I have some big rectifiers but bear in mind these may need heat sinks if you
start getting over an amp or two. A fuse is probably a good idea if you are not
sure what the load your rig might generate. From what I am reading I think I
will shoot for a voltage in the 3-6 range. I may have a 5vPS at some amps. In
fact an old PC power supply might work pretty well. They will put out 5v@20a
peak which means they should run at the 1-2a recomended forever. The "AT"
supplies PCSURPLUSONLINE.COM sells for around $5 will start under a "no load"
condition. I am using one for a general purpose bench supply as we speak. I
suppose with a fat rheostat (0-5ohm @ 20W) or a transistor "pass" regulator and
a ammeter you could set up a very professional rig. You could just use some fat
resistors and a banana plug patch panel for that matter.
From what I am reading it looks like about a cup of "pH up" (sodium carbonate)
from your swimming pool chemicals in 5-6 gallons of water should be pretty
close to right.