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Programmable AC sources are evolving as their performance increases, and they add features. If you are in the market for an AC source for the first time in five or ten years, you will notice some significant differences.

Legacy Products EOL Announcement Offers Extensive Transition Period

Renewable energy continues gaining momentum. Of the 2.7% increase in U.S. electricity sales in 2022, nearly all of it came from solar and wind sources, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA). The organization estimates that renewable sources provided 22% of U.S. generation in 2022 and will provide 24% in 2023.¹

When choosing programmable AC sources and DC supplies, look beyond the headline specs, such as power and voltage, before purchasing. Choose a vendor who offers flexibility concerning interface options, software support, size and weight, output measurement capabilities, and environmental conditions.

Programmable AC power sources seem like straightforward components that you can integrate into a test system, but make sure not to overlook critical details before issuing a purchase order.

It wouldn't be bragging to say that we have a lot of experience with power supplies here at AMETEK Programmable Power. Many of our design and sales engineers have been with us for a long time, and we feel that really gives us an edge when it comes to helping you get the best product for your needs. Their extensive knowledge of our products and applications enable them to recommend just the right products, and you can feel confident in their recommendations.

The power supply may be one of the least-considered components of an electronic system. After all, how hard can it be to find the right power source for your system? You figure out how much current you need at the voltage your system will operate at, find a model that can supply that voltage and current in a catalog or on a website, then make the purchase.

Choosing the right power supply for your test system or application is no small task. Defining the power requirements for your application comes first, but this is only the beginning. Once you know the voltages and currents, you need to figure out how to power and control your source. There are several decisions that will need to be made.

Modern education and research are essential to creating the technology of the future. Good education creates the next wave of engineers and scientists, while research gives us all the tools and new scientific understanding to fuel our best designs.  

The wave of renewable energy is not coming – it is already here. Due to a mix of consumer and regulatory pressure, renewable energy is transforming the power and energy sector, creating new opportunities and challenges for design engineers.  

The right power supply can make all the difference. When you are creating a new product or setting up a test system, how you power your designs can have a major impact on their performance, efficiency and energy usage. Making the wrong choice can lead to: 

If you want to create next-level products in the military and aerospace sector, then you need better power and testing solutions. Only with the right power and test equipment can you respond to the industry’s rising demands with qualified products that meet performance and efficiency requirements, while also upholding government regulations.  

Performance. Reliance. Brilliance.

Inspired by the enduring power of a brilliant star, the California Instruments Asterion line of AC power sources by AMETEK Programmable Power combines intelligence and flexibility to create an advanced platform of AC solutions. This easy-to-configure design features sophisticated technology for delivering high performance, programmable AC and DC power. Its sleek design packs maximum power density into a low-profile form factor with an intuitive touch screen interface placing that power at your fingertips. Centralized control and unparalleled modularity make Asterion the most adaptable platform on the market. Its groundbreaking capabilities set the standard for affordable, precision power sources.

Creating a multi-phase system with single-phase Asterion AC power sources is simple, but there are several options available for control and communications. Configuring parallel groups of Asterion AC power sources is also straightforward. This technical note provides the required information to successfully configure your Asterion AC in multi-phase or parallel groups with the available communication options.

One feature that makes the California Instruments™ Asterion® AC Series power sources an ideal choice for sophisticated test applications is their ability to manage test waveforms. In addition to providing the three standard waveforms — sine wave, square wave, and clipped sine wave — the Asterion AC Series has an arbitrary waveform generator that allows you to create up to 200 different custom waveforms and download them into the power source memory.

The AMETEK Programmable Power AMECare® Reliability Assurance™ service level agreement (SLA) program is designed to provide “white glove” support for mission-critical power and test devices. It includes regular preventative maintenance, break-fix support, and legacy upgrades beginning with a product’s purchase and extending throughout its entire lifecycle.

Over the past 10-20 years, counterfeit electronic components have become a serious problem. Counterfeit components are parts that have somehow been misrepresented as to their origins or quality. Because counterfeit parts are often of lower quality than what are called “franchise” parts, they may represent a hazard if used in critical systems such as automobiles, aircraft of any kind, military equipment, or space vehicles.

Designing equipment to be operated onboard Navy vessels is not like designing a consumer product that plugs into a three-prong wall socket. That being said, it’s important to know the characteristics of the on-board power source and test to make sure that equipment can reliably use that power.

Testing AC power sources, such as uninterruptible power supplies, can be a real challenge. These products are often tested with resistive load banks, but this approach does not simulate real-world conditions such as switching DC/AC converters found in many AC powered products.  

