Siglent SDL1000X/SDL1000X-E Electronic Load

[amham]

Thanks tautech for the update.  My Siglent SA, PS, Multimeter, FG and scope are great for the price.  I'm a retired cal lab tech (2nd career) and ham who built his "dream" bench now that I have the time.  I've cal'd and repaired many high end instruments and find that Siglent does the job well at an affordable price.

[tautech]

Having a play with a new SDL1020X-E just arrived.
These are a quite long unit but just the same width as Siglent's DMM's and AWG's so stacking is no issue.
Each side has air inlets and there's a single rear fan discharge port with the fan positioned some 200mm forward in front of a long internally finned heatsink. Fan from the little you can see of it appears to be a 60mm unit.

Basic CC use is intuitive and the UI seems fairly extensive which has you studying the manual if like me it's the first load you've used. 
However you soon make some sense of it all and start adventuring into the UI.

A very basic load test that didn't start the smart fan from a few minutes testing however if you ramp up the load the fan gets into gear and provides some good room heating. 
The PSU and load display readouts tracked reasonably close together.
I didn't use the 4W connection as the leads were not long and reasonably heavy.



Defpom can do a teardown when I lend him a SDL1020X when it arrives.

[BillB]

Will be interested in seeing that tear-down, perhaps it will shed light as to why they made it so long. 

[amham]

Well, I contacted Siglent America seeking additional info as to why the recall and what USA release date but never received an answer.  I once again reviewed the specs comparing the similar Rigol DL3021 and the Siglent SDL1020X-E and decided to purchase the Rigol.  The specs were similar but several features swayed me.  The front panel S connectors, higher 40A sync current, heftier device weight, easy access battery test app, larger display area.  The EEV teardown also showed hefty construction regardless of the few minor lay-out complaints Jones had.  It's been working well (a little louder fan noise on standby than I'd like and it's even longer). 

[tautech]

Will be interested in seeing that tear-down, perhaps it will shed light as to why they made it so long. 

As said the internal heatsink tunnel is some 200mm long and the fan is front mounted directly onto it.
Grab a rule and measure one of your SDM's and it becomes obvious why it needs to be so long while still retaining the same height and width of other Siglent bench equipment plus........in front of the fan is what appears to be some big copper load wires, probably some 3mm dia for which the fan pulls an air stream through and pushes that down the heatsink tunnel where I guess the active power devices are fastened to. From what you can see of the heatsink through the vents it's a big hunk of alloy in proportion to the rest of the instrument....maybe 75mm².

These X-E's I have are for customers whereas Defpom can whip the lid off the X model I have coming.

[Timpert]

I have trouble getting my head around the pricing of these loads. They seem to be competing with the Maynuo M9811 (200W) and M9812 (300W) in terms of specs and features, but adding a color display, slicker enclosure, proper connectivity (including LAN and SCPI) and a better pedigree.

The baseline model is the SDL1020X-E. It is functionally equivalent to all the other models in the series, and at EUR 459 without VAT it is very attractively priced. Perhaps it is the most attractively priced e-load on the market today.

The next in line is the SDL1020X at EUR 599. What do you get for 160 Euros more? Better accuracy and resolution for CC current setting and voltage readback. Accuracy for CV voltage setting and current readback is the same for the X-E and X models. That looks like a half-assed upgrade to me, and they charge too much for it.

But it gets worse: the SDL1030X-E is the 300W version of the baseline model, with otherwise identical specs to the SDL1020X-E. And they charge a whopping EUR 759 for it! That is 65% extra cash for 50% extra power, which I see as far beyond reasonable given the limited amount of extra effort from Siglent required for this upgrade.

And then there is the top model SDL1030X, which at 989 Euros must bring in no less than 230 euros more for better accuracy and resolution for CC current setting and voltage readback. Again, accuracy for CV voltage setting and current readback is the same for the X-E and X models. That's 70 Euros more for the exact same half-assed upgrade as between the SDL1020X-E and the SDL1020-X.

Compare that with the Maynuo loads, the M9811 costs EUR 445 and the M9812 costs EUR 510, so only 15% more. This is in line with the amount of extra hardware in the 300W version, and in terms of what you get for your money, both models are about the same. Not so with the Siglent: the base model easily is the best value for money when compared to comparable offers from other manufacturers. But the value for money goes down the drain quite quickly when you look at the models higher up in the series. And that is a bit of a shame: they probably could upsell much easier if the price steps were more in line with the actual performance upgrades. Siglent would get more money from the same customer, while at the same time the customer doesn't feel ripped of when considering the higher spec models.

I know this will probably not change anything, but I just want to express my aggravation about this kind of practice. It doesn't make me consider a model higher in the line, it makes me want to walk away without buying anything. I know Rigol's practices are even worse in this respect, and that is one of the reasons why I quickly stopped considering their line of e-loads.
 

