First I consider Astron power supplies to be over rated and exist only because "hams have always used them."
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I'm amazed [really more dismayed] they get decent reviews.
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There are too many deficiencies to list, so I'll only list 3
1) Astron uses Intermittent Commercial and Amateur Service (ICAS)? in their specs, if you are lucky you can find the Continuous Commercial Service (CCS) current, the CCS is typically about 60? to 70% and take the CCS rating with a huge block of salt. To begin with, to achieve CSS one must provide forced air across the heatsink, this won't help the power transformer, which can fail spectacularly.
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2) Astron uses the uA723 regulator, a fine regulator even if it is 50 years
old.
However Astron, like most users of the uA723 never read, or at least never understood, the original spec sheet requirements for feedback capacitor and ~1k series resistor to protect the current sense input. Leave that resistor out and you will pop a uA723 faster then you'd believe. This is based on personal experience with home made uA723 power supplies and Astrons at 2 jobs.
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3) Astron occasionally parallels silicon rectifiers.
This is such a bit no-no I ought to use 60 point font with flashing red.
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As an experiment, obtain two identical, by identical I mean 2 rectifiers from the same manufacturer with the same date code.
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Places a 1 ohm resistor in series with each, force 10A, ~5A through each, and measure the voltage drop across the diodes. They will NOT match. The diode with the lowest voltage drop will hog most of the current and can overheat. Buy a diode with a higher, the proper, current value.
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This is a link to a popular Astron linear power supply.
https://www.repeater-builder.com/astron/pdf/qst-2005-12-pg56-57-power-supply-analysis.pdf
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It is a litany of how to build a commercial product with a great return for near the absolute minimum skill and design quality but not a diagram for a power supply I'd consider acceptable.
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My 4th bone of contention is Astron uses way too low value for filter capacitor. I'd go with at least twice, probably 4 times.
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And my 5th bone of contention is their overvoltage crowbar sucks, it was obsolete in 1960 and is prone to false firing and also failing to trip when there was an actual overvoltage.
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A real world experiences, an Astron linear power supply overvoltage failed to trip and fried a 5K video effects unit,
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Note: The system existed when I was hired, I never saw the plans until the day the magic smoke escaped from the video effects unit. I had difficulty keeping my mouth shut and not screaming "What f-ing moron designed this system!" However after 40ish years working for idiots, I've learned to keep my mouth shut.
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My fault diagnosis, autopsy for what happened, led to an engineer suddenly leaving for greener pastures. I had a friend edit and basically rewrite my report so it didn't catch fire. It was still so brutal the agency legal department took me to task, I flatly stated I can prove every statement I made and feel free to fire me for telling the truth, "But I bet HR in Frankfort will disagree." They backed off. I've been called a pitbull with an attitude. I'll proudly accept that label when it comes the truth in any form..
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If you want a good linear power supply, look to Lambda for high end, 100% reliable and expect to pay premium, For generally reliable, especially if you add a decent overvoltage crowbar, look to ? linear power supplies.
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Bel has gone through several names changes, they were Condor, Power One, Power CA (or Power California).
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I've purchased several off Ebay and they all met original specs, even those 30 years old. The biggest weakness is the silicon heat sink compound dries out and the main filter capacitor can dry out.
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Condor, Power One, Power CA (or Power California) also to vastly overrate their power supplies, and will require force air ventilation!
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They use the chassis as the heat sink, no real heatsink with dedicated fins.
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Note 2: I only use switch mode power supplies for non critical loads/systems and only when they can't be replaced with linear power supplies. My first IBM (real IBM mother board) was a bare board, I built a linear power supply, a really bad, bad beyond belief, idea. There are reasons why PCs use SMPS. The heat from a linear power supply can warm a chilly room.
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Note 3: Oh yea, add a 0.01uF with a 27~33 ohm carbon comp resistor across each power diode to mitigate commutation EMI noise.
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