GW Instek GPP-4323 - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / testgear

author: Martin72
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 01, 2024, 10:40:07 pm
content: Hi,GPP-4323Four outputs, fairly low ripple, attractive exterior/clean display...Are there any reasons not to buy this power supply?I haven't found a showstopper yet and would like to replace it with four separate power supplies for space reasons.Martin

author: KungFuJosh
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 01, 2024, 10:52:04 pm
content: That model is well regarded. Mike likes it, and it's discussed here too:https://www.eevblog.com/forum/testgear/is-there-a-better-power-supply-option-for-$700/msg5257575/#msg5257575

author: dexar
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: April 02, 2024, 06:13:41 am
content: I have had mine for about four years and I am pleased with it.Quiet and really small but still easy to operate. The interface is well laid out.A nice touch is the optional load on one of the ports even though I have never used it.As far as I know there are only one negative thing with it and that is the numbering of the outputs.Look at the image of it and you will understand what I mean. Why the did that is a mystery for me.It also has recessed binding posts. This may be a minus or a plus for some users.

author: Antonio90
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 02, 2024, 07:47:14 am
content: I've been thinking about buying it for a few years, but I already have another GW Instek PSU more than good enough with a few QOL problems. I might get to sell a few things and buy that one sometime.Also, you might already know, but LAN is optional and installed at the factory, if RS232/USB is not enough for your use case.This thread might be of interest:https://www.eevblog.com/forum/projects/firmware-mod-for-gwinstek-gpp-series-lab-bench-power-supplyThere is another thread complaining about the current readback being slow and only showing the instantaneous ADC value, and not the average between samples. (Not useful due to rather slow speed).

author: Antonio90
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 02, 2024, 09:23:09 am
content: Quote from: dexar on April 02, 2024, 06:13:41 amIt seems they put the two full-spec channels around the mid-point, as seen on the two-channel version.Maybe the additional channels are an afterthought in design, or there are mechanical/thermal reasons for the placement. The GPD-4303S has the same layout.

author: nctnico
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 02, 2024, 10:39:19 am
content: Quote from: dexar on April 02, 2024, 06:13:41 amAFAIK there are two version available. One with recessed banana sockets and one with regular binding posts which also accept a wire.

author: Martin72
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 02, 2024, 10:59:31 am
content: Or you can use these for wires:Wago Cage clampThey are simply good, up to 2.5mm diameter.

author: Lexy
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: April 02, 2024, 11:01:42 am
content: I have this model for ~8 months and is a good supply. The reason for me to buy this is it's low ripple, 4 channels and small formfactor.There are however some things i don't like. The UI is a little to small for my old eyes. The most irritating thing are the (lack of) binding posts. Because they are recessed, the annotations and red/black colors for plus/minus are not clearly visible and i find my self trying to find an angle to see them.But for the price it's good.PS.: The PC Software is a piece of crap..

author: dexar
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: April 02, 2024, 12:47:38 pm
content: Quote from: Antonio90 on April 02, 2024, 09:23:09 amEven if channels 3 and 4 is an afterthought when it comes to the electronics insideis it such a big job to just rename them on the GUI and on the labels?

author: dexar
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: April 02, 2024, 12:49:50 pm
content: Quote from: nctnico on April 02, 2024, 10:39:19 amI think the model for the US market is with regular posts and the recessed for the European market but I may be wrong.

author: Domitronic
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: April 02, 2024, 01:12:42 pm
content: We have 3 of them at work. 4323L and 3323L variants. I have used both models and like them. But i have to say that i did not use them for anything special. Just the regular 24V, 5V and so on which pretty much any power supply could do. My colleague used the load function as well for debugging of a small buck converter. He liked the device as well since he could use one channel as power supply and the other channel as load.But i would recommend to get the variant with LAN interface. Just in case you want to remote control it or do some automation in the future.https://eleshop.de/gw-instek-gpp-4323-programmable-power-supply-lan.html

