bap8guy | ESI DV411 Precision 5 Decade DC Voltage Divider - unit3 b @bap8guy | Uploaded March 2022 | Updated October 2024, 1 day ago.
Precision made 5 decade DC Voltage Divider, of the Kelvin Varley type. The first 3 decades are controlled via 10 position switches, the last two decades are controlled by a precision made wire potentiometer with finely graduated dial. These units were used in the 1950's and '60's and made through the 1970's, although they may look somewhat different. KVD dividers are still manufactured for use and can be quite expensive.
The unit is an excellent piece of equipment to utilize with a stable precision voltage source, like 1v or 10v. It will then provide a user selectable division of the voltage that will remain precise so long as the unit measuring the output does not load it. I would recommend nothing less than 10 meg ohms, but would prefer a gig or more of load impedance. In the case of the video, I used an HP34401A set to 10 gig ohms of input impedance. The resulting output voltages can be used to calibrate, or test a volt meters over a wide range of voltages.
In this video, I introduce the unit, connect it to a 9.9999v stable input voltage and test the output of every step of 5 decades against the input dials. I then build a spreadsheet of the results and go over the results on the video.
Precision made 5 decade DC Voltage Divider, of the Kelvin Varley type. The first 3 decades are controlled via 10 position switches, the last two decades are controlled by a precision made wire potentiometer with finely graduated dial. These units were used in the 1950's and '60's and made through the 1970's, although they may look somewhat different. KVD dividers are still manufactured for use and can be quite expensive.
The unit is an excellent piece of equipment to utilize with a stable precision voltage source, like 1v or 10v. It will then provide a user selectable division of the voltage that will remain precise so long as the unit measuring the output does not load it. I would recommend nothing less than 10 meg ohms, but would prefer a gig or more of load impedance. In the case of the video, I used an HP34401A set to 10 gig ohms of input impedance. The resulting output voltages can be used to calibrate, or test a volt meters over a wide range of voltages.
In this video, I introduce the unit, connect it to a 9.9999v stable input voltage and test the output of every step of 5 decades against the input dials. I then build a spreadsheet of the results and go over the results on the video.
