cool power supply...

[John Larkin]

Amazon B09WDCWW36, 60 volts, 5 amps. Set to 59 volts, I get 59.014.

Nice display and interface.

How can they do this for $72?

--

If a man will begin with certainties, he shall end with doubts,
but if he will be content to begin with doubts he shall end in certainties.
Francis Bacon

 

[bitrex]

On 6/13/2022 7:34 PM, John Larkin wrote:

Amazon B09WDCWW36, 60 volts, 5 amps. Set to 59 volts, I get 59.014.

Nice display and interface.

How can they do this for $72?

I\'ve owned two Amazon PSUs, one switching one transformer tapping. Both
failed within a year or two, the former I was able to repair but still
unsure WTF is wrong with the latter.

I got a good deal on a refurb Agilent E3631A last month, we\'ll see how
that goes.

 

[John Larkin]

On Mon, 13 Jun 2022 19:46:59 -0400, bitrex <user@example.net> wrote:

On 6/13/2022 7:34 PM, John Larkin wrote:
Amazon B09WDCWW36, 60 volts, 5 amps. Set to 59 volts, I get 59.014.

Nice display and interface.

How can they do this for $72?


I\'ve owned two Amazon PSUs, one switching one transformer tapping. Both
failed within a year or two, the former I was able to repair but still
unsure WTF is wrong with the latter.

I got a good deal on a refurb Agilent E3631A last month, we\'ll see how
that goes.

I like the USB power connector on the front. I have a couple of
variable-speed USB powered fans that I use when I test power parts,
and that fits right in. I\'d been using my 500 MHz 4-channel Rigol
scope as a USB power supply.

I need these to test a +-60 volt half-bridge switching amp, to see how
the driver and fets work but especially to see if I\'ll fry the
inductor.

--

If a man will begin with certainties, he shall end with doubts,
but if he will be content to begin with doubts he shall end in certainties.
Francis Bacon

 

[brian]

In message <h3ifah14t8pjpo4nghdthhkc92s0sp7uoq@4ax.com>, John Larkin
<jlarkin@highland_atwork_technology.com> writes

Amazon B09WDCWW36, 60 volts, 5 amps. Set to 59 volts, I get 59.014.

Nice display and interface.

How can they do this for $72?

I\'m guessing they save on EMI suppression components for a start.

It doesn\'t seem to be available in the EU/UK.

Brian

--
Brian Howie

 

[server]

On Tue, 14 Jun 2022 09:07:39 +0100, brian <nospam@b-howie.co.uk>
wrote:

In message <h3ifah14t8pjpo4nghdthhkc92s0sp7uoq@4ax.com>, John Larkin
jlarkin@highland_atwork_technology.com> writes
Amazon B09WDCWW36, 60 volts, 5 amps. Set to 59 volts, I get 59.014.

Nice display and interface.

How can they do this for $72?


I\'m guessing they save on EMI suppression components for a start.

It doesn\'t seem to be available in the EU/UK.

Brian

Just now I need bulk +-60 volts to test my switching h-bridge
amplifier. I\'ll scope it out and see how spikey it is.



--

Anybody can count to one.

- Robert Widlar

 

[legg]

On Mon, 13 Jun 2022 16:34:09 -0700, John Larkin
<jlarkin@highland_atwork_technology.com> wrote:

Amazon B09WDCWW36, 60 volts, 5 amps. Set to 59 volts, I get 59.014.

Nice display and interface.

How can they do this for $72?

Volume, SE Asian material sourcing, subsidised shipping,
no environmental or safety regulation and slave labour?

In North America, criticism is mostly sour grapes.
These units\' supply simply taps off a gigantic and
vibrant local market.

It\'s also conceivable that the reliability and design
integrity of these things is getting better, with
experience. There\'s a continuing issue with thermoplastic
misapplication/substitution and electromechanical switch
contact ratings. A quick inspection should reveal
whether mods are required to make it (apparently) lab-safe.

