The power supply will power your rife tube. The choice of tube will decide how large power supply you will need. Your power supply should be voltage adjustable, as it is recommended to run the tube at low voltage in the beginning, typically 30% of maximum voltage.
To ensure long tube life, it is recommended to run your tube at no more than 75%-80% of maximum power level. This equals a voltage between 40 and 152 volts, depending on which tube you have chosen.
SSQ-PT: From 38 to 57 volts, 30 watts
SSQ-ST: From 40 to 133 volts, 175 watts
SSQ-BAT: From 50 to 152 volts, 250 watts
Three options to power your tube:
- Build your own custom power supply from a number of equal laptop power supplies. $50-$110. Quite a bit of work and possibly a lot of cables and mess, unless you take measures to keep it neat and tidy. This alternative is suited for the smallest tubes.
- Buy a power supply from eBay. $70 incl delivery from China, but it takes some time to arrive. Courier is extra.
- Buy a professional power supply, either off eBay or for example YK-AD2003 from YK Power Supply in China. $220 + DHL freight
My recommendation
The eBay power supply is great value for money, it is not too big and will probably do the job without problems. Only hassle is using a screwdriver to change the voltage.
Building your own power supply is maybe barely worth it for the smallest PT tube.
Build your own - $50-$110
Pros: If you use the smallest PT tube, you might save a few bucks.
Cons: A lot of work, a lot of cables. Can look messy, especially if you’re powering the largest tube.
Verdict: If you’re using the smallest tube (PT), it might be worth your while, as you only need three laptop adapters for recommended operating voltage of 57 volts. For the larger tubes, many more adapters are required. There will be a lot of cables, a lot of work, and you won’t save any money. With the current price of over the counter power supplies, building your own is not worth it for the ST or the BAT tube.
Instructions on making your own power supply:
http://rife-beam-ray.com/PS1/index.htm
http://www.frex.com.au/ssq-ps.html
I will not list the parts for this, as you can easily see the required parts from the links above.
Buy from eBay - $70
Regulated, variable power supplies are available from eBay, DX.com, Aliexpress and other vendors. Here is one, pictured on the left.
Voltage is adjusted by turning a screw and normally left at the desired setting. You’ll need a voltage display or a multimeter to measure voltage.
It is recommended the power supply has a watt rating at least 20% higher than required for your tube.
There are also professional power supplies for sale on eBay. These can be expensive but will probably last a lifetime.
Professional power supply - $220
A professional power supply can be purchased second hand from eBay, or you can buy a new one. Ralph at Spektrotek has tested this power supply: YK-AD2003, up to 200 volts and 600 watts. It is protected against short circuits, overload and overheating. This is the power supply I use myself.
Price: US$220 + freight from China.
Supplier: Yucoo, http://www.ykpowersupply.com (this particular model is not listed on their website)
To purchase: contact Ms Molly Gao, molly.gao@ykpowersupply.com (If you reference this site, she will know what you will be using it for) Please state desired input voltage 120/220. Payment is quickest through bank transfer. This is a trustworthy company, I have paid by bank transfer on two occasions and so have others.
Pros: Compact, high quality, easily adjustable voltage (and current). Great aftersales support.
Cons: Extremely noisy fan that spins up every few minutes to cool the heat sinks. It spins up for about 10 seconds and then not for a few minutes until sufficient heat has built up again. You cannot expect to sleep with this in the room, or the next, it sounds like a small jet engine. Also, this power supply requires a 16 amp wall socket if you’re on 220 volts, 10 Amps will NOT suffice. Please read this page for explanation. If you need repairs, it may be costly to ship it to China and back.
Apart from the intermittent fan noise, I am happy with this power supply. Ms Gao at the supplier has also been very helpful with any aftersales questions.
This power supply has screw terminals on the back for the power out connection.
I use the YK-AD2003 and like it for sturdiness, compact size and easily adjustable voltage. Just beware of the fan noise, it is really loud.
I removed the top cover and put a very quiet cooling fan on top of the large heat sink inside. It keeps the heat sink cool enough to prevent the jet motor fan from spinning up. However - by taking the top cover off, high voltage parts are exposed. The whole thing has been put in another larger, closed casing to avoid any mishaps.