Siglent SPD3303D vs Rigol DP832 fan noise - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / testgear

author: dadler
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: December 17, 2014, 01:06:26 am
content: Hi all-I am choosing between these two units. The Rigol seems more popular which is encouraging, but the Siglent would take up a lot less space on my bench.The tie-breaker: How unbearable is the fan noise on the Rigol compared to the Siglent? It's hard to get a feel for fan noise from youtube videos.Any input is appreciated.D

author: LaurentR
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: December 17, 2014, 03:52:41 pm
content: The DP832 is definitely nice. Works fine, dead accurate, reasonable UI.You can definitely hear the fan. I have mine in a quiet home environment and you can tell when the DP832 is on. The one redeeming feature is that it's mostly a low pitch, clean whoosh and not an annoying high pitch whine as in some of the smaller instruments.

author: ElektronikLabor
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: December 17, 2014, 08:21:06 pm
content: I never used the Siglent.I have the Rigol DP832 and the fan noise is horrible. Other than on on Daves Video my Supply has 2 fans inside! Both very loud.I know its subjective when I say "loud" and it doesn't help you, but I wasn't able to work when the Rigol was switched on and stood near to me.Finaly I changed the fans and now I'm happyI almost can't hear anything now. Here my crappy video before and after the mod:

author: dadler
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: December 17, 2014, 09:05:54 pm
content: Ah thank you two very much for the responses. Much appreciated.I intend to use the PSU in a home environment as well-hence the concern for fan noise. In this day with entirely silent desktop computers (rack equipment notwithstanding!), I've grown quite accustomed to relative peace and quiet.I had heard mention of dual fans in the recent revisions of the Rigol. I assume this is standard now for all new stock?I'd think that mucking with the fans could void the warranty, as the thermal behavior would not be identical to their R&D test environment. Have you measured the internal temps with a thermocouple post-fan change?

author: tautech
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 17, 2014, 09:15:23 pm
content: I'm not aware of any concerns re the fans on the Siglent PSU's.Carefull search of EEVblog posts might reveal some.Use the search button NOT the one on the top right.

author: ElektronikLabor
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: December 18, 2014, 12:01:39 pm
content: Quote from: dadler on December 17, 2014, 09:05:54 pmYes. I measured the Heatsink of the voltage regulator which is used for powering the internal components (the regulator which got too hot in the early models of DP832). With the new fans the heat sink gets 8K warmer after 500 seconds after powering up.I keep that in mind, that the new fans are weake. If the supply gets too hot, I will reinstall the old fans, but until now everything is fine.

author: dadler
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: December 24, 2014, 01:37:44 am
content: Quote from: medvedev on December 18, 2014, 12:01:39 pmAh very interesting. I went ahead and ordered the DP832. The quieter fans of the Siglent were alluring, but the relative popularity and just general better marketing of the Rigol won me over. And now I know that if the fans absolutely drive me nuts, at least I have options.I have a Rigol DS1054Z on order, so I imagine I will have plenty of noisy fans going on my home bench =P I guess I'll just have to get used to it, or take the risk and swap to quieter fans as you have done.Thanks for the response-your video was useful in my decision.

author: g0hjq
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: December 24, 2014, 03:34:23 pm
content: I know it might be a little bit late, but the fan in my Siglent SPD3303D is extremely quiet in normal operation, I would say nearly silent even in a quiet home environment.It is temperature controlled, but even under load it is not loud enough to be a problem.I've had it for about a month now, and am very pleased with it.Gary.Quote from: dadler on December 17, 2014, 01:06:26 am

author: dadler
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: December 25, 2014, 02:08:28 am
content: Quote from: g0hjq on December 24, 2014, 03:34:23 pmThanks for the response/input. One can never have too many power supplies, so I'll see how I like the Rigol when it shows up. It seems like Siglent doesn't do much marketing of their PSUs--I only became aware of the 3303D because a couple of vocal members on here were regularly praising it. However, other than the one decent review on YouTube, I couldn't find much about the product otherwise. The pretty screen on the 3303 looks nice though, although I'll take performance over aesthetics any day.

author: MartyD
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: December 25, 2014, 08:54:08 am
content: My 3303S just arrived yesterday, I cannot say much but yet but the noise level under full load is far from annoying, there's no overshooting, I'm pretty happy so far. There is a bit of smell (I'd suspect glue) coming from inside the unit but I guess thats because it is brand new. I will report if I encounter anything strange.Marty

author: tautech
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 25, 2014, 09:23:16 am
content: Quote from: MartyD on December 25, 2014, 08:54:08 amThe smell of new electronics.....ahhhh love it.

author: MartyD
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: December 25, 2014, 09:54:20 am
content: Not to be mistaken, it leaves a solid impression - But so does all my Siglent gear.I just wish the SDM3055 firmware would make some progress, it is the only device I'm not so happy with at the moment.Marty

author: smgvbest
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: December 25, 2014, 06:13:46 pm
content: FWIW, I just received my DP832 this week. My Christmas present to myself and it's in my home lab also and it is no louder than the fan used in video after the replacement. Personally even the first one was not that bad compared to my other power supply.

author: dadler
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: December 31, 2014, 06:49:20 am
content: My DP832 showed up (3 days early!) today, and although I wish the fans were quieter, they are not as loud as I expected them to be from all the complaining of others/videos. Certainly bearable, even in my home environment. I haven't put the unit through its paces yet though, so I'll see how loud the fans ramp up under heavy load.