AMETEK Programmable Power
Get the Most Out of Your Application
Choosing the right programmable power supply is critical to getting the most out of your application or test system. You can only enable higher system performance and efficiency, easier product validation and regulatory compliance, and faster go-to-market timelines by making the right power supply selection. That is why the right power supply selection will be one of the most defining choices you make regarding the success of your products.
With such a heavy value placed on power, it is essential to know that power systems and power supplies are not a “one-size-fits-all” solution. Failing to select a suitable power supply unit can lead to:
■ Performance losses
■ Cost inefficiencies
■ Delayed production/development timelines
■ Unoptimized or noncompliant designs
However, a thorough approach to power selection can avoid all the above issues. This web page will detail modern advancements in power supplies, the importance of power systems, and how to get the right solution based on your specific application. It’s based on our eBook, Selecting the Right Programmable Power Solution
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About the Authors
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Jeff Brakley
Senior Product Line Manager
John Hernandez
Senior Product Line Manager
As technology advances, so must the power supplies that fuel that change. Whether you are directly powering a new product or powering the test systems used to validate the design, advanced power supplies allow engineers to bring innovative products to life.
In this way, power supplies and the systems they power mutually build off one another. Advanced power supplies that do not fit the needs of new products or systems essentially have no practical purpose. That is why more recent programmable power supply designs are directly influenced and led by the evolving needs of modern industry.
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One significant trend is miniaturization, which involves designing smaller and more compact power supplies that can deliver greater power output. This advancement allows engineers to reduce the size and weight of their products or increase power output without increasing the power supply volume. Research on gallium nitride (GaN) field-effect transistors and silicon carbide transistors is driving this miniaturization movement, leading to improved power efficiency.
Precision power supply is essential for applications that require specific and accurate power levels. For instance, in medical device testing or building lasers and high-energy tools, it is crucial to provide the right amount of power without overshooting or causing inefficiencies or equipment damage. Precision power supply ensures optimal power delivery for devices and systems, maximizing performance and safety.
While there is no universal solution for every device, programmable power supplies can be programmed to have different power outputs, making them versatile across multiple products and testing environments. This flexibility allows for changes and modifications in power output as products evolve, without the need for an entirely new power supply. AC and DC programmable power supplies offer adjustable electrical characteristics such as voltage, current, and frequency, enabling fine-tuning during operation. Modular power supply designs further enhance flexibility and compatibility with various power systems.
Regenerative power supplies represent a significant shift from traditional power supplies. They can be both power supply and electronic load, making them crucial for applications that prioritize energy storage and efficiency. Regenerative power supplies help maintain consistent power sources while reducing energy waste, leading to more renewable power supplies. Additionally, they safely return operational heat energy to the grid, eliminating the costs associated with heat management in unidirectional power supplies.
Advanced testing is another trend that complements power supply development. Accurate measuring equipment enables close monitoring of electrical environments during testing, ensuring the dependability of designs. Repeatable and consistent testing is essential to mitigate risks. Automatic and flexible test equipment enhances usability, allowing for quick adaptation to different testing requirements. The modularity and automation of test equipment simplify the validation process for power-related designs.
Overall, these trends in programmable power supply development, including miniaturization, precision power, programmability, modularity, regenerative capabilities, and advanced testing, are shaping the power supplies of the future, enabling greater efficiency, adaptability, and sustainability in various applications.
When looking for the right programmable power supply, the first thing that you must do is determine what outputs you need. Do you require a DC output, an AC output, or both? It would be best to balance properties such as output voltage, current, and power factor to find the right solution for your requirements.
This webpage will not get into the fine details of the right programmable power supply design, instead focusing on overall power systems, applications and total power solutions. For more detailed considerations, specifically on power supply design, look at AMETEK Programmable Power’s Buyer’s Guide.
This application note discusses the use of programmable sources and loads in boosting the development of microinverters and electric vehicle (EV) projects in the context of renewable energy. The global market for microinverters is expected to reach $13.5 billion by 2030, while the solar EV charging market is forecasted to reach $330.9 million by 2031. Testing PV inverters presents challenges, as their characteristics require specialized equipment. A programmable DC power supply is needed to simulate the output characteristics of solar cells accurately, and a solar-array simulator must exercise the inverter's maximum power point tracking (MPPT) capability. Additionally, an inverter test system requires a regenerative programmable AC power source to act as a grid simulator.