No doubt the type you\'ve described IS available, but the
part number you quote is for a 30V model.

RL

 

[server]

On Tue, 14 Jun 2022 10:31:39 -0400, legg <legg@nospam.magma.ca> wrote:

On Mon, 13 Jun 2022 16:34:09 -0700, John Larkin
jlarkin@highland_atwork_technology.com> wrote:

Amazon B09WDCWW36, 60 volts, 5 amps. Set to 59 volts, I get 59.014.

Nice display and interface.

How can they do this for $72?

Volume, SE Asian material sourcing, subsidised shipping,
no environmental or safety regulation and slave labour?

In North America, criticism is mostly sour grapes.
These units\' supply simply taps off a gigantic and
vibrant local market.

It\'s also conceivable that the reliability and design
integrity of these things is getting better, with
experience. There\'s a continuing issue with thermoplastic
misapplication/substitution and electromechanical switch
contact ratings. A quick inspection should reveal
whether mods are required to make it (apparently) lab-safe.

No doubt the type you\'ve described IS available, but the
part number you quote is for a 30V model.

RL

Amazon makes it hard to reference items without all the Prime baggage.
I got the 60 volt version for $71, free shipping.

It\'s really nice. The voltage and current settings are with encoders,
4 digit resolution, accurate to better than 0.1%. The displays are big
and bright. The enclosure is very nice. Amazing.

An amateur can set up a very serious electronics lab, with a nice
parts assortment, for under $500 these days. That, plus a used AoE,
can get a kid going.





--

Anybody can count to one.

- Robert Widlar

 

[legg]

On Tue, 14 Jun 2022 08:19:47 -0700, jlarkin@highlandsniptechnology.com
wrote:

On Tue, 14 Jun 2022 10:31:39 -0400, legg <legg@nospam.magma.ca> wrote:

On Mon, 13 Jun 2022 16:34:09 -0700, John Larkin
jlarkin@highland_atwork_technology.com> wrote:

Amazon B09WDCWW36, 60 volts, 5 amps. Set to 59 volts, I get 59.014.

Nice display and interface.

How can they do this for $72?

Volume, SE Asian material sourcing, subsidised shipping,
no environmental or safety regulation and slave labour?

In North America, criticism is mostly sour grapes.
These units\' supply simply taps off a gigantic and
vibrant local market.

It\'s also conceivable that the reliability and design
integrity of these things is getting better, with
experience. There\'s a continuing issue with thermoplastic
misapplication/substitution and electromechanical switch
contact ratings. A quick inspection should reveal
whether mods are required to make it (apparently) lab-safe.

No doubt the type you\'ve described IS available, but the
part number you quote is for a 30V model.

RL


Amazon makes it hard to reference items without all the Prime baggage.
I got the 60 volt version for $71, free shipping.

It\'s really nice. The voltage and current settings are with encoders,
4 digit resolution, accurate to better than 0.1%. The displays are big
and bright. The enclosure is very nice. Amazing.

An amateur can set up a very serious electronics lab, with a nice
parts assortment, for under $500 these days. That, plus a used AoE,
can get a kid going.

Hey kids !

Don\'t buy anything without a service manual and replaceable
components.

RL

 

[bitrex]

On 6/14/2022 7:16 PM, legg wrote:

On Tue, 14 Jun 2022 08:19:47 -0700, jlarkin@highlandsniptechnology.com
wrote:

On Tue, 14 Jun 2022 10:31:39 -0400, legg <legg@nospam.magma.ca> wrote:

On Mon, 13 Jun 2022 16:34:09 -0700, John Larkin
jlarkin@highland_atwork_technology.com> wrote:

Amazon B09WDCWW36, 60 volts, 5 amps. Set to 59 volts, I get 59.014.

Nice display and interface.

How can they do this for $72?

