HeathBuilt Voltage Reference Source: Model EUW-16

 


Below is the HeathBuilt Voltage Reference Source (Model EUW-16) which was given to me by Professor Marshall Dixon's Estate.  This unit was manufactured in Benton Harbor, MI in 1965 and is a millivolt voltage reference source with an amazing range of +/- 100VDC.  Mr. Carlson's Lab has a restoration video on a similar unit, the EUW-16A, but that unit uses vacuum tubes and this one does not.

A working unit like this is incredibly useful and necessary when developing embedded code for sensor channels, especially ADC code.  It allows one to send different known voltage values from 0-5V (in my case) to different ADC channels and then verify the known voltages are being sampled correctly by the micro and firmware.


The EUW-16 delivering +100VDC.

After opening up the unit, all 3 capacitors were checked:  the two main 70 MFD/350V caps on the right and the 1.0 MFD/200V on the left below.  None were leaking and decided to leave them in the unit undisturbed.

Capacitors

All four potentiometers were treated with DeOxit D5 restoration contact cleaner to recondition the electrical contacts which control the output of the system.  The reconditioning improves the life and precision of the mechanical switching of each potentiometer as well and will future-proof the unit for years to come.

Potentiometers


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