[committee] Benchtop PSU (& Murphy restoration)

[Felix von Perger]

Hi committee & tech,

Could the club please buy a Rigol DP-832 benchtop DC power supply for 
member use?

This can be found on Core Electronics for $820 - 
https://core-electronics.com.au/rigol-dp-832-triple-output-dc-power-supply.html

This would be useful for general electronics projects, and especially 
useful for convenient and safe operation / testing of any amount of 
electronics hardware where obscure voltages are required. The DP-832 
gives full control over voltage selection and current limiting on 3 
separate outputs which is not otherwise possible using equipment already 
in the clubroom.

My request is in relation to my recent experimentation with the old 
Murphy S-100 system and disk drives, which altogether require a 
combination of +12V, -12V, 16V, 8V, +24V, +5V and -5V. The original 
power supplies for this equipment are ancient and have minimal or 
non-existent safety features (eg. no short circuit protection) and a 
strong tendency to release magic smoke and/or flames within themselves 
and/or the items connected to them. While some of the required voltages 
can be "safely" provided by a regular PC/ATX power supply, current 
limiting is useful for testing things *without* blowing stuff up. Along 
with its ability to easily monitor current usage and detect possible 
short circuits, the Rigol DP-832 could be used to significantly reduce 
the fire hazard. Furthermore, the less common non-ATX voltages are 
impractical to generate with existing clubroom equipment (eg. without 
introducing further fire risks).

Please consider my proposal and I look forward to hearing from you.

Best regards,

Felix