Volume, SE Asian material sourcing, subsidised shipping,
no environmental or safety regulation and slave labour?

In North America, criticism is mostly sour grapes.
These units\' supply simply taps off a gigantic and
vibrant local market.

It\'s also conceivable that the reliability and design
integrity of these things is getting better, with
experience. There\'s a continuing issue with thermoplastic
misapplication/substitution and electromechanical switch
contact ratings. A quick inspection should reveal
whether mods are required to make it (apparently) lab-safe.

No doubt the type you\'ve described IS available, but the
part number you quote is for a 30V model.

RL


Amazon makes it hard to reference items without all the Prime baggage.
I got the 60 volt version for $71, free shipping.

It\'s really nice. The voltage and current settings are with encoders,
4 digit resolution, accurate to better than 0.1%. The displays are big
and bright. The enclosure is very nice. Amazing.

An amateur can set up a very serious electronics lab, with a nice
parts assortment, for under $500 these days. That, plus a used AoE,
can get a kid going.

Hey kids !

Don\'t buy anything without a service manual and replaceable
components.

RL

I get the appeal of gear you can know everything there is to know about
and keep in top working order yourself for decades, but do you want to
be an electronics designer or a tech?

Sometimes I just want to get a task done and if I need to buy something
relatively inexpensive to do it that\'s what I do. I can always find a
willing recipient if I then don\'t need it. Worst case electronics
recycling is a thing.

I have a few boat anchors but I also don\'t have the space to fill my
whole little space with them.

 

[John Larkin]

On Tue, 14 Jun 2022 19:46:53 -0400, bitrex <user@example.net> wrote:

On 6/14/2022 7:16 PM, legg wrote:
On Tue, 14 Jun 2022 08:19:47 -0700, jlarkin@highlandsniptechnology.com
wrote:

On Tue, 14 Jun 2022 10:31:39 -0400, legg <legg@nospam.magma.ca> wrote:

On Mon, 13 Jun 2022 16:34:09 -0700, John Larkin
jlarkin@highland_atwork_technology.com> wrote:

Amazon B09WDCWW36, 60 volts, 5 amps. Set to 59 volts, I get 59.014.

Nice display and interface.

How can they do this for $72?

Volume, SE Asian material sourcing, subsidised shipping,
no environmental or safety regulation and slave labour?

In North America, criticism is mostly sour grapes.
These units\' supply simply taps off a gigantic and
vibrant local market.

It\'s also conceivable that the reliability and design
integrity of these things is getting better, with
experience. There\'s a continuing issue with thermoplastic
misapplication/substitution and electromechanical switch
contact ratings. A quick inspection should reveal
whether mods are required to make it (apparently) lab-safe.

No doubt the type you\'ve described IS available, but the
part number you quote is for a 30V model.

RL


Amazon makes it hard to reference items without all the Prime baggage.
I got the 60 volt version for $71, free shipping.

It\'s really nice. The voltage and current settings are with encoders,
4 digit resolution, accurate to better than 0.1%. The displays are big
and bright. The enclosure is very nice. Amazing.

An amateur can set up a very serious electronics lab, with a nice
parts assortment, for under $500 these days. That, plus a used AoE,
can get a kid going.

Hey kids !

Don\'t buy anything without a service manual and replaceable
components.

RL


I get the appeal of gear you can know everything there is to know about
and keep in top working order yourself for decades, but do you want to
be an electronics designer or a tech?

For $71, if it breaks I\'ll toss it.

And essentially nobody provides schematics or service manuals or
repair parts any more.

