On US ebay: HP  6632A power supply, $75 - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: TerraHertz
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 27, 2014, 10:24:05 am
content: Browsing US ebay, came across this. Just thought I'd mention it. I have nothing to do with the seller.http://www.ebay.com/itm/251565017381HP 6632A System DC Power Supply 0-20VDC 0-5A 100W HPIB Programmable, LOAD TESTEDAbout 14 hours to go, no bids. Perhaps because it has slight cosmetic damage to the back. But who cares?$75 seems like a relatively cheap price to me, but maybe they go cheaper sometimes.I'd buy it, except a. my spending is about maxed out, and b. I already have too many power supplies anyway.

author: linux-works
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 27, 2014, 02:32:58 pm
content: I won a different HP supply yesterday:http://www.ebay.com/itm/131219488149under $70 for that sweet precision hp. of course, shipping was half the cost (but it was 2-day shipping). it should be here tomorrow.like you, I did NOT need another psu. but it called out to me and I threw a low snipe amount in, just for grins; did not expect it to go for so little.the hp you listed takes up a lot of room, so for me, its not all that appealing.

author: echen1024
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 27, 2014, 07:49:47 pm
content: Quote from: linux-works on June 27, 2014, 02:32:58 pmI have one I bought broken for $40. Fixed it up and works a treat, however, OVP doesn't work due to the fact that some unobtainium parts crapped themselves. Mine also doesn't have option 008, the 10 turn current control knob.

author: linux-works
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 28, 2014, 04:27:17 am
content: I remember you got a good deal on yours.I'll have to see if the OV feature works. the 10turn pot really was appealing and I tried to find one that had that.it should be here tomorrow, so I'll take some pics.

author: echen1024
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 28, 2014, 06:17:55 pm
content: Quote from: linux-works on June 28, 2014, 04:27:17 amThe ten turn pot is a really nice feature that makes this both a great voltage source and a good current source. My supply does not have this, and I have no desire to recal the current range if I upgrade the pot. Not bad for $40 though.

author: Rick
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: June 28, 2014, 06:47:13 pm
content: Quote from: TerraHertz on June 27, 2014, 10:24:05 amMay be because this is an older model an HP. The fan may be noisy, the capacitors buldging slightly. I bought one for $95. It was untested but it works with the above mentioned issues that I am gonna fix.

author: linux-works
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 30, 2014, 05:34:17 pm
content: dammit! the postal sevice screwed me. the unit was jammed into my shared mailbox (a locker that our apt. complex uses) and when I got to work and opened it, the chassis burst open and nearly fell apart! ;(damn damn damn.$60+ for '2 day shipping' that did not arrive on time and was farked up beyond belief. now I have to open a case and deal with the seller. what a friggin hassle. a good deal now gone bad. hope I'm not going to be forced to pay shipping on a ruined unit.sigh.its always something, isn't it? it would be too easy for a good deal to be a truly good deal. sigh.pics coming later. fwiw ;(

author: TheBorg
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: June 30, 2014, 06:23:47 pm
content: Quote from: linux-works on June 30, 2014, 05:34:17 pmPriority shipping (2 day) comes with at least $50 insurance... I would see about perhaps taking it up withy the postal system as well.

author: linux-works
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 30, 2014, 06:59:59 pm
content: the seller refunded me. that was fast (and nice of them).I think I will still take the box and unit to my local PO and give them a good yelling at. partly, the seller didn't pack it well enough and partly the mailman SHOVED it into my common (small) storage box and it would have been easy for the mailman to just leave it by my door. instead, he jammed it in and I was worried when I could just barely remove it from the box, that there would be damage. what a shame. its not the first time I've had trouble with my local mailman.I guess I can see if its fixable. lots of metal needs to be re-bent back. the sides are all bent and the chassis came apart - it was THAT bad.when I get home from work today I'll take some photos.the seller did reply quickly, so that was good; but its really too bad that mailcarriers treat boxes with such disregard. the box was even marked 'glass' on the outside and he still shoved it into my box, crushing enough of the box to worry me.insurance was set to $100 but the seller just credited me the whole amount, just to be done with it. I almost wish he would file an insurance request so that the PO learns its lesson.

