This is crazy: https://www.digikey.com/en/products/detail/b-k-precision/9185B/6818942 Why would anybody build a power supply with only pushbuttons?
pushbuttons
Started by ●September 28, 2023
Reply by ●September 28, 20232023-09-28
On Thursday, 28 September 2023 at 21:09:48 UTC+1, John Larkin wrote:> This is crazy: > > https://www.digikey.com/en/products/detail/b-k-precision/9185B/6818942 > > Why would anybody build a power supply with only pushbuttons?Do you mean that it should have a rotary knob as well? It certainly has plenty of remote control options including ethernet, USB, GPIB, serial and analogue input. That means you could add an external control knob if you want. John ]
Reply by ●September 28, 20232023-09-28
On Thu, 28 Sep 2023 15:36:43 -0700 (PDT), John Walliker <jrwalliker@gmail.com> wrote:>On Thursday, 28 September 2023 at 21:09:48 UTC+1, John Larkin wrote: >> This is crazy: >> >> https://www.digikey.com/en/products/detail/b-k-precision/9185B/6818942 >> >> Why would anybody build a power supply with only pushbuttons? > >Do you mean that it should have a rotary knob as well?Yes, so you could look at a scope or something and twirl a knob without looking at it.>It certainly has plenty of remote control options including ethernet, >USB, GPIB, serial and analogue input. That means you could add an >external control knob if you want.Or buy a Lambda.
Reply by ●September 28, 20232023-09-28
fredag den 29. september 2023 kl. 00.44.13 UTC+2 skrev John Larkin:> On Thu, 28 Sep 2023 15:36:43 -0700 (PDT), John Walliker > <jrwal...@gmail.com> wrote: > > >On Thursday, 28 September 2023 at 21:09:48 UTC+1, John Larkin wrote: > >> This is crazy: > >> > >> https://www.digikey.com/en/products/detail/b-k-precision/9185B/6818942 > >> > >> Why would anybody build a power supply with only pushbuttons? > > > >Do you mean that it should have a rotary knob as well? > Yes, so you could look at a scope or something and twirl a knob > without looking at it.there's an up/down button
Reply by ●September 29, 20232023-09-29
On a sunny day (Thu, 28 Sep 2023 13:09:31 -0700) it happened John Larkin <jl@997PotHill.com> wrote in <mclbhihnn1hi4od0bku2qiphqv2k7u0loh@4ax.com>:>This is crazy: > >https://www.digikey.com/en/products/detail/b-k-precision/9185B/6818942 > >Why would anybody build a power supply with only pushbuttons?Why not? It has left-right up-down buttons too so can gradualy increase decrease voltage / current settings too , I do the same here (buttons not marked): https://panteltje.nl/pub/gamma_spectrometer_plus_probe_plus_geiger_counter_2_IMG_4185.JPG top right 2 buttons are PMT voltage up and down, voltage is displayed on the LCD.
Reply by ●September 29, 20232023-09-29
On Thursday, September 28, 2023 at 1:09:48 PM UTC-7, John Larkin wrote:> This is crazy: > > https://www.digikey.com/en/products/detail/b-k-precision/9185B/6818942 > > Why would anybody build a power supply with only pushbuttons?Yeah, it's more useful to know the power setting BEFORE you hit the ON switch sometimes. As for digital-controlled function generators, don't try to phase-lock those things. There was one at work with a faulty encoder knob, that we sent to get calibrated. It came back calibrated, of course, but still broken. A knob that applies a plus/minus ten percent shift was my main need at one point, and I had to build the power supply myself; nothing available off-the-shelf was that flexible.