--

If a man will begin with certainties, he shall end with doubts,
but if he will be content to begin with doubts he shall end in certainties.
Francis Bacon

 

[legg]

On Tue, 14 Jun 2022 19:46:53 -0400, bitrex <user@example.net> wrote:

On 6/14/2022 7:16 PM, legg wrote:
On Tue, 14 Jun 2022 08:19:47 -0700, jlarkin@highlandsniptechnology.com
wrote:

On Tue, 14 Jun 2022 10:31:39 -0400, legg <legg@nospam.magma.ca> wrote:

On Mon, 13 Jun 2022 16:34:09 -0700, John Larkin
jlarkin@highland_atwork_technology.com> wrote:

Amazon B09WDCWW36, 60 volts, 5 amps. Set to 59 volts, I get 59.014.

Nice display and interface.

How can they do this for $72?

Volume, SE Asian material sourcing, subsidised shipping,
no environmental or safety regulation and slave labour?

In North America, criticism is mostly sour grapes.
These units\' supply simply taps off a gigantic and
vibrant local market.

It\'s also conceivable that the reliability and design
integrity of these things is getting better, with
experience. There\'s a continuing issue with thermoplastic
misapplication/substitution and electromechanical switch
contact ratings. A quick inspection should reveal
whether mods are required to make it (apparently) lab-safe.

No doubt the type you\'ve described IS available, but the
part number you quote is for a 30V model.

RL


Amazon makes it hard to reference items without all the Prime baggage.
I got the 60 volt version for $71, free shipping.

It\'s really nice. The voltage and current settings are with encoders,
4 digit resolution, accurate to better than 0.1%. The displays are big
and bright. The enclosure is very nice. Amazing.

An amateur can set up a very serious electronics lab, with a nice
parts assortment, for under $500 these days. That, plus a used AoE,
can get a kid going.

Hey kids !

Don\'t buy anything without a service manual and replaceable
components.

RL


I get the appeal of gear you can know everything there is to know about
and keep in top working order yourself for decades, but do you want to
be an electronics designer or a tech?

Sometimes I just want to get a task done and if I need to buy something
relatively inexpensive to do it that\'s what I do. I can always find a
willing recipient if I then don\'t need it. Worst case electronics
recycling is a thing.

I have a few boat anchors but I also don\'t have the space to fill my
whole little space with them.

Deaigner or Tech. That\'s a good one.

If a designer doesn\'t spend SOME time in the trenches, they\'ll
not make much of a designer.

If your tools break these days, you spend most of your time
waiting for a replacement to show up, learning how to use
them, from ground zero - with any of the oversights and errors
that entails (never mind the hairbrained GUI).

Know your tools, their limitations/foibles - save yourself
a lot of time. You won\'t break them as frequently.

RL

 

[legg]

On Tue, 14 Jun 2022 17:19:01 -0700, John Larkin
<jlarkin@highland_atwork_technology.com> wrote:

On Tue, 14 Jun 2022 19:46:53 -0400, bitrex <user@example.net> wrote:

On 6/14/2022 7:16 PM, legg wrote:
On Tue, 14 Jun 2022 08:19:47 -0700, jlarkin@highlandsniptechnology.com
wrote:

On Tue, 14 Jun 2022 10:31:39 -0400, legg <legg@nospam.magma.ca> wrote:

On Mon, 13 Jun 2022 16:34:09 -0700, John Larkin
jlarkin@highland_atwork_technology.com> wrote:

Amazon B09WDCWW36, 60 volts, 5 amps. Set to 59 volts, I get 59.014.

Nice display and interface.

How can they do this for $72?

Volume, SE Asian material sourcing, subsidised shipping,
no environmental or safety regulation and slave labour?

In North America, criticism is mostly sour grapes.
These units\' supply simply taps off a gigantic and
vibrant local market.

It\'s also conceivable that the reliability and design
integrity of these things is getting better, with
experience. There\'s a continuing issue with thermoplastic
misapplication/substitution and electromechanical switch
contact ratings. A quick inspection should reveal
whether mods are required to make it (apparently) lab-safe.

No doubt the type you\'ve described IS available, but the
part number you quote is for a 30V model.

RL


Amazon makes it hard to reference items without all the Prime baggage.
I got the 60 volt version for $71, free shipping.