author: echen1024
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 30, 2014, 07:42:22 pm
content: My god... I would definitely advise the seller to file an insurance claim, as well as give your PO a good yelling at. here where I am, we have 4 larger shared boxes for large items, and the mailman just puts a key into your mailbox and you open the larger one and take the item out. Else they just leave it at your door.

author: SeanB
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 30, 2014, 07:55:54 pm
content: Here they leave a card or a slip in the mailbox, and you trundle down to the local post office to collect. Can be a little inconvenient at times, but you do get the parcel eventually. Lucky for me the post office at work is 50m away...........

author: linux-works
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 30, 2014, 08:25:14 pm
content: they do the locked box and 'key in your own mailbox' thing for me, too.the mailman was stupid and/or lazy. my house is maybe 10 seconds walk from the mailbox and UPS (and fedex) regularly leave things inside my front unlocked gate. its a safe and secure area (high rent cupertino, lol) and so the carriers know its ok to leave big pkgs near your doorstep. this guy was just bad and jammed it so it just barely fit into the shared mailbox cubby hole. I was not even sure I could get it out, it was jammed in there so badly. the mailman just didn't care. I fully intend to bring this box and unit to the cupertino PO and yell at them and escalate as high as I can. this has got to stop and if no one complains, the mailman will continue to screw the residents.

author: KJDS
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 30, 2014, 08:29:13 pm
content: I think i could drive my car over a 6632A without doing much damage to it. I hate to think how strong your mailman must be.

author: robrenz
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 30, 2014, 08:38:19 pm
content: The construction of the 611X power supplies and all the instruments that use that design is not particularly good for severe overloads. It is just a bunch of flat head screws thru the side frames into the faceplate parts and several other cross members. It is more than sufficient for it intended purpose but cant take huge twisting or shear loads as it will just rip the screws out of the cross members. The frame side screws don't have a huge amount of thread engagement to begin with.

author: linux-works
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 01, 2014, 02:22:50 am
content: here are the sad pics:cry.. ;(

author: Rigby
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 01, 2014, 02:51:04 am
content: That's not too bad. It's not great, but I've unbent worse cases than that.Stare at it a while and soon you'll work out how to remedy the bends.The paint is in great shape, way better than my 6114.

author: linux-works
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 01, 2014, 03:04:00 am
content: before I take a stab at it, I want to carry it to the post office as-is to show them first-hand.then I can open it up and see what the inside damage is.at least the meter was not broken. that's probably the most fragile thing on the box. multiturn pot does seem ok, so that's also good. power switch is bent but I can replace that easily.

author: SeanB
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 01, 2014, 04:50:50 am
content: It is fixable, but your postie is not. He needs a new route. like a nice country delivery one, preferably in Arizona somewhere, and with a bicycle or tricycle.

author: chrissmeuk
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: July 01, 2014, 10:53:49 am
content: Still better than the UK posties. In the last 30 days:I shouted at one yesterday. Just sold an expensive Nikon flash on ebay and posted it and I caught the bastard kicking the package into the van no less than 5 mins after I posted it. Got two fingers from him and said "Sue me or package it properly". I think the retard missed the point.Only yesterday they managed to bend a whole pad of log graph paper in half to cram it through the letterbox.The finest one was only last week when they left an amazon package containing Office 2010 media and an SSD on my doorstep. I don't live in the most respectable area. The package had been opened and the disk nicked. I was IN when the package was supposedly delivered and the doorbell works and the disk was nicked whilst I was IN.eBay auction not delivered. The package was signed "X" and obviously nicked. The buyer I've known personally for a few years so I know it wasn't down to them.

author: robrenz
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 01, 2014, 11:53:15 am
content: You will probably want to get a box of Phillips flat head screws that are at least double the length of the current frame screws. The threads are most likely stripped in the places where the side frames are separated but a longer screw will be able to get down to where there are still good threads in the pieces.

author: linux-works
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 01, 2014, 04:13:48 pm
content: rebent the metal, tried the circuit and it does work!had to drill out one screw that was stripped (philips top part stripped, not the threads). some screws were missing (no, nothing rattles inside, lol) but all in all, it looks like it might be usable again.

