Hi
Its a variable voltage (0-25 volt),variable current (0-5 amp)power supply
It features current limiting,and current cut.
Which means ,If your powering up a circuit for the first time, you can set the voltage. power on and adjust the current to where it suppose to be to power your circuit.
This is the advantage of current limiting. the circuit will draw no more that what it supposed to in theory, when there's a fault or bad connection the new circuit can rapidly acquire current,this can result in burnt wire's and damaged components from current spikes or short circuit.
If the circuit has a short..the power supply will immediately cut the current until it is cleared,
Also ,it can charge your battery packs ,because one can now set the right voltage for a battery pack,and set the current to charge the pack over night. any battery from 0 volt to 25 volt can be charged.. (not sure about Li-on or Li-poly)Its not automatic..the battery pack just cant be left alone for more than 24hr's depend on its Ah rating ..Ive charged all my 9.6 volt packs at 11 volt using 80 milliamp of current. in about 8 hrs.
with the current cut,if the battery has a problem while its charging the circuit will just cut current to the pack.be it if the pack shorts out,or a bad cell trying to acquire more current.
A power supply can also do away with needed a constant supply of batteries when trying to diagnose an electrics problem. Just set the voltage and current and as long as the lights are on ..a guy can have a limitless , continuous supply of current to work away with.
It can also give a guy an idea of how much current an entire system is going to require,this can be handy in a new build as it makes choosing an appropriate battery or pack to run the boat. and give a guy a ballpark idea of run time based on your battery amp hour rating.
And when installing a new motor and aligning the shafts,with the voltage set to the motor requirement ..slight adjustment of the motor will result in an increase or decrease in current used by the motor ,lesser current means the motor is very well aligned.
A power supply has its place. testing ,building or tuning a system before it hits the water..can save some headache's in poor performance, or operation
It gives a guy options and insight when setting up a system for the first time ,or retrofitting an old system