Category: Test equipment

Voltlog #290 – Riden RD6006 Output Noise Using Recommended Power Supply NVVV S-400-60

Welcome to a new Voltlog, this will be a rather short video cause I will only be addressing one short subject regarding the Riden RD6006 ripple noise. In my review of this power supply in Voltlog #284 I did measure the output ripple but that was measured while using a transformer to power the unit. 

That transformer has very little output noise so the results we obtain can be considered best case scenarios but this may vary in practice, especially if you are using the recommended switch mode power supply. The output of that power supply may not be as clean as the one from the transformer so in this video I’m going to measure the output noise with the switch mode power supply installed.

I’m using the recommended NVVV 400W 60V 6.6A rated power supply, this is what RuiDeng officially recommends to use with their power supply kit. In Voltlog 284 part 3 I took a look inside this power supply so I will link that video on screen if you want to check it out.

Voltlog #284 – Riden RD6006 Power Supply Review

Welcome to a new Voltlog, if you’ve been watching the channel for a while you might know I’m a fan of the gopher power supply units, I think they are great value for money, they’re simple and they have good specs, in fact I reviewed their latest revision in Voltlog #255 and it had very low noise at the output, even though it is a switch mode power supply. They’re pretty compact, they don’t take up much space on the bench so what’s there not to like about these?

But in recent years there’s been another company which has slowly built-up a name among hobbyists due to their really low priced power supply modules, the name of the company is RuiDeng and they’ve been selling these compact switch mode power supply modules for $20 to $30 for years. They were not great specs, the quality was not great, you needed an external power supply unit but they had a bunch of functionality built into that color TFT display and they were cheap so everyone gave them a try

Now RuiDeng has developed and released a new model RD6006 which resembles a real bench power supply. It has a bigger front panel and it comes with a separate enclosure and power supply unit which are optional.

Voltlog #255 – Gophert NPS-1601 Review (possibly the best power supply in this price range)

Welcome to a new Voltlog, those who have been with me since the beginning of this channel, may know the first video I ever released, Voltlog #1 was a review of a switch mode bench power supply from Gopher Technology. It was the CPS-3205C and it was a great little unit, it has served me well over the years and I still have it.

At that time I complained about the fact that the unit has the output jacks on the back which is not really convenient for bench use. There were also other issues mentioned while measuring the performance of the power supply,  I will link that video on screen if you want to watch it but the video, audio and editing quality are lower than what you’re seeing today.

Gophert made some improvements to the original design and have now released a newer version of that power supply, it has a new model number it’s NPS-1601 but it’s the same range of 0-32V and 0-5A. There are other models with different ranges but this is what would correspond to the CPS3205 I reviewed years ago.

They have made a bunch of changes on the front panel, the most important one is they moved the output jacks to the front panel so now it’s easier to connect the output of this power supply but they are still not standard spacing so you can’t connect one of these adapters with banana jacks. They have also redesigned the front panel completely, they are still using 7 segment displays but now they also have a wattage display which can be switched on temporarily in place of the amps display, you press the watts button and it will show watts measurement for about 3 seconds before reverting to amps display.

The switch for A/V adjustment is now tactile instead of a sliding switch but the rest has stayed the same. I like this redesigned front panel I just wished they used a lighter color for the text, because for example there are some markings which are barely visible next to the LEDs.

Here is a set of pictures I captured during the teardown:

Voltlog #253 – Aneng V01A Multimeter Review & Teardown

Welcome to a new Voltlog, today it’s a multimeter review because we haven’t done one in a while and here I have the Smart Digital Multimeter which sounds like a generic name, no obvious branding on the box but granted it is featuring the multimeter on the box, it’s a color image which is not often seen on these cheap meters. On the back, the meter is shown in full black holster and we get a model number sticker, AN-V01 so this probably indicates the Aneng brand.

We’ve looked at Aneng multimeters in the past in Voltlog #114 and others and I’m gonna say this again, Aneng does not make multimeters, Aneng is just a company that rebrands existing multimeters made by other companies.

Voltlog #250 – Replacing Bad 4mm Banana Plugs With High Quality Hirschmann and Staubli

In this video I replace some of my old crappy 4mm banana connectors with some new Hirschmann and Staubli, high quality connectors. These should be more reliable and provide a low resistance connection between my test gear allowing me to pass high currents without any issue.

Voltlog #248 – Atorch Q7 USB Meter/Load With QI Wireless Charging

So this load is built with 3 active pcb’s as well as a fourth passive one as a front panel. They are joined with these brass standoffs and I think the standoffs act as circuit paths as well because I see no wires between the different levels. In order to get the alignment right during assembly the designer of these pcbs, made these corners rounded while these ones are diagonally cut and you can see these features along an entire side. This is a neat solution overall because it saves cost and as long as the screws are tight these should provide adequate connection.

