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Binding posts for Korad KD3005 Power supply.

P

Perry

Ultra Member
Picked up a used Korad KD3005D power supply at an auction. I noticed the binding post nuts were missing before I bid. What I failed to notice was the binding posts had been soldered back together as they had been broken off.

I'm not sure what you call these binding post as they mount a little different then the panel face style. These have a short stand off which is threaded on the back side. Not knowing the proper name is making it hard to find the style I need. Any ideas on the name?

As a back up idea, I thought I should be able to make these. What would the best material be to make a binding post from? Brass? Suggestions?

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Make posts with copper and then tin with silver solder for corrosion resistance. To get the best finish would require some research and prep. Never tried it myself.

Obviously, brass is stronger but less conductive. Still should have a corrosion resistant finish.

The biggest concern is durability and safe design.

You could easily purchase better quality posts than what it came with but I realize that's never as fun as DIY. For example:

 
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Just looked up that power supply online. Unless I am not seeing something correctly those posts are not original which might explain the style and damage. Missing plastic insulated covers or did you remove them?

Seeing that makes me wonder if anything has been modified/repaired inside. Have you opened it up and peaked inside?
 
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Elektrishun said:
Just looked up that power supply online. Unless I am not seeing something correctly those posts are not original which might explain the style and damage. Missing plastic insulated covers or did you remove them?

Seeing that makes me wonder if anything has been modified/repaired inside. Have you opened it up and peaked inside?
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I have opened the unit up and I do believe these are the original posts. The plastic covers (knobs ) on the posts were missing.

I have attached a similar photo of the same unit off ebay. I did notice the standoff for the chassis ground appears to be smaller then the one in the ebay photo.

The original posts have a standoff the fits into the power supply front panel hole cutout. They are secured to a PCB board from the back side with a screw. (they are not front panel mount posts).

Most of the posts I can find online are a panel mount style that are secured to the front panel by clamping from either side of the front panel. They have a threaded stud on the rear of the post. The insulator that would squeeze up to the front side of the panel needs to be a metal standoff to fit into the hole cutout. (Red arrow in attached photo.)


I would prefer not to go the DIY route if I can purchase the PCB mount style.

Reached out to Korad in Shenzhen Friday night and was surprised to get a reply back in 30 minutes. They are going to check if their U.S. supplier has the parts for me. This might solve the issue.

Thank you for taking the time to help me.

Screenshot 2026-11-09 at 05-50-57 KORAD KD3005D DC POWER SUPPLY 0-30V 0-5A eBay.png
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Janger said:
I see on youtube some people are building bench power supplies from old PC power supplies. Is that a reasonable idea?
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If you simply need a 12V or 5V supply for general fiddling, then yes the ATX brick can do the job.

But if you use it for electronics development then no.

Couple of issues - there is no CC (Constant Current) regulation. So when you short something (inevitable) the ATX will dump full current until its fuse blows. Not good for little circuit traces!
Most ATX supplies use group regulation - which requires a small constant load on the 5v lines. Without that load regulation, the 12v rails can drift.
And there is no CC or CV display which makes it hard to use on the bench.

If you need a reliable 5v or 12v supply, there are inexpensive small PSU bricks available in many voltages and power ratings.

But honestly, for $60-70 I'd just buy a 0-30v 0-10A bench supply and save the hassle.

🙂
 
Janger said:
Is that a good brand? I am unfamiliar with power supply brands. I see on youtube some people are building bench power supplies from old PC power supplies. Is that a reasonable idea?
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From what I read it is considered "entry-level/hobbyist lab quality". Not the best but not the worst. A true liner design.

There was another unit at the same auction , looked nicer, had leads to go with it.....but it was a lower end unit. Tacklife MDC01.

Arbutus beat me to the answer about the PC power supplies.


This is a supply I built over 30 years ago. As a hobbiest it has worked well. The upgrade to the Korad will be nice. The binding posts on this old home build unit may end up being "robbed" to service my new power supply.

If you look at the link Elektrishun provided above for stand offs.....$10 each. I don't think I could afford to build a power supply like the one I built back in the day. (I need 3 stand offs for my new unit..... $30. That is what I paid for the power supply. )

Cheers,

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@Perry

What are you using your power supply for? I built one for myself a few years back because I wanted a positive supply, negative supply, and an isolated ground. It looks like it was built by Dr. Frankenstein but served me well. Got real lucky and bought a GW Instek GPS-2303 power supply dirt cheap a few weeks ago.
 
Elektrishun said:
@Perry

What are you using your power supply for? I built one for myself a few years back because I wanted a positive supply, negative supply, and an isolated ground. It looks like it was built by Dr. Frankenstein but served me well. Got real lucky and bought a GW Instek GPS-2303 power supply dirt cheap a few weeks ago.
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Mainly to let magic smoke out of components. 😉

All round general use. Testing /fixing electronic items. Powering some circuits when I build stuff. Just a hobby guy over here.
 
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