author: robrenz
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 01, 2014, 04:40:07 pm
content: The grease in the thumbwheels of one of mine was pretty dried out and was giving twitchy readings. Part way down inthis postI documented cleaning the thumbwheels contacts. The whole thread may be of value if you need to see some internal pictures. Very awesome power supplies

author: echen1024
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 01, 2014, 04:49:17 pm
content: Overall looks decent. Some parts might not suffer from a quick run through an ultrasonic cleaner to shake the grime loose.

author: Rigby
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 01, 2014, 05:12:05 pm
content: Quote from: robrenz on July 01, 2014, 04:40:07 pmOy. Now I need to do all this with mine. Mine has a rather nasty gouge out of the paint on the front panel, and I won't be able to fix that without having the entire front plate stripped and repainted. Probably not possible to get that done in reproduction quality...If I'm wrong, please let me know.The rest of your work there is fantastic, and I will probably perform my own shoddy, inexperienced version of your work and call myself happy.What ultrasonic cleaner do you use for this stuff?

author: robrenz
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 01, 2014, 05:27:33 pm
content: Thanks, I use Master Chemical 2030. It is what is in my Ultrasonic for all my shop work as it leaves a rust free coating on metal parts. I don't think it matters much what you use but a heated tank really helps.If I had a gouge that was driving me crazy I would probably just try to match the color and fill gouge only.

author: Rigby
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 01, 2014, 07:23:58 pm
content: I might be able to match the color with some help, but matching the thickness would be too challenging, I think. Not sure yet. I'm unconvinced that I could make a patch job look better than the gouge. It is a gouge about a half inch across, 2-3 inches long, and varying in depth from through to bare metal and into the metal, to thin enough that it could be rubbed out with some polishing compound. Going to leave it for now, I guess. At the moment I need to unseize the thousandths dial.

author: echen1024
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 02, 2014, 12:18:36 am
content: Quote from: Rigby on July 01, 2014, 07:23:58 pmHave you thought about using a bit of the wood filler and squeegee-ing it in, then apply a light coat of paint over it.http://www.amazon.com/FAMOWOOD-Original-Wood-Filler-Birch/dp/B000KKMZ9O/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1404260282&sr=8-5&keywords=wood+floor+filler

author: Rigby
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 02, 2014, 04:04:41 am
content: Yes, painting over the wood filler once it is flush will raise the surface of the patch by X paint coat thicknesses.To do it properly I'm just going to have to replace it or strip it down to metal and have it machine printed.Or I just won't restore the thing at all.

author: SeanB
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 02, 2014, 04:33:52 am
content: I would just use a little white 2 part epoxy applied with a toothpick and left flush with the surface along with mottling it when still soft cured to match the rest of the surface mottling. Then a toothpick tip with a matching paint to give a top coat that will be a very close match.

author: TerraHertz
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 02, 2014, 10:16:28 am
content: Quote from: linux-works on July 01, 2014, 02:22:50 amArrrgh! There was definitely 'boot force' used in jamming that into your locker. That guy deserves the boot himself.I don't suppose a 24/7 video recorder on your shared locker is feasible, for next time that same guy delivers something in his own personal style?It's shit like that, that makes one want to lay in ambush with a sniper rifle.

author: robrenz
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 02, 2014, 11:37:37 am
content: I don't see anything on your picture that looks as bad as you are describing. The paint on those front panels is very thick and can stand a very light wet sanding with 600 - 1200 grit silicon carbide paper. Then you can use something like Meguiars PlastX to polish out the entire paint surface to look like new. It wont fill in scratches down to the metal but it will make it look immensely better. The first two before and after shots inthis postshow an example that started out worse than yours.I agree that our postal friends can be real goons, but I always package an instrument so that it canliterally be drop kickedwithout damage.

author: linux-works
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 02, 2014, 01:03:26 pm
content: Quote from: TerraHertz on July 02, 2014, 10:16:28 amfortunately, I'm not going to be at this location too much longer, as I'm moving in the next few weeks; and GOOD RIDDENCE to that postal guy. my next place does not have the shared locker mailbox style, so that's one way to solve the problem - move way! (lol).