DL24M electronic load in a modular design, almost like Lego (not a review)

It's been a while since I wrote a "not-a-review." A friend sent me a link to a new product from Atorch, the logical continuation of the DL24 series, which I covered earlier in a similar "not-a-review" and in a more comprehensive article with an example of how to build a power module for it.
So today, a brief announcement of their new product.


First, links to the previous announcement and the full article.
This version of the load is available both in the Atorch store and in the Hidance store. The price is a little lower at the latter, but not by much. The load itself is the same in both cases, since even the pictures are identical.

First, a brief description:
1. Testing various DC power sources
2. Three types of USB input for connecting test sources: miniUSB, MicroUSB, USB-C
3. Build your own setup with different power ratings (150 W/300 W/450 W/600 W)
6. External NTC temperature sensor
7. DC5.5 power input (DC12V 1A)
8. 8p cable for connecting the panel
9. Increased power and an expanded interface.

In the basic version, you get a single module and a control panel. This is where the first key difference from the previous model comes in. A display glued to the circuit board isn't always convenient, and extending it with wires can be problematic. So the designer made it a separate unit and added a handy enclosure for mounting it on the front panel of your case.


But you probably noticed the versions with those odd square boards. That's the second key difference: the load is now modular. More precisely, it comes with the required number of power modules, and I suspect they've used the same idea I demonstrated in my DL24 review: use the main board as the base, then add power modules as needed.

Each module is rated for 150 W and adds 5 A to the base 25 A, so the full setup gives you 600 W and 40 A.


Dimensions of the main module and display module. I do have one comment here: the display module doesn't snap into place; it's attached to the case with double-sided tape...


For a degree of hardware protection, the board has a jumper for selecting the operating mode—or, more precisely, specifying the number of power modules. This may be because different modules require different voltage dividers for the shunt, but that's just a guess. The important thing is that even if you buy a lower-power load, you can add power modules later—they're sold separately: link.


You may also have noticed that the boards are square and have unusual contacts on the sides. That's a nod to Lego: the power boards can be connected on any side, so you can arrange them to fit your case.


In the full setup, there's naturally only one possible arrangement: the main board in the center, with the others on either side.


This is how the manufacturer envisions the complete unit. Though for some reason, they didn't show that the case needs ventilation holes—lots of ventilation holes.


The full version already includes a board for connecting power sources with USB outputs.
As before, there are four control buttons, but now they're in a row. In my opinion, an encoder would be much more convenient, but I don't know why they don't use one.


Of course, the load supports four-wire connections. I've talked about this many times before, so I won't repeat myself; I'll just say it's genuinely useful.


As before, a lot of attention is given to testing cells and battery packs. You can measure capacity, set automatic shutoff, and estimate internal resistance (with DC current).


With a single module, the connections are very simple: power, the source under test, and that's about it.

As before, four operating modes are supported:
1. Constant current (CC)
2. Constant resistance (CR)
3. Constant power (CP)
4. Constant voltage (CV)

I wonder if they fixed the CV mode or not...


They added an interesting feature: you can choose the minimum current measurement resolution, 1 or 10 mA. I don't know how they did it, but I hope they implemented it at the hardware level.



The menu has a ton of settings and protections, and, as usual, supports two languages: Chinese and English. The menu most likely mirrors the DL24 version.



As before, you can connect to and control it from a PC or smartphone via Bluetooth, though it looks like direct USB connectivity has been removed.
In any case, judging by the looks of it, the software is still as lackluster as it was a year ago, which is a shame.


For examples of how to use it, the manufacturer shows setups with both USB devices and power supplies, but I think you can imagine those without the examples.


Since the device has been on sale for a while, the product page also has customer setups. Here are just a few of them.


I read the reviews, and they're pretty much what you'd expect: some people can't figure out how to connect via Bluetooth, while others complain that there's no USB connection to a PC. But I did find one person who did a pretty good job of describing all the pros and cons (thanks to them), which are essentially much the same as those of the previous version.


That's all for now. I've shared everything I learned and understood from the description. Personally, I think it's an interesting idea, but what I liked more was that the display module is in a separate enclosure, since the power modules are probably easier to build yourself.
There's a sale on AliExpress right now, and the price seems pretty good. If you've been thinking about getting an electronic load, it's definitely worth considering.