sessions, where I've been known to run the battery down...

from another thread:

Originally Posted by workingonit

(eight months ago), while fiddling with multiple OBD cables/switches to hookup the Foxwell and my OBDLink LX bluetooth dongle (for Android diagnostic apps) at the same time (only one would been activated at any time, so I could leave both always connected inside the X5...the LX dongle goes into a sleep mode), I let my battery drain too low, and the Foxwell didn't function too well.

I sometimes switched from Foxwell to Android app before either was ready, or tried to back out of a Foxwell function before it was ready, and it would lock-up on me. And, after that happened, I couldn't start the engine until the battery was above 12.5? v, and I learned that I should always use my Foxwell with a steady voltage supply, and never interrupt it while it was hesitating.

I normally maintain my X5 battery everyday 24/7/365 with a Battery Tender 1.25amp unit, but I'll be using my Schumacher XCS15 smart charger while testing from now on. I can use it on 2/10/15 amp settings (whatever it needs), so my future long-duration testing sessions will get enough power.

I didn't like the voltage and amperage variability of my Schumacher XCS15 while testing (the "smart charger" aspect doesn't let you select volts or amps that won't change as the battery drains or charges back up), and wanted a stable, consistent power supply, just for that purpose. I had been going to buy an "Adjustable DC 0-24V Power Supply with LED Display 110V AC to DC 0-24V 0-25A 600W Buck Converter" so I could set the volts and amps where I wanted them, but just couldn't pull the trigger on getting one off Amazon, for $66-69 (from mfgs and sellers I've not heard of).

I have two "fully manual" chargers: a 35 year-old? Schumacher SE-1010 (10 amp, high) and a 30 yo? Century model 87423 wheeled charger (40 amp, high); the SE-1010 is only 10 amps, and the Century could be set at 20 or 40 amps, so they might be OK, but neither gives out "clean" power, and both are probably not going to last much longer, anyway.

As I do everyday, I look for better options or prices on Amazon (first) and Ebay (second) and NewEgg (rarely) for electrical/electronic gear, and saw (again) the "Clore (made by Solar) Automotive, PL2320 20-Amp Fully-Automatic Smart Charger, 6V and 12V Battery Charger, Battery Maintainer, and Stable Power Supply", which I had seen during my searches months earlier. The price was listed as 56% off (as it was around Christmas, but I had other items on my mind), so I went ahead and bought it, before the price rose.

And, as usual, I spent a whole day researching it on YouTube, and saw a great review or two, and a tear-down by AvE, which showed it to be a well-built piece. I've also seen, for a long time, Eric O. of South Main Auto videos using the MATCO re-branded version (a higher amperage model, I'm sure), whenever he's troubleshooting electronics on cars in his shop, even programming them. He uses the PS (power supply) button, which holds the volts & amps stable.

The model PL2320 I bought has a 20 amp max setting, which is probably not enough for flashing or coding even my E53 (which I don't plan on trying, anytime soon), but plenty enough for simple diagnostics.

I haven't used it yet, but at $81 right now at Amazon, I couldn't let it go. My Schumacher XCS15 is 12 years old, anyway, and has been used a lot, so I probably needed a replacement. Their new model (the SC1360) is $100, so the $81 PL2320 saves me money, now.