Keeping it simple, yes, that's desirable, but having the "feel" of a big knob (the last one had a 2"-diameter knob of the sort you find on a stereo amplifier, planetary gear and all) is a big plus. I'd like to be able to operate this thing by feel rather than having to look at the thing while I'm operating it.

That look and feel aspect is why I like TEKTRONIX oscilloscopes and have never liked HP models. Most of my test equipment is like that. I can operate my oscilloscope without having to look at the knobs and switches, and my generators are like that too. I have one later-model generator that uses pushbuttons and a display, and I can not operate it that way, having to give it my full attention. That's disruptive to the task at hand.

I know these things can be synthesized digitally, but that's not the "simple" way.

Yes, I have the NSC databooks and have seen the approach to which you refer. Those old NSC app-notes do tend to work, unlike the more recent ones from other vendors. My current set of NSC databooks goes back to 1977.

Pass transistors and over-current shutdown circuits are old-hat with me, as I've been providing them for some time. Generally, that involves a regulator with a pass transistor with a regulator controlling its base, and a couple of resistors in series, the second one controlling the base of the pass transistor, and the first controlling the current flow around the second in the event of an overload. When the current-limit transistor becomes active, the load is driven by the regulator without the aid of the pass transistor, which then allows the short-circuit current limit of the regulator to control the circuit. That, of course, doesn't provide the programmable current limit I'd like on each side of the bipolar supply, so it'll require some creative thinking, much of which I haven't done yet. That's why I'm looking for suggestions.

What I'm trying to create is a supply of the sort that hasn't been available since the early '80's, namely one that's controlled by analog means, and, likewise, displays its function in an analog fashion.

RE