This Astron power supply and older unit which had previously been repaired with 30A continuous 50A peak supply had to be restored, it would make a great addition to bench testing on the fly with a decent amount of current and a linear voltage.
I’ve already bought and tested a pot for variable voltage control tapping into the LM723CN Chip using a 5kOhm AB Elektronic ABW1 Potentiometer.
I’ve also got a Volt and Amp panel meter to be fitted with the shunt in series with the negative rail of the output section.
The 2n5038 transistors as well as the filter capacitor will be replaced.
Im also planning a full strip down and reassembling the whole unit with some added touches, some unnecessary but overall will finish the build to a higher standard than factory
2N5038 Transistors being removed Some work has already been carried out, the thermal paste has definitely been changed in its life its still somewhat sticky Will clean these all up and apply new thermal paste All cleaned up ready to go back in Checked over all the plastic separators for any damage as just a little crack can cause intermittent faults, common on these units Replacement chip its a revised design with i believe higher thermal rating its the CN model number. Original Semiconductor pulled out as it was faulty its a LM723 Astron circuit board is a nice simple design using a LM723 to control voltage regulation and some protection circuits Astron RS 50 DC Linear Power Supply internals, i have to say the build quality in this thing is quite low