Atec Agilent-N6700 User Manual

Agilent N6700
Modular Power System Family

Low-Profile MPS Mainframes
N6700B–N6702A, N6710B–N6712A
DC Power Modules N6731B–N6784A

Data Sheet

Introducing…
Seven new modules up to 500 W
For details, see pages 7, 11, 12

For Power Solutions for R&D–
See back cover

• Ideal for ATE systems in R&D, design validation, and manufacturing

• Small size: up to four outputs in 1U of rack space

• Flexible, modular system: Lets you mix and match power levels and
performance levels to optimize your investment

• Performance modules for critical test requirements

• Value modules for basic DC power requirements

• Fast command processing time and output speed to improve
throughput

• Connect via GPIB, LAN, or USB

• Fully compliant to LXI Class C specification

Small Size and
Flexibility for ATE

Power supplies are a fundamental
component of every test system
in industries including aerospace
and defense, consumer electronics,
computers and peripherals, com­munications, semiconductor and
automotive electronics. Today’s
complex automatic test equipment
(ATE) systems often require multiple
power sources. Test system designers
are challenged to keep costs down
by reducing rack space occupied by
these multiple power supplies and
to continually increase test system
throughput.

N6700 System Features

Figure 1. Connectivity: GPIB, 10/100 Base-T ethernet, and USB 2.0 all standard

The Agilent N6700 Low-Profile
Modular Power System (MPS) is a 1U
(rack unit) high, multiple-output pro­grammable DC power supply system
that enables test system integrators
to optimize performance, power and
price to match test needs.

The Agilent N6700 MPS gives test
system designers the flexibility to mix
and match from over 30 different DC
power modules to create a 1- to
4-channel DC power system optimized
to meet specific test requirements.
Test system engineers can invest
in high-performance outputs where
speed and accuracy are needed, or
purchase basic performance outputs
for simple DC power requirements.

Small size

The Agilent N6700 MPS uses an
advanced switching power supply
design that fits within 1U of rack
space (1.75 in./44 mm). It has side
air vents (no top or bottom air vents)
so other instruments can be mounted
directly above or below it. (Requires
rack mount kit; see ordering
information.)

Built-in measurement of
voltage and current

The N6700 modules come standard
with built-in measurement of voltage
and current to simplify wiring and
design of an ATE system.

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Protection features

Module 1

Output on

V1

V2

V3

Module 2

Delay 2

Delay 3

Module 3

Each N6700 module is protected
against over-voltage, over-current, and
over-temperature. A fault condition in
one module can be detected within
10 microseconds by other modules so
that they can be quickly shut down to
avoid hazardous conditions on your
device under test (DUT).

Connectivity

The N6700 MPS comes standard
with GPIB, USB 2.0, and 10/100
Base-T ethernet LAN interfaces.
While GPIB is best suited for use
with existing systems, Agilent offers
USB and LAN to allow you to take
advantage of the availability, speed,
and ease-of-use of common computer
industry standard interfaces. The
N6700 is fully compliant with the
LXI Class C specification.

Security

When used in systems running GPIB,
the LAN and/or USB interfaces can
be disabled for extra security. Also, all
non-volatile RAM data and settings
can be cleared from the front panel.

Control from any browser

The N6700 can be controlled via a
standard web browser. The N6700
contains a web server that provides
web pages for monitor, control, and
setup of the MPS.

Figure 2. Output sequencing

Output sequencing

Each DC power module can be
individually set to turn on or to turn
off with a delay. By adjusting the
delay times and then commanding
the N6700 to turn on, you can set the
N6700 modules to sequence on in a
particular order. The same sequencing
capability is available to shut down
the modules in a particular order.

For applications that require more
than four DC power modules to be
sequenced, this output sequencing
can be extended across multiple
N6700 mainframes. When the I/O
ports on the rear panel of the main­frames are wired together, a pair of
synchronization signals can be sent
between mainframes, allowing the
output sequences of all mainframes
to be synchronized. This capability
is supported on N6700B, N6701A
and N6702A mainframes. It is not
supported on the discontinued
N6700A mainframe.

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Programmable voltage slew

For some applications, like inrush
limiting or powering rate-sensitive
devices, it is necessary to slow down
and control the speed of the power
supply to maintain a specific voltage
slew rate. The N6700 provides pro­grammable voltage slew rate, so that
you can easily control the speed at
which the output slews from one volt­age to another. You can set the speed
of a voltage change anywhere from
its maximum up/down programming
speed to its slowest change of up to
10 seconds. Programmable voltage
slew is available from the front panel
when operating the N6700 manually
or via computer control.

Series operation

To increase available voltage and
power, similarly rated outputs can be
operated directly in series.

Easy parallel operation with
virtual channels

To increase available output power
and current, identical outputs can
be operated in parallel. To simplify
parallel operation for applications
requiring currents greater than any
single output can provide, the N6700
offers virtual channels, a firmware­based feature that allows the N6700
system to treat up to 4 channels as
a single, synchronized channel. Once
configured, all functions (sourcing,
measurements, triggering, protection,
and status monitoring) behave as if
there is 1 channel of up to 4 times the
capacity of a single channel, without
writing a single line of code to man­age the interaction and synchroniza­tion of the paralleled power supplies.

Virtual channel capability is available
from the front panel when operating
the N6700 manually or via computer
control.

