EEVblog Electronics Community Forum
Products => Test Equipment => Topic started by: Fusion916 on November 29, 2017, 09:23:59 pm
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I'm in the market for an DC electronic load. I don't need a lot of bells and whistles but I am looking for something reliable. The price of the M9710 is hard to beat (~$300), but not looking for something unreliable or unsafe.
Edit: Also considering the M9712B for the 500V capability.
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Searching the board shows several positive threads on Maynuo gear, the M9710 included.
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I own a M9712 (which is the 300W version) since 2015 and paid 380 Euro + VAT (thus 450 Euro in total) for it.
Maynous M9812 (or M9811) are almost identical, just pick the less expensive.
It is not exactly a beauty but it is reliable and quiet (of course not when loading a few hundred watt). There is nothing to complain about the unit (especially if you can get them for a good price) but the user interface which has some kind of learning curve. And when you are (like me) using the device not frequently, mastering some of the more advanced options can be difficult (though just entering "load 20A" or "load 100W" or "load with 1 Ohm resistance" is quite easy).
This is the downside of the limited VFD display with only two lines of information = can show 4 values at the same time (hint: avoid the ones with only one line of information = 2 values at the same time such as the BK 8500). A version with a TFT display would be much easier to use (probably, never used one), though they will cost at least 2x or 3x as much..... and will have an annoying boot time of 30 seconds, where is Maynuo is ready in a second.
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The Anbai / Applent AT8612 appears to be similar enough to the Maynuo and preliminary tests show that it performs quite well. It utilizes a different processor (Nuvoton) and a TFT display which simplifies especially setting up the dynamic load configurations a lot. One detail that´s somewhat sad about the AT8612 is that it lacks a rotary encoder to incrementally adjust the parameters. A set of up/down/left/right keys is present instead.
One final detail that may make the AT8612 look attractive against the competitors` entry level loads is that the currently sold revision (A) features a voltage range of up to 300V.
Cheers and good luck,
Thomas
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I've got a M9712, and there's never been any issues.
Only thing I'd point out is that the PC software seems like utter garbage, and doesn't really work. They might've fixed it, but I've lost interest.
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I've also got a M9712 and have had no issues with it (think I've had for around 4 years now). I've used the software for doing battery testing a couple of times and can't remember having any issues with that either, it seems to work fine for me. With that said, it's not the most used piece of equipment around here.
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Thanks for the info guys, glad these units are solid since the price is so good. I'll be picking one up as soon as I decide If I want to spend the extra money on the 500V version.
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The Anbai / Applent AT8612 appears to be similar enough to the Maynuo and preliminary tests show that it performs quite well.
Thomas: I saw in another thread (https://www.eevblog.com/forum/testgear/applent-at8612-dc-load-a-quick-tear-down/ (https://www.eevblog.com/forum/testgear/applent-at8612-dc-load-a-quick-tear-down/)) that you had problems with the calibration on yours? Was that easy to solve? There are very few information available on this device AT8612. May I ask if you can put up a few more screenshots of the submenues (other than the few shown at the teard down thread) of your device?
And if you have some spare time left: I am sure, some kind of review would also be appreciated by all of us.
Thanks!
P.S. Probably best would be to place this in the AT8612 thread and not here.
P.P.S. I found a load I have never seen before: A CH9715 from a company called "Beich". Anybody heard of this?
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I have a M9712C and have nothing but good experience with it!
(using it primarily to load some "power expander" boards to 20/30 amps for long time for testing)