AMETEK Programmable Power, the global leader in programmable AC and DC power test solutions, will be exhibiting at APEC 2019, which takes place this year from March 17 – 21 in Anaheim, CA at the Anaheim Convention Center. 

We have just added two new higher-power models to our Asterion™ line of AC power sources:

Aircraft electronics and other electrically-powered equipment must be tested under extreme power conditions to ensure it will operate reliably once in the air. In the military world, MIL-STD-704 (now up to rev. F), ‘Aircraft Electric Power Characteristics’, establishes the requirements and characteristics of aircraft electric power.

Power systems operate at frequencies of 50 or 60Hz, but some devices, including personal computers, printers, and some industrial equipment, present a non-linear load and create currents and voltages with frequencies at harmonic frequencies. These harmonics get fed back into the power system and can cause other devices connected to the power source to malfunction. There are several standards that specify the level of harmonics that a particular device can produce.

Low-level measurements are susceptible to noise from a number of different sources. 

The tests you run to ensure that airborne utilization equipment is compatible with an aircraft's power system are specified in a series of MIL-HDBKs, specifically MIL-HDBK-704-1 through MIL-HDBK-704-8. To run these tests, a sophisticated power source is essential to simulate various power conditions. In addition, you also need whatever equipment is required to monitor the unit under test (UUT) while running the test.

When installing an AMETEK Programmable Power power source, you must properly size the wires you use to connect the AC input power to the power source and the AC or DC output to the load. Selecting the right size gauge wire will ensure that your power source will operate efficiently and reliably.

To ensure that aircraft electronics and other electrically-powered equipment will operate reliably once in the air, you must test them under extreme power conditions. In the military world, MIL-STD-704 (now up to rev. F), “Aircraft Electric Power Characteristics,” establishes the requirements and characteristics of aircraft electric power.

Test costs can add considerably to overall manufacturing costs, especially when extensive testing is required. That's why it's important to keep test costs to a minimum. Reduced test costs translate to lower manufacturing costs. Modern power supplies, such as California Instruments' Asterion AC Series, have several features that can help you reduce test costs:

Many of AMETEK Programmable Power's AC power sources are designed to work as both standalone units and in multi-box configurations. The California Instruments iX Series AC/DC power sources, for example, includes independent 5 kVA power modules that can be combined into a number of configurations. You might use a single unit as a high-power, single-phase system or configure three units to form a medium-power, three-phase system. This modularity allows you to build a power system that meets your specific needs.

The Elgar GUPS Series of uninterruptible power supplies are ruggedized on-line UPSs that accept a broad range of worldwide utility and military AC input power. Without operator intervention, they automatically select the appropriate input power ranges to accommodate global operation. The batteries used in the GUPS Series units are a spiral wound, valve-regulated, lead-acid batteries. While the unit itself maximizes battery life with automatic, microprocessor-controlled equalization and temperature compensation during charging, there are steps that users can take to extend UPS battery life even more.

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.

To ensure that aircraft electronics and other electrically-powered equipment will operate reliably, you must test them under extreme power conditions. In the military world, MIL-STD-704 (now up to rev. F), “Aircraft Electric Power Characteristics,” establishes the requirements and characteristics of aircraft electric power. It deals strictly with power quality, and does not say anything about electromagnetic interference.

While switch-mode power supplies have many advantages, one of their disadvantages is that they are a non-linear load, and because of that can inject harmonic currents into the electrical distribution system. Devices with switching supplies include domestic appliances (TVs, microwave ovens, lighting equipment and dimmers), and office equipment (PCs, printers). Motor-driven equipment can also cause harmonic distortion.

The most common operating mode for AC power sources is to provide controlled power to electrical products under test. In this mode, the power source simply replaces utility-supplied AC line power, whether 120V-60Hz “North American type” power, 220/230V-50Hz used in most of Asia, South America and Europe, or 100V-50/60Hz used in Japan.

Many AC-powered products, such as switching power supplies and electronic lighting ballasts, draw high start-up currents to charge capacitive circuitry. Excessive inrush currents not only cause lights to flicker, but can also damage the unit. It's important, therefore, to be able to measure inrush currents to get a handle on this problem.

The crest factor of an AC current waveform is the ratio of waveform's peak value to its rms value:

Say that we have a circuit with a power supply and an inductive load on it. From the instant that electrical power is supplied to the circuit, the inductive load will accumulate stored energy. If an attempt is made to open the path with a switch, this energy will generate a high reverse voltage and arc across the contacts of the switch. This could damage the switch, load and other circuit components.