EEZ Bench Box 3 (BB3)

[prasimix]

Mouser is an US corporation and since last summer, due to the new EU regime, they have stopped exporting everything that does not have a CE certificate. I tried to explain to Mouser that the BB3 is a kit and not an assembled device but without success.

[Mike G]

Hi S0urceror, I sympathise, I have the same problem. Going back a few months Mouser was definitely the "go to" supplier as they shipped free with all duty paid to Europe, I managed to buy three over a few months, they changed the rules while my last purchase was on the flight over here, just made it   Hopefully if anyone finds a way around this crazy problem they will post it here.
Regards and good luck in your search (if you manage to buy one you will not be disappointed) Mike.G

[S0urceror]

That explains. Thanks. What are alternative ways to get hold of one?

[Mike G]

I really don't know the answer, I have given up trying. Crazily it seems impossible to buy one in Europe due to not being CE marked, the world has gone mad

[Mike G]

Yesterday I emailed Crowd Supply asking why BB3 was not shipped to EU without CE marking even though it is a kit, this is their reply.....

Hello,

Thank you for contacting Crowd Supply! The CE regulatory framework applies to nearly all products sold on Crowd Supply, whether they are kits or finished products. While it's true that individual components (i.e., capacitors, microchips, etc.) do not fall within the scope of CE, any assembled circuit board generally does fall within the scope of CE. For example, a manufacturer of computer video cards would need to CE mark their cards before the cards could be sold directly to consumers, even though the video card itself could be considered as part of a kit.

Regards,
Tanner

Oh well

[PlainName]

Maybe a reshipper could be the solution. If a couple of buyers joined together the rate might even approach reasonable!

Or perhaps an Easter holiday to certain foreign parts might acquire a little bit of extra weight on the return.

[timgiles]

I would be up for that

I also have a friend in US who could forward on to us in EU but I would rather wait for June when my tax money comes in.

[IanJ]

Regarding CE, and I am sure it has been asked before albeit I haven't seen it......can't the guys not self-certify the BB3.......It's a good part of the whole CE system.....?

Ian

[morris6]

Looks like Elektor has it, and it's in the spring sale-out action.

https://www.elektor.nl/envox-eez-bench-box-3-bb3-2-ch-modular-test-measurement-solution

[timgiles]

Thanks Morris !

[exe]

I think you can buy stuff directly from Denis, just ask him on discord. Or, he also has a webshop: https://www.envox.eu/store/ .

[prasimix]

Bench Box 3 in action with @IanJ:

👉 https://youtube.com/watch?v=S8okMaAKYiw

[dreamcat4]

hello friends, i have to decide which to get:

* rigol dp832
* this base chassis + then add channels to it

liking both of them, for what they are. basically for small home lab want a dependable psu with some exta niceties (such as for charging batteries and other such convenience etc). and to be multi channel too - so of course the dp832 fit the bill pretty well

however last week saw this BB3 for the first time. and can see it might also be worth investigating too. but what do you guys think? either/or, one or the other? or both, then which one to get first?

i ask because the BB3 is more difficult to understand being such an open platform. and with many more option. but assuming i bought the base unit. then added my own (home made) power channel add in cards myself? that would seem like a similar ballpark cost? then how would these units compare?

[PlainName]

I have both and rarely use the DP832. But that's mostly because it is on my main bench where the choice is the Rigol or a HP6632B - the HP has a worse user interface but somehow gets most usage. The BB3 is on my desk where it powers whatever I'm programming.

If I could afford it, I'd buy another BB3 to replace the Rigol. I wouldn't mess about making my own power channels though, unless they did something which the available ones don't (which seems unlikely).

[danielbriggs]

Hi fellow-BB3-fans,
I have 2x DCM220's available for sale if that helps anyone add extra power supply output channels for a low cost.
(Apologies if this cross-posting is not allowed)

https://www.eevblog.com/forum/buysellwanted/fs-2x-envox-dcm220-power-supply-modules-for-bb3-chassis/new/#new

If of relevance, please reply in the for sale thread.

