Products > Test Equipment
Keysight EL30000 DC load buyers warning / mini review
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niner_007:
I’m really disappointed on the recent power products coming out of Keysight.

Their new DC electronic load in this case, it’s pretty much unusable, and at a nearly $4K price tag for the 600W dual input model.

If you send data to the instrument too fast (every 800ms is what I tried) it locks the instrument’s communication interface and remains locked, but the instrument still runs and is responsive via manual controls; that’s a really dangerous condition for a power product, and alone makes the instrument unusable.

The instrument doesn’t have a very important feature, under voltage lock out, so cannot use it for battery testing, except through external scripting and communication. So bye bye battery applications.

Their under voltage inhibit (this is not UVLO) is also broken with some weird hysteris where under voltage conditions does not always stop the load; even without the fault, I don’t understand where such a feature would be useful, as it reconnects the load when the voltage goes back up, UVLO is a more critical feature to be built in, inhibit can be programmed via the interface.

No automatic ranging, you’re either on the higher range losing resolution, but if on the lower range you cannot dial outside the range, with errors thrown at you. The auto ranging could been done in software.

The rear connectors are really nice, but the front connectors are custom, they should have selected lower current banana posts instead for the front, and limit the current through the front, this is a nearly $4K instrument after all and should have a feature like that.

No energy accumulation monitoring. So no Wh.

This is a broken instrument, they focused so much on the scope view and pulse features of the load (I don’t need these) that they got the basics completely wrong. I don’t know how good the hardware underneath is, but I think their software might require a lot if effort to fix, it’s hard to convey in words until you use it.

Sadly the new Keysight power supplies also have similar issues with the software, that’s why I will continue to use my trusted 3631A and 363xA series supplies, or go to R&S for power needs, and to BK Precision/Kikusue for DC loads, and avoid the new Keysight power products altogether. I don’t want my supply to stop responding to commands and blow the DUT up or start a fire in the lab.

I was in the market for a new DC load, and I got this Keysight DC load hopping it would do. I returned it for a refund.
xani:
My Korad KA102 got most of that features (altho bit of PITA to setup), that is just embarrassing
niner_007:
I use a BK 8601, but recently it got broken. I used the opportunity to look at Keysight and was very excited with their new loads, the 600W one was particularly interesting because it’s dual channel, the channels can be combined together, and high resolution. I really wish Keysight would’ve worked.

I repaired my BK, BK did an excellent job on it, and if anything, I will buy another 8601 :) Kikusui has a very nice family of DC loads, I have played with one for few days, it’s got a very nice display, and energy accumulation. Their interface is a big complex to configure, but overall for my needs, BK Precision is still the best performer. Just a rock solid instrument.
Sighound36:
What did you Key-sight supplier say to your concerns regarding the instrument itself?

Would pretty surprised if they just dismissed the issue you have found  :o.

The Danny Bogdanoff show is pretty active on this forum, as the brand ambassador for Keysight I am sure he could set the wheels in motion as to an investigation of your reported issue.

Just a thought?

I use Kikisui loads having tried a few others, however I have noticed on virtually all of the brands they do produce quite a bit of residue noise which is very evident especially when testing for EMC and pre compliance with spectral analysis

For general work they are great also running components as well, for more precision  I built a set of dedicated specific current passive loads, the difference in the noise floor on the 9Khz to 30Mhz test suits is quiet something.
niner_007:
I did comment on Keysight youtube videos for the load, I didn’t get any replies on youtube. I needed a solution immediately, I cannot afford few months turnaround, broken I/O is a pretty big deal breaker to me. I didn't bother with support, it was just not worth it given the many issues found.
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