One renewable energy provider partnered with AMETEK Programmable Power for pre-compliance testing of a solar microinverter and battery-storage infrastructure and establishing a functional and production test facility for microinverters. AMETEK Programmable Power's products, such as the TerraSAS PV simulators, the MX Series, and Sequoia regenerative programmable AC sources, were chosen for their capabilities and support. The Sequoia source offered benefits like higher output voltage ratings, resistive, inductive, and capacitive (RLC) load emulation, and external drive features. AMETEK Programmable Power's solutions met the company's needs and helped it transition from legacy equipment.
Furthermore, the company aimed to enter the electric vehicle service equipment (EVSE) market and required flexible test equipment to address the components and subsystems of the EVSE energy ecosystem. AMETEK Programmable Power's Sequoia sources were chosen for their ability to serve as EV emulators and grid simulators, offering flexibility as testing requirements evolve.
With its product quality and application expertise, AMETEK Programmable Power is well-suited to support renewable energy products. The company offers a range of standard products and customized solutions to meet specific power supply needs.
Optimizing power designs requires a system-level approach rather than solely focusing on the power supply component. Considering other design elements is crucial to avoid performance, efficiency, and testing issues that can lead to product failures. Just as an engine is only as good as the other components in a car, the power supply alone cannot deliver optimal results without considering the integrated system.
Even with the above, system developers do not have everything they need to specify their power and test systems fully. Power supplies only handle the “input” of the system. It would be best if you also had the following:
■ Electronic loads and load simulation
■ Measurement and diagnostic systems
■ Environment-simulating devices and external stimulus systems
It is essential to partner with a power and test expert that goes beyond simply providing a power supply.
Capacitor banks, heat sinks, circuit breakers, electronic loads – all of these components are utilized along with power supplies to achieve a complete power solution. That is why it is essential to partner with a power and test expert that goes beyond simply providing a power supply. Having the knowledge and experience to know when you only need a power supply versus when you need a system-level approach to power can mean the difference between delayed development timelines and a successful product launch.
With all that goes into specifying a power system, trusting your supplier is key. The right power and test partner will have a good track record of quality power and testing products and the ingenuity to design a unique power system for your application’s specific needs. You should not need to become a power system design expert yourself. When a good supplier understands your application, you can trust them to “own the design” of your power solution. That way, you can keep your engineers and system developers focused on your products rather than worrying about power supplies and test systems.
The right power and test partner will have a good track record of quality power and testing products and the ingenuity to design a unique power system for your application’s specific needs.
This application note highlights a European non-university research institute's initiative to develop an efficient, ultrafast short-term energy-storage scheme for solar power systems. The goal is to address the challenges of power fluctuations caused by cloud movements and other factors affecting solar-array irradiance, ultimately providing a steady flow of grid-quality renewable power. The institute required a test system with a programmable DC power supply to simulate the characteristic curve of PV modules' outputs to achieve this.
The institute chose AMETEK Programmable Power's TerraSAS for the task. TerraSAS is designed to emulate the dynamic electrical behavior of a terrestrial PV solar array and offers low output capacitance and high closed-loop bandwidth to keep up with advanced maximum power point tracking (MPPT) algorithms. With TerraSAS, the institute successfully concluded a multi-year laboratory development phase and is now preparing to demonstrate its ultracapacitor system under real-world conditions.
Testing renewable energy equipment like the ultracapacitor system demands high performance and flexibility from programmable-power systems. AMETEK Programmable Power provides a range of catalog and custom-engineered products to meet renewable energy testing needs, and their team can collaborate with customers to provide the right programmable power supply for various renewable energy applications.
Solar energy is experiencing significant growth worldwide, and efforts to convert fundamental research into practical applications are driving its success. Research institutes and companies like AMETEK Programmable Power contribute to the advancement and efficiency of solar power systems, paving the way for a sustainable and renewable energy future by addressing challenges related to power fluctuations and energy storage.
While countless operations and systems require power, most applications can be broken down into one of three main types: emulation, stimulus and process applications. Each type has its own typical needs and power requirements.
Emulation applications involve simulating a power source or load to test a product. Here, power supplies or electronic loads mimic a solar panel or a battery in a testing environment. That way, engineers can validate their product and system, given the properties of these emulated sources.
One example of a device used in emulation applications is a solar array simulator (SAS). These power supplies simulate the power you would get from a solar array. Solar array simulators allow for more efficient and cost-effective ground-based testing when testing out the power environment of a spacecraft or another solar-powered piece of equipment.
