Power analyser is a class of its own for R and D

DC power analyser is claimed to provide unrivalled productivity gains when sourcing and measuring DC voltage and current into a device under test
Agilent Technologies has introduced a DC power analyser claimed to provide unrivalled productivity gains when sourcing and measuring DC voltage and current into a device under test (DUT). This tool, which R and D engineers can use to gain insights into the DUT's power consumption in minutes without writing a single line of code, represents an entirely new instrument category for R and D engineers.

The Agilent N6705A DC power analyser is a highly integrated instrument that combines up to four advanced DC power supplies, DMM, oscilloscope, arbitrary waveform generator and datalogger.

It provides an easy-to-use interface, with all sourcing and measuring functions available from the front panel.

'R and D engineers are always under time pressure, so an instrument that makes powering up designs easier and collecting DC voltage and current measurements faster would be a welcome addition to the R and D toolset', said Galen Wampler, industry analyst at Prime Data.

'Agilent's innovative DC Power analyser defines a new category of instrument that integrates multiple functions into a single box'.

'This integration, along with an intuitive front panel, allows R and D engineers to gain insights into their DUT in minutes, not hours, without writing a single line of code'.
Today, when performing DC power-related tests, R and D engineers must gather and configure multiple instruments to complete DC sourcing and measurement tasks.

When executing these complex tasks, which can involve simultaneously connecting to and physically interacting with multiple test instruments, the risk of error increases.

In response, R and D engineers may choose to automate tests that are too complex to do manually.

Unfortunately, while automating tasks reduces human error, writing and debugging programs adds more work to already overloaded R and D engineers.

As an integrated instrument, the Agilent N6705A DC power analyser eliminates the need for multiple pieces of equipment and complex test setups.

With built-in current measurements, the DC power analyser also eliminates the need for transducers, such as current probes and shunts, to measure current into the DUT.

With connections and controls that are colour-coded to the display, the R and D engineer can quickly set up and control the DC Power analyser, confident that it is configured properly and working correctly.

Dedicated controls for common functions provide operation via a familiar interface, with each instrument function behaving like its stand-alone counterpart.

The Agilent N6705A DC power analyser also eliminates the need to develop and debug programs that control a collection of instruments to take measurements.

All the functions and measurements are available at the front panel, thereby eliminating the need for a PC, drivers and software, and reducing 90% of the effort associated with setup.

Users report completing their DC sourcing and measuring tasks in five minutes using the DC Power analyser, compared with two days using standard test equipment.

The Agilent N6705A DC Power analyser is fully compliant with the LXI class C specification.

It has USB 2.0, 10/100 Base-T Ethernet (LAN) and GPIB interfaces as standard features, allowing quick and simple connectivity to a PC or a network.

The Agilent N6705A can be remotely operated from any browser by connecting to its built-in web page.

The DC power analyser is an Agilent Open product offering that ensures industry-standards-based open connectivity in hardware and software.

The Agilent N6705A DC power analyser is available for purchase now and will begin shipping this month.

The N6705A is priced at US $6500 and is ready to accept from one to four DC Power Modules, totalling up to 600W.

DC power modules range from $450 to $2250 per module.