Released in the late 1970s, the PSI 605 was Pasadena Scientific’s first production thermal transient test set for electro-explosive device testing. It established the basic thermal transient test method that later Pasadena Scientific systems continued to build on: applying a controlled current pulse to a bridgewire-type device and observing the resulting electrothermal response.

For more than two decades, the 605 served as a workhorse instrument for bridgewire, squib, and EED evaluation. It was used in engineering labs, production screening, and process development where nondestructive inspection of the bridgewire/explosive interface was required.

The 605 is a manually operated system with front-panel current adjustment, bridge balancing controls, one-shot or repetitive pulse modes, and oscilloscope trigger/output connections. When used with an external oscilloscope, it allows the operator to observe the characteristic thermal response curve and evaluate weld quality, loading conditions, interface defects, and other process-related abnormalities.

As a legacy product, the 605 remains an important part of Pasadena Scientific’s thermal transient test history and the foundation for later systems such as the 630 and 730.