Blog

Before I Trust the Numbers - Comparing Three USB Testers (Tenma 72-13540, FNIRSI FB58, Keweisi KWS-10VA Before Characterizing the FNIRSI DPS-150

gam3t3ch — Mon, 24 Aug 2026 13:34:47 GMT

Comparing Three USB Testers Before Characterizing the FNIRSI DPS-150 Why I Did This Test I recently added a FNIRSI FNB58 USB tester to the bench with the intention of using it during my characterization of the FNIRSI DPS-150. Before I started trusti...(read more)

FNIRSI 2C53T Characterization & Review

gam3t3ch — Thu, 20 Aug 2026 01:35:18 GMT

A hands-on look at what it does well, where the automatic measurements can mislead you, and whether it makes sense as a first oscilloscope or portable troubleshooting tool. The tests completed in this review is not of 100% calibrated equip...(read more)

Cheap active oscilloscope probe

kk99 — Tue, 04 Aug 2026 15:58:07 GMT

During the last test of the Si5351 clock generator, I thought that it would be nice to compare measurement results between a passive probe to an active probe. I have found one based on a well-known design with usage of the high frequency BF998 FET t...(read more)

Keithley DMM6500: Software Control Options Pt 3 - VSCode TSP Toolkit

Jan Cumps — Sat, 25 Jul 2026 10:23:57 GMT

Follow up on my road test of the Keithley Bench Digital Multimeter DMM6500.I proposed in my application to focus the review on instrument automation. In this post, the VSCode TSP Toolkit plugin. The plugin was released a few years...(read more)

The wire stripper

kk99 — Sun, 12 Jul 2026 14:59:46 GMT

Till now, I have used a self-adjusting wire stripper. It was quite good but sometimes stuttered during stripping. It didn't have an option to regulate the length of a stripped area of wire. I have decided to try something which allows me to regulate...(read more)

Benchwave, a free Mac app that will help oragnise your workshop

sebnast — Thu, 02 Jul 2026 14:17:38 GMT

A while back I picked up a couple of FNIRSI instruments, a 2D15P scope and an LCR-P1 component tester. Good kit for the money, but the software is a letdown: mostly Windows-only, so on a Mac you're stuck dragging screenshot files off a USB drive by h...(read more)

Portable multimeter - Sanwa PM300

kk99 — Sun, 28 Jun 2026 15:44:29 GMT

{gallery}Sanwa PM300 A few years ago I looked for a replacement for my portable multimeter, the Appa iMeter 5, for which I was not fully satisfied. I have found a Sanwa PM300. I have been ...(read more)

GDM-8341 trace capabilities review

obones — Fri, 26 Jun 2026 15:40:11 GMT

Back in March, I was flabbergasted to be chosen as the grand prize winner for the Fun and Games competition I mean, I was participating for the fun of it, thinking to myself "heck, if I reach second place, that'll be a good occasion to repla...(read more)

Analog Discovery 3 - oscilloscope channels crosstalk

kk99 — Mon, 15 Jun 2026 16:00:45 GMT

The channel isolation describes how much signal on one input channel unintentionally appears on another channel. In case when we are measuring some signal, e.g. on channel 1 and has channel 2 not connected to any signal, in an ideal scenario, there s...(read more)

Siglent SPD1305X

kk99 — Tue, 09 Jun 2026 17:49:57 GMT

Today arrived my power supply, that bought few days ago. It was a good occasion to buy almost not used device in half of current price. The device is in the condition as described by the previous owner. It still has a product seal. After disass...(read more)

Analog Discovery 3 - oscilloscope noise floor

kk99 — Sun, 31 May 2026 18:38:28 GMT

Background Today I have checked the input noise floor of the oscilloscope channel in Analog Discovery 3. By default, both oscilloscope channel inputs of the Analog Discovery 3 are not shielded. It is mentioned in this thread: https://forum.digilent.c...(read more)

Reducing Common-Mode Noise with Ferrites

shabaz — Thu, 28 May 2026 15:49:46 GMT

Making low-noise measurements can be hard! Sometimes, if the device-under-test is small, I try to place it inside a shielded enclosure. There are some (+) Ideas on Building a Shielded Test Enclosure - element14 Community here. There was a r...(read more)

PicoScope 7: Overall, I am Impressed. But, What’s Your Opinion?

shabaz — Tue, 26 May 2026 19:36:46 GMT

Introduction I own a pretty old, portable PicoScope model (2000 series), which cost very little. Although I have larger desktop ‘scope options with screens, I still find that PicoScope gets used regularly. I’ve even written my own ‘...(read more)

MP710086 / MP710087: Lab Bench Power Supply Quick Review!

shabaz — Mon, 18 May 2026 20:35:38 GMT

I've desired a decent linear low-noise power supply for ages, and I think I've finally found one at a reasonable price. (Image source: Farnell website) It's actually been around for ages. fmilburn reviewed the 30V 5A ...(read more)

SPICE Circuit Simulation: A Simple Explanation!

shabaz — Tue, 14 Apr 2026 02:23:15 GMT

Table of Contents Introduction I Want to Try It, Now! SPICE Quick Overview Elementary Models Pin Ordering for Component Symbols An Entire Circuit Choosing and Running Simulations DC Voltages and Currents (Operating Point) Simulations Time-Domain (...(read more)