EEVblog HVP70 Differential Probe

[VierZylinder]

Dave,

First post here and a question. I was using a gaggle of Keysight N2791A's here at work when I decided, "you know, I probably ought to sack up and buy myself a diff probe". I knew these weren't too bad, about $700 USD but that's more than I wanted to spend. I was delighted to find your Sapphire (same as Keysight) unit for $399 on Amazon.com.

Having said all that I noticed you made a comment regarding finding an embarrassing mistake that affected the first units getting out. Did any go out with issues I should be weary of, is the Amazon one ok? You'd posted a photo of the SMT versions innards and the board markings for + and - inputs do not align at all with how the leads come out of the unit unless they're criss-crossed internally.

Regards,

James R.

[BU508A]

My EEVBlog HVP-70 arrived today. Shipping started on 28th of April. But the best is: German customs put this green sticker on it, so I wasn't charged with additionals fees, taxes etc.

http://philaseiten.wavecdn.net/up/781551/0/5/ea15b1ec_h.jpeg

Dave, it seems that it was a good idea to switch to DHL global services. No hassle with German customs so far. 

And I want you to thank you for all your efforts and making such things available to us for a really reasonable price.
Much appreciated!

Thank You!

Andreas

[kkessler]

I'm working on switching and transformerless capacitor power supplies to power small uCs from mains, and even though I connect my devices to an isolation transformer, I still pull out my old Rigol oscilloscope for testing, instead of risking my new R&S.  I decided I needed a differential probe for this, so I started googling around, and I came across this probe at Amazon. I had never heard of an EEVBlog Differential Probe before, so I thought it might be some sort of scan with someone putting an EEVBlog sticker on their own probes, to take advantage of Dave's good name.  I came here, though, and found it was a legitimate product, and it rose to the top of my list.

Looking around at Aliexpress, I see some probes under the name Cleqee, specifically the YP5210, which claims 100MHz at $70 less than the EEVBlog one.  Has anyone heard of any reports on these probes?

[EEVblog]

Having said all that I noticed you made a comment regarding finding an embarrassing mistake that affected the first units getting out. Did any go out with issues I should be weary of, is the Amazon one ok?

All units shipped are fine.
It was the x10 / x100 text that was swapped.
The +/- was swapped too in the early photos they sent me, but I caught that before I got my first unit to play with.

[EEVblog]

Looking around at Aliexpress, I see some probes under the name Cleqee, specifically the YP5210, which claims 100MHz at $70 less than the EEVBlog one.  Has anyone heard of any reports on these probes?

It'll probably work ok, but it's x100 and x1000, designed for higher voltage stuff. I prefer the x10 / x100 units that are more usable on lower voltage stuff.

[EEVblog]

BTW, the HVP70 is cheaper on my website (as Amazon take 18%) if you want to wait a bit longer for delivery.

[neslekkim]

Looking around at Aliexpress, I see some probes under the name Cleqee, specifically the YP5210, which claims 100MHz at $70 less than the EEVBlog one.  Has anyone heard of any reports on these probes?

It'll probably work ok, but it's x100 and x1000, designed for higher voltage stuff. I prefer the x10 / x100 units that are more usable on lower voltage stuff.

What do you regard as high and low voltage in this scenario?, since this is an High voltage probe that is.

[alank2]

I noticed in the Amazon listing it says it requires lithium ion batteries - Is this a lithium AA ?  Why won't alkalines work?  (assuming they do not)

[EEVblog]

What do you regard as high and low voltage in this scenario?, since this is an High voltage probe that is.

For me, high voltage = 240V mains, which a x100 mode HVP70 does easily.
And the x10 mode is great for lower voltage stuff like motor drive and other SMPS work for example.

[EEVblog]

I noticed in the Amazon listing it says it requires lithium ion batteries - Is this a lithium AA ?  Why won't alkalines work?  (assuming they do not)

That's a mistake. Amazon has horrible listing with tons of non-relevant fields.
Normal AA's, look at the package photo.

[alank2]

That's a mistake. Amazon has horrible listing with tons of non-relevant fields.
Normal AA's, look at the package photo.

I thought they looked normal!  Excellent.

[kkessler]

BTW, the HVP70 is cheaper on my website (as Amazon take 18%) if you want to wait a bit longer for delivery.

