The piece of test equipment most found on workbenches around the world, according to the Rohde & Schwarz technology group, is a basic power supply to provide DC electricity. Makes sense — yet the company’s new basic power supply series is designed to go beyond this need, bringing a performance level and extra functions not usually associated with this instrument class.
Enter the NGA100, which trades the switched-mode circuits frequently found in basic power supplies for a linear design. The result is higher accuracy, which for engineers means confidence about supplying exactly the right power level without the need for an additional multimeter. The NGA100 is available in four models, providing a choice of single and dual outputs.
The R&S NGA100 offers features not commonly found in basic power supply instruments. Source: Rohde & SchwarzR&S has leveraged its FlexPower technology to provide maximum power for a wide range of combinations, in contrast to the limited voltage/amperage range typical of this type of instrument. As a result, it can support a variety of applications, while also offering an intuitive user interface and features like instantaneous statistical functions for maximum and minimum values for power, voltage and current, all displayed directly on the screen.
Other features of the NGA100 not commonly found in basic power supplies include logging voltage and current values for analysis, with up to 10 samples per second. Ethernet and USB are supported as standard for data export and remote control, with optional WLAN and an external trigger with digital I/Os.
Users can generate sequences of voltage/current settings at intervals down to 10 ms, and the supplied power is low distortion and low noise. The device’s remote sensing function also allows for compensation of cable losses; the correct level is at the input to the device under test (DUT), rather than at the output of the power supply.
The four models represent a range of options providing up to 35 V/6 A per output, or 100 V/2 A per output. Single-output models supply up to 40 W power, dual-output models up to 80 W. The dual model outputs can also be combined to provide up to 200 V or 12 A. The standard level of readback resolution, 1 mV/100 µA, is enhanced for currents under 200 mA to a resolution of 1 µA, ideal to test low current levels typical for IoT applications in standby and sleep mode. The NGA100 also has the necessary dynamic range for power and current spikes when switched to active mode.
For more information, visit the R&S NGA100 power supply series page.
