SALE (AU/NZ): Multicomp Pro MP710086 (Owon P4305 rebadge) at element14

[plurn]

For Australians and probably New Zealanders, thought I would point out a particular bargain at the sale at au.element14 if you are looking for a linear power supply.
Multicomp Pro MP710086 1 Output, 30 V, 5 A
https://au.element14.com/multicomp-pro/mp710086/dc-power-supply-1ch-30v-5a-150w/dp/322741902?

This is a pretty much a rebadge of the Owon P4305 from what I gather except that the MP710086 also has a USB port.

It is currently AU$146.08 plus gst, though if you use their 15% off code it is AU$124.17 plus gst, $136.587 inc gst.
  EDIT: looks like the 15% off code might not apply for this item. From the rules "Any further discount (special pricing, quote discounts, discount vouchers, etc.) is not applicable on this promotion (products ending in ‘02').". Seemed to work with my order (I ordered a bunch of things and got the 15% off on everything) but there is still time for them to tell me there was a mistake and cancel it. It is still a good price without the extra 15% off.

Not saying it is the best power supply but it is a bargain at that price considering the Owon P4305 goes for prices such as AU$435.60 (inc GST), €140.00, and the MP710086 for over $300 plus gst.

This is only for items in stock in Australia with item code 322741902. Once the Australian ones are gone the deal is over so get in quick.

There are other bargains in their fire sale here https://au.element14.com/fire-sale?ICID=I-HP-LB-FIRE-SALE-MAR24-WF3616377

Eg if you want something a bit higher end, there are gw instek power supplies with a decent discount too. I mainly paid attention to power supplies so worth a look for other things.

discount code from here:
https://au.element14.com/un-offer-3456110-h1-24?ICID=I-AT-PROMOS-UN_OFFER_H1_24_AU_FY23-WF3456110#

AUAOV24Q2W

Check out reviews of the Owon P4305 and the Multicomp Pro MP710086 if you want to research it.

Just ordered one so hope it is ok.

[JimboJack]

i grabbed a pair of the 30V 5A , upgrade from a simple analogue psu, they do have the USB, thought it was some mistake why there was 3 different prices .... didn't see the discount code... aus express post as well.  the OCP OVP has the issues on power on spike. for the price you cann't go wrong.

[plurn]

... thought it was some mistake why there was 3 different prices ...

I finally figured that out. Originally thought it might be different versions of a product but it is not. Every time they make a discount on an item, they append a 2 digit number to its item code as a new item code and keep the old item around. So for example they will have item code 3227419, then another item with a discount 322741901, then if they do another discount it will be 322741902. Probably some discount codes only show up in the applicable location eg au.element14, uk.farnell, etc.

A number of times I have put items in my cart then found the same thing for less and swapped it in the cart. If your time is free it pays to look thoroughly for higher priced stuff or when buying large quantities of an item.

[johnboxall]

Nice spot with the sale. Note that some home-brand element14 things often do not have Australian regulatory compliance mark (and ship with a UK or EU plug IEC cable). This isn't a reflection on the equipment, just that some places can't use mains-powered gear that doesn't have the mark.

[JimboJack]

These ship , with AU, EU and UK plug with a sticker covering the mains input 200-250V only

[5U4GB]

Wow, that's even cheaper than the other universal cheapie, the Korad KA3005x.  How is it noise-wise?  That's the one thing that annoys me about the Korad, even with a fan mod it's still rather noisy.

Speaking of which, they also have Kora... uh, Tenmas on sale at less than half the usual price.

[5U4GB]

EDIT: looks like the 15% off code might not apply for this item. From the rules "Any further discount (special pricing, quote discounts, discount vouchers, etc.) is not applicable on this promotion (products ending in ‘02').". Seemed to work with my order (I ordered a bunch of things and got the 15% off on everything) but there is still time for them to tell me there was a mistake and cancel it. It is still a good price without the extra 15% off.

They let me use the discount code just for this item and I've received the order confirmation, so unless they've got some last-minute undo capability it looks like it'll work.

[plurn]

" ...How is it noise-wise?  That's the one thing that annoys me about the Korad, even with a fan mod it's still rather noisy. ..."