Power management feature
allows you allocate mainframe
power

features of the N6700 allow you to
allocate mainframe power to the
outputs where it is needed, achieving
maximum asset utilization and flex­ibility. This feature provides safety
from unexpected and dangerous
shutdowns that can occur with power
systems without power management
when operated in a similar way.

For example, if your DUT requires
280 W on its main input, and 10 W
each on three auxiliary inputs, you
can configure a system consisting of
one 300 W DC module and three
100 W DC modules. Even though the
sum of the module power is 600 W,
you can still use the N6700B 400 W
MPS mainframe. Thanks to the power
management feature, you can allocate
the full 300 W to the 300 W module
while you allocate only 33 W to each
of the 100 W modules.

Note that if you install one of the new
500 W modules in an N6700B 400 W
MPS mainframe, you may not be able
to run this module at its full rated
output power.

Often, a DUT requires a single high
power DC source and several very
low power DC sources. Since the DUT
does not require full power to all out­puts, you may choose to save money
configuring a system where the sum
of the power modules installed in a
mainframe exceeds the total power
available from the mainframe. In
this case, the power management

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Plug high power mainframes
into standard AC sockets
without dedicated high current
AC circuits

When you first turn on the N6702A
1200 W MPS mainframe, the main­frame automatically senses the power
available from the AC line. If the AC
line voltage is such that the resulting
current would exceed a standard AC
outlet rating, the mainframe automati­cally scales back the available output
power to prevent overloading the
AC line. The N6702A will limit the
output power to 600 W allowing the
high power mainframe to be plugged
into any standard outlet. This is very
convenient for initial bench checkout
of the MPS system. It is also very
convenient for test development,
which is typically done on the bench
when DUT is not yet driven to full
power. You can also control this
power reduction by manually allocat­ing less than the full available main­frame power among the modules. As
a result, the N6702A will draw less
power (and less current)
from the AC line.

Triggering

The N6700 Low-Profile MPS main­frame has hardware trigger in/trigger
out signals which permit the N6700
to be synchronized with external
events. For example, a switch closure
in the fixture can trigger the N6700
to apply voltage to the DUT or take a
measurement.

Drivers

The N6700 comes with both
VXIplug&play drivers and IVI-COM
drivers. LabView drivers are also
available at NI.COM.

Programming language

The N6700 supports SCPI (Standard
Commands for Programmable
Instruments).

Firmware updates

The N6700 firmware is stored in
FLASH ROM and can be easily
updated when new features become
available. Firmware can be down­loaded into the N6700
over GPIB, LAN, or USB using the
supplied firmware update utility pro­gram. Agilent recommends that you
keep your N6700 system up to date
with the latest firmware available at

www.agilent.com/find/
N6700firmware.

Output disconnect and polarity
reversal relays

Modules in the N6700 can be indi­vidually ordered with optional Output
Disconnect Relays (option 761) or
Output Disconnect/Polarity Reversal
Relays (option 760). See the table
on page 16 for option 760 and 761
availability. All relays are built into
the module, so no additional wiring or
rack space is needed to incorporate
the relay function.

Although the plus and minus rail of
the output power mesh are physi­cally disconnected from the output
terminals with options 760 and 761,
a small AC network is still connected
across the plus and minus output
terminals, This AC network is
required for EMI compliance.

With option 761, Output Disconnect
Relays, mechanical relays disconnect
both the plus and minus side of the
power supply, including the sense
leads.

With option 760, Output Disconnect/
Polarity Reversal Relays, mechanical
relays switch the leads on both the
plus and the minus side of the power
supply, including the sense leads,
resulting in a voltage polarity reversal
at the DUT. In addition to polarity
reversal, option 760 provides the
same output disconnect function as
option 761.

Note: Output current is limited on
some modules when option 760
Output Disconnect/Polarity Reversal
Relays is installed. See the “Available
options” table on page 16 for more
information about maximum current
limitations with option 760.

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Figure 3. Front panel with up to 4 channels displayed simultaneously (Picture shows 3 channels installed.)

Figure 4. Rear panel (Picture shows 3 channels installed.)

Front panel

In addition to full control over its
three standard interfaces, the N6700
has a full featured front panel to
permit easy manual operation for
test prototyping, debugging, and
troubleshooting when used in an ATE
system. You can have confidence
that the N6700 is working properly
because you can view the settings
and actual output values on all four
outputs at the same time.

Quieter fans to keep noise down

To reduce acoustic noise, the N6700
mainframes employ fan speed control.
When operating at less than full
output power, the cooling fans spin
slower and generate less noise.

Universal AC input

The N6700 has a universal input
that operates from 100-240 Vac,
50/60/400 Hz. There are no switches
to set or fuses to change when
switching from one voltage standard
to another. The AC input employs
power factor correction.

Quick disconnects

Each power module has quick
disconnects for easy system setup
and maintenance.

Rack mount kit

The N6700 is easily rack-mounted
using the N6709A rack mount kit.
This kit provides all the necessary
hardware to rack mount one N6700
mainframe in only 1U of rack space.
This rack mount kit includes front
rack ears and rear supports which
take the place of standard rack rails
and/or slides. Note that standard
rack rails or slides are not compatible
with the N6700 because of its 1U size
and airflow requirements.

Figure 5. Quick disconnects for power and sense leads

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