[tautech]

..............
Compare that with the Maynuo loads, the M9811 costs EUR 445 and the M9812 costs EUR 510, so only 15% more. This is in line with the amount of extra hardware in the 300W version, and in terms of what you get for your money, both models are about the same. Not so with the Siglent: the base model easily is the best value for money when compared to comparable offers from other manufacturers. But the value for money goes down the drain quite quickly when you look at the models higher up in the series. And that is a bit of a shame: they probably could upsell much easier if the price steps were more in line with the actual performance upgrades. Siglent would get more money from the same customer, while at the same time the customer doesn't feel ripped of when considering the higher spec models.

I hear ya but don't you agree the entry level 200W X-E is at a price point where some that might only afford a SH E-load are now tempted by this offering.
As for 200 vs 300W hardware, well the jury's out on this and we're gunna have to wait until there's some teardowns before we know of any real differences.

Had a minute to have further familiarization plays today this time with a 1 Hz pulse output from SDG1032X into a 100mA load.
Grabbed a csv (attached....remove txt) too from the Record Data feature.....attached for those that want graph it for a look....it's just a few seconds worth.
However it seems the screen captures only save as a bmp   
Dunno why Siglent did that so I've uploaded a png converted from within Paint.

[Timpert]

I hear ya but don't you agree the entry level 200W X-E is at a price point where some that might only afford a SH E-load are now tempted by this offering.

The 200W X-E is an absolute bargain, because you get much more from Siglent than from Maynuo at essentially the same price. In fact, you get so much more that I'd still consider it to be a bargain if it were 100 euros more expensive.

When I look at the more expensive models without comparing prices within the range, I find that the individual models are still competitively priced and better equipped than the competition. For example, many suppliers have either no LAN interface or offer it only as an (expensive) option. In 2019. From Siglent, all models have LAN and proper SCPI support through it. Hats off for that.

Here's the funny part. If I were to take the price of the 300W X-E model as an anchor point (which, compared to the competition, appears to be at a good price point) and scale the other model's prices so that the price differences become more in line with the differences in actual performance, the 200W X-E model would become more expensive, and the 300W X model only a tad cheaper. And I'd understand such a pricing scheme. So really, my only gripe here is that the price steps correlate so poorly with the increased performance.

However it seems the screen captures only save as a bmp   

I think that is because a BMP file is easiest to generate and read, and due to the low resolution, the file size is not excessive.

 

[BillB]

I hear ya but don't you agree the entry level 200W X-E is at a price point where some that might only afford a SH E-load are now tempted by this offering...
...Dunno why Siglent did that so I've uploaded a png converted from within Paint.

Given the extra capabilities the SDL1020X-E has such as the nicer UI, USB and Ethernet connectivity, and the slightly higher power capacity over the M9811 / IT8511 models I think the extra cost is worth it and agree that the SDL1020X-E is the bargain of the Siglent model line-up.  I'm suspecting that the there might be a potential X-E to X conversion available that will make it even more attractive to the hobby group. 

The bump to 300W does seem quite steep, but I am withholding judgement until I see a tear-down of the two for comparison.

However, I couldn't seem to find any PC software (EasyLoad?) for the SDLs.  As bad as it is, ITech does have some PC software for remote control and data collection.  It might not be too important, but Siglent should probably offer something.

Speaking of software, I hope that Siglent will standardize on PNG for image files creation.  Some of their instruments/software generate BMPs, others PNG, and some PNGs with BMP extensions (I have caused this forum to crash on a few posts where I attached these mislabeled files!)
 

   

[Timpert]

The importance of control software depends on how you wish to use the instrument. Personally, I don't care about vendor supplied remote control software for use with a single instrument. In general, the software sucks, and most of the time it doesn't extend the functionality of a single device apart from maybe easier data entry and collection. Remote control becomes tremendously more powerful if you can control multiple instruments from the same program, or implement application specific functionality in your own program. I like to do that with Python, so I need a programming manual. I was quite happy to see that Siglent published one, and based upon a first look, it appears complete to me. The fact that it uses SCPI (instead of Modbus, which the BK/Itech/Maynuo family seems to use) is another big plus.

[BillB]

I agree about not needing the supplied SW when dealing with more complex test automation, but sometimes it's nice to do a quick data collection session or quick screen grab using the vendor supplied utility.  That being said, most of Siglent's PC software has been a little rough, but I will say that it is better than some I've seen.  They've done an impressive job with the webserver capability in their scopes; it would be great if they carried that feature through to their other products then they could drop PC apps altogether.

I will add that the ITech 8500 loads also support SCPI now. 

[Timpert]

I will add that the ITech 8500 loads also support SCPI now.

Indeed, and their BK equivalents do also. Seems that only the basic models use modbus.

I just ordered an SDL1020X-E, which I will put through its paces over the next weeks. I will post a summary of my findings in this forum.

[eeviking]

How does the Siglent's compare to the KORAD KEL-103 as an entry level DC load?
Farnell is selling the rebranded TENMA 72-13210 (300W) for 192£ + tax. That's half the price of the 200W Siglent.

