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Blog Review of E36312A triple output programmable bench power supply from Keysight
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  • Author Author: rsjawale
  • Date Created: 9 Nov 2017 1:35 PM Date Created
  • Views 2434 views
  • Likes 6 likes
  • Comments 4 comments
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Review of E36312A triple output programmable bench power supply from Keysight

rsjawale
rsjawale
9 Nov 2017

Hello and welcome to this tech review of E36312A- A triple output programmable bench power supply from Keysight Technologies.

 

image

 

Recently, I won a triple output bench power supply from Keysight Technologies.

It’s been more than 3 weeks I’m exploring this bench power supply and this blog post reveals my experience with this product so far.

 

Let’s start with the appearance and the front panel of the supply. It has a nice and big colourful LCD, 2 separate control knobs for

voltage and current adjustment, a keypad to enter the desired values of the voltage and current,

colour coded push buttons for each channel along with colour coded outputs (yellow, green and blue) and

few other push buttons for quick actions like tracking and print screen, meter view etc.

It also has a USB port for data logging and screen shot purposes. Overall the build quality is really good.

 

The three outputs are independent of each other, output 1 gives 6V, 5A and other two outputs give 25V, 1 A each.

Each output is colour coded and hence is easy to distinguish between different outputs. Each output has a independent

colour coded buttons to switch on/off and a master switch for all outputs.

 

The unit powered on and the LCD showing the outputs which are colour coded

 

And now the most amazing feature of this power supply- You can combine the outputs of port 2 and 3 in series or parallel just by pressing a button!

It has internal switching which uses relays. You can get a max of 50V output at 1A from output 2 by using series connection and a max of 2A current

at 25V by combining port 2 and 3 in parallel.

This feature is not available in any of the bench power supplies I have used till now.

 

I have used programmable power supplies from multiple vendors in the college labs, this being my first owned bench power supply.

It surely beats all other bench power supplies in the market.

 

Overall, the build quality is great. The LCD visibility is too good. Again a feature not available in most of the bench power supplies in the market.

It also has data logging capabilities and a meter view which displays the voltage, current and power measurement of the device under test.

 

Meter view showing the voltage, current and power consumption of the DUT

 

I would highly recommend this bench power supply to research labs, universities and makers. It is a one time investment but worth it.

Really helpful for testing your electronic designs.

The only downside of this product is that is a bit costly for individuals.

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Top Comments

  • geralds
    geralds over 7 years ago +1
    Yes, this laboratory power supply is really the right device for the developments in my projects. Especially with amplifier circuits, I need this power supply. Or when testing battery operated modules…
  • Workshopshed
    Workshopshed over 7 years ago +1
    Can the outputs be controlled using USB?
  • michaelkellett
    michaelkellett over 7 years ago +1
    I have used programmable power supplies from multiple vendors in the college labs, this being my first owned bench power supply. It surely beats all other bench power supplies in the market. I'm sure it…
  • geralds
    geralds over 7 years ago in reply to michaelkellett

    Ok, yes that's true basically seen. But the quality lays in the details.

    Eg. What i need is acurat the measurement of CV and displaying better then 4 digits (eg.  30.000V with 3.000A).

     

    Gerald

    ---

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  • michaelkellett
    michaelkellett over 7 years ago

    I have used programmable power supplies from multiple vendors in the college labs, this being my first owned bench power supply.

    It surely beats all other bench power supplies in the market.

    I'm sure it's very nice but in terms of value for money it is way behind Rigol. Comparing specs doesn't  look to promising either:

     

    In a nutshell:

    Rigol DP832A, £581 excluding VAT, 195W, 3 outputs, 2 x 30V @ 3A, 1 x 5V @ 3A programming and read back 1mV/0.1mA resolution, USB, LAN, RS232 built in GPIB option

    E36312A, £1007 excluding VAT, 2 x 25V * 1A, 1 x 6V @ 5A, programming and read back complicated to summarise but  a little better, has LAN and USB, GPIB option, no RS232

     

    If you want super flexibility try the AIMTTI MX180TP, £928, 2 x 180W outputs, 1 x 18W output, can // or series the 180W outputs for 120V @ 3A or 30V @12A or 15V @ 20A and other clever tricks,  has USB, RS232 and LAN built in.

     

    So while I expect it'll be nice to use (Keysight stuff usually is )  it offers a lot less bang for your buck than others do. SO my advice would be that you choose carefully, you cna pretty much have 2 Rigols or the AimTTI with 4x the power for the same money.

     

    MK

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  • Workshopshed
    Workshopshed over 7 years ago

    Can the outputs be controlled using USB?

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  • geralds
    geralds over 7 years ago

    Yes, this laboratory power supply is really the right device for the developments in my projects.
    Especially with amplifier circuits, I need this power supply.
    Or when testing battery operated modules.

     

    Best Regards

    Gerald

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