author: Caliaxy
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 02, 2024, 02:09:10 pm
content: I have been using one for almost four years now. A few minor questionable interface choices (to my taste…) but other than that really nice.I like the feature that allows you connect the two main power channels in series or parallel internally, to extend the voltage or the current range. When you do so, Ch. 1 becomes the master - both channels are controlled by what you enter in Ch. 1 (Ch. 2 is grayed out). If you need 42V, for instance, you have to set the output voltage to 21V, which is displayed on each channel. If you need to increase the output to 43.2V you have to set the output voltage to 21.6V. Not sure if other manufacturers do it the same way, but this doesn’t feel quite natural to me. Basic math though, you get used to…It perfectly meets its specs, so you don’t expect a great current read-back accuracy at low currents (mA to tens of mA). You might get a read-back current of a few mA even if the actual current is 0. On my copy, one of the main channels reads 3.3mA, the other 2.2mA even if nothing is connected to the output. Again, perfectly within specs (you have to pay much more for better low-current read-back accuracy…), but I have cheaper power supplies that show 0mA when nothing is connected to the output.It doesn’t quite replace four separate power supplies, as Ch. 3 and Ch. 4 are limited to 5V and 15V, respectively (both max 1A) - but fully controllable.I used the load capability much more frequently than I expected. It is fully featured (CV, CC, CR), limited to max 3A. Very nice.I got mine with the LAN option (paid extra $25 at the time), which appeared as an extra-item on the order (as if it was a separate part). However, I believe it must be installed in the factory, you cannot buy the part alone and install it yourself at a later time.Mine came with binding posts (like all the other power supplies bought in US).All in all, I like it.

author: Martin72
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 14, 2024, 09:18:24 pm
content: Hi,QuoteThis.Most power supply units have these outputs, so this is a nice bonus.I also have a few other power supplies up to 0-60V.My decision has been made, the GWInstek will be purchased soon.

author: Fab6657
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: April 29, 2024, 10:30:30 am
content: Hello,Firmware 1.23 is available since few days. I was looking about changelog description but was not able to find any information.Anyone know something about the changes in this new release for the GPP-4323?Thank a lot

author: Hexley
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: April 29, 2024, 03:18:33 pm
content: Quote from: Fab6657 on April 29, 2024, 10:30:30 amFound a bug in FW_GPP-X323_V1_23 firmware for the GPP-4323 which I downloaded and installed today.Sequence to reproduce:SYSTEMVERSION, then RETURNVERSION, then RETURN (repeat for a second time)RETURNThe system now becomes totally unresponsive. No buttons work. The beeper emits a continuous sound. The GPP-4323 must be powered off and back on to recover.This has been reported to Instek.

author: Eric-H
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: April 29, 2024, 05:07:49 pm
content: There is another bug in firmware version 1.23 on my GPP-4323. Channels 3 and 4 show no voltage and current setpoints when selected. When you turn these channels on, they do output the last voltage.I reverted to version 1.21

author: Fab6657
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: April 30, 2024, 05:02:04 am
content: Hey Community,As far I bought this power supply 2 weeks ago, I am struggling with the function powerup voltage and current settings.My understanding is that the powerup parameter with last settings recall the defined voltage and current per channel.But on my equipment, voltage and current always set at 0V and 0A at power up.Is it my mistake to misunderstand this option, is it a bug (in 1.22 and 1.23 same), or it is something else?Thank a lot for help.

author: Fab6657
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: April 30, 2024, 05:15:52 am
content: Another question related to firmware, GW Instek provides only latest firmware actually (V1.23)Does a place exists where I can download older version like V1.21 (which seems have less bugs than latest one)?Thank

author: Eric-H
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: May 10, 2024, 09:59:53 am
content: I saw that firmware version 1.23 is no longer available on the gwinstek site. They went back to version 1.22. However, this version also has a serious flaw.When you use the display mode that only shows the settings of one channel (mode 4) the voltage and current setpoint of channel 3 and 4 are shown incorrectly. When you first select channel 1 or 2 and then switch to channel 3 or 4, the setpoints of the previous channel are displayed! When you than activate channel 3 of 4, the output voltage does not match the displayed setpoint. E.g. the actual value shows 5V while the setpoint shows 3V (if that was the setpoint of the previous channel).In the display mode that shows all channels, the values are shown correctly for all channels. But I prefer using the mode that shows one channel because of the larger font.So I will continue using firmware version 1.21, that works correctly.