You talked me into it.  After the shipping and the exchange rate, your cost was $40 less than Amazon's, and all it cost me was the 2 day delivery, which I didn't need in this case.  Mains is the highest voltage I foresee working on, and mine is only 120V, so this probe looks more than sufficient to me.

[bitseeker]

Yep, it should work a treat, kkessler. I had looked at various probes before Dave announced his and some can take really high voltages. However, the drawback is that the multiplier is too high for not-so-high voltages. So, I was pleased to see this one, which is a nice balance of voltage ranges, bandwidth, and price.

Although some lament that a single differential probe like this costs as much as a low-end scope, I find that the combination of the HVP-70 and DS1054Z is a great deal for safety and capability. Together, it's still less than the cost of some other entry-level scopes alone.

[mtdoc]

Yes, the 10x and 100x is a good balance for most and this is a good price.

Because I already have a Tektronix P6046 to handle lower voltage differential needs and because I came across a good deal on a Tektronix p5205 which is 50X and 500X with 100MHz bandwidth, I went with that.  Otherwise I would have gone with Dave"s.

In case anyone is looking for a case for their new probe,  I've ordered on of these inexpensive cases from eBay.  They should work well for Dave's probe a well.  I'll report back when I get mine.

[EEVblog]

FYI, the "bagainprobe" coupon code is working again, with 12% discount.
And if you have bitcoins, I accept those in the shopping cart. With the bitcoin price going parabolic, it's cheaper than ever.

[mtdoc]

In case anyone is looking for a case for their new probe,  I've ordered on of these inexpensive cases from eBay.  They should work well for Dave's probe a well.  I'll report back when I get mine.

Just following up on this. After a month this case finally arrived. It's a nice case. Unfortunately it's just a bit too small for my Tek p5205. I thought it would work based on the listed OD but the shell is thick enough that the ID is significantly smaller.

The inside dimensions are 8 1/8 " x 3 3/4" x 1 1/2".    Not sure if that will accommodate the HVP70 or not.

It does fit my Tek A6302 current probe quite nicely, so I'll keep it for that.

[BU508A]

The inside dimensions are 8 1/8 " x 3 3/4" x 1 1/2".    Not sure if that will accommodate the HVP70 or not.

Here are the dimensions of the case in metric:
206.375mm * 95.25mm * 38.1mm

The dimensions of the EEVBlog HVP-70:

~195mm * ~75mm * ~31mm

So, it should fit, sort of, a bit more space in length and width would be nice.

[Neomys Sapiens]

Could/would you offer a variant with a TekProbe2 interface?

[LabSpokane]

I just got my HVP in.  Thanks, Dave!

<incorrectness removed>
==================================
Edited: 

There turns out to be NO problem.  I accidentally had the probe input on the HVP set for AC coupling, which is wrong.  Setting the input for DC coupling renders a perfect waveform.  Sorry for the false alarm.

[mtdoc]

On the attached image, green is the isolation xformer output.  Yellow is the diff probe. 

 I assume the difference in displayed amplitude is due to scaling differences. Are the actual amplitudes the same?

[daveyk]

Looks sweet!

Simple request: amplified small Signal differential probe for small monies. The Tek one cost something like $4500.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[casinada]

Has anybody have the chance to evaluate the Hantek HT8050 and HT8100 Differential probes?
It is a x50 and x500 like the Tektronix P5200
It would be nice if somebody has the resources to compare all these probes side by side.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/282370784441?_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

[Someone]

On the attached image, green is the isolation xformer output.  Yellow is the diff probe. 

I assume the difference in displayed amplitude is due to scaling differences. Are the actual amplitudes the same?

Its not the amplitudes in question but the distortion, some slew rate limitations and odd corners in the peaks (recovery from the slew limiting?).

[LabSpokane]

On the attached image, green is the isolation xformer output.  Yellow is the diff probe. 

 I assume the difference in displayed amplitude is due to scaling differences. Are the actual amplitudes the same?

Amplitudes are on scope different due to scaling settings, yes.  Amplitudes between diff probe and and direct measurement are different due to the diff probe scaling the voltage into a range of 0-7V.

[David Hess]

Its not the amplitudes in question but the distortion, some slew rate limitations and odd corners in the peaks (recovery from the slew limiting?).

Slew rate limiting on a 60Hz sine wave?  Better not be.