Colin O'Flynn

Category: Product Reviews

  • Rigol DP832 Review

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    Colin O’Flynn
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    The majority of the review is available in movie format: I purchased a Rigol DP832 power supply from RAE Electronics (local supplier). I had a chance to play around with it and wanted to leave a bit of a review. To begin, I also bought some useful accessories. I got them from Digikey, and here…

  • PicoScope 2204A Review

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    Colin O’Flynn
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    I’ve been spending some time with a low-cost PicoScope device, and wanted to give a review in case you’re looking at one. To begin with, you can check out my Circuit Cellar Articles about selecting a scope. There’s also a video version of this: Introducing the 2200 Range PicoTech’s 2200 range is a compact oscilloscope,…

  • PicoScope 5000 (5444) Review

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    Colin O’Flynn
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    If you check out my older blog post, you’ll see a very detailed review of the PicoScope 6000 series device. I also had a chance to use a 5000 series device, specifically the 5444. The 5444 is a 4-channel scope with a built-in AWG. The sample rate is up to 1 GS/s in ‘normal’ mode,…

  • PicoScope 6000 (6403D) Review & Comparison

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    Colin O’Flynn
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    This is an *EXTREMELY* long post, but there is a ton of ground I want to cover. I hope you find it useful if you are seriously considering purchasing an oscilloscope. Looking for a medium-cost scope? There’s lots of options out there, and I’m going to concentrate on the Picoscope 6000 series for this review,…

  • Quit wasting time debugging USB: Using TotalPhase Triggers

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    Colin O’Flynn
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    This blog post might seem commercial… but I have no connection to TotalPhase. I’ve used their Beagle 480 USB analyser for some time, and before that have used a variety of other solutions (mostly SW-based), so have some idea what other options are out there. It’s worth noting that they seem to give free updates…

  • Metcal MX-500P Soldering Station Review & Repair

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    Colin O’Flynn
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    For some time I’ve been using a METCAL soldering station. I picked mine up used on E-Bay, as they are expensive new. They have phenomenal heat transfer ability – they use RF energy to transfer heat right to the tip. It means you can go from soldering a 0402 capacitor to desoldering an entire SMA…

  • Springer / SpringerLink MyCopy Review

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    Colin O’Flynn
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    Recently I was using an e-book I had access to through my school’s subscription to Springer. They advertised a ‘MyCopy’ service, which gives you a printed copy of the e-book for $25 including shipping http://www.springer.com/mycopy. I couldn’t find a review of the printing quality anywhere so though I’d post one quickly… The actual copy would…