Reply by ●September 29, 20232023-09-29
On Thu, 28 Sep 2023 16:03:10 -0700 (PDT), Lasse Langwadt Christensen <langwadt@fonz.dk> wrote:>fredag den 29. september 2023 kl. 00.44.13 UTC+2 skrev John Larkin: >> On Thu, 28 Sep 2023 15:36:43 -0700 (PDT), John Walliker >> <jrwal...@gmail.com> wrote: >> >> >On Thursday, 28 September 2023 at 21:09:48 UTC+1, John Larkin wrote: >> >> This is crazy: >> >> >> >> https://www.digikey.com/en/products/detail/b-k-precision/9185B/6818942 >> >> >> >> Why would anybody build a power supply with only pushbuttons? >> > >> >Do you mean that it should have a rotary knob as well? >> Yes, so you could look at a scope or something and twirl a knob >> without looking at it. > >there's an up/down button >I'd rather grab a knob and turn it once than push a button 20 times. And I can turn a knob in either direction without looking at the panel and finding another button to push. I have an old HP bench supply that's great. The voltage control is concentric knobs, coarse and fine, that one can work by feel.
Reply by ●September 30, 20232023-09-30
On a sunny day (Fri, 29 Sep 2023 12:17:45 -0700) it happened John Larkin <jl@997PotHill.com> wrote in <qb8ehipd9ifvo9hv2ctcgeur83ms4g2kcg@4ax.com>:>On Thu, 28 Sep 2023 16:03:10 -0700 (PDT), Lasse Langwadt Christensen ><langwadt@fonz.dk> wrote: > >>fredag den 29. september 2023 kl. 00.44.13 UTC+2 skrev John Larkin: >>> On Thu, 28 Sep 2023 15:36:43 -0700 (PDT), John Walliker >>> <jrwal...@gmail.com> wrote: >>> >>> >On Thursday, 28 September 2023 at 21:09:48 UTC+1, John Larkin wrote: >>> >> This is crazy: >>> >> >>> >> https://www.digikey.com/en/products/detail/b-k-precision/9185B/6818942 >>> >> >>> >> Why would anybody build a power supply with only pushbuttons? >>> > >>> >Do you mean that it should have a rotary knob as well? >>> Yes, so you could look at a scope or something and twirl a knob >>> without looking at it. >> >>there's an up/down button >> > >I'd rather grab a knob and turn it once than push a button 20 times. > >And I can turn a knob in either direction without looking at the panel >and finding another button to push. > >I have an old HP bench supply that's great. The voltage control is >concentric knobs, coarse and fine, that one can work by feel. >Yesterday I was using my lab supply https://panteltje.nl/panteltje/pic/pwr_pic/ to test the just arrived MQ4 gas sensor modules. I needed 5V precisely. Much nicer to be able to type in voltage and set a current limit I think. Is is too easy to turn a pot a bit too far or accidently move it. OTOH that lab supply has been working OK now for many years used every day, often as battery changer..
Reply by ●September 30, 20232023-09-30
On 9/29/2023 12:00 AM, whit3rd wrote:> Yeah, it's more useful to know the power setting BEFORE you hit the ON switch > sometimes.In addition to wanting to know, most folks know what they WANT the setting to be! An "output enable/disable" control gives you exactly this "margin"; a power switch powers up the controls -- with the outputs disabled. This allows you to talk to the device to ascertain its current settings as well as command new settings.> As for digital-controlled function generators, don't try to phase-lock those things. > There was one at work with a faulty encoder knob, that we sent to get calibrated. > It came back calibrated, of course, but still broken. > > A knob that applies a plus/minus ten percent shift was my main need at one point, > and I had to build the power supply myself; nothing available off-the-shelf was that flexible.Bench space is ALWAYS at a premium, here (some of my prototypes would completely cover a typical bench, leaving no room for test gear). So, I always want to be able to "hide" those items out of the way -- meaning their controls and displays are not accessible. Nowadays, that's relatively easy with network hooks into tools. But, that hasn't always been the case... I rescued three, triple output, digitally programmable power supplies many years ago. I had no desire to run GPIB to talk to them (costly cables, I/F card, requires a nearby PC, etc.). So, I hacked the design to support a serial port as the transport medium. And, added support for a crude "programming/sequencing" language so I could preload a set of actions and then just command the device to "run the program": Set V1 12.35V Set I1 2.00A Set V2 15.00V Set I2 1.25A ENABLE 1 DELAY 5 sec ENABLE 2 etc. This really makes testing a breeze! They max out at ~50VDC but that's been adequate for all but the worst case PoE tests that I've had to perform...