In terms of audible fan noise, from reviews of this and the similar MP710087 (60V 3A) and Owon P4305, it has a variable speed fan though it ramps up very quickly without much load and is quite noisy and annoying, prompting ideas of modifications. Don't know if it is better or worse than the Korad in that respect.

https://youtu.be/qXPs7rKjmg4?t=551
https://youtu.be/qXPs7rKjmg4?t=644

https://youtu.be/IbGax79w-RQ?t=776
https://youtu.be/IbGax79w-RQ?t=1871

https://youtu.be/IOYGMjjj688?t=1270

[5U4GB]

Thanks, I eventually found a few videos that mention it but didn't go into too much detail.  The variable-speed fan is good, with the Korad even if I'm sitting there soldering up something or otherwise not powering the device I'm working with I've still got that noisy fan running, so silence on low load is better than nothing.  One of the videos I found had a teardown which showed a sensible design rather than the Korad giant-alu-block-over-the-airflow layout, so that's also a point in its favour.

Edit: Ah, I saw Robert's one which you've also linked to, but in his case he wedged it in between his scope and his massive-heat-generating test load which possibly wasn't the best setup for optimising cooling fan operation.

In any case I've ordered one, the fire-sale price and extra 15% discount make it a no-brainer, just waiting for after Easter to see if they ship it with both price reductions applied.

[5U4GB]

element14 Shipping Confirmation - Order XXXXXXX - PO 31/03/24 01.01 AM

Your order XXXXXXXXXX has been shipped

It worked, the order shipped with the double discount applied!  Thanks @plurn, maybe I should have ordered two at that price.

[5U4GB]

Arrived this morning.  The packaging was interesting, first an element14 box, then inside that a Farnell UK box with a totally different order number on the label and that looked like it had been resealed, and then finally an open-box Multicomp box.  I wonder what the story behind all that is?

[plurn]

Don't know - but at least they triple boxed it - should have arrived safely that way. Maybe they are just reusing boxes to safely package delicate equipment? Maybe the multicomp box was opened so they could pop an Australian power cable into it?

I have quite a wait for mine. Ordered a bunch of stuff including from overseas stock and selected the single shipment option so it won't ship till it all arrives in Australia.

[5U4GB]

Maybe they are just reusing boxes to safely package delicate equipment? Maybe the multicomp box was opened so they could pop an Australian power cable into it?

I thought that might be the case until I saw the CEE 7 and UK cables in there alongside the AU one, much better than the usual wrong-country cable and a dodgy adapter plug.  It's possible the Farnell original had the EU and UK cables and the AU one was added in Australia, which would explain the open box.

There was a significant dent in the Farnell (second) box that carried through to the Multicomp (third) box but there's foam packing in there that prevented it going any further.  However there was nothing on the first (element14) box so it was definitely repackaged at some point after being originally shipped in the Farnell box.

[Psi]

It is a pretty good deal.

Here you can see the NZD price for all 3 versions, ordinal price. first discount(01) and current discount(02)

And you can use the 10% voucher code in the email to get it down further to NZ$140.68 (plus gst)

[indeterminate]

Mine arrived today , voltages are spot on.
I suggest you open it up and add sum extra sleving to the 240v wiring and serial cable that passes to close to the mains filter board.

On mine the single insulated 240v cabling from the filter board to power switch touches the sharp end of the transformer retaining bolt and is cable tied to LV wiring
and from the filter board to transformer is only single insulated and cable tied to LV wiring.

There is a ribbon cable that connects the USB/serial port to the front PCB
the ribbon cable passes very close to the rear of the 240v filter board

Other than that it looks good , just need to test noise.

[plurn]

Just checked the listing and price is now down to AU$95.23 ($104.75 Inc. GST) - and that is not counting the 15% discount - wow. Was tempted to order another couple for a minute there but realised I don't really need them.

There is also a TENMA 72-2685 Bench Power Supply, Linear, Adjustable, 1 Output, 30 V, 3 A for AU$43.37 ($47.71 Inc. GST). No idea about it's quality - just a basic low end power supply but claims to be linear. Possibly another bargain.

[Anthocyanina]

i got one of these from a contest at element14. the current reads 5mA under what it really is. anyone else experiencing this? thank you!

[plurn]

i got one of these from a contest at element14. the current reads 5mA under what it really is. anyone else experiencing this? thank you!

Have not received mine yet but apparently MP710086/P4305 can be calibrated:
https://www.eevblog.com/forum/testgear/increase-accuracy-of-owon-p4305-dc-power-by-self-calibrating-in-hidden-menu/

[5U4GB]

Just checked the listing and price is now down to AU$95.23 ($104.75 Inc. GST) - and that is not counting the 15% discount - wow. Was tempted to order another couple for a minute there but realised I don't really need them.

I'm still showing the previous price for the MP710086, but the $95 one for the more minimal MP710503.  Could there be a glitch in what's being displayed?