It\'s really nice. The voltage and current settings are with encoders,
4 digit resolution, accurate to better than 0.1%. The displays are big
and bright. The enclosure is very nice. Amazing.

An amateur can set up a very serious electronics lab, with a nice
parts assortment, for under $500 these days. That, plus a used AoE,
can get a kid going.

Hey kids !

Don\'t buy anything without a service manual and replaceable
components.

RL


I get the appeal of gear you can know everything there is to know about
and keep in top working order yourself for decades, but do you want to
be an electronics designer or a tech?

For $71, if it breaks I\'ll toss it.

And essentially nobody provides schematics or service manuals or
repair parts any more.

Hell John, do didn\'t really need this toy in the first place.

Who cares if it breaks?

RL

 

[server]

On Wed, 15 Jun 2022 09:21:15 -0400, legg <legg@nospam.magma.ca> wrote:

On Tue, 14 Jun 2022 17:19:01 -0700, John Larkin
jlarkin@highland_atwork_technology.com> wrote:

On Tue, 14 Jun 2022 19:46:53 -0400, bitrex <user@example.net> wrote:

On 6/14/2022 7:16 PM, legg wrote:
On Tue, 14 Jun 2022 08:19:47 -0700, jlarkin@highlandsniptechnology.com
wrote:

On Tue, 14 Jun 2022 10:31:39 -0400, legg <legg@nospam.magma.ca> wrote:

On Mon, 13 Jun 2022 16:34:09 -0700, John Larkin
jlarkin@highland_atwork_technology.com> wrote:

Amazon B09WDCWW36, 60 volts, 5 amps. Set to 59 volts, I get 59.014.

Nice display and interface.

How can they do this for $72?

Volume, SE Asian material sourcing, subsidised shipping,
no environmental or safety regulation and slave labour?

In North America, criticism is mostly sour grapes.
These units\' supply simply taps off a gigantic and
vibrant local market.

It\'s also conceivable that the reliability and design
integrity of these things is getting better, with
experience. There\'s a continuing issue with thermoplastic
misapplication/substitution and electromechanical switch
contact ratings. A quick inspection should reveal
whether mods are required to make it (apparently) lab-safe.

No doubt the type you\'ve described IS available, but the
part number you quote is for a 30V model.

RL


Amazon makes it hard to reference items without all the Prime baggage.
I got the 60 volt version for $71, free shipping.

It\'s really nice. The voltage and current settings are with encoders,
4 digit resolution, accurate to better than 0.1%. The displays are big
and bright. The enclosure is very nice. Amazing.

An amateur can set up a very serious electronics lab, with a nice
parts assortment, for under $500 these days. That, plus a used AoE,
can get a kid going.

Hey kids !

Don\'t buy anything without a service manual and replaceable
components.

RL


I get the appeal of gear you can know everything there is to know about
and keep in top working order yourself for decades, but do you want to
be an electronics designer or a tech?

For $71, if it breaks I\'ll toss it.

And essentially nobody provides schematics or service manuals or
repair parts any more.

Hell John, do didn\'t really need this toy in the first place.

I have a 6-layer proto PCB coming soon. We added a v-score breakaway
that has a half-bridge switching amplifier that I want to test before
it goes into a couple of products. I need +-60 volts at 6 amps to test
it, and this is close enough. $140 for both supplies is great even if
I use them once.

But they will be nice additions to the lab.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/0p6a0f108ukz9aj/Z524_A16.jpg?raw=1

When the boards are built, I\'ll snap off the little wing on the right,
which is my half-bridge test. Other people will get boards to test
other stuff, like the efinix FPGA and the big mosfet array with the
CPU cooler.

We decided to put the four giant mosfets on the parts side of the
board, thru-hole shiny-side up, and squash them with a cpu cooler fan
thing.

Who cares if it breaks?

RL

--

Anybody can count to one.

