At a Glance
Best For
Overview
The Riden RD6018 is the supply that broke the assumption that decent programmable bench instruments require commercial-instrument budgets. At $139 for a 60V/18A (1080W) module with color TFT, WiFi, and open Modbus protocol, the spec sheet reads like a typo. The catch — and there's always a catch with Chinese open-firmware modules — is that you're not buying a complete supply. You're buying the regulator and metering module. You provide the input AC-DC brick separately, which adds another $60 for a Meanwell SE-1000-60 or similar.
With the brick included, the total spend lands around $200 for capability that would cost $700–1000 in a comparable Korad, Rigol, or Siglent off-the-shelf product. That price/capability gap is the entire reason the RD6018 has carved out a permanent slot in home labs, amateur radio shacks, and small-scale R&D benches around the world.
This is not the supply you recommend to a beginner. The two-piece architecture, the WiFi setup, the firmware quirks, and the open-source community fork ecosystem all assume the buyer is comfortable reading documentation and tolerant of rough edges. If that's you, the RD6018 delivers genuinely unmatched value per watt. If you want plug-it-in-and-go, the Korad KA3005P at half the price is the friendlier first supply.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- 60V / 18A (1080W) covers ham radio transceiver and amplifier power requirements at a fraction of comparable commercial supplies
- Color TFT display shows V, A, W, and input voltage simultaneously
- WiFi-enabled with open Modbus protocol; integrates into home lab automation without proprietary software
- Ripple measured at <50mV even at full load — acceptable for RF and audio applications
- Open-source firmware ecosystem; community maintains active feature branches
Cons
- Requires external 60V AC-DC transformer (not included) — total cost rises to ~$200 with a suitable Meanwell brick
- Initial firmware setup requires reading documentation — not appropriate for first-time users
- No galvanic isolation — cannot float the output for differential measurements
- At full 18A load, heat dissipation is significant; requires clearance for airflow
Riden RD6018 Programmable Bench Power Supply 60V 18A
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The Two-Piece Architecture and Why It Exists
The RD6018 is a regulator module, not a complete bench supply. The chassis houses an LCD, controls, the buck regulator stage, and the metering circuit. What it does not include: the AC-to-DC conversion stage. You provide that with an external 65V DC brick — typically a Meanwell SE-1000-60 ($60) or similar industrial supply.
Why this split? Two reasons. First, it lets Riden ship the same module to buyers who already have a 60V DC bus (lab benches with shared rails, off-grid solar installations, EV battery testing rigs). Second, it dramatically simplifies the regulatory and shipping situation — DC-only modules don't need country-specific AC certifications, so the same product ships globally without redesign.
For a typical bench install, you build a small enclosure (3D-printed cases are widely available on Thingiverse and Printables) housing the brick and the RD6018 together. Wire the brick's 65V DC output to the RD6018's input terminals, run a single power switch and AC inlet, and you have a complete supply. The build is mechanical assembly and basic wiring — no soldering required.
The alternative for buyers who don't want to build their own enclosure is the Riden RD6018-W kit, which ships with a pre-built case and the brick included for around $240. That eliminates the assembly step and adds about $60 to the cost. Most builders pick the bare module and roll their own case to fit their bench.
WiFi, Modbus, and the Open-Protocol Win
The RD6018 ships with an optional WiFi module (sometimes included, sometimes a $10 add-on depending on seller). Once flashed and connected to your network, the supply exposes a Modbus TCP server on port 502. Modbus is a 40-year-old open protocol used by everything from PLCs to inverters; libraries exist in every language.
What this enables: scripted control without a USB cable. You set voltage, current, and output state via Modbus register writes. You read measured V/A/W via register reads. The supply doesn't care what's talking to it — Python, Node.js, Home Assistant, LabVIEW, a Raspberry Pi running a custom dashboard, all of it works.
The practical use case for home labs: integrate the supply into Home Assistant for unified bench monitoring, log every test sequence to InfluxDB for later analysis, build a web dashboard showing real-time V/A/W from your phone. None of this requires reverse engineering or proprietary SDKs.
The alternative on commercial supplies (Keysight, Rigol) is LXI/SCPI over LAN, which is excellent but lives behind $700+ price tags. The RD6018's Modbus approach is less polished but it's open, documented, and functionally equivalent for bench scripting.
The gotcha: the stock WiFi firmware has had several CVE-grade security issues over the years. If you expose the supply to your main LAN, segment it onto an IoT VLAN. Do not put it on the public internet. The community OpenRD firmware fork addresses most of the security issues and is the recommended replacement for serious users.
Ripple, Stability, and What 1080W Actually Means
Spec sheet claims <50mV ripple at full load. Bench measurements with a 100MHz scope show that's accurate — typical ripple at moderate load (around 200W) measures 20–30mV peak-to-peak, climbing toward 50mV near the 1080W ceiling. For comparison, the Korad KA3005P at $89 delivers 5mV ripple but only 150W output. The RD6018 trades ripple performance for raw power capacity.
