AMETEK Multiple Output DC Supplies Combine Flexibility and Power Density Installation Guide
- June 4, 2024
- AMETEK
Table of Contents
AMETEK Multiple Output DC Supplies Combine Flexibility and Power Density
- AMETEK Programmable Power’s two new series of multiple-output DC programmable power supplies are designed to address the needs of a wide range of applications, such as military and aerospace test, printed circuit board assembly (PCBA) test, automotive test, telecommunications test, semiconductor test, and process-control applications. The new products include the Sorensen™ Asterion® DC ASA and Sorensen™ Asterion® DC ASM Series, which fit in a 1U-high chassis and provide as many as three independent isolated outputs.
- The 1U form factor saves space in ATE applications, while the multiple voltages support applications such as functional PCBA test as well as burn-in and environmental test.
- The Asterion DC ASA Series features autoranging outputs in which maximum output voltage varies inversely with maximum output current to maintain a constant-power characteristic.
- The autoranging feature provides maximum flexibility for ATE systems, in which your required maximum voltage and current ratings may change with successive types of devices under test. The four available output channels in the ASA Series follow a 600W I-V curve, with maximum ratings per channel of 60V at 42A, 80V at 22A, 200V at 17A, or 400V at 6A, with the three-output supply offering 1,800W total output power.
The ASA Series includes four models that follow a 600W I-V curve per channel.
In contrast, the Asterion DC ASM Series features three independent, isolated
rectangular output channels. However, the ASM Series does offer higher power
ratings at 1,700W per channel for a total output of 5,100W for a three-channel
supply in a 1U chassis. The ASM Series has eight channel configurations
offering fixed voltage and current ratings ranging from 40V at 42A to 400V at
4.3A .
ASM Series are available in eight configurations offering fixed voltage and
current ratings.
Specific Applications
- Specific customers using the new supplies include a prime contractor who was awarded an Air Force engineering and manufacturing development contract for a new long-range missile system.
- Over the course of the multi-year, billion-dollar-plus contract, the customer will require a variety of AC and DC Asterion programmable power supplies.
- The customer has already purchased several Asterion supplies, including models in the ASA Series.
- Key selling points included the ability to combine two ASA units to provide six isolated supplies in a 2U rack height, providing considerable space savings in its test systems. In addition, the customer cited AMETEK Programmable Power’s reputation for long-term support.
- The customer also noted that the Asterion line is in the early stages of its lifecycle, whereas competitors are offering legacy models that are nearing end of life. The customer plans to purchase more Asterion supplies over the life of its Air Force contract.
- Another customer in the aerospace industry purchased several ASA models after evaluating a demonstration unit and close consultation with AMETEK Programmable Power’s sales and applications teams.
- The customer will use the supplies in new automated test systems. The customer cited the ability to fit the six supply channels required for each test system into a 2U rack height.
- This customer also noted that the ASA is at the early stages of its lifecycle and that AMETEK Programmable Power has a history of years of comprehensive support.
- The customer has also added the ASA Series to their common acquisition list to support global locations.
Local and Remote Control
Customers can take advantage of many features of the ASA and ASM Series to
optimize their applications for either
local or remote control. For local operation, a front-panel touchscreen and an
encoder selector button allow users to control output parameters,
measurements, configurations, and system settings.
The ASA (pictured) and ASM Series include a touchscreen, rotary encoder,
and LEDs. From the home screen, you can navigate to several top-level menus.
Dashboard, for example, allows you to change output parameters and view output
measurements for each channel.
This Dashboard top-level menu shows parameters for each channel with
channel 1 highlighted. The Output Program menu provides for the setting of
voltage, current, power, regulation mode, output state, and overvoltage-
protection (OVP) level for each channel, while the Measurement menu provides
the current values of those parameters, states, and modes for each channel.
Other top-level menus include Configuration, which provides for the setup of
power-on states and user V/I limits; and System Settings, which displays
firmware versions and last calibration date and controls display brightness
and timeout. The front panel also includes LEDs that indicate each channel’s
on/off status and signal internal fault conditions that result in supply
output shutdown.
