Just after posting the above I found a 2020B buried away on eBay! Snagged it for $75, shipped. The seller says it goes into overload as soon as it’s switched on; I’m thinking it could be as simple as one of the sense or remote straps not being connected on the back, but we’ll see. Either way, it’ll be fun to fix!
I also grabbed a 2005A for $65+Shipping. Seller says it works fine. Turns out he had two available and listed both as 2005P; in actuality one is a 2005A and the other (with non-working lamps) is a 2005P. The
P model is the Remote Programmable version, which appears to only have controls on the front for setting a voltage and current limit plus zeroing. You can see the 2005P in the first picture but the 2005A in the second and third. So if anyone wants a 2005P at a decent price, here you go:
http://r.ebay.com/tD7RwT(The 2005A only allows remote voltage setting, the 2005P can set current and voltage remotely, like the 2020Bs.)
By the way, I’m working on a simple USB adapter for the 2020B/2005P to allow remote control of voltage/current via SCPI commands over serial. If anyone is interested or has ideas, let me know!