When talking about simulating solar arrays and other alternative energy sources, key characteristics to consider for your power simulation system include:
■ Peak power tracking accuracy
■ Peak power tracking speed
■ PV array modeling
■ Automated test support
Solar array simulators allow for more efficient and cost-effective ground-based testing when testing out the power environment of a spacecraft or another solar-powered piece of equipment.
Another example of a power supply used in an emulation application is the battery string simulator (BSS). The battery string simulator (BSS) is a power supply used for emulation applications, providing safe and reliable battery power for testing spacecraft and demanding scenarios. It operates in static and dynamic modes, instantly producing terminal voltage in the static mode and adjusting voltage by charging and discharging energies in the dynamic mode. This allows engineers to easily simulate charged or discharged batteries, saving testing time. Engineers and developers looking to simulate batteries and other types of energy storage will primarily be concerned with:
■ Constant voltage, power, current and resistance modes
■ Ultra-low-voltage operations
■ Sequence simulation
■ Continuous, pulsed, and toggled transient simulation
■ Programmable slew rate simulation
In basic terms, a stimulus application is where you attempt to stimulate a load to do something in response to the input from a power supply. This is typically done in testing environments. Stimulus applications deal with a wide range of precision AC and DC power sources and eLoads. Used across virtually all power and test operations, stimulus applications are vital to the following industries:
Automotive and Transportation: Every new vehicle that hopes to hit the road relies on power supplies for countless product tests during manufacturing. Tier One automotive suppliers, in particular, require fast production speed without compromising quality. Automotive research and development labs use power supplies for electronic integration and margin testing. Researchers require power supplies with high precision, flexibility and programmability.
Commercial/Industrial: During the development cycle, commercial and industrial R&D labs utilize power supplies for margin and integration testing of materials, electronics, and electrical devices. Programmable power supplies are also used to power factory end-of-line tests to increase throughput.
Energy and Power Generation: Programmable power supplies need to be ready to provide flexible standard or engineered solutions to serve the testing needs of emerging renewable-energy power-generation applications while continuing to support conventional power-generation systems.
Aerospace and Defense: Programmable power supplies are the go-to choice for simulating the unique power conditions found in space. Power systems and components must perform flawlessly, even when exposed to electromagnetic fields. And, electrical testing is crucial to military environments. To keep military electronics working, programmable power supplies are part of the automatic test equipment used for electronics repair in military depots.
On the electronic load side of stimulus power and testing, system developers will often need to consider:
■ Non-linear loads
■ Short circuits
■ High crest and variable power factor simulation
■ High peak current and low power factor simulation
■ Ultra-low-voltage operations
■ Constant voltage, power, current and resistance modes
■ Sequence simulation
■ Continuous, pulsed, and toggled transient simulation
■ Programmable slew rate simulation
Process applications require precise control over power systems to transform products effectively. System developers in these applications must prioritize external simulation to ensure reliable operation and eliminate early failures. In semiconductor processes, tight control is crucial for producing high-quality devices. Process monitoring is a key power application in semiconductor processes, allowing developers to detect and address issues at an early stage. Real-time control and adjustments are often necessary for demanding process applications. Power supplies for process monitoring must offer high accuracy and precision, utilizing isolated and/or non-isolated analog inputs to control power output for hardware-in-the-loop (HiL) applications.
Other process power applications include:
■ Precision reactor heating
■ Oil exploration/recovery
■ Accelerator magnets
■ Power safety systems
One system that is critical to process power is the energy absorber test system. This integrated system includes multiple DC power supplies operating in a Leader/Follower configuration. In addition to the power supplies, the system also offers:
■ An AC distribution and interlock system
■ A regenerative energy absorber chassis
■ An absorber load resistor chassis
The current monitoring of the power supplies indicates their output current. This ensures that the system's current readback is available separately and free of additional error sources. No regenerative current is conducted through the power supplies due to a blocking diode in the energy absorber chassis.
Oil-field services companies operate in a dynamic and unpredictable market influenced by geopolitical events, technological advancements, and fluctuating demand and prices. The Permian basin in Texas and New Mexico exemplifies the volatility of the oil industry. Oil production in the region declined when prices dropped below profitability thresholds. However, a renewed focus has been on increasing production in the Permian basin, prompting the need for equipment upgrades.
One oil-field services company turned to AMETEK Programmable Power to replace their aging AC sources used in downhole tooling for drilling operations. AMETEK Programmable Power worked closely with the company's engineering team over several years to plan a seamless transition to newer models. The sales team highlighted the advantages of the Asterion AC programmable sources, such as higher power density, improved interfaces, and enhanced software flexibility.