- Robert Widlar

 

[server]

On Wed, 15 Jun 2022 09:20:11 -0400, legg <legg@nospam.magma.ca> wrote:

On Tue, 14 Jun 2022 19:46:53 -0400, bitrex <user@example.net> wrote:

On 6/14/2022 7:16 PM, legg wrote:
On Tue, 14 Jun 2022 08:19:47 -0700, jlarkin@highlandsniptechnology.com
wrote:

On Tue, 14 Jun 2022 10:31:39 -0400, legg <legg@nospam.magma.ca> wrote:

On Mon, 13 Jun 2022 16:34:09 -0700, John Larkin
jlarkin@highland_atwork_technology.com> wrote:

Amazon B09WDCWW36, 60 volts, 5 amps. Set to 59 volts, I get 59.014.

Nice display and interface.

How can they do this for $72?

Volume, SE Asian material sourcing, subsidised shipping,
no environmental or safety regulation and slave labour?

In North America, criticism is mostly sour grapes.
These units\' supply simply taps off a gigantic and
vibrant local market.

It\'s also conceivable that the reliability and design
integrity of these things is getting better, with
experience. There\'s a continuing issue with thermoplastic
misapplication/substitution and electromechanical switch
contact ratings. A quick inspection should reveal
whether mods are required to make it (apparently) lab-safe.

No doubt the type you\'ve described IS available, but the
part number you quote is for a 30V model.

RL


Amazon makes it hard to reference items without all the Prime baggage.
I got the 60 volt version for $71, free shipping.

It\'s really nice. The voltage and current settings are with encoders,
4 digit resolution, accurate to better than 0.1%. The displays are big
and bright. The enclosure is very nice. Amazing.

An amateur can set up a very serious electronics lab, with a nice
parts assortment, for under $500 these days. That, plus a used AoE,
can get a kid going.

Hey kids !

Don\'t buy anything without a service manual and replaceable
components.

RL


I get the appeal of gear you can know everything there is to know about
and keep in top working order yourself for decades, but do you want to
be an electronics designer or a tech?

Sometimes I just want to get a task done and if I need to buy something
relatively inexpensive to do it that\'s what I do. I can always find a
willing recipient if I then don\'t need it. Worst case electronics
recycling is a thing.

I have a few boat anchors but I also don\'t have the space to fill my
whole little space with them.

Deaigner or Tech. That\'s a good one.

If a designer doesn\'t spend SOME time in the trenches, they\'ll
not make much of a designer.

If your tools break these days, you spend most of your time
waiting for a replacement to show up, learning how to use
them, from ground zero - with any of the oversights and errors
that entails (never mind the hairbrained GUI).

I hate when things like power supplies and function generators have
bizarre GUIs that make the simple things hard to do. This little
supply is very intuitive, except that you have to know to push the
encoder knobs to shift the digit being tweaked.

The display is fabulous for people with mediocre eyesight.

I like the knobs, as opposed to push buttons. I can look at a scope or
something and twiddle the voltage or current limit smoothly without
having to look at the supply, or wind up pushing it around on my
bench.

Turning knobs is intuitive. My Audi makes me push buttons to do
anything, which is actually dangerous.

Our digital delay generator has a spinner knob for that same reason.
Look at a scope, hang your left hand on the knob, tune a pulse delay
or width or amplitude.

http://www.highlandtechnology.com/DSS/P500DS.shtml




--

Anybody can count to one.