Voltlog #211 – Joulescope DC Energy Analyzer Review & Teardown

Welcome to a new voltlog, today I’m excited because we’re going to take a look at an awesome piece of instrumentation. I’ve received a pre-production demo unit of the Joulescope DC Energy Analyzer.

The joulescope is a low cost precision dc energy analyser which is currently on kickstarter so check the links in the description of the video for the kickstarter campaign because it has a massive discount from the retail price. The joulescope has circuitry for measuring voltage and current, from which it can calculate power and then it can integrate power over time to calculate energy. The current measurement range is from 10A al the way down to 1nA, that’s a huge dynamic range which makes it very useful if you plan to measure the energy consumption of a device that has mixed behavior for example an esp32 that will wake up, do some activity and then go back to deep sleep.

The joulescope works with a software companion that has a multimeter view and an oscilloscope view which I find very useful because it will allow you to time correlate measurements of voltage and current. That can be extremely useful when determining the energy usage of your device.

Voltlog – Soldering tools & accessories

Soldering is probably the thing I do most often at the workbench and so it’s important for me to have a good soldering station. While a JBC station would be the perfect candidate they are super expensive and so out of reach for most hobbyists, that’s why I had to look for something else.

Hakko makes decent soldering stations, especially with their newer T12 cartridge style tips. But you can save even more by choosing an after-market T12 compatible STM32 based soldering station and buying just a genuine Hakko T12 tip from an authorized distributor. So here are references to the tools and supplies I use for soldering.

I use an STM32, Hakko t12 compatible, soldering station which I got a long time ago from Taobao. If you would like to see more details about this station you should watch Voltlog #85. Currently there are similar options available on Aliexpress or Ebay. Things to lookout or ask the seller about: does it have a soft and heat resistant silicone cable? Does it come with a stand, so you can rest the soldering iron? I would advise to get a couple of genuine hakko T12 tips from a known distributor.

If you get a hakko T12 compatible soldering station you will also need some T12 tips. As mentioned earlier don’t get them cheap from ebay, those are counterfeit tips that do not have the same performance as a genuine tip and this will directly affect how easy it is to solder something. I will list 3 of my favorite tip styles, but depending on the jobs you do these may or may not be the best choice: I use the T12-KU tip daily for almost anything, I use the T12-JL02 for fine smd work and I use the T12-D16 for thicker smd pads.

I sometimes use the hot air station, it’s either for repairs or quick assembly of surface mount components, and sometimes just for heating up heat shrink tubing. I have a very old one called Gordak 952 which is probably a clone of something from Hakko. It must be at least 10 years old but it still works and since I don’t use it everyday I never felt the need to replace it with something newer.

Currently there are better options on the market so take a look at these links on ebay and aliexpress for reference. If you will be using this a lot maybe you want something better, I’ve heard the Quick 861DW is a good hot air station: ebay and aliexpress links.

If you want a great portable soldering iron, I highly recommend the TS100. It was featured in voltlog #186 and I was pleasantly impressed with the performance. It had one downside, that is I couldn’t calibrate the temperature measurement perfectly but I can live with that as long as the performance is good. You can get it from banggood, ebay or aliexpress. I would recommend getting it from banggood because there are also fakes being sold on ebay and aliexpress.

If you are on a tight budget and cannot afford getting the TS100, then you can get an even cheaper portable soldering iron which is powered with a 5V usb port. I’ve used this one successfully before I got the TS100 and powered from a good powerbank I had no problem soldering 18AWG wires. Check it out on ebay, aliexpress.

If you do repair jobs on through-hole components often than you will need a desoldering gun which is practically a soldering iron combined with a pump that can suck the solder away. This is extremely useful if you do a lot of desoldering, the job gets done in a matter of seconds and with stress to the pcb and component. I have the S-993A 90W desoldering gun which was featured in voltlog #101. You can find it on banggood, ebay and aliexpress.

If you rarely do repair jobs on through hole components, than a manual desoldering pump is cheap and might work just fine for you. There are many models available and if you can afford get a good one from a known distributor, they will last longer, if not you can get a cheap one from ebay or aliexpress.

You will also need some supplies for soldering and depending on your location and budget you might find some of these brands while others are unavailable but one thing is for sure: genuine good brand solder wire and flux work so much better than cheap fake stuff.

