I purchased a Siglent SPD4323X a while back but hadn't yet the chance to play with it. I did today, and here are some observations.
HARDWARE
- Before purchasing it I had noticed the discrepancy regarding its dimensions in the Quick Start Guide and the Datasheet. Turns out the (included) Quick Start Guide is wrong, and the dimensions for all three models of the SPD4000X is the same.
- I didn't want to void the warranty, so I only peeked inside through the vents. The internal layout seems to be the same as the SPD4306X of defpom's video, including the second fan on top of the toroid.
- It's a shame Siglent didn't add indicator lights directly above the outputs.
- I would have preferred the color scheme of the SPD3000X. I understand it's the trend, but the light color scheme is way better for readability.
- When turning the voltages up using the knob, the relays for channels 2 & 3 switch at 8/16/24 V. When turning down they switch at 7/14/22 V. No relay switching for channels 1 & 4.
- With all channels off, I measure 0V for CH1 & CH4, and -14mV for CH2/CH3.
FIRMWARE
- The firmware is still at V4.1.2.8R1. It has been 4 months since defpom demonstrated V4.1.2.8R2T1, but V4.1.2.8R2 has still not been released. So all the bugs he reported still exist in the current models.
- The UI is not well thought out, is inconsistent and generally makes it feel like an unfinished product. It needs more work.
- It should really have a column mode for displaying the 4 channels side-by-side. The layout doesn't match the hardware, which is made worse because of the lack of indicator lights above the channels. At least make it an option, so the marketing material doesn't have to be updated.
- In series/parallel mode there is no need to display CH3 at all, especially if we have a column mode. Displaying 3 columns in those modes would also be a perfect indicator that it is not operating in independent mode. I will always use it in series mode.
- It would also be nice to have power usage displayed in a small font for each channel.
- When a menu button has no function, why display a blank virtual button? On my Siglent SDS1104X-U those placeholders are not displayed in that case, which is how it should be.
- The font size for these virtual buttons is inconsistent. Pick one size and adjust the label naming accordingly.
- I would like to have a setting so I can enter and display current in mA instead of A.
- "List coupling" should be in List settings, and then can be named "Coupling".
- Switching from independent operation mode to parallel/series and back to independent overwrites the setting for CH3 with values for CH2. It should restore that.
- Save/recall: instead of displaying "Universal fileN" eight times, it would be preferable to display them as a numbered list of 8 rows on the left hand side (just numbers, no name), and on the right hand side of the screen a preview of the selected file setting, like that of the Source view.
- Save/recall: Pressing ENTER should recall the selected list.
- Save/recall: Does not save or restore the independent/series/parallel operation mode.
- Save/recall: after recall, it should switch to the Home view.
- In Source Settings view, the voltages on the right always have the "on" colors. They should be gray when the corresponding channel is off, just like in the Home view.
- The Menu view is inconsistent with the others. Why not just two-level virtual buttons, instead of having to select the column and then use the arrow keys + ENTER to select an item. With two-level virtual buttons it would require just two key presses (worst case scenario 2 key presses vs current 4 key presses).
- Knob function changes depending on the view. It is used to change values, but in the Menu view it is suddenly used for selecting a submenu. On the other hand, in Save/recall it cannot be used for selection. This is inconsistent.
- There's no screensaver. There's no power indicator light.
- Accessing the web interface using Safari for the current macOS and iPadOS versions (Safari 18) leads to blank information (and errors in the Safari console). It displays better on older macOS versions (e.g. Safari 16), but it also has issues for some views. On Chrome it works well. The web interface needs to be reworked, and an SCPI view added. The web interface has the lowest priority for me (when operating remotely, I will use SCPI).
- Setting/getting voltage/current/output state of all 4 channels works with SCPI over USB, albeit a bit slow. Over LAN it works works too, with hostname SPD4323X.local.
A continuation of my post above:
HARDWARE
- When I place the unit on a table and sit in front of it, I can't see half of the display's header because the bezel is blocking it. I can only see the bottom half of the words "Parallel" and "Series".
FIRMWARE
- Save/recall: It shouldn't be in the Menu view because there is a dedicated button. The Home/Operation mode/Lock features are also not listed in the Menu view, so why is Save/recall?
- Save/recall: "Back" returns to the Menu view even if this function is accessed through its dedicated button. It should return to the previous view.
- Save/recall: I set CH2 and CH3 each to 4.5V in independent mode and save it. When I switch to series mode, CH2 changes to the 9V setting, as expected. However, when I recall the saved file while in series mode, CH2 is restored as 4.5V. This is inconsistent.
- Output List: Select "Next Page". There is no "Prev Page", only "Back". It returns to the previous page. The virual button should say "Prev Page". "Back" should always return to the previous view, not page. Instead of "Prev Page"/"Next Page", consider using "<" and ">".
- Wave: Please add vertical V and A scale settings here. Most of the time I will use the PSU for voltages less than 10V and currents less than 1A.
- Defpom noticed the current limiting bug in parallel operation mode. In the firmware update only he received this serious bug was fixed.
I will mainly use the device in series operation mode (dual rail). The firmware fix has not been released, so this bug still exist for everyone but Defpom.
To demonstrate, I set CH2 and CH3 each to 4.5V and 20mA in independent mode.
- I confirm each channel is indeed current limited to 20mA.
- I now switch to series mode. As a result, CH2 is correctly set to 9V/20mA on the display.
- I turn the channels on. CH2 and CH3 are each correctly at 4.5V.
- I short CH2. Its current is limited to 20mA, which is correct.
- I short CH3. Its current is limited to 120mA, which is incorrect.
- I short CH2+ and CH3-, and the current is limited to 120mA, which is incorrect.
- When set it to 1A, the current is limited to 1.1A.
- When set it to 100mA, the current is limited to 200mA.
- When set it to 1mA, the current is limited to 101mA.
So current limiting in series mode is always 100mA too high. This is true for all voltages above 1V. Current limiting in series mode only works correctly for voltages equal to or less than 1V.
The current limiting behavior is correct only in independent operation mode.
Since I will always use the power supply in series mode, this is a serious bug. It supposedly is fixed in the new firmware, but that firmware never has been released to the public. If anyone from Siglent reads this, please fix the bugs, especially this one, and release the updated firmware.
My hardware version is 0-0-0-1, but this is a firmware issue.
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