-Powering DC-to-DC Converters Using the Agilent N6705A DC Power Analyzer

Applications where a single unregulated power source needs to be transformed

to a particular regulated voltage commonly use DC-to-DC converters.
For example, a mobile handset has a central battery that powers various sub-circ
uits in the handset.
Each sub-circuit has different power requirements.
The DC-to-DC converters inside the handset transform the battery voltage into a
controlled voltage.
In some cases, sub-circuits drawing varying or pulsating current from the handse
t battery cause
a ripple on the battery voltage.
DC-to-DC converters regulate the ripple before the voltage reaches the handset c
omponents.
The N6705A DC Power Analyzer can create the arbitrary waveforms required in this
type of application.
Designed as a general purpose bench instrument, the DC Power Analyzer has the po
wer of up to four power
supplies, a function generator, an oscilloscope, a voltmeter, an ammeter and a d
atalogger in 4 U of rack space.
All capabilities of the instrument can be accessed from the front panel.
R&D engineers can program the instrument without having to write a single line o
f code!
While the design has been optimized for use on the bench, the N6705A DC Power An
alyzer is also
an LXI Class C instrument with LAN, GPIB and USB interfaces.
This modular instrument accepts up to four of the more than twenty power modules
originally created for
the Agilent N6700 Modular Power System designed for use in automatic test equipm
ent.
These power modules have three performance tiers: basic, high-performance and pr
ecision.
While all modules are capable of creating arbitrary waveforms from the front pan
el of the N6705A, the
N675x High-Performance and the N676x Precision 50 V and 60 V DC power modules ha
ve the speed and accuracy
necessary for this application.
-Accelerate Vehicle Charging System Simulation with the Agilent N6705A DC Powe
r Analyzer
When R&D engineers test electrical components for use in a vehicle, it is necess
ary to simulate various
power conditions. This ensures that the electrical components in the vehicle co
ntinue to work properly
during different power conditions from the charging system. For example, abrupt
loading of the vehicle
power system such as during starter crank causes voltage dips powering the elect
rical components.
Simulating these power waveforms demands a system capable of producing several d
ifferent voltage waveforms.
Some automotive R&D engineers create custom test stations containing specialized
equipment made for
recreating these power waveforms.

The Agilent N6705A DC Power

rate control and
configurability to recreate
l components in a vehicle.
It packs the power of up to
oscope, a voltmeter,
an ammeter and a datalogger

Analyzer has the arbitrary waveform capability, slew

low-frequency power waveforms to power the electrica
four power supplies, a function generator, an oscill
in a 7 inch high, bench top package.

The DC Power Analyzer provides an easy way for an R&D or design validation engin
eer to recreate some of the
automotive power waveforms such as slow decreasing/increasing of operating volta
ge, quick charges, cranking
profiles and voltage dips all from the front panel. While the design has been o
ptimized for use on the bench,
the N6705A DC Power Analyzer is also an LXI Class C instrument with LAN, GPIB an
d USB interfaces.
There are over twenty different power modules ranging in performance (basic, hi
gh-performance and precision)
and power (50 W, 100 W and 300 W).
There are arbitrary waveform controls built into the N6705A that allow users to
create nine different
waveforms: sine, step, pulse, ramp, trapezoid, staircase, exponential, user def
ined voltage and user
defined current waveforms. These waveforms are all configurable from the front
panel without having
to write a single line of code!
The N6705A also allows users to save user-defined waveform setups and scope dat
a to the 64 MB of internal
memory or to an external USB memory device.
-Biasing Multiple Input Voltage Devices in R&D
During R&D and design validation stages, some tests begin with multiple, seque
nced voltages to power the
device under test (DUT). For example, an ATX PC motherboard requires a specific
power-on sequence to power
the board. It is important to power the board properly to avoid sub-assemblies
drawing excessive current.
An incorrect power start-up sequence may cause damage to integrated circuits. I
n turn, this can compromise
the reliability and quality of the circuit board. R&D engineers must generate
the correct power-up sequence
to the board to prevent harming circuits and causing additional problems.
This test requires multiple power outputs for the 12 V, 5 V and 3.3 V lines wit
h precise timing accuracy
within the millisecond range. In addition, these power outputs need to have pro
grammable slew rates to
simulate the rate of change for the specified timing conditions.
The Agilent N6705A DC Power Analyzer can precisely and repeatedly synchronize
outputs.
The N6705A has built-in output delay controls that are accessible from the fron
t panel.
As shown in Figure 2a, users can program output on and off delays by setting th

