AMETEK Programmable Power, a provider of programmable AC and DC power test solutions, has expanded its Sorenson™ brand of Asterion® DC Power Supplies with the addition of 31 new models. The Asterion DC product line now offers a total of 43 programmable DC power supplies with power outputs ranging from 1.7 kW to 10 kW, with voltages from 40 V to 400 V, and with current up to 250 A. The Asterion DC family of power supplies provides the next-generation upgrade for testing complex electronics in military and aerospace systems, telecommunication systems, automotive components and systems and commercial 
Source: AMETEK Programmable Power,products. The new feature-rich power supplies are designed for use in automated test, process control, and research and development applications. These supplies meet the requirements of engineers who need high power in a space-saving form factor.
High-density power supplies with multiple output characteristics
With up to 5 kW in a 1U-high chassis and with 10 kW in a 2U-high chassis, the Asterion DC supplies offer industry-leading power density. Twenty-eight supplies have a rectangular power output characteristic, and 15 supplies have a hyperbolic autoranging characteristic output. The autoranging output allows these supplies to deliver higher voltages or higher currents compared with the supplies that have a rectangular output characteristic. Thus, the autoranging supplies can satisfy a wider range of test applications without having to purchase additional power supply models.
Autoparallel up to five supplies for higher current requirements
When high amounts of current are required, up to five Asterion DC supplies can be paralleled. As much as 1,250 A can be supplied with five supplies in parallel. The supplies have built-in autoparallel intelligence in which a master unit controls the operation of up to four slave supplies.
Fast transient response and low noise
Additional features of the Asterion supplies include fast transient response of 1 ms for 40 V to 100 V models and 2 ms for models with voltages up to 400 V. Noise for some 1.7 kW and 3.4 kW models is as low as 7 mVRMS. The supplies have a minimum efficiency of 89% for 1.7 kW models and 91% for 3.4 kW, 5 kW and 10 kW models to minimize heat in a test system.
Multilingual touchscreen display
The Asterion family uses a touchscreen display interface for manual operation, test development, test monitoring and troubleshooting. Users can quickly access output programming parameters, measurements, and configuration and system settings. The touchscreen display enables engineers from around the world to comfortably work in their native language. Engineers can select one of eight languages - English, German, French, Spanish, Russian, Japanese, Chinese and Korean.
Output settings can be changed using either the touchscreen or an encoder selector button. The control resolution of the encoder button can be adjusted by an innovative, dynamic rate change algorithm that enables both precise control over small parameter changes and large changes without having to make separate adjustments to resolution settings.
Customizable Virtual Panels™ graphical user interface
The Asterion DC power supplies offer the convenience of remote programming and control with the Asterion Virtual Panels™ graphical user interface. The virtual front panels are intuitive, user-friendly, and completely customizable to allow maximum flexibility for a wide range of test options. The Virtual Panels application also supports test procedures for commercial and military avionics test standards. The software test parameters are data-file driven and enable engineers to modify any of the tests to satisfy their specific requirements. In addition, the Virtual Panels application has a report generation feature that creates Microsoft Word formatted reports containing test parameters and pass/fail criteria.
For automated testing, engineers can communicate with the supplies using the LAN LXI, USB, or RS-232 interfaces. All three interfaces are standard on the Asterion DC supplies. Optional interfaces include the GPIB and the EtherCAT interfaces. The EtherCAT interface allows a direct interface to programmable logic controllers for industrial and process control applications.
Code emulation eases upgrade of older supplies
The Asterion DC power supplies can replace the older generation XG1500, XG1700, XFR, DCS and DLM power supply families. The new Asterion supplies emulate the programming code of the older generation supplies. Thus, test engineers can upgrade to the enhanced performance of the Asterion supplies without having to write all new test code. Code emulation saves substantial test development time and cost and protects the investment in existing test programs.
All Asterion DC supplies comply with national and international standards. The supplies are CSA certified, CE marked and RoHS compliant. Each supply comes with a five-year warranty.
Pricing ranges from $2265 for 1.7kW models to $10,100 for 10 kW models. Delivery is eight weeks after receipt of order.