All the best,
Dan

[rthorntn]

Hi,

Does anyone have any (of the five different types) of complete PCBs spare that they want to sell?

I've got the case and bare PCB kit and would like to skip trying to source (component shortages) and solder (the STM32 especially) them myself.

Thanks.
Richard

[prasimix]

Wonderful progress on the open hardware BB3-CM4 project (funded by NLnet). A few pictures, courtesy of Intergalaktik.
Feel free to check design, and follow progress on GitHub: https://github.com/intergalaktik/bb3-cm4

[prasimix]

Seeing is believing: BB3 GUI runs on Raspberry CM4! And it is very fast, i.e. responsive! 💯

One crazy detail: the original BB3 has a 480x272 resolution display, and the CM4 uses an 800x480 display. Resize is done in a few clicks in free and open source EEZ Studio (not quite ideal, but more than satisfactory for presentation needs)!

[dreamcat4]

so prasmix, does this mean that cm4 can (in future) replace stm32 mcu within bb3 control board? ... however that would need new control board pcb right?

since last time (months ago) i asked and you said no changes, for sake of necessary certifications / testing / approvals

[prasimix]

The fact that we are limited with CE certification in case we resume the production of completed BB3 does not mean that others cannot have great fun modifying it . We will see how things will go further, but this design is an excellent candidate for a successor, whether the CM4 Raspberry module is used or, e.g. a new one based on STM32H745.

[prasimix]

I spent some time to assembly the first EEZ KiCad library that includes parts for MCU module imported from Eagle. I had a tough time trying to adjust the paths to the folders (3d models, etc.) and I don't know if I really succeeded. Feel free to download it here: https://github.com/eez-open/eez-kicad-library

When installed, it appears in the KiCad Plugin and Content Manager:



By the way, I played with the import from Eagle and started with the MCU module in which the following modifications were made:

• Replaced the Ethernet PHY
• Replaced mini-USB AB with USB-C
• Replaced the battery with a supercap
• +5V output on front panel with programmable switch and current limit
• Added isolated RS485 port 🙂

It would look something like this:





Migration to USB-C requires an additional IC because the new specification does not support ID pin and OTG as it was the case with previous specifications. I found that TI has two chips that solve that problem: one is programmable via I2C (TUSB320) and the other is non-programmable TUSB321, which I chose, which may not be the best choice (I have to eventually try it).

Why RS485? Because there was already interest in communicating via it in environments where there are, for example, PLCs and similar devices that use RS485. Why isolated? Well, because efficient insulation is easy to obtain and protect BB3. Since the isolated power supply for the B-side was added, the question arises whether to add also isolation to the existing I/O on the front panel of BB3.

[prasimix]

We started with the migration of BB3 modules to KiCad 7. The first published is the AUX-PS module.

https://github.com/eez-open/modular-psu/tree/master/aux-ps

[thm_w]

Do you have anything to do with the Mouser page: https://www.mouser.ca/ProductDetail/Envox-Experimental-Zone/CS-BB3-08?qs=A6eO%252BMLsxmSeQD1tVPyeKw%3D%3D
They show a full supply which is obviously not the case as on github you've stated its just one module (DCM224).

[Kean]

Do you have anything to do with the Mouser page: https://www.mouser.ca/ProductDetail/Envox-Experimental-Zone/CS-BB3-08?qs=A6eO%252BMLsxmSeQD1tVPyeKw%3D%3D
They show a full supply which is obviously not the case as on github you've stated its just one module (DCM224).

Yes, CS-BB3-08 is confirmed by prasimix as just the DCM224 module.
I reported the bad descriptions to Mouser over a year ago, and they never changed it.

[prasimix]

Here is a table of Mouser part numbers if it will help anyone when ordering what they still have in stock. If we succeed in resuming production of BB3, completely new part numbers will appear for assembled units and not kit versions, as was the case until now.