The time has come for me to look into purchasing a DC load. I've always been enamoured with the Maynuo models, as they seem to provide fair quality for a reasonable price. Normally I'm hesitant to hook up unknown Chinese designs to mains, but I feel the Maynuo models have been proven to be reliable. Looking at the current range of Maynuo offerings, something like the M9711 or M9811 seems to be interesting.
However there are two issues that lead to me to looking at other alternatives. Most Maynuo models only go up to 150V. Normally I don't work with anything near that, but I can imagine wanting to work on nixie tube power supplies in the future. Considering these are typically 160V to 170V, the aforementioned models won't do. The M9812B solves the voltage problem, but this doubles the cost of the unit and I'm not sure the added benefit is worth that.
Another quibble is that the models don't speak SCPI, but Modbus instead. Even though I could probably figure out how to get that working, it'd be easier to have something that just speaks SCPI. It's my intention to also use the unit in an automated testing setup, so having a way for the load to talk to a computer is important. The Maynuo models are supported by LabView, but I currently prefer to use Visual Studio to cobble together scripts.
I've looked at the Rigol loads, but I don't think they're mature enough to be real contenders. Other options are much more expensive and that's more than what I would want to spend on a DC load right now. I looked at Arrow loads, but I'm not entirely sure of their construction and reliability. Maybe the wisdom of the forums can help me find a suitable device for me needs.
*3,5 digit or better on voltage and current
*SCPI
*200V or higher should be enough for nixies?
*Fair quality and doesn't burn my house down
*Ideally near 300 euro, say 500 euro max
*Available in EU region, importing should not be an issue