- Robert Widlar

 

[legg]

On Wed, 15 Jun 2022 07:30:06 -0700, jlarkin@highlandsniptechnology.com
wrote:

On Wed, 15 Jun 2022 09:20:11 -0400, legg <legg@nospam.magma.ca> wrote:

On Tue, 14 Jun 2022 19:46:53 -0400, bitrex <user@example.net> wrote:

On 6/14/2022 7:16 PM, legg wrote:
On Tue, 14 Jun 2022 08:19:47 -0700, jlarkin@highlandsniptechnology.com
wrote:

On Tue, 14 Jun 2022 10:31:39 -0400, legg <legg@nospam.magma.ca> wrote:

On Mon, 13 Jun 2022 16:34:09 -0700, John Larkin
jlarkin@highland_atwork_technology.com> wrote:

Amazon B09WDCWW36, 60 volts, 5 amps. Set to 59 volts, I get 59.014.

Nice display and interface.

How can they do this for $72?

Volume, SE Asian material sourcing, subsidised shipping,
no environmental or safety regulation and slave labour?

In North America, criticism is mostly sour grapes.
These units\' supply simply taps off a gigantic and
vibrant local market.

It\'s also conceivable that the reliability and design
integrity of these things is getting better, with
experience. There\'s a continuing issue with thermoplastic
misapplication/substitution and electromechanical switch
contact ratings. A quick inspection should reveal
whether mods are required to make it (apparently) lab-safe.

No doubt the type you\'ve described IS available, but the
part number you quote is for a 30V model.

RL


Amazon makes it hard to reference items without all the Prime baggage.
I got the 60 volt version for $71, free shipping.

It\'s really nice. The voltage and current settings are with encoders,
4 digit resolution, accurate to better than 0.1%. The displays are big
and bright. The enclosure is very nice. Amazing.

An amateur can set up a very serious electronics lab, with a nice
parts assortment, for under $500 these days. That, plus a used AoE,
can get a kid going.

Hey kids !

Don\'t buy anything without a service manual and replaceable
components.

RL


I get the appeal of gear you can know everything there is to know about
and keep in top working order yourself for decades, but do you want to
be an electronics designer or a tech?

Sometimes I just want to get a task done and if I need to buy something
relatively inexpensive to do it that\'s what I do. I can always find a
willing recipient if I then don\'t need it. Worst case electronics
recycling is a thing.

I have a few boat anchors but I also don\'t have the space to fill my
whole little space with them.

Deaigner or Tech. That\'s a good one.

If a designer doesn\'t spend SOME time in the trenches, they\'ll
not make much of a designer.

If your tools break these days, you spend most of your time
waiting for a replacement to show up, learning how to use
them, from ground zero - with any of the oversights and errors
that entails (never mind the hairbrained GUI).

I hate when things like power supplies and function generators have
bizarre GUIs that make the simple things hard to do. This little
supply is very intuitive, except that you have to know to push the
encoder knobs to shift the digit being tweaked.

The display is fabulous for people with mediocre eyesight.

I like the knobs, as opposed to push buttons. I can look at a scope or
something and twiddle the voltage or current limit smoothly without
having to look at the supply, or wind up pushing it around on my
bench.

Turning knobs is intuitive. My Audi makes me push buttons to do
anything, which is actually dangerous.

Our digital delay generator has a spinner knob for that same reason.
Look at a scope, hang your left hand on the knob, tune a pulse delay
or width or amplitude.

http://www.highlandtechnology.com/DSS/P500DS.shtml

Sing its praise in 6 months time.

Line switches, line power sockets, output sockets,
fuse holders, knobs, displays, solder joints, coil
formers are all suspect.

Does the precise output change when somebody farts
in the next room? What\'s the output at start-up?
USB or bluetooth? Getting more complicated, fast.

Mind you, it\'s probably already unobtanium or
sold with a different brand name /price, by a
different seller, today. One solution is to buy
double quantities and pray that the same thing
doesn\'t break in all of them - shelves of parts
mules. This sort of defeats the price advantage.

There ARE longer-term brands and suppliers that
have been in business long enough to at least cover
their warranty period. (TopPower? perhaps somebody
has other suggestions)

Hope your spinner knob is optical. The more spinning
it does, the more wear it will see. They\'re the first
things to go on off-shore fabs here, without any user
involvment.

RL