If we are talking about solder wire, I highly recommend you get the good stuff, because it will have a fine tuned alloy that will melt and flow better while at the same time containing a flux core that will help with soldering. For hobby go with leaded solder wire, here are some good brands to search for: Kester, Multicomp, Alpha, Weller, Amtech, Loctite.

If we are talking about flux, once again I highly recommend you get the good stuff, because it will help with your soldering or repair job while at the same time leave a minimum amount of residue which can be cleaned if necessary. The fake Amtech flux that everybody buys from ebay/china works too, not as good but works. The big disadvantage is that we don’t know what they put inside that flux and we are inhaling those fumes. Also the residue it leaves on a board its pretty hard to clean when compared to the genuine stuff. As a general rule, amtech flux is made in the USA so you can’t get it for a couple of dollars from China. Get it from a known distributor: in Europe try TME, in the US try Louis Rossmann. I recommend the Amtech gel flux NC-559-V2 or ASM variant as well as various flux pens from Kester that can be used for quick jobs.

If you use flux you will be left with some residue on the board after soldering. Most flux types are no-clean type, meaning you can leave the residue on the board and it won’t affect it, however it’s nice to have clean boards so I recommend you get yourself some flux cleaner or IPA (isopropyl alcohol). I find that special flux cleaner works better than IPA in most cases. Any flux cleaner will work here and you will have to find a brand that is available in your area. I am using AG TermoPasty KontaktU because it’s available in Europe from TME. And while you are shopping for flux cleaner also add a can of contact cleaner for that odd electrical job where you need to clean the contacts on some sensor or switch.

Another chemical that is often overlooked is a soldering tip refreshing paste. This stuff will get the shine back on your soldering iron tip, making it ideal for taking solder. During extended usage, because of the high heat and the corrosive action of the flux used for soldering, the soldering iron tip might become oxidized.

So you put the tip inside the refreshing paste and it will clean it. This shouldn’t be used constantly, but only when needed because the past is moderately aggressive so it might wear out your tip prematurely. I use the Mechanic MCN-8S which is a Chinese brand which I find works well and it’s fairly inexpensive. You can find it on ebay and aliexpress.

My preferred method for cleaning the soldering tip is brass sponge. I don’t like the wet sponge method because it applies a thermal shock to the tip, lowering the temperature. The brass sponge is more abrasive and will wear out the soldering tip faster if you overuse it but I just find it works better for me. You can find these on ebay and aliexpress.

Some people use them, some people don’t. I have a magnifier & helping hand combo that even has some LED lights but I only use it once or twice a year. I don’t need magnification when soldering and if I would need magnification I would get a fancy microscope for soldering. Here is the one I have: banggood and aliexpress.

I use a cheap ESD mat and I also have a smaller silicone mat for soldering jobs because the ESD mat I have does not offer protection for higher temperatures while the smaller silicone mat will hapily take the soldering iron or some hot air without melting. There are newer fancy silicone mats that even have different compartments for storing screws, here are some links here: banggood, aliexpress.

As for the ESD mat you might find a local supplier that sells good quality ESD mats or you can order one like I did from aliexpress.

Tweezers are important, they help you handle small smd parts or wires, while soldering them but they can also be useful for other tasks. If you can afford it, get a good quality set, they will last longer and provide a better experience while using them. Good tweezers like the ones from Knipex tend to cost about $15 a piece so instead I’m using cheap tweezers that I usually get from banggood or aliexpress but I do plan on getting one or two of the good ones.

I use a cheap hobby knife (ebay or aliexpress) and cheap replacement blades (ebay or aliexpress). Sure the handle is not great and the blades don’t last very long but they are so cheap that it feels okay replacing them whenever I need a fresh blade.

And that’s pretty much all I use on the bench, if you have any questions, leave a comment below.

Voltlog #183 – Building A Resistance Standard With Vishay VHP100 Resistors

Welcome to a new Voltlog, today I’m going to be building a precision reference box, using these precision Vishay resistors, they were sent to me for free by Vishay, these are from the VHP100 series and they are the ducks guts when it comes to resistors. They have incredible stability, across the entire range of -55 up to +125 degrees Celsius they will vary less than 60ppm. So as you can see they had to define the number over the entire temperature range because if they would have done it traditionally per degree C the number would have been essentially 0.

These are built using a special technology called bulk metal foil, wrapped on a ceramic substrate. Then the assembly is suspended in oil and hermetically sealed in this metal can, thus it’s immune to humidity changes. Every one of these resistors is basically custom made so you can order them in any value, but as expected they don’t come cheap. Purchasing these in some standard values carried at the big distributor will cost you around $70 a piece.