{"id":1689,"date":"2015-07-22T15:29:10","date_gmt":"2015-07-22T22:29:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.circuitspecialists.com\/blog\/?p=1689"},"modified":"2017-09-20T14:45:06","modified_gmt":"2017-09-20T21:45:06","slug":"basics-of-electronic-dc-loads","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.circuitspecialists.com\/blog\/basics-of-electronic-dc-loads\/","title":{"rendered":"Basics of DC Electronic Loads"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>To select a <a title=\"Electronic loads\" href=\"\/programmable-dc-electronic-loads\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">DC electronic load<\/a> that best fits your\u00a0desired application, you\u00a0should first\u00a0consider the task or tasks that the load is going to be used for.<\/p>\n<p>Some things to consider when selecting an electronic load are:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>What are the lowest &amp; highest voltage points that you need the DC\u00a0electronic load\u00a0to read?<\/li>\n<li>What kind of measurements are needed (RMS measurements, digitized, etc.)?<\/li>\n<li>What is the highest current operating point that the electronic\u00a0load may need to read?<\/li>\n<li>Will the electronic load be testing one unit per test or will you need to test several\u00a0units?<\/li>\n<li>Does the DC electronic load have front panel connections? This may be critical to reduce cable drop and increase the accuracy of the electronic load.<\/li>\n<li>Can your electronic\u00a0load be quickly reconfigured for changing applications?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Once you have\u00a0determined which tests you need to perform, you will be ready to select\u00a0the right DC electronic load. The four major modes of operation for an electronic load are constant current (CV), constant voltage (CV), constant resistance (CR), and constant power (CP).<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">A well-designed electronic\u00a0load will always control the current. No matter what mode the load is in, it is always controlling the current, which will allow you\u00a0to set a current level that the DC load will draw regardless of any changes in voltage.<\/p>\n<p>Constant resistance (CR) mode allows you\u00a0to set the\u00a0resistance value. The load will then adjust the current draw inversely to compensate for any change to\u00a0the testing voltage. Constant voltage (CV) mode allows you\u00a0to set a fixed voltage. The electronic load will sink the necessary current to keep the voltage at the set level. Constant power (CP) mode allows you to set the\u00a0wattage level required for your\u00a0test, and then the load will adjust the current draw proportionately to compensate for any changes in the voltage. These settings will remain constant,\u00a0unless there is an event that triggers one of the protection modes.<\/p>\n<p>DC electronic loads typically\u00a0include standard PC interface features including RS-232 and USB (GPIB may also be provided). Using your\u00a0computer\u00a0to control and record testing data through an <a title=\"Electronic loads\" href=\"\/programmable-dc-electronic-loads\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">electronic\u00a0load<\/a> can help you set the DC load&#8217;s control parameters as well as record all events that occur during the testing period.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>To select a DC electronic load that best fits your\u00a0desired application, you\u00a0should first\u00a0consider the task or tasks that the load<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3869,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"colormag_page_layout":"default_layout","footnotes":""},"categories":[113],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1689","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-dc-electronic-load"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v24.8.1 - 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