In Part I, we introduced you to the concept of testing equipment for immunity to voltage dips and short power interruptions in accordance with IEC 61000-4-111. In addition to specifying the test waveforms, the standard also specifies AC source requirements for full compliance testing.

Mains voltage dips and short interruptions can be caused by a wide variety of phenomena and can cause equipment to operate unreliability, and in some cases, can damage the equipment. Faulty loads on an adjacent branch circuit, for example, can cause a circuit breaker to trip, and high-power loads such as welders, motors and electric heaters can cause voltage variations. Natural events, such as power lines downed by storms or lightning strikes, may also disrupt mains power.

Programmable AC power sources are primarily used to provide a low distortion, precisely controlled sinusoidal voltage to a unit under test, but some AC sources, such as the California Instruments I-iX Series II, perform measurements as well. Part 1 describes the benefits of using sources for measurement and how to make voltage and current measurements. Part 2 describes how to make frequency and power measurements. In Part 3, we'll discuss how to make power factor and crest factor measurements using an AC power source.

Programmable AC power sources are primarily used to provide a low distortion, precisely controlled sinusoidal voltage to a unit under test, but some AC sources, such as the California Instruments I-iX Series II, perform measurements as well. Part 1 describes the benefits of using sources for measurement and how to make voltage and current measurements. In Part 2, we'll discuss how to make frequency and power measurements.

The California Instruments iX Series AC/DC Power Source / Analyzer delivers AC, DC, and AC+DC, transient waveforms and performs complex power measurements. While the standard frequency range of the iX Series is 16-500 Hz, it can deliver AC power at up to 1,000 Hz. Many applications, including commercial and military avionics testing, require an output frequency of 800 Hz. The avionics test standards that specify tests at this frequency include:

Programmable AC power sources are primarily used to provide a low distortion, precisely controlled sinusoidal voltage to a unit under test. Increasingly, however, AC sources, such as the California Instruments I-iX Series II, are being used to perform measurements as well. The tight integration between AC source (stimulus) and measurements (response) provides several benefits:

Providing AC power to your AMETEK Programmable Power source can be confusing. The reason for this is that there are several different configurations for three-phase power. What you first need to do is to identifying the different power configurations that may be in your facility and then decide how to connect it to your power source.

At AMETEK Programmable Power, we are committed to helping you select the best AC power source for your test system, even if you're not currently an expert on AC power. The first thing that you need to know are the terms used by AC power engineers. Below, you'll find definitions for the three most basic AC power terms you'll need to know: true power, apparent power, and power factor.

The nature of the load that will be connected to the AC power source is very important in determining the correct type of supply. Generally loads can be classified as linear or non-linear. Linear loads consist exclusively of reactive, inductive or resistive components and can thus be modeled as an LCR network.