Test method for programmable DC power supply efficiency
Our work and life are inseparable from DC power supply, and programmable DC power supply is one of them. During the design of programmable DC power supply prototype board and the debugging process of programmable DC power supply, programmable DC power supply engineers can accurately evaluate the power and efficiency. Locate the main power loss points, replace components or change the topology to improve the efficiency of the programmable DC power supply. So what are the testing methods for the efficiency of programmable DC power supplies?
Testing of input programmable DC power quality
Because the input voltage and current waveforms are not exactly the same, prototype testing requires testing of the input programmable DC power quality.
During the debugging phase of programmable DC power supply design, an oscilloscope needs to be used to capture and analyze signals. How can we use an oscilloscope and voltage and current probes to improve test accuracy and stability?
Active component measurements: switching devices
Transistor switching circuits typically consume maximum energy during the switching process because circuit parasitics prevent the device from switching immediately. "Turn-off loss" refers to the energy lost when the switching device switches from ON to OFF, and "start-up loss" refers to the energy lost when the switching device switches from OFF to ON.
Passive component measurements: magnetic components
Passive components are components that do not amplify or switch signals. Programmable DC power supplies use a full range of passive components such as resistors and capacitors, but from a measurement perspective the main focus is on magnetic components (magnetic devices), especially inductors and transformers. Both inductors and transformers consist of an iron core with several turns of copper wire wrapped around it. The impedance of the inductor increases with frequency, blocking higher frequencies more than lower frequencies, so it is suitable for filtering the current input and output of the programmable DC power supply. Some of the metrics that help determine the performance of programmable DC power supplies.
