What are those Power Supply's buttons for? - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / beginners

author: Nexo
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: August 23, 2016, 05:08:15 pm
content: Hello everyone!I have to make an inform about a few electronic instruments that we have at my university and I can't find nothing about this Power Supply version: Primax FA-851, is a Spanish manufacturer and all I've found is a recent version of this Power Supply, Primax FA-853, and both models are quiet different. All I need to know is what are each button for and nothing else, I'm a newbie so please go easy on me.This is the photo of the model I have to write about:https://postimg.org/image/4orxjip6f/And this one, of the one I've found:http://prntscr.com/c9g4e1Could you write, please, what are those buttons for?I would really appreciate.Thanks in advance!

author: ZeTeX
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: August 23, 2016, 05:16:30 pm
content: Where are the photos?

author: Nexo
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: August 23, 2016, 05:36:36 pm
content: There. My bad, I didn't format them correctly. I hope you can help me.Thanks!

author: MK14
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 23, 2016, 05:44:43 pm
content: http://www.promaxelectronics.com/ing/products/power-supplies/FA-853The link has the user manual, in Spanish (below) as well.http://www.promaxelectronics.com/ing/downloads/user-manuals/FA-853//NDYx

author: bitslice
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: August 23, 2016, 05:47:37 pm
content: http://www.promax.es/downloads/products/ing/FA-851.pdfpresumably to set the voltage?edit: ninja'ed by the above post :|

author: Nexo
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: August 23, 2016, 05:56:10 pm
content: Thanks but I need the Model FA-851 because that's the one that we have at university. I just talked about the 853 Model in order to have a reference one.I would like for you guys to see the first picture, the 851 Model, and tell me what are each of those buttons for.I would really, really, appreciate!Thanks in advance!

author: helius
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 23, 2016, 06:21:48 pm
content: The seventh button is worn off, but you can see it says 'SHIFT'. The wide button beneath the dial is likely to be 'ENABLE'.Other than that, the 'W' inside a circle means power measurement or constant power, CONTRAST is to change the LCD display contrast, and the speaker icon would be to turn audible beeps on and off. The rest of the controls are obvious.Why don't you experiment with the instrument to learn how it works?

author: MK14
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 23, 2016, 06:23:24 pm
content: The following manual is for a DIFFERENT PSU.BUT I believe it may be IDENTICAL. It seems to look, identical.If you think it is, we can try and find a Spanish version, if you want, with the alternative model numbers.Appologies in advance if I am wrong, sorry.http://www.gwinstek.com/en-global/Download/DownloadFile/DownloadFile/download%23_%2304_DCPower%23_%2382ST-32020MD.pdfEDIT:I.e. I am saying I think it is a REBADGED/rebranded model. I.e. The same.

author: Nexo
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: August 23, 2016, 06:49:54 pm
content: Quote from: helius on August 23, 2016, 06:21:48 pmQuote from: MK14 on August 23, 2016, 06:23:24 pmThank you very much to both of you, It was what I needed and yes, the pdf you sent me is from a different PSU but is IDENTICAL and has same functions.I'll start translating it, not without looking for a Spanish version first, but I have no problems with translating it.Again, thank you very much, you are GREAT!God bless you

author: NexusKoolaid
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: August 23, 2016, 06:55:03 pm
content: Also a newbie here, so be gentle if you don't like my response.I looked for a manual as I presume you did but found nothing. But the labels on those buttons are apparently not arbitrary names - they refer to functions that are common to certain power supplies. Searches for "Power Supply OCP" and "Power Supply GPIB" yielded information that describe those features in a general sense. I would imagine device-specific application wouldn't stray too far from the general definitions.

author: helius
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 23, 2016, 07:00:45 pm
content: also the 'LOCAL' button is widely used for local override, i.e. if the unit is being controlled over GPIB, you can activate LOCAL to force it to use the front panel controls instead.

author: Nexo
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: August 23, 2016, 07:07:40 pm
content: Quote from: NexusKoolaid on August 23, 2016, 06:55:03 pmYour totally right, and I appreciate your response.I'm sorry if I said what I said in a previous reply but is just that I can't handle people that just love to make fun of others.Thank you again.

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: August 24, 2016, 03:23:38 am
content: NOTE:This is the beginner section, go easy on people asking beginners questions. I have deleted some posts on this thread.

author: Nexo
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: August 25, 2016, 06:41:16 am
content: Quote from: EEVblog on August 24, 2016, 03:23:38 amThank youQuote from: MK14 on August 23, 2016, 06:23:24 pmI wonder, how did you know about that PSU? I mean, there are literally, a lot of different PSUs and you nailed it. Have you seen that PSU before or just got lucky?Again, thank you very much!

author: Maxlor
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: August 25, 2016, 09:34:30 am
content: Quote from: Nexo on August 25, 2016, 06:41:16 amWhen it comes to small or local manufacturers of test gear, few of them actually make their own products, quite often it's just rebadging chinese hardware, sometimes with internal modifications. There are a handful of chinese companies that offer their products for rebadging (like gwInstek), not that many, and they usually have some traits that makes it easy to identify them as original manufacturers, such as the shapes of the buttons they use, their front panel layout, or their software design. So if you're interested in test gear, after a while you notice these patterns, and it becomes easy to guess at the original manufacturer. And with any luck, that original manufacturer sells the same product too, and has documentation on its website

author: MK14
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 25, 2016, 01:40:40 pm
content: Quote from: Nexo on August 25, 2016, 06:41:16 amWhile I was searching and googling on your behalf, (if I remember correctly) I tried searching for one of the images in googles image search. It found that alternative model, just via the picture, which is amazing really.As the post above this one says. It is common to have rebadged, identical power supplies (and other test equipment), which are really identical, despite having different names/manufacture's labels.EDIT:Actually I find this absolutely amazing!Originally it was a DIFFERENT picture I used for the image search. But today it is this one:I just google image searched your first original picture, and google image search says:QuoteHow the heck can google be that good ?It then shows this as an advert when you search on some of the text ('gw instek pst-3202').EDIT2:I do know that google sometimes asks for text descriptions of the picture, when people search. So someone on these forums (or who reads them), may have filled it in for google.Nevertheless, google somehow originally found it for me, WITHOUT any such information (I guess).

author: Nexo
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: August 26, 2016, 08:38:08 pm
content: Quote from: Maxlor on August 25, 2016, 09:34:30 amTrue that, thanks for taking the time to reply!Quote from: MK14 on August 25, 2016, 01:40:40 pmIndeed, how can Google can be that good? Is just mesmerizing how technology can make our lives easier.Again, thank you very much for being helpful and kind!Have a great day, everyone!

author: dentaku
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: August 27, 2016, 02:07:04 am
content: I like using image search a lot too. It can be quite helpful for finding stuff quickly.For anyone who hasn't used it.In Google click on IMAGES in the top right and then click on the little camera icon in the search box.search for...https://s15.postimg.org/cu9zhodff/Whats_App_Image_2016_08_22_at_13_06_01.jpg(this is the image from the original poster)In Bing click on IMAGES in the top left of the page then Image MatchBing image search is great for certain stuff just not necessarily technical things.I've found schematics that weren't attributed to anyone and just did a Bing image search and found the original site it comes from.

author: R005T3r
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: August 30, 2016, 12:03:41 pm
content: Awwh... No, just a re-branded PSU... I'm disappointed, looked promising.