[dietert1]

A year ago we got two of those at OWONtechnology.eu for 140 € each, i think including VAT. We got them with RS232 yet without USB interface. Those supplies are 1 mV resolution, something rare. Ours got modded to really provide that accuracy, see this thread:
https://www.eevblog.com/forum/testgear/inside-the-owon-p4603p4305-linear-psu/msg2268585/#msg2268585

Regards, Dieter

[plurn]

Just checked the listing and price is now down to AU$95.23 ($104.75 Inc. GST) - and that is not counting the 15% discount - wow. Was tempted to order another couple for a minute there but realised I don't really need them.

I'm still showing the previous price for the MP710086, but the $95 one for the more minimal MP710503.  Could there be a glitch in what's being displayed?

I am still seeing AU$95.23 ($104.75 Inc. GST) for MP710086 with order code 322741902 as pictured in my post #15. Tried with two different browsers both logged in and logged out.
 
For MP710503 I am not seeing $95 but rather AU$53.77 ($59.15 Inc. GST) - see attached image. I ignored that one previously as it did not mention linear - not sure if it is or not and I am not interested in switch mode. If that is linear then that is perhaps another bargain.

There could definitely be a glitch in what is being displayed as you mention. Their site has become a bit of a mess lately. Lots of missing or incorrect or just screwed up search attributes so it is sometimes difficult to find things or to narrow down searches. Who knows what else is wrong with their site.

[5U4GB]

Ah, yeah, getting the extra-cheap price now, I was seeing one of the other listings for the MP710086 at higher prices.

I'm sure that a week after this offer expires I'll suddenly discover a need for a second one :-).

The MP710503 appears to be a Korad KA3005D rebrand, so it'd be linear, just not as fancy as the Owon rebrand.

[Anthocyanina]

i got one of these from a contest at element14. the current reads 5mA under what it really is. anyone else experiencing this? thank you!

Have not received mine yet but apparently MP710086/P4305 can be calibrated:
https://www.eevblog.com/forum/testgear/increase-accuracy-of-owon-p4305-dc-power-by-self-calibrating-in-hidden-menu/

ooh, cool, thank you!

Edit:

after much fiddling with the current calibration and all 5 of my multimeters in series since i don't have a very trustworthy meter, i got what to me is an acceptable result.

from 0 to 3mA there is a 5mA offset that the supply doesn't read. from 3 to 10mA there is a 5mA offset correctly reported by the supply's meter. from 10 to 18mA the set point is a tiny bit off from what the supply's meter reads, going back and forth from +1mA to the actual reading i get with my meters, which is the same as the set current.

from 18mA to 3.25A the reading and the set point agree perfectly and they perfectly agree with most of my meters, 2 of which read the same value, and the other 3 reading a few microamps off from each other, and from 3.25A to 5A there is a steady linear increase in current from 100uA to 5mA from what the supply reads, but it reads the same value it's set for, the difference lies in my meters.

before, it was a constant 5mA offset for most of the entire range, and the supply's meter read the same as the set point, so it was off by -5mA. now i'm getting a much more accurate reading across the entire range, and  from 18mA to 3.25A it's pretty much right on target, and since most of what i do is within that range, that's perfect!

[plurn]

Maybe they are just reusing boxes to safely package delicate equipment? Maybe the multicomp box was opened so they could pop an Australian power cable into it?

I thought that might be the case until I saw the CEE 7 and UK cables in there alongside the AU one, much better than the usual wrong-country cable and a dodgy adapter plug.  It's possible the Farnell original had the EU and UK cables and the AU one was added in Australia, which would explain the open box.

There was a significant dent in the Farnell (second) box that carried through to the Multicomp (third) box but there's foam packing in there that prevented it going any further.  However there was nothing on the first (element14) box so it was definitely repackaged at some point after being originally shipped in the Farnell box.

Finally received mine along with a bunch of other stuff I ordered. Pretty much the same packaging for mine. Intact element14 box containing the power supply boxes as well as the other ordered items - there was a big gouge/hole in the farnell box that got through and also gouged the multicomp box. Open box multicomp box. No damage to the power supply. 3 power cables.

I did get the 15% discount for this order. Tried using it again for a later order for other items and it did not allow me to apply it - perhaps single use per customer or it has expired. Tried the other 10% discount and it let me apply it but was later contacted and told I could not use the 10% voucher as all the items I selected were already discounted. Even without that 10% off the items were well discounted so no complaints. So I expect it depends on who reviews your order and how diligent they are as to whether you will receive a discount illegitimately.

[5U4GB]

I wonder if they had a damaged shipment that was partly covered by shipping insurance and are now selling the units at a discount to cover the residual cost?  Seems unusual that they'd have identical damage to two separate units.