I seem to be having a lot of luck with Rohde & Schwarz lately, as a RoadTester of their RTM3004 oscilloscope, I was awarded RoadTester of the Year. I also RoadTested their HMP4040 power supply, which led to an opportunity...

It wouldn’t be a review challenge review if I didn’t at least attempt to take a peek under the hood to see what it’s made out of. Join me as I take the covers off and take a look underneath....

This section attempts to test the NGM202 to verify its datasheet specifications across various scenarios. In order to maintain balance between the chapters, some instrument features have been covered in prior chapters. For information about the in-built features and options...

A useful feature of many power supplies is their programmability through their remote-control interfaces which allow them to be integrated into automated testing workflows. This chapter examines the NGM202’s various remote-control interfaces and performs a number of simple experiments using...

This chapter explores the NGM202 from the perspective of standalone operation, as you might have on a bench-top application. I offer my opinion on the user interface, acoustics and various in-built features and options. User Interface & Ergonomics The NGM202’s...

As part of my launch-day review of the NGM202, this chapter focuses on the unboxing of the instrument. Note that as this was a pre-release unit, the packaging and inclusions may vary slightly compared to the retail version. Unboxing The...

Before I delve into the Rohde & Schwarz NGM202 unit in earnest, it would be a good idea to begin with a little background to what makes this a specialty power supply and how its specifications and features compare to...

Many moons ago, I upgraded to a Sharp Aquos S3 which caused a new problem for me as it lacked the familiar 3.5mm stereo headphone jack which I was using my AudioTechnica ATH-ANC9 with. While there was an included USB-C...

During the period of 9th to 23rd April 2019, Lucy Helton (KD2MFV) partnered with Jón Þ Jónsson (TF3JA) to embark on creating a transmission artwork which was known as the “SSTV Ham Radio Project”. The transmissions were sent on the...

Regular reader and frequent contributor Franc e-mailed me around two weeks ago with an interesting request – “Would you consider investigating how SSDs report their temperatures?” He reports of discrepancies in temperature readings in a Kingston A400 NVMe version versus...

It’s been a while since my year-long holiday around Asia, but I’m only really just beginning to unpack my data-filled “suitcase” hard drives. As an engineer on holiday, my inquisitive nature leads me to ask many questions, sometimes completely unrelated...

It’s been around two months, or maybe even a little more, since my last random post – so I thought it would probably be a good idea to put another one up when I found the time. After all, my...

Last year has been a pretty interesting year for me, receiving the RoadTester of the Year award from element14 for my Rohde & Schwarz RTM3004 oscilloscope review and also delivering a review of the Rohde & Schwarz HMP4040 power supply....

This is the sixth part of a series of blogs where I provide an in-depth review the Rohde & Schwarz HMC8043 power supply. The summary of findings can be found here. In this section, I take the HMC8043 apart to...

In this chapter, I do my best to give the HMC8043 a thorough testing to see how well it performs and how it compares to its datasheet specifications. This is the longest, but perhaps the most interesting part of the...

One of the key benefits of a programmable power supply is the ability to remote control the unit for automated testing and remote operation. This section looks at the remote-control functionality of the Rohde & Schwarz HMC8043. USB Connectivity: CDC...

In this chapter, I examine what it’s like to use the Rohde & Schwarz HMC8043 power supply on a bench in standalone operation. I look at the user interface, ergonomics and inbuilt features. Front Panel Interface While the HMC8043 is...

In this section, I cover the exciting process of unboxing the Rohde & Schwarz HMC8043, looking at the items that are included in the package. Unboxing The power supply arrived in a lighter-than-expected medium-sized brown cardboard box with the branding...

Before getting into the Rohde & Schwarz HMC8043 unit itself, it would probably be a good idea to see how it compares to the other units on the market, at least, on paper and learn about its basic specifications. Market...

This is the second of a two-part blog about observations about the Seoul/Incheon Metro system made in 2017 while I was abroad on holiday. This part will look at the remainder of the systems, including driverless and experimental, which were...

Back in 2017, I took a year to travel around Asia, experiencing life in a number of countries. Amongst my favourite was South Korea. Encouraged and motivated by the enthusiasm surrounding my post about the launch of our own Sydney...

It’s been another busy weekend, as I continue to push towards the ultimate goal of completing a triple-concurrent RoadTest review opportunity. Three products, three comprehensive reviews in two months of spare time? I can now say I’ve done that. Will...

I’ve kept myself quite busy every weekend – be it roaming about visiting Vivid Sydney, the new Sydney Metro North-West or tackling my triple-concurrent RoadTest review load. This week, I’m proud to announce delivery of my second review – that...

Since my in-depth look at the Sydney Metro Northwest covering the launch-day observations and experiments received a lot of traction online, I feel like it’s probably a good idea to write a follow-up article now that the first week has...

Having visited Vivid Sydney’s Circular Quay precinct on opening night, I decided to come back on 31st May to visit Darling Harbour and 1st June to visit Chatswood, finishing off the free precincts and concluding my visits to Vivid for...