My workbench: the perfect is the enemy of the good enough

[GlennSprigg]

inquiry

Maybe I'm just 'old' 
But I don't understand ?   
I can't remember talking about an 'Inquiry'
Maybe I missed the humor in the small low res photo text ?? 

[coppercone2]

all these questions and it looks like a congressional hearing. the man is being seriously investigated 

[soldar]

Another thing that bugs me is equipment that does not have a power switch in the front panel, only in the back side where it is not accessible if the thing is enclosed in shelves. I don't know why they would do that but I suppose the thinking may be that all the equipment will be connected to a common circuit and they will all be turned on at the same time.

I hate that because it means I have to provide a switch somewhere inconvenient. I do not want to have equipment I am not using turned on.

I can understand it in computers because they have a soft start button in the front but I have several instruments which only have a switch in the back.

I do not understand why they would do this as it is so easy to provide a switch and let the user decide if they want to use it.

[Berni]

What test equipment has a switch on the back? I don't think i have ever seen one before.

Tho i do hate the trend of soft power buttons being used more and more in test equipment.

[soldar]

Here's one: Tektronix Digital Multimeter 5120

It has a single switch in the back, like a computer PSU.

I guess it makes it simpler to have the switch right next to the C13 connector.

[duak]

Didn't know about the Tektronix DM5120.  I see it's for the TM5000 plug in mainframe.  If you just want a meter, then it comes with its own mainframe.  I suppose to make it half rack width, there wasn't any room for the power switch on the front panel.

[coppercone2]

I guess its meant for rack mount stuff that has high up time. In that case I will butcher the chassis, I am not playing acrobat.

[Berni]

Ah that looks like its a plugin module for those multipurpose frames and its usually the frame that has the power button.

They likely ran out of room for a power switch. Some of the frames i have seen with multiple slots use the spacing between the slots to squeeze in a really narrow power button, its usually colored bright red so that you notice its not part of the frame. If they had to add a normal power switch on these frames that would make the whole frame a good 15mm wider for nothing other than the power button (Tho i suppose they could also have some GPIB LEDs above it to use up the rest of the space.)

Have a look inside maybe there is enough room behind the front panel to put a power switch in a corner, perhaps replace that grounding post with a toggle switch.

[Calambres]

Another thing that bugs me is equipment that does not have a power switch in the front panel, only in the back side where it is not accessible if the thing is enclosed in shelves.

Ditto!

I can understand it in computers because they have a soft start button in the front...

I have a Tek TDS-320 scope with front soft start button and it bugs me a lot. It draws 4W when off!
I had to plug it to a switched socket just because of that.

[AlanS]

What test equipment has a switch on the back? I don't think i have ever seen one before.

Tho i do hate the trend of soft power buttons being used more and more in test equipment.

Me too. I recently had a lightning strike to ground force current up through the BCD to mains and blow the bejeesus out of a lot of "grounded gear", the BCD and some circuit breakers. Double insulated equipment was not impacted.

Equipment on the same mains circuit as the Envox EEZ H24005 survived (I must have left it on) - it sacrificed itself to protect everything else. I replaced the TVS diodes to get it working again. Good design, good supply.