[BillB]

How does the Siglent's compare to the KORAD KEL-103 as an entry level DC load?
Farnell is selling the rebranded TENMA 72-13210 (300W) for 192£ + tax. That's half the price of the 200W Siglent.

There is a little discussion of that unit here:
https://www.eevblog.com/forum/beginners/do-you-know-the-korad-kel-103-programmable-dc-electronic-load/
https://www.eevblog.com/forum/testgear/review-of-the-korad-kel103-programmable-load/msg2276907/#msg2276907

The Korads seem popular and decently made for the money.  I'm not familiar myself, but I haven't seen much discussion about remote programming other than some difficulty in sourcing the USB drivers for it.  Other than the display and USB mass storage, it seems like they are similar in capability.

I just ordered an SDL1020X-E, which I will put through its paces over the next weeks. I will post a summary of my findings in this forum.

Looking forward to seeing your review.

[BillB]

Grab a rule and measure one of your SDM's and it becomes obvious why it needs to be so long while still retaining the same height and width of other Siglent bench equipment plus........in front of the fan is what appears to be some big copper load wires, probably some 3mm dia for which the fan pulls an air stream through and pushes that down the heatsink tunnel where I guess the active power devices are fastened to. From what you can see of the heatsink through the vents it's a big hunk of alloy in proportion to the rest of the instrument....maybe 75mm².

Understood.  Though, the IT8511+ has the same H + W of my Siglent stuff, yet only comes in at 13.5" in depth.   

In my microlab, I have a 12" deep equipment shelf and the IT8511+ already hangs over, but it's acceptable.  I would have already pulled the trigger on the SDL1020X-E but not for my struggle in figuring out how to make it fit.   

[aheid]

Doh, almost ordered the SDL1020X-E until I read your comment about the size of the thing. Only have about 25 cm deep shelf

Bummer, was looking forward to getting an electronic load.

[tautech]

Doh, almost ordered the SDL1020X-E until I read your comment about the size of the thing. Only have about 25 cm deep shelf

Bummer, was looking forward to getting an electronic load.

Yes they are long, some 390mm however as their weight is mostly to the rear they will balance well on a 250mm shelf.
You might need a right angle IEC plug though to keep them back as far as possible.

However, I couldn't seem to find any PC software (EasyLoad?) for the SDLs.  As bad as it is, ITech does have some PC software for remote control and data collection.  It might not be too important, but Siglent should probably offer something.

Yep, questions sent about this to the factory.

Speaking of software, I hope that Siglent will standardize on PNG for image files creation.  Some of their instruments/software generate BMPs, others PNG, and some PNGs with BMP extensions (I have caused this forum to crash on a few posts where I attached these mislabeled files!)

This too.

[aheid]

Ah, so there is hope. Will have to make a mockup and see. Thanks!

[flash2b]

.

[tautech]

Ah, so there is hope. Will have to make a mockup and see. Thanks!

One of my shelves is just 260mm and I have a longer strip of 10mm plywood that I place on top of the shelf for longer instruments. Just one screw at the rear could make it more robust and stable but it depends on where the most weight is in the instrument. For SDL its weight is mostly rearward.
I think something similar could work for you.

[tautech]

Replies from the factory......

However, I couldn't seem to find any PC software (EasyLoad?) for the SDLs.  As bad as it is, ITech does have some PC software for remote control and data collection.  It might not be too important, but Siglent should probably offer something.

Yep, questions sent about this to the factory.

Easy* for SDL is coming..........soon.

Speaking of software, I hope that Siglent will standardize on PNG for image files creation.  Some of their instruments/software generate BMPs, others PNG, and some PNGs with BMP extensions (I have caused this forum to crash on a few posts where I attached these mislabeled files!)

This too.

Added to the 'to do' list.

[aheid]

One of my shelves is just 260mm and I have a longer strip of 10mm plywood that I place on top of the shelf for longer instruments.

Yeah, the mockup would be mostly for checking ergonomics

[flash2b]

Finally my SDL1020X arrived, which was ordered on 1 May 2019.





Where can I download the Windows software for this load (EasyLoad ?) ?

[tautech]

Where can I download the Windows software for this load (EasyLoad ?) ?

Not yet available, sorry......soon.....some days yet.

For you in Europe keep an eye out for it here:
https://www.siglenteu.com/service-and-support/firmware-software/dc-electronic-load/#sdl1000x-series

USA
https://www.siglentamerica.com/service-and-support/firmware-software/dc-electronic-load/

Factory site:
https://int.siglent.com/products-software/sdl1000x/

[BillB]

One of my shelves is just 260mm and I have a longer strip of 10mm plywood that I place on top of the shelf for longer instruments.

Yeah, the mockup would be mostly for checking ergonomics

I think this is what I was leaning toward as well.  Time to get some right angle IEC plugs...

Finally my SDL1020X arrived, which was ordered on 1 May 2019.

Nice.  Let us know how you like it.