The company chose the Asterion AC models, specifically the AST 1501 and AST 3003, which offer superior performance compared to the legacy sources. The new models feature a touchscreen and encoder interfaces, providing easy access to programming parameters, control interfaces, and measurement results. The Asterion AC Virtual Panels graphical user interface allows remote control of the sources from a host computer. The models also incorporate AMETEK Programmable Power's iX2 current-doubling constant-power technology, ensuring a consistent output-power characteristic across various operating conditions.
The company plans to upgrade approximately 500 systems in various locations for its production expansion. AMETEK Programmable Power offers support and reliable, high-performance solutions to meet the evolving needs of the oil services industry. As market conditions change, AMETEK Programmable Power remains committed to helping companies expand their production capacity and upgrade their equipment to ensure the reliability and performance of their systems.
AMETEK Programmable Power offers a full suite of power supplies, electronic loads, and other power and test components. Power supplies and test systems come standard or custom for full design flexibility. All products focus on modularity and precision programmable power for optimized power systems. AMETEK Programmable Power’s industry-leading products include:
The California Instruments Asterion AC power sources cover a diverse range of applications, with a product line spanning from 500VA to 36kVA, catering to compliance test systems, rack-mounted industrial power subsystems, and beyond.
Catering to a wide range of industrial segments, the Sorensen Asterion DC Series is a product line that includes benchtop supplies, modular power supplies, and rack-mounted industrial power subsystems.
Sequoia and Tahoe Series
The California Instruments Sequoia Series combines intelligence and flexibility with high power to create an advanced platform of AC solutions.
The California Instruments Tahoe Series combines intelligence and flexibility with high power to create an advanced platform of AC solutions.
The California Instruments Tahoe Series combines intelligence and flexibility with high power to create an advanced platform of AC solutions.
The emergence of "new space" companies, characterized by their focus on low costs, fast turnaround times, and entrepreneurial approaches, has disrupted the traditional dominance of governments and established aerospace contractors in the space industry. With its experience in serving the "old space" community, AMETEK Programmable Power has adapted to support these new players in the industry.
A new space company recently turned to AMETEK Programmable Power for programmable-power products for various initiatives. One specific requirement was a flexible solution for designing and validating the power distribution network of a spacecraft. The company chose two 20-channel racks of equipment based on the Fast Profiling Current Source (FPCS), a fundamental component of the Elgar Solar Array Simulator (SAS). The FPCS accurately simulates the output characteristics of a satellite's solar array, allowing for independent programmable control of each channel's output current-voltage (I-V) profile. The configuration was customized to meet the company's specific requirements, with an output power of 900 W per channel and an output voltage of 220 V.
AMETEK Programmable Power's experience in solar and space applications enabled effective communication and understanding of the company's needs. The company's lack of experience compared to traditional space players highlights the importance of standards, procedures, and expertise. AMETEK Programmable Power and its partners are well-equipped to guide new space companies in selecting flexible and reliable test systems, whether from their catalog or through custom-engineered solutions, that will meet their requirements for years. AMETEK Programmable Power is committed to supporting new space ventures and providing optimized solutions for their diverse applications.
Experience the ultimate power solutions tailored precisely to your needs. As a global leader in electronic instruments and power systems, AMETEK Programmable Power specializes in pioneering highly differentiated power and testing equipment for the most groundbreaking products around the globe. In fact, customers from multiple disciplines and hundreds of companies worldwide trust our expertise for projects ranging from a single power supply to meticulously engineered systems.
As your trusted power partner, AMETEK Programmable Power offers expert resources to ensure you find the perfect solution. Our teams of expert engineers and visionary systems designers are deeply engaged and responsive to your needs and committed to high quality standards.
By “owning the design” of your power system, AMETEK Programmable Power can fully handle all power integrations, ensuring that all your instruments work together as a unified system. This begins with our focus on modularity, which leads to a solution that overcomes integration challenges. The result is a harmonized, unified system more significant in total than the sum of its parts.
Worldwide locations. Dedicated staff with decades of industry-leading proficiency. Experience in every major industry and application. Our engineers and power system designers have overcome so many challenges, allowing us to quickly arrive at the right solution for your application.
Find industry-leading technology, turnkey solutions, and unparalleled engineering expertise at AMETEK Programmable Power. Count on us as your one-stop shop for all your power and test needs.
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