FS: HP 6236B triple output power supply

In article , snipped-for-privacy@parnass.org mentioned...

I was surprised to see one of these go for over $235 on Ebay a few weeks ago, mainly because they got into a senseless bidding war. But the usual prices that I've seen are in the $100 to $150 range. The one thing I don't like about them is they don't have any current control other than a limit on max current.

You can pick up other single output supplies with current control for a lot less, sometimes in the $20 range. I just bought a HP 721 old timer for $4.99 because no one else bid on it. Shipping was $13.00, so it still came to under $20. But you can usually pick up a HP 6216 or 6214 for under $50. There's one right now for a starting bid of $49.95, and I bet no one bids on it. The 6216 PSes have a brittle plastic case that shatters easily; one I bought broke in shipment. You can get a HP 6205 for usually between $50 and $100, and that's a good, solid old timer power supply.

I got a HP 6234 from a ham for next to nothing, but it has a bad full wave bridge in it. I think it's a poor design, so stay away from these. I got a couple Power Design 2005 precision PSes for under $50 each. They're real old, but they work.

There are a lot of newer PSes, like the E3610 and E3611, for about the same prices as this one. Nice thing about these is they have a digital meter. Makes it a lot easier to get an accurate reading.

Also, don't be afraid to look at the HP power sources like the 66312. They have a good digital display. Also can be controlled by a serial port. Software and manual is free on Agilent's website.

If you buy something and need a manual, try emailing Ed Matsuda to see if he's got it. His prices are reasonable (I'm just a satisfied customer). ematsuda earthlink dot net.