author: Fab6657
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: May 10, 2024, 11:18:28 am
content: The downgrade is recent, it is from today (I am checking mostly all days)Right now I have not find version 1.21Could someone share ?Thank a lot,

author: Eric-H
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: May 10, 2024, 12:12:35 pm
content: Here is firmware version 1.21

author: Fab6657
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: May 10, 2024, 01:44:29 pm
content: Thank a lot Eric

author: jwise
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: May 11, 2024, 12:53:23 am
content: One thing I really wish the supply's firmware would let you do is put the CH1/CH2 relay to parallel while one is configured as a load and the other is configured as a source. This is particularly useful for using it as a 2Q power supply; you can do it with external jumper wires, but it would be more convenient to do it without.I spent a long while reverse engineering mine, and I have a pretty good understanding of the internal architecture of it, and a decent understanding of how some of the GPIOs are wired up on the application core (a lpc177x / lpc178x). If anyone wanted to pick that up, I dumped a whole bunch of state into a github repo here and then kind of lost interest:https://github.com/jwise/gpp-haxThe highlight so far is that I got it to do the two standard stupid tricks for a device with a microcontroller, a display, a USB port, and a piezo:I guess they weren't kidding when they advertised it as a 'programmable DC power supply'.

author: Martin72
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 13, 2024, 09:59:27 pm
content: Hi, update:I haven't bought a GPP-4323 yet, but I bought one for work and am currently having my employees test it in their daily lives.I tested it briefly myself and found the precision of the voltage output to be good.The display is not as cluttered and not blessed with a “candy font” like the competition - very good.Less great is the font size in the display, sometimes it is quite small in the lower area, so that you may easily miss notes there.The feedback from colleagues has been positive so far, and they all agree on one thing:They all find the arrangement of the channels confusing(Ch4, Ch1, CH2, CH3)...The model that came to us has recessed jacks.

author: Fab6657
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: December 31, 2024, 07:36:43 am
content: Hello Community,I saw that firmware was provided the 20th December 2024 in version 1.22 for the Power Supply GPP-4323.I am looking for the change log, but without any success. Any idea where we can read more about the changes and updates in this version ?Thank a lot, Happy New Year

author: cte
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: December 31, 2024, 10:41:42 am
content: It's still the same file as they released in 2023...$ sha512sum GPPV122*.BIN6caeef38818a7a9aa0ed6befaf0c75ec96e2c5dba399ca3c861f75692adbb53a2d8a9c1ef86b5c5a369c1eb33e0fd85c0072c53fe021ab57687ecf06a099ffc4 GPPV122-230726.BIN6caeef38818a7a9aa0ed6befaf0c75ec96e2c5dba399ca3c861f75692adbb53a2d8a9c1ef86b5c5a369c1eb33e0fd85c0072c53fe021ab57687ecf06a099ffc4 GPPV122-241220.BIN

author: Fab6657
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: January 01, 2025, 09:02:15 am
content: Thank for the information, so, it is urgent to wait next firmware update.

author: Martin.M
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: January 01, 2025, 01:20:42 pm
content: it works well.Except:I see mostly a little current without load at the display.And the current limiter is not interested to support loads smaller then 5mA, so there must be used a helping resistor for correct work.greetingsMartin

author: Lexy
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: February 17, 2025, 11:07:23 am
content: I have a GPP-4323 power supply, which I think is a great device—low noise, with four usable channels. However, it has some drawbacks. The UI isn't great, but what I find to be a really poor design decision is that the outputs are positioned slightly towards the back and are poorly labeled. It's almost impossible to see which is + and -, and because the text disappears behind the 'ridge,' it's also difficult to see which channel corresponds to which output.Then I came across these 4mm bus extenders from Staubli:With these, you can extend a 4mm bus and secure it with a small screw inside.So, I designed and 3D-printed an extender:Now, I can immediately see which channel I need and where the + and - are.The downside is that this extender now sticks out quite a bit, but time will tell whether this is practical.

