Evaulation_Engineering_March_2020 - 12

POWER SUPPLIES/LOADS

Sponsored by
Elektro-Automatik

as it continually discharges (and charges
again) its battery."
Odhner said that at APEC, Keithley will
showcase its answers to problems in powersupply design like in situ double pulse characterization, wide-bandgap device testing,
and EMI compliance testing.
Odhner commented on challenges facing
customers. "Some of the major pain points
we have been hearing from our customers
have been related to form factors of power
supplies, especially in the validation and
production stages of the workflow," he
said. "Customers are also looking for more
density, better accuracy, modularity, and
better connectivity options. Cables and connections become a difficult thing to manage
when dealing a large number of test instruments in a confined space.
RIGOL offers products such as the
DP831A programmable DC power supply and the DL3031A electronic load.
"Engineers require more flexibility in their
power supplies and electronic loads," said
Chris Armstrong, director of product marketing. "New applications in IoT battery
simulation and testing require instrumentation to quickly and easily change modes
to replicate the effects on a battery of on
a device drawing power. RIGOL provides
power supplies and loads capable of advanced programming that gives designers better insight into the power requirements of their products, whether they are
in a design phase, manufacturing, or failure
analysis. RIGOL power instruments can
also be used with our power-analysis oscilloscopes to further analyze and capture
power conditions."
SIGLENT recently introduced the singlechannel SPD1305X power supply as well as
the SDL1000X and X-E Series of electronic
loads, according to Jason Chonko, applications marketing manager at SIGLENT
Technologies North America. When asked
about challenges that such instruments can
help customers meet, he said, "The biggest
technical hurdle is creating a design with
fast rise/fall times and rock-solid stability
while creating an easy-to-use programming
interface. Electronic loads should easily
allow a user to create complex charge/discharge sequences as well as simulate faults
in order to fully test complex battery and
charging systems."

EVALUATION ENGINEERING MARCH 2020

Vitrek DL Series digital programmable DC load.

Chonko added, "In 2019, our electronicload applications focused around battery
testing as well as battery charger characterization. An electronic load can test
batteries, but it is also an excellent tool for
exercising battery-charger designs as well
as testing overlimit conditions for safety
ratings."
Vitrek has introduced the DL Series digital programmable DC loads, designed to
support the testing requirements for the
latest generation of off-line power supplies,
DC/DC converters, and LED drivers. The
DL Series is also equipped to handle a
range of battery testing requirements. The
devices are offered in three power ratings
(125 W, 250 W, and 500 W), each with input
voltages of 0 to 150 V or 0 to 500 V.
According to Chad Clark, sales manager at
Vitrek, "Programmable electronic loads with
increased transient loading capabilities are
required to accurately test performance of
power converters using high-speed (GaN and
SiC) switching devices." He continued, "DSP
technology provides exceptional flexibility
and performance. High-resolution touchscreen displays are a hallmark of Vitrek
instruments."
Clark noted that at APEC, Vitrek will
exhibit its DL Series loads as well as the
company's power analyzers and electrical
safety (hipot) testers.
B&K Precision offers power supplies and
electronic loads for general electronic test
applications, according to David Holt, senior
director of product management and sales.
"We also provide power supplies addressing
specific applications, such as our PVS Series
with a built-in SAS (Solar Array Simulation)
function and the 9115-AT model, which is
capable of generating automotive power

test waveforms compliant to DIN 40839 and
ISO 16750-2 standards to simulate common
test conditions for electrical and electronic
devices installed in automobiles," he said.
"All of our programmable AC sources can
simulate grid faults, voltage dips, and other
power-line disturbances."
He added that recently the company upgraded the 8500 Series DC electronic loads
to the new 8500B Series. "The 8500B Series
improves on all aspects of its predecessor while maintaining dependability at a
value price point," he said. "The new 1696B
Series of 200-W DC power supplies feature
improvements to the list mode, basic SCPI
commands, and protections, all based on
customer feedback."
B&K Precision also offers the 1680 fixedoutput supply, delivering 13.8 VDC at 6 A
peak and 4 A continuous. "The low ripple
and noise, foldback current protection, and
reasonably priced MSRP of $78, make this
product perfect for automotive applications," Holt said.

PXI and rackmount
Marvin Test Solutions offers the GX3104
4-channel PXI SMU. "The GX3104 is a precision 3U PXI module that forces and senses
both voltage and current over a range of ±20
V and up to ± 1 A (channel 1) with channels 2 through 4 capable of supplying up
to 500 mA per channel," said Jon Semancik,
marketing director. He explained that total
available output current from the module is
1 A and that the four channels are electrically isolated from the PXI power supply
and share a common, isolated ground.
The GX3104 employs 18-bit DACs for the
sourcing of voltage and current, he said,
adding that seven current ranges extend
from ±2.5 µA FS to ±1 A FS. "Measurements
employ a 24-bit ADC with programmable
resolution from 18 to 24 bits," he said. "Each
output channel includes SMU output connections, Kelvin (sense) connections, and a
driven guard connection for low-level current
measurements."
Semancik also commented on the company's GX1838 precision DC source PXI
card. "The GX1838 is a multichannel programmable DC source providing multiple
discrete outputs for avionics, automotive,
industrial testing, and other ATE applications," he said. "The GX1838 provides eight

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