Siglent SPD3303X - To buy, or not to buy, that is the question... - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / testgear

author: Noody
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: December 23, 2016, 08:35:10 pm
content: Hi,1) I have £500 ($600) to spend on a lab PSU. If you have the Siglent SPD3303X already, would you buy it again? A simple yes/no is perfectly acceptable.2) Is there a better quality PSU for the money?I've read the teardown thread and seen the video, but it's mainly on the old firmware etc. I'm really asking "Would I make a horrible mistake buying the SPD3303X?". I'm happy with "It's not completely crap".Thank you!

author: tautech
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 23, 2016, 08:47:29 pm
content: The SPD3303X-E is better priced @ $389 the only difference is a slightly lower resolution for A and V.I got one for shits and giggles, but more as a demo unit for myself, however within short time I had inquiries for them and I've sold a few since. Now I keep them as a stock item and there's steady inquiry for them in my small market.No problems with any I've sold.

author: _Wim_
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 23, 2016, 08:49:05 pm
content: I would buy the DP832 from Rigol instead. It is 100€ cheaper, and has a more functional 3rd channel. Off course, I am biased because I own the DP832 and not the Siglent...

author: _Wim_
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 23, 2016, 08:51:04 pm
content: Quote from: tautech on December 23, 2016, 08:47:29 pmOk, the SPD3303X-E is indeed more a comparable option. Off course, with Rigol you can "upgrade" to the higher resolution for "free"...

author: nctnico
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 23, 2016, 08:54:33 pm
content: It depends on what you need. If you just need a down to earth PSU then a GW Instek GPE-2323 is worth looking at because of it's high resolution 1mA current readback and seperate knobs for voltage/current for each channel for nearly half the price of the Siglent SPD3303X. IMHO one of the things to look for in a lab PSU is accurate voltage and current readback. In the past I never really cared about that but using a DMM to measure voltage and current is starting to become a nuisance.Actually I'm also very attrachted to Keysight's E36100 series due to their uA resolution current read back (it has a dual range current read back) which is nice for developing battery powered circuits.

author: Ducttape
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: December 23, 2016, 10:04:24 pm
content: I've had a SPD3303X-E for a few months and I'm thoroughly happy with it. I was going to get the Rigol DP832 but once I realized the Siglent had floating outputs and the Rigol didn't it was an easy choice.And by the way the banana jacks fit standard plugs just fine (i.e. snug) and the latest firmware puts both setpoint and output simultaneously on the display, like the Rigol.

author: tautech
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 23, 2016, 10:25:45 pm
content: Quote from: Ducttape on December 23, 2016, 10:04:24 pmYep, there was some criticism of the banana sockets as being too loose, seemingly they are until plugs are pushed right home. The last ~1/2 of the socket is a good sound tight fit for any banana plug, I know because I tried a good few to satisfy my curiosity on thisapparentnegative point.I'm out of stock of these PSU's ATM so the OP will have to rely on the replies of others if he needs more info on the finer details.

author: Noody
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: December 24, 2016, 10:31:26 am
content: It seems that you've all addressed previous critisisms too, which is appreciated.I will now buy the Siglent.Thank you everyone, very much, and Merry Christmas to you all! 🎅 🎄

author: _Wim_
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 24, 2016, 11:54:06 am
content: Quote from: Ducttape on December 23, 2016, 10:04:24 pmRigol outputs are also floating, but output 2 and 3 have the same ground. This is in most project not an issue, as you almost never have 3 different grounds. But if the 3 outputs of the siglent are indeed completely seperate, that is an advantage.

author: Unknown
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: February 22, 2017, 04:07:42 pm
content: I know that some people have been asking for Siglent to remove the Screen-Saver function from our SPD3303X and SPD3303X-E power supplies. This was a good suggestion and we recommended it to the factory.We just found out that the last FW update did this but was not listed in the change log.Here is a link to the FW:http://www.siglentamerica.com/gjjrj-xq.aspx?id=5052&tid=17Regards