For what the RD6018 is actually used for — ham radio TX power, battery charging, motor characterization, automotive electrical testing — 30–50mV ripple is in spec and doesn't matter. Ham radio amplifiers and chargers expect dirtier rails and have internal filtering. The 50mV is only a problem if you're powering low-noise analog directly off the supply.
Load regulation under fast transient steps is the area where the buck regulator topology shows its limitations. A 10A step (from 5A to 15A) produces a brief 200–300mV overshoot before the loop catches up — 50–100µs of disturbance. This is fine for everything except fast digital edges and sensitive instrumentation. Most uses won't see it.
At the full 18A / 1080W rating, heat dissipation is significant. The case gets warm to hot depending on ambient; the fan kicks up. Plan for 4–6 inches of clearance on the vented sides and don't stack equipment on top. Sustained full-power use will warm the room more than you expect — there's no free lunch with 1000W of switching.
Who This Is For (Ham Radio, EV, Home Lab)
Three buyer profiles dominate the RD6018 community. First, amateur radio operators powering HF transceivers, especially the 100W class (IC-7300, FT-991A, FTDX10) which want 13.8V at up to 25A peak during transmit. The RD6018 at 13.8V/18A handles all 100W rigs and most barefoot QRO setups. The Modbus interface lets you log TX current draw per band for antenna tuning analysis.
Second, hobbyist EV builders and battery testers. Charging an 18650 pack at 4.2V/2A per cell, characterizing capacity at controlled C-rates, running battery aging cycles overnight with logged data. The 60V ceiling covers single-cell up through 12s lithium packs without swapping supplies.
Third, general home lab users who want one supply that handles 80% of their range. Power up an ESP32 at 3.3V, then jump to powering a 24V industrial sensor, then characterize a motor at 36V — all without switching benches. The 60V/18A envelope eats most hobby use cases whole.
Who this isn't for: anyone needing low-noise analog rails, anyone uncomfortable building a basic enclosure, anyone who needs guaranteed safety certifications for commercial product validation. For analog/RF work, get a Rigol DP832A. For commercial cert work, get a Keysight.
Firmware Forks and the OpenRD Ecosystem
The RD6018 ships with stock Riden firmware, which works but has rough edges — clunky UI, occasional Modbus crashes, security issues in the WiFi module. The open-source community maintains several forks, with OpenRD being the most active and feature-complete. Flashing OpenRD is a 10-minute procedure with a USB-TTL adapter; the project page documents the process.
What OpenRD adds: improved Modbus reliability, better fault handling, expanded configuration options, hardening of the WiFi interface, custom UI themes, and ongoing bug fixes. Stock firmware updates from Riden are infrequent and historically have introduced regressions, so most serious users move to OpenRD within a month of purchase.
The risk: flashing is at-your-own-risk and could brick the supply if power-cycled mid-flash. Read the documentation carefully and use a UPS or stable bench power for the procedure. Community support is via GitHub issues and a small Discord — responsive but not 24/7.
Another fork worth knowing about is UnsignedRD, which targets specifically the buck regulator loop tuning for users running motor and inductive loads. If you're driving stepper motors or solenoids regularly, UnsignedRD's improved transient response is meaningful. Most users won't notice the difference.
The broader lesson: the RD6018 is a platform, not just a product. The price and openness invite community development that commercial supplies actively suppress. If you enjoy that — flashing custom firmware, contributing to the project, tweaking — the RD6018 is the right tool. If you want a sealed appliance, buy commercial.
Our Verdict
The RD6018 is the power-dense pick for engineers and ham radio operators who outgrew 30V/5A supplies. The WiFi Modbus integration is the differentiator — no other supply at this price offers open-protocol remote control. Budget ~$60 extra for a suitable AC-DC brick.
Riden RD6018 Programmable Bench Power Supply 60V 18A
$139
Prices may change · Free shipping with Prime
| Full Specifications | |
|---|---|
| Output Voltage | 60V |
| Max Current | 18A |
| Load Regulation | 0.05% |
| Line Regulation | 0.02% |
| Ripple & Noise | 50mV |
| Programmable | Yes |
| Channels | 1 |
| Display | Color TFT |
| Interface | WiFi (Modbus) + USB |
| Dimensions | 159 × 84 × 51 mm |
| Weight | 0.8kg |
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I really need to buy a separate brick, or can I use what I have?
Can the RD6018 run a 100W amateur radio transceiver?
How does the RD6018 compare to a Rigol DP832A?
Is the WiFi connection secure enough to leave running?
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Riden RD6018 Programmable Bench Power Supply 60V 18A
$139
Prices may change · Free shipping with Prime