What is your opinion of the Quality of the RIGOL DP832(A) ? - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / testgear

author: Wolfgang
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 27, 2018, 08:02:58 pm
content: What is your opinion of the Quality of the RIGOL DP832(A) ?

author: nihtila
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: September 27, 2018, 08:21:52 pm
content: What are you after? I think it works as advertised after all the known issues have been ironed out. But I have not done extensive tests. But others like Dave have, and have found bugs that Rigol have fixed. Which is why I think it's in quite good shape now. I also have Keysight E36312A I won from their PSU contest and it has a lot more bugs although it costs three times more and gives three times less power.

author: Wolfgang
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 27, 2018, 08:26:33 pm
content: Hi, I just was curious how much people like it, because a lot of forum discussions have pros and cons about this unit.I have 4 and they work, but I want to know if I was just lucky or if others share or dont share my experiences and why.

author: DaJMasta
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 27, 2018, 09:03:20 pm
content: I think it's the case of the vocal minority in most cases, you could have a dozen of people with real, legitimate issues in 100,000 units shipped and yet, you will almost assuredly hear about the issues in a similar quantity as praises from users. What are the odds you are going to seek out a place to post about a good working unit unless it's a REALLY exceptional one? Now what's the likelihood you'd seek out a place to ask about an issue or report a bug if you encounter one? That basically accounts for why we'll see a whole bunch of complaints with any fairly popular device, even if the QC is actually quite good.I looked at the DP832 for my power supplies and ended up with SDG3303X-Es because they were cheaper, smaller, and nearly as capable (the adjustable 6V rail is a nice touch). I have no doubt I would have been pleased with a DP832 if I had gone that way.

author: Wolfgang
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 27, 2018, 09:06:11 pm
content: Well, of course you could be right and only a few people with issues will comment. On the other side, EEVBlog is quite large so a lot of people might see it. We'll have to wait and see.

author: thm_w
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 27, 2018, 09:18:43 pm
content: No need to wait and see, can read the numerous threads that exist.https://www.eevblog.com/forum/testgear/rigol-dp832-vs-othe-cheaper-supplies-opinions-please/https://www.eevblog.com/forum/testgear/rigol-dp832-firmware-updates-and-bug-list/https://www.eevblog.com/forum/testgear/rigol-dp832a-worth-it/https://www.eevblog.com/forum/testgear/rigol-dp832-vs-agilent-e3631a/I think the only major issue that is still present is ethernet dropping, and it may or may not be resolved in a beta firmware.

author: Wolfgang
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 27, 2018, 09:26:31 pm
content: I have seen the discussions you mentioned, but there are not a poll and a lot of issues there are specific topics and not general customer satisfaction.So, why not make a poll ? You can still give detailled reasons for your judegement there.

author: nihtila
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: September 27, 2018, 09:46:23 pm
content: When reading older threads it's also good to remember that not only the firmware has been updated numerous times but there are also several revisions of the hardware. And knowing there has been severe issues with the hardware in the past, I would not buy a second hand unit without knowing the hardware version.

author: Wolfgang
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 27, 2018, 10:35:15 pm
content: Yeah, I would not buy any before 2014 after the first big fix. The latter ones are OK if the firmware can be upated (I dont know how far that goes back).In 2018 they are probably old enough to be grown out of adolescence.

author: LaurentR
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 28, 2018, 12:52:22 am
content: The fan is pretty loud, but that can be fixed easily.I have since switched to the E36313A, which has had its own set of teething problems as mentioned above and is comparatively much more expensive.

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: September 28, 2018, 12:58:16 am
content: I've done several videos on the design issues of this supply.I don't know about any recent fixes, I still have the original design.That being said, I use it all the time and,well, it works.I agree the fan is annoyingly loud.

author: Wolfgang
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 28, 2018, 12:49:27 pm
content: It would be interesting WHY one gentleman has voted "not working at all". Unfortunately no reason was given.

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: September 28, 2018, 02:56:02 pm
content: Quote from: Wolfgang on September 28, 2018, 12:49:27 pmAs I showed in my videos, the early units had major problems.

author: Wolfgang
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 28, 2018, 03:17:55 pm
content: ... so the "Not working at all" was you, Dave, and it referred to the problems on you videos, right ? OK with me, its clearly a failure. Two more questions to that:- To your knowledge, did that pass transistor issue appear again in recent times ?- Any other bug you know of that has not been fixed or is new in the, say, last two years ?ThanksWolfgang

author: taydin
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 30, 2018, 01:11:29 pm
content: The "not working at all" should not really be a poll choice. If it isn't working at all when the customer got it, then that unit will be replaced under warranty. If it got damaged, then it can be repaired. The interesting part is to know how the unit performs, when it isn't damaged for any reason.That said, I'm quite happy with my DP832A, but I'm not really pushing it to the its limits. So my response to your poll was "works most of the time, with only minor issues". The minor issue being the loud fan, and the software that comes with it is practically unusable. Just like Keysight's shit, it installs truck loads of software on the PC that keep running in the background, but when you try to connect to it to set some parameters, it just doesn't work. There probably is a way to get it to work, but I sure won't bother ...The main reason I got this was that it can be programmed. This was very useful for me when I was troubleshooting a DHCP issue on an embedded design I was working on. I basically programmed it to toggle the output power every 30 seconds so that the hardware reboot constantly and checks whether DHCP worked or not.

