Extech 382280

[twjtwj]

I received an Extech 382280 power supply last week and thought I'd discuss what I think of it. I'm just getting into electronics so this will be VERY basic on things I noticed and didn't like. Again I'm new at this, so please correct me if I'm wrong anywhere and can solve any of my dislikes.

I've also attached pictures which show as follows:
Picture 1: front of unit
Picture 2: waveform when I turned the output on, and then off


Likes:
1.) Dedicated 3.3 and 5 volts outputs
2.) Standby/operation switch for on/off output
3.) I didn't see any over/under spikes when turning on and off with or without a load (picture 2)
4.) It seems pretty accurate and matches the .05% specs.
5.) Controls are easy to use.

Dislikes:
1.) The two controlled outputs are one channel, so you can't create two different voltage rails with it. (picture 1)
2.) The two controlled outputs are tied together, so you also can't create a dual -/+ rail. Why would you want two outputs that are tied together? This one really bugs me since I would like to test op amps with it and not have to create a split rail. (picture 1)
3.) When you switch on the output it takes around 1 second to get up to the voltage. Is this normal!? I thought Dave's latest Rigol review had a 10ms change.  The output shut off takes awhile as well. (picture 2)
4.) The fan is quite loud

I'm thinking about sending it back due to dislikes 1-3. The Rigol Dave reviewed looks very tempting and is $100 cheaper than this PSU.

Thoughts?

Thanks.

[Jay_Diddy_B]

Hi,

I just read the datasheet for the Extech 382280. The datasheet indicates that the power supply has a single 40V 5A adjustable output.
Did I miss some thing that make you think that this unit has two controlled outputs?




http://www.extech.com/instruments/product.asp?catid=39&prodid=217

Jay_Diddy_B

[twjtwj]

No, but to me it seems tying the two together seems silly. Either make them both programmable or isolated for dual supply use.