e time delay
before the output turns on and off. This delay is applied after the All Outputs
On or Off key is pressed.
Users can enter delays from 0 ms to 1023 ms in 1 ms increments.
In addition to having multiple programmable output delays, the N6705A has progr
ammable slew rates which
control the voltage rate of change. Slew rates can be programmed as slow as 4.7
6 V/s.
The maximum slew rate is limited by the up and down programming time of the mod
ule and the load created
by the DUT. As a best case scenario, the N6751A and N6752A modules have a maxim
um up-programming slew
rate of 50 kV/s with a full resistive load (10% to 90% of total voltage). Each
module has its own
controllable slew rate.
-Simulating Power Interruptions for DC Input Devices
Simulating power interrupts for DC input devices is important to verify the desi
gn of the device under test
(DUT). Interruptions originate from disturbances on the power line such as sudde
n power dropouts or voltage
sags. DC devices have speci cations that describe how wide of an interrupt the de
vice can tolerate.
The purpose of the power interrupt test is to
nd the point at which the device f
ails by controlling the
length of the interrupt pulse.
The N6705A allows users to program pulse waveforms and other arbitrary waveforms
without having to write a
single line of code. From the example described earlier, users can con gure the dr
op out pulse on the 5 V
line directly from the front panel.
Beyond sourcing arbitrary waveforms, the N6705A is also capable of providing use
ful measurements.
Users can characterize the device under test by measuring the voltage and curren
t sourced into the DUT.
The N6705A measures and displays current waveforms without the need for a curren
t transducer such as a
current shunt or probe. The N6705A also has a built-in datalogger which enables
you to capture voltage
and current waveforms for seconds, minutes, hours, or even days.
-Avoid DUT Damage by Sequencing Multiple Power Inputs Off Upon a Fault Event
There are many testing applications in which a device under test (DUT) is powere
d by multiple DC input
voltages and the DUT is sensitive to the order in which those multiple power sou
rces turn off.
For example, individual assemblies used in satellites are especially susceptible
to damage during
uncontrolled multiple power source turn-off events, and these assemblies are ver
y costly.
One unexpected cause of power source turn-off occurs when a fault condition such
as an over-voltage
or over-current condition is detected on one of the sources that causes it to sh
ut down. Having the
ability to control the power supply shut-down sequence built into the power supp

ly system itself can

greatly reduce the effort and complexity associated with an external shut-down c
ontrol method.
Some devices that are powered by multiple DC power supplies must have their powe
r inputs shut down in a
particular order to avoid problems with the device. Subjecting the device to an
uncontrolled sequence
could cause latch-up or excessive current to
ow resulting in compromised reliabi
lity or even immediate
catastrophic failure of the DUT. Under normal testing circumstances, the multipl
e inputs must be turned
off in a particular sequence, often with speci c timing between each input turnin
g off.
Additionally, following the detection of a power fault condition such as over-vo
ltage, over-current,
or overtemperature on one of the power supply outputs, it is also necessary to f
ollow a similar shut-down
sequence.
The best solution to the problem of providing controlled shut-down of multiple p
ower inputs involves a
power supply system that has output sequencing integrated into the system itself
. Agilent Technologies
offers two such systems that are strongly related to each other: the N6700 Modul
ar Power System and
N6705A DC Power Analyzer. The design of the N6700 system is optimized for use in
a test system,
while that of the N6705A is optimized for use on the bench. Each system can be l
oaded with up to 4 power
supply output modules selected from more than 20 that are available in a variety
of power and performance
levels. Each system also offers the ability to precisely control the turn-off se
quence of the 4 outputs
making these systems an ideal choice for applications requiring controlled power
input shut-down.
Synchronization across mainframe systems is also possible to facilitate timed sh
ut-downs of more than 4
outputs. Using these systems, a controlled shut-down under normal testing circum
stances is extremely easy
to implement, while doing so in response to a fault condition requires little in
cremental effort.
Outputs can be sequenced off as a result of a power supply fault event using the
Delay time settings as well.
A fault event is any of the following:
Over-voltage
Over-current
Over-temperature
Inhibit signal
Power-fail condition
Power-limit condition (some models)
-FPGA Circuit Design: Overcoming Power-Related Challenges
-Powering on an FPGA circuit
FPGA circuits have multiple power inputs. To optimize current draw at turn on,
to prevent latch-up, or to prevent permanent circuit damage, these power inputs
require precise sequencing
and/or correctly timed voltage slew rates. Power turn-on can become even more co
mplicated if the FPGA circuit

consists of one or more application-speci c integrated circuits (ASICs) or con gur