author: taydin
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 30, 2018, 01:23:58 pm
content: Here is one issues that I ran into when I connected my DP821A and DP832A through the trigger pins. I configured a too high rate for the trigger on the DP832A, and this caused the DP821A to get stuck during boot-up. So basically, the trigger asking the DP821A to power on and off some outputs killed itLuckily this happened within a week of purchase and my DP821A was replaced with a new one. But I think I won't use the trigger stuff now. It's too PITA to configure, and isn't particularly useful for me, either.

author: joeyjoejoe
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 30, 2018, 01:37:17 pm
content: I'm torn between the DP832 and the SPD3303X-E. The Rigol is about 100$ more. The siglent recently had an unlock found to make the E into the X version. Siglent has some banana jack sillyness happening...Has Rigol fixed the issue where the unit applies power to channels when it starts up briefly? Otherwise the Siglent is cheaper, and has clear LED's for CC/CV modes, I am leaning towards it...EDIT: Wow, you really brought back a lot of threads on this subject!

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: September 30, 2018, 01:42:04 pm
content: Quote from: Wolfgang on September 28, 2018, 03:17:55 pmNo that wasn't my vote.I have not heard of recent failures, but I don't keep track.Mine has worked fine since it was fixed.

author: taydin
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 30, 2018, 01:46:29 pm
content: Quote from: joeyjoejoe on September 30, 2018, 01:37:17 pmIf you don't have to put the new PSU to use right away, you might also consider building a PSU from scratch. Search the forum, somebody designed and built a very nice, programmable PSU, and the source code is available at github. If you happen to be a student, this is your perfect opportunity to get an excellent PSU, and to learn lots of stuff in the process.But if you need the PSU right away, then good luck with your search.

author: nctnico
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 30, 2018, 01:55:08 pm
content: Quote from: nihtila on September 27, 2018, 08:21:52 pmI have a Keysight E36313A myself and AFAIK the issues in this PSU have been fixed with the latest firmware/hardware update. What sealed the deal for me is the low current display with sub-mA precision. That is a very useful feature which other PSUs don't have. And it is very quiet.PS: No, I didn't vote 'Doesn't work at all' either. I looked at the DP832(A) but decided not to buy it.

author: Wolfgang
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 30, 2018, 02:40:47 pm
content: As it wasnt Dave who gave a "not working at all" mark for the poll I repeat my pledge to give a reason for this vote, because other users may still learn from it (hopefully).ThanksWolfgang

author: rstofer
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 30, 2018, 04:02:09 pm
content: I had to select "Works OK with only minor issues" but I am not aware of any minor issues. I couldn't say that it meets all advertised specs because I don't have any way to prove that it does.It took some pawing through the manual to discover the difference between current limiting (where the output voltage rolls back) and over-current protection (where the output shuts down). Now I know! I use current limiting to prevent magic smoke leakage and I use it a lot. I really like having the ability to set the current limit without having to short the output and read a meter while adjusting a pot.Networking is not a consideration. I have no idea if it works.From a hobbyist point of view, the DP832 seems adequate. But my needs are pretty simple.

author: Wolfgang
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 30, 2018, 04:47:16 pm
content: Awesome collection, thanks !!!How old is your model ?Wolfgang

author: Wolfgang
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 30, 2018, 05:03:42 pm
content: Quote from: PeDre on September 30, 2018, 05:00:35 pm... then you are still under warranty. Batronix is normally very OK with their Service !

author: Gyro
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 30, 2018, 06:26:58 pm
content: Did you really need to bump every DP832 thread?

author: Wolfgang
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 30, 2018, 06:28:51 pm
content: No, I did not know how this sticky thing worked, sorry. Now I do, thanks

author: tooki
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 30, 2018, 09:02:51 pm
content: Quote from: Wolfgang on September 30, 2018, 06:28:51 pmYou should go and deleteallyour bump posts.IMHO, there’s almostnevera justification for bumping an old thread, and certainly not every old thread you can find. It just pollutes search results by making it look as though there was thread activity when in fact it was just spam.

author: Wolfgang
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 30, 2018, 10:54:37 pm
content: They should be gone by now. Sorry.

author: bson
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: October 01, 2018, 10:49:47 pm
content: Quote from: PeDre on September 30, 2018, 04:43:31 pmThe DP832 used to do that with very early firmware. Those problems were fixed a long time ago.

author: Gandalf_Sr
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 01, 2018, 11:31:49 pm
content: I leave my DP832 on for days and it has never rebooted.

author: Wolfgang
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 01, 2018, 11:46:03 pm
content: When I did a long term drift test for voltage references, I had one on for months without any issue.One incident happened, however: During a thunderstorm, I got a power outage (probably only a few seconds), but the DP832 rebootet and came up with outputs disabled. This is OK for safety reasons, I guess.https://electronicprojectsforfun.wordpress.com/silly-circuits/silly-circuits-a-heated-lm723-reference/

author: sdouble
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: October 02, 2018, 06:06:37 am
content: I have 5 DP832s in the lab but I never use them again due to them switching off by themselves. I did not buy them very recently, that's true, but those are not the very first units produced by Rigol either. Then, I switched to E36312A from Keysight... I took advantage of the low-current measurement... but those beast killed about 10 of my highly sensitive analog boards before I figured out the powering up issue. ...

author: Wolfgang
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 02, 2018, 02:34:37 pm
content: Hi, if its less than 3 years you could ask RIGOL for a warranty case.Better than sitting on the shelf

author: SteveRosenlund
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: October 12, 2018, 02:25:48 am
content: I just ordered my second DP832 because the first one is so good and reliable.