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10 Tips to Enhance DC Power Testing and Analysis
1. PROGRAM YOUR POWER SUPPLY CORRECTLY TO OPERATE IN CONSTANT 1VOLTAGE OR CONSTANT CURRENT MODE
Constant Voltage: Default operating mode for most power supplies when output is regulating at voltage setting
Constant Current: Power supply switches to CC mode when output is regulating at current limit setting
2. USE REMOTE SENSE TO REGULATE VOLTAGE AT YOUR LOAD
Output leads can cause a significant voltage drop affecting the voltage across the load.
3. USE YOUR POWER SUPPLY TO MEASURE DUT CURRENT
A power supply often has enough accuracy to measure a DUTs current eliminating the need for an additional DMM
4. CONNECT POWER SUPPLY OUTPUTS IN SERIES OR PARALLEL FOR MORE POWER
You can connect two or more power supply outputs in series to get more voltage, or connect outputs in parallel to get more current.
5. MINIMIZE NOISE FROM YOUR POWER SUPPLY 5 TO YOUR DUT
Start at the Source - Choose a power supply that has low noise
This can be achieved through a typical linear supply or a performance switching supply
SHIELD SUPPLY-TO-DUT CONNECTIONS: The most effective way to remove noise is to ensure your load and sense connections use shielded two-wire cables.
BALANCE OUTPUT-TO-GROUND IMPEDANCE: Use a common-mode choke in series with the output leads and a shunt capacitor from each lead to ground to accomplish this task.
6. SAFEGUARD YOUR DUT USING BUILT-IN POWER SUPPLY PROTECTION FEATURES
Most DC power supplies have features that protect sensitive DUTs and circuitry from exposure to potentially damaging voltage or current. The most common are:
OVER-VOLTAGE PROTECTION: OVP is a value set in volts designed to protect your DUT from excessive voltage. When the power supply output voltage exceeds your OVP setting, the protection will trip and turn off the output.
OVER-CURRENT PROTECTION: OCP shuts off the output to prevent excessive current flow to the DUT
7. USE OUTPUT RELAYS TO PHYSICALLY DISCONNECT YOUR DUT
In critical applications where you need to ensure there is no current flowing to or from your DUT you will need to physically disconnect your DUT.
When available, built-in output disconnect relays provide these advantages over external relays
8. CAPTURE DYNAMIC WAVEFORMS USING A POWER SUPPLY’S BUILT-IN DIGITIZER
When you make a digitizing measurement, you can set two of the following three parameters:
TIME INTERVAL: Time between samples
NUMBER OF SAMPLES: Total number of samples you want to take
ACQUISITION TIME: Total time during which you want to take samples
9. CREATE TIME-VARYING VOLTAGES USING POWER SUPPLY LIST MODE
The list mode on a power supply can be an effective tool for running two types of tests:
VOLTAGE SEQUENCE TEST: A test where measurements are taken while the DUT is exposed to discrete stimulus voltage values
VOLTAGE WAVEFORM TEST: A test where measurements are taken while the DUT is exposed to a stimulus voltage waveform
10. CONTROL INSTRUMENTS, AUTOMATE TESTS AND PERFORM ANALYSIS WITH SOFTWARE
CONTROL INSTRUMENTS: Easily connect, record results, and visualize measurements across multiple instruments simultaneously
AUTOMATE TEST SEQUENCES: Rapidly build custom sequences to quickly create tests that used to require days of traditional programming.
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