Yet another front-panel LED indicates when the supply is under analog or
digital remote control via rear-panel connections. You can set up the remote
interfaces using the Control Interface top-level menu, which lets you choose
which interface to use and allows you to enter relevant settings.
The ASA (pictured) and ASM Series rear panel provides access to analog and
digital interfaces.
If you are using the optional isolated analog programming interfaces, the
Control Interface menu allows you to specify whether you are using a voltage
or resistance source, and you can choose full-scale voltage from 5V to 10V or
full-scale resistance from 5kΩ to 10kΩ. The analog interface also provides
monitor signals, with the default values of 0V to 10V corresponding to 0% to
100% of full-scale output voltage and current.
Digital interfaces include LAN, RS-232C, and USB 2.0 with an IEEE-488
interface optional. For RS-232C, for example, you can use the Control
Interface menu to set baud rate, number of bits, number of stop bits, and
parity. If you choose LAN, you can access settings such as IP address and
gateway address and specify whether to enable Dynamic Host Configuration
Protocol (DHCP) using the Control Interface menu.
The Control Interface provides access to LAN settings.
- For USB, you can use the Control Interface menu view the configured baud rate, and for GPIB, you can set the IEEE-488 address and specify whether the supply should send a power-on service request to the host computer. Once a digital interface is set up, users can control outputs and settings remotely on a computer screen via the Asterion DC Virtual Panels™ GUI.
- Programmable functions for the ASA and ASM Series include on/off delays, voltage and current ramps, and sequencing. On/off delays are useful for devices under test such as PCBAs that require multiple voltage sources that turn on and off at different times. ASA and ASM models support delays from 0.1s to 100s, which are programmable via the Configure Delay top-level menu or by remote control.
- Voltage and current ramps are programmable with dwell times from 1ms to 9,999s. You can program them via the Ramp top-level menu or remotely. The Virtual Panel segment shows channel 1 programmed to ramp from 0V to 32V in 12s in response to a hardware trigger and channel 2 programmed to ramp from 0V to 180V in 15s in response to a software trigger.
This segment of a Virtual Panels display shows ramp programming for
channels 1 and 2.
**Sequencing
**
- If you are using a remote digital interface, you have access to sequencing, which is not supported from the front panel. The ASA and ASM Series can store 50 sequences of up to 20 commands each. Sequences can be made up of an extensive list of step and ramp functions as well as looping and go-to commands. One sequence may call another as a subroutine.
Consider this SCPI code segment for a sequence named SEQ1 (other necessary
commands such as reset and memory allocation are omitted here for brevity):
The output characteristic resulting from this sequence. After the STOP
command, the unit remains at the state set by the last command within the
sequence.
The sample code segment named SEQ1 generates this response.
Now consider this segment of a second sequence named SEQ2:
The output characteristic resulting from this sequence. Note that this
segment ends with a RETURN command instead of STOP. If SEQ2 runs directly,
RETURN acts as a STOP command. However, if SEQ2 runs as a subroutine, the
RETURN command returns control to the calling sequence.
To demonstrate how subroutine calls work, we can delete sequence 1 and
rewrite it as follows, noting the line with the SUBCALL command:
Running SEQ1 with this change results in the output characteristic. Note
that if a PAUSE command preceded the STOP command in this new SEQ1, the supply
channel would maintain its 4V level after the sequence stops.
SEQ1 calling SEQ2 as a subroutine generates this response.
Although a single sequence is limited to 20 steps, the SUBCALL command
effectively enables longer sequences: one 20-step sequence can call another.
In addition, the GOTO command enables an infinite loop of repeating functions.
Consider this code segment:
This segment generates a square wave that loops indefinitely. The Sorensen
Asterion Multioutput Series Programming Manual provides full details on all
available commands and their use.
Conclusion
The Asterion DC ASA and ASM Series represent a new generation of programmable
DC power supplies that customers are already integrating into their
applications.
The supplies offer unprecedented benefits with respect to power density and
options for front-panel and remote control. You can exploit the new supplies’
flexibility and power density to serve the gamut of your applications
extending from process-control applications to military and aerospace test.
For more information, visit the respective product pages of the Sorensen™
Asterion® DC ASA Series and the Sorensen™ Asterion® DC ASM Series.