Programmable Load - Implementation

Implementation

A programmable load is simply a programmable power supply that applies a voltage but sinks current rather than sourcing it. By changing the current direction, the programmable load electrically "looks like" a programmable resistor rather than a programmable (Thévenin) voltage source.

Advanced DC Programmable loads offer additional test capabilities with internal controls that can detect oscillations within a fraction of a second and immediately stabilize the load profile. By eliminating the effects of oscillation and current spikes a programmable load can protect against damage to your mission critical electronics.

Electronic load testing systems for defense, aerospace, commercial electronics and utilities industries, as well as for mega data center performance often require special modes of operation such as constant voltage, constant current, constant resistance and constant power. For some demanding applications, these electronic load banks may offer fast slew rates and pulsed load profiles such as sine, square, triangle and ramp as well as internal capacitance, inductance, and time delay modes of operation. Today's most advanced programmable loads typically offer 16bit measurement and drive accuracy for superior performance.

• Sophisticated internal controls guard against oscillations and current spikes