Agilent N3300 Series
DC Electronic Loads
Data Sheet
Increase your manufacturing test throughput with
fast electronic loads
• Increase test system throughput
• Lower cost of ownership
• Decrease system development time
• Increase system reliability
• Increase system flexibility
• Stable operation down to zero volts
• DC connection terminal for ATE applications
Increase Test Throughput
Today’s high volume manufacturing
requires optimization of test system
throughput, to maximize production
volume without increasing floorspace.
The N3300 Series electronic loads
can help you in a number of ways to
achieve this goal.
Reduced command processing time:
Commands are processed more
than 10 times faster than previous
electronic loads.
Automatically execute stored
command sequences: “Lists” of
downloaded command sequences can
execute independent of the computer,
greatly reducing the electronic load
command processing time and computer interaction time during product
testing.
Programmable delay allows for
either simultaneous or sequential
load changes: This is the most
multiple output DC power supplies,
simulating real-life loading patterns,
with a minimum of programming
commands.
Buffer measurement data: Voltage,
current, and power measurements
can be buffered for later readback
to the computer, reducing computer
interaction.
Control measurement speed vs.
accuracy: Decrease the number of
measurement samples to achieve
greater measurement speed, or
increase the number of samples to
achieve higher measurement accuracy. You can optimize your measurements for each test.
Control rising and falling slew rates
separately: Reduce rate of loading
change when necessary for DUT
stability or to simulate real life conditions, but otherwise change load
values at maximum rate.
Increase System
Flexibility…for Both
Present and Future
Requirements
Most power supply and battery
charger test systems designed today
need to test a variety of products
and/or assemblies. In the future,
additional products or assemblies
may be needed. A flexible family
of electronic loads makes present
system design and future growth
much easier.
Test low voltage power supplies:
The N3300 Series electronic loads
operate with full stability down to
zero volts. Many other electronic
loads available today have been found
to become unstable in the operating
region below one volt. When designing power supply test platforms, the
trend towards lower voltage requirements should be taken into account.
Refer to the specification and
supplemental characteristic tables
for details of lower voltage operating
characteristics.
Choose DC load connection method:
Automatic test systems need
consistency and reliability. Option
UJ1 8 mm screw connectors provide
a simple screw onto which your
wires, terminated with insulated ring
terminals, may be securely mounted.
This optional connector is specifically
designed for test systems. Wires may
exit the plastic cover in any direction,
and multiple wires may be placed on
each screw terminal for easy parallel
load connections. Up to AWG 4 wire
may be used.
Applications which require repeated
connections/disconnections are better suited to the standard connector.
The standard connector accepts an
unterminated wire, and may be handtightened. This connector is specifically designed for bench applications
and short-term automated tests.
Standard DC connectors
Option UJ1 8 mm screw connectors
Design a system to test a variety
of products: This series consists of
2 mainframes and 6 modules. The
N3300A mainframe is full rack width.
It has 6 slots. The N3301A mainframe
is half rack width. It has 2 slots.
Any assortment of the 6 different
modules can be configured into these
mainframes, up to the slot capacity.
The N3302A (150 watts), N3303A
(250 watts), N3307A (250 Watts) and
N3304A (300 watts) each require
one slot. The N3305A (500 watts)
and the N3306A (600 watts) each
require 2 slots. The electronic load
can be configured to supply exactly
what you need now, and this modular
design also allows for easy future
reconfiguration.
Test high current power supplies:
Electronic load modules can be operated in parallel to provide additional
current sinking capability.
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Control the electronic load how you
want to: GPIB, RS232, and manual
use of the front panel all provide
complete control of these electronic
loads. There are also analog programming and monitoring ports for those
applications that utilize nonstandard
interfaces, require custom waveforms, or utilize process control
signals. Custom waveforms can also
be created by downloading a “List” of
load parameters. In addition, there is
a built-in transient generator, which
operates in all modes.
Quickly create powerful and
consistent software: All Agilent
Technologies electronic loads use
the SCPI (Standard Commands for
Programmable Instruments) command set. This makes learning the
commands easy, because they are
the same format as all other SCPI
instruments. The resulting code is virtually self-documenting, and therefore
easier to troubleshoot and modify
in the future. Plug-n-Play drivers are
also available to help you to integrate
the loads into your standard software
packages.
Make Measurements
Easily and Accurately
The 16-bit voltage, current and power
measurement system provides both
accuracy and convenience. The
alternative is using a DMM (digital
multimeter) and MUX (multiplexer)
along with a precision current shunt
and a lot of extra wiring. Avoiding
this complexity increases system
reliability and makes the system
easier to design and support. Current
measurements in particular are
more consistently accurate using
the electronic load’s internal system,
because the wiring associated with
an external precision current shunt
may pick up noise.
Measure with all load modules
simultaneously: Testing multiple
output DC power supplies and DC
to DC converters can be very time
consuming if each output must be
tested sequentially. If measurements
are being made through a MUX using
one DMM, this is what will happen.
Using the built-in measurement
capabilities of the N3300 electronic
loads, all outputs can be measured
simultaneously. Alternatively, multiple
single output power sources can be
tested simultaneously.
Observe transient behavior using
waveform digitization: Transient
response and other dynamic tests
often require an oscilloscope. The
N3300 has a flexible waveform
digitizer with a 4096 data point
buffer for voltage and a 4096 data
point buffer for current. Under many
circumstances, this internal digitizer
will be adequate for power supply
test needs. Current and voltage are
digitized simultaneously, and the
sampling rate and sample window
are programmable. Some analysis
functions are provided, including
RMS, max and min.
Measure voltage and current
simultaneously: The N3300 measure-
ment system has individual but linked
current and voltage measurement
systems. This means that voltage
and current measurements are taken
exactly simultaneously, which gives
a true picture of the power supply
under test’s output at a particular
moment in time. Some other electronic loads which feature internal
measurement systems actually take
current and voltage measurements
sequentially, and therefore do not give
as accurate a picture of momentary
power.
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