author: KungFuJosh
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 17, 2025, 01:55:48 pm
content: Quote from: Lexy on February 17, 2025, 11:07:23 amThat looks much better than the original! Hopefully, they'll steal the design from you. 😉

author: Lexy
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: February 17, 2025, 02:38:00 pm
content: I hope they steal it! And they can change the front channel buttons also by using some color to identify the channels.It will become a much better supply!

author: nctnico
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 17, 2025, 03:03:44 pm
content: IMHO you should buy the version with the binding posts of this power supply. Those recessed 4mm sockets utterly suck on a power supply.

author: Lexy
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: February 17, 2025, 04:18:34 pm
content: Well, I've searched for the version with binding posts, but i couldn't find it at the time i bought it (i think it is not sold anymore?). But i usually use banana to gripper cables to connect to my power supply's. I rarely use bare wires, so no need for 'binding posts' and when i do use a bare wire, i use these:BTW, the version with binding posts is not much better, you still cannot distinguish the channels:

author: Hydron
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 19, 2025, 04:35:44 am
content: It seems like what version (binding posts vs recessed) you get depends on where you are in the world. Certain TE vendors also have the wrong pic on their site (IIRC Farnell does or at least did at one point).I wonder if a reasonable compromise might be to have a new sticker for the front panel (along the lines of how the front of Lexy's extender looks) - still recessed but at least clearer than the original!

author: mawyatt
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 19, 2025, 02:18:32 pm
content: Quote from: Lexy on February 17, 2025, 11:07:23 amNice solution and implementationOur 4323 has the binding post terminals, and we created an insert to help identify the terminal polarity.https://www.eevblog.com/forum/testgear/gpp4323-terminal-inserts/Best

author: Lexy
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: February 19, 2025, 07:48:25 pm
content: Quote from: mawyatt on February 19, 2025, 02:18:32 pmThat's also a nice AND simple solution, i like that!Quote from: Hydron on February 19, 2025, 04:35:44 amA sticker has crossed my mind, but i don't have a (good) color printer. And the recess was REALY botheringme. I also considered designing a complete new front panel but that would be 'some' more design work.

author: Martin72
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 15, 2025, 08:47:18 pm
content: Quote from: Martin72 on December 13, 2024, 09:59:27 pmAfter the mostly positive feedback, I ordered another 9 units, which arrived last week, so now we have 10 of them.All of them have embedded terminals, which is useful for us because we mainly have safety cables.There will be a power supply at each workbench, but it will be raised a little, otherwise you can't see enough of the display.Personally, I will get one during the course of this year, but it's not a priority because I have enough DC power supplies.

author: thm_w
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 15, 2025, 10:16:29 pm
content: https://www.eevblog.com/forum/testgear/just-bought-a-gw-instek-gpp-4323-power-supply-first-impressions-etc/https://www.eevblog.com/forum/testgear/gw-instek-gpp-3323-psu-fan-noise-on-idle/https://www.eevblog.com/forum/projects/firmware-mod-for-gwinstek-gpp-series-lab-bench-power-supplyaka teledyne lecroy T3PS43203Phttps://canada.newark.com/teledyne-lecroy/t3ps43203p/dc-power-supply-prog-4-o-p-32v/dp/07AM8859

author: Smokey
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 15, 2025, 10:32:09 pm
content: Question about 2-quadrant-ness. I know it has a software config option for internally paralleling channels, but if you did it external with cables while the supply was in independent mode, will the channels just fight each other? Does this lead to instability or excessive thermal situations or some other such bad dueling control loop problems?https://www.gwinstek.com/en-US/products/downloadSeriesDownNew/14245/1740

author: Eric-H
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: June 13, 2025, 02:01:55 pm
content: Firmware version 1.26 is available from the GW-Instek website:https://www.gwinstek.com/en-global/products/detail/GPP-SeriesThere are no release notes so I don't know what the changes are. I updated my unit without problems (sofar)