ation devices that
communicate with the FPGA. In this situation, you may want to sequence the power
to the other devices to
come on before or after the FPGA has fully con gured itself. This is necessary to
prevent glitches at
turn-on and to reduce turn-on power consumption.
-FPGA circuit power analysis
How much power an FPGA circuit consumes depends on a number of factors and is hi
ghly dependent on its design.
These factors include such things as how well the hardware-de ned language (HDL)
used to con gure the FPGA
was optimized, the interfaces that are connected to the I/O, and the frequency o
f the I/O traf c.
You need to test power consumption for the FPGA circuit under all possible opera
ting conditions to determine
the maximum amount of power a supply design must deliver. You need to capture ac
curate pro les of
high-current spikes and time stamp them to identify at what point in operation t
hey occurred.
You may have to continually optimize your FPGA designs to
t product designs that
have limited power
resources available (for example, battery-powered devices). FPGA circuit power a
nalysis is also important
for thermal management of the design. Overheating can damage silicon devices, an
d you may need to adjust
the size of your overall product design to allow larger surface areas or more ai
r ow for cooling.
Each output can deliver up to 300 W and up to 20 A. The output power and up/down
programming speed are
dependent on the power module used for that output. For greater power and curren
t capabilities, outputs
can be paralleled together to form a single virtual output.
These features ensure that all FPGA circuits, as well as any interface power inp
uts, will have a more than
adequate amount of power available to them. The DC power outputs have output seq
uencing capabilities.
Delay can range between 0 and 1.023 s in 1-ms steps. Precision slew rate control
on each channel, as fast as
20 us per volt, allows voltage ramp up times to be set on a per-channel basis. I
f you need sequencing of
more than four power outputs, multiple mainframes can be sequenced together. The
se features ensure you
will be able to satisfy various turn-on sequencing requirements and ramp rates o
f different FPGA circuit
designs.
-Comparing the N6700 Low-Pro

le and DC Power Analyzer Mainframes

General Differences
There are a number of differences between the low-profile and dc power analyzer
mainframes.
The low-profile mainframe is flat and optimal for Automated Test Equipment (ATE)
in manufacturing
and design validation systems where instruments are rack mounted and space is at
a premium.
It has a robust command set and is typically controlled by a computer program th
at sends commands

in SCPI (Standard Commands for Programmable Instruments). The dc power analyzer

mainframe is a benchtop
instrument and is optimal for R&D environments where engineers need quick answer
s to various tests on
their bench. It has a robust user interface and is typically operated from the
front panel.
Low-Profile Mainframes:
Size and user interface are optimized for computer control
Smaller, only 1 U high
Small display and small keypad suitable for program troubleshooting and debuggi
ng
Rear connectors
Up to 1200 W per mainframe
Less expensive
DC Power Analyzer Mainframe:
Size and user interface are optimized for front panel control
Larger, takes more rack space, but shallow for bench
Large color display with excellent user interface for non-computer controlled
DUT testing,
program troubleshooting and debugging
Front panel connectors
Up to 600 W per mainframe
More expensive
DC Measurements
All power modules have dc voltage and current read back capabilities.
The Low-Profile mainframes display average dc voltage and current measurements o
n the front panel.
Measurements can also be fetched over the bus. Similarly, the dc power analyzer
displays average dc
voltage and current measurements on the front panel or fetches the measurements
over the bus.
-Automotive ECU Transient Testing Using Captured Power System Waveforms
Automotive vehicle power systems are very harsh electrical environments. High cu
rrent motors, solenoids
and other components on the power system cause power system voltage transients a
nd dropouts to occur often.
Successful operation of your automotive electronics depends on adequate power tr
ansient immunity, and the
mission critical nature of automotive electronics make thorough ECU testing a mu
st.
A variety of test standards such as ISO-7637 and ISO-16750 document transient wa
veform pro les to help you
in that effort. But those waveforms represent a best guess at what your ECU will
see in the vehicle.
This application note describes methods to help you verify your ECU operation in
the harsh vehicle power
system environment by actually capturing the voltage transients as they occur in
the vehicle, and playing
back at a later time at your convenience to test your ECU.
What if you can record the transients which occur in the vehicle and play them b
ack in your development lab
when needed?
Capturing the transients can be done by simply using an oscilloscope. Connect yo
ur oscilloscope to the power
system where your ECU will be located and then exercise conditions known for gen

erating transients while

capturing the transients. Conditions such as engine cranking, compressor activat
ion and cold temperature
operation can be exercised, and the resulting power system transients captured.
Once the transients have been captured, load them onto your PC for inspection, m
odify if needed and download
to an arbitrary waveform generator (arb). Playback the output waveform via the a
rb connected to the ECU via
a wide-band power amplifier. This approach can provide excellent insight into ho
w your ECU will perform in
the vehicle, and can be repeated multiple times as various ECU prototype revisio
ns are developed. Multiple
transient scenarios can be saved and a complete library created to use as needed
. The transients can even
be run for extended times such as overnight to test for intermittent susceptibil
ity.
A variety of different oscilloscopes can be used to capture the voltage transien
t. Connect the oscilloscope
directly to the automotive vehicle battery terminals and adjust the sample rates
, sweep durations and
triggering appropriate for the transient to be captured.
To demonstrate, we will capture the power system transients that occur during en
gine cranking.
Once the scope is connected across the battery and properly setup, turning the i
gnition key to begin
cranking the engine starter will trigger the scope and capture the voltage trans
ient. Figure 1 shows a
resulting view of the captured waveform and Figure 2 gives a partial tabular lis
ting of the data as saved
by the oscilloscope.
Once the waveform has been captured and imported to the PC, the data can be open
ed with Microsoft Excel
and inspected. Adjustments may be made to customize the waveform if desired.
Playback the waveform Once the data is loaded into the N6705A memory it can be p
layed back using the N6705A
as an Arb User Defined Voltage. See figures 7a & 7b for assistance.
Select the N6705A Arb button twice to get the Arb Selection screen to appear.
Select the channel to be used by pressing the correct color coded Select Output
button.
Use the arrow keys to select User Defined Voltage and press Properties button.
Use arrow keys to select Import, and use the file browser to find and import y
our .csv file.
Be sure to turn the channel on, and then press Arb Run/ Stop to start arb.
Once the waveform data is properly format as a .csv file it may be entered into
the N6705A using two different methods:
Using a USB flash drive The simplest method to transfer the .csv file to the N67
05A is to use a USB flash
drive. Save the previously created .csv file onto your flash drive. Place the fl
ash drive into the N6705A
front panel USB connector, and copy the file into N6705A memory to save permanen
tly.
Using the LXI web browser A second method to move the .csv file to the N6705A is
to use the LXI web browser.
Open the web browser, enter the N6705A IP address (or hostname) and select the Ge
t Data tab.
The Get Data window will allow you to browse the local files on your PC and trans

fer them to the N6705A

memory.
-Evaluating Battery Run-Down with the N6781A 2-Quadrant Source/Measure Unit and
the 14585A Control and
Analysis Software
Advantages of Measuring Battery Run-down Performance
Validate the actual, or real-world, operating time to compare
ed values
Verify battery capacity and performance in its end application
the battery
manufacturers standard speci cations
Evaluate peak and average current and power consumption of the
powered by the
battery to compare against expected values and aid in optimizing
nce
Verify correct performance of low voltage shutdown

it against expect
to correlate with
device when it is
device performa

Challenges of Traditional Approaches Traditional approaches to measuring battery

drain involve using current
transducers, such as current shunts and probes. Likewise, many test standards fo
r measuring current drain on
battery powered batterypowered devices, such as GSM Associations DG09 Battery Lif
e Measurement Technique
provide guidelines for a generic test setup using ADC cards and current shunts t
o log current drain over an
extended period for assessing battery life for a variety of scenarios. While ade
quate under certain
situations, this approach falls short of meeting the level of accuracy needed fo
r a wide dynamic range of
current drawn by a battery-powered device. In addition, the voltage drop on the
shunt introduces another
layer of inaccuracy to the setup, detracting from the low voltage of the battery
. Lastly, battery run-down
testing can run from hours to days. This raises the issue of how to log and stor
e a large quantity of data
for post-test analysis.
The N6781A SMU has features that address the challenges and shortcomings of trad
itional approaches.
For battery rundown test, the N6781A SMU can be used in current measure only mod
e and become a zeroburden
current measurement shunt. Unlike a shunt, voltage drop will not be an issue. Th
e N6781A SMU also has a
patented seamless range-switching measurement feature. As the current transition
s from sleep level to active,
the seamless range-switching measurement feature dynamically adjusts the measure
ment range to allow the
highest accuracy at each point in the current waveform.
You can also use the programmable output resistance feature to enable the N6781A
to more accurately emulate
the internal resistance of a battery. Finally, the 14585A control and analysis s
oftware provides the
platform to easily data log, visualize, and analyze a large quantity of measurem
ent data. This setup readily
meets the requirements of the GSM Associations DG09 test standard for battery lif
e and other similar
standards, and actually improves on it by overcoming the limitations that come w
ith using a
xed shunt.

The N6781A has a current measurement only mode that sets the power supply to behav
e like a zero-ohm shunt.
When its output is connected in series with the battery and the batterypowered d
evice, as in Figure 1,
the N6781A emulates a zeroburden ammeter. The voltage is regulated where the rem
ote sense lines are connected.
In Figure 2, you can see a picture of an actual setup. After you con gure the set
up, select Current Measure
Only as the emulating mode in the 14585A source settings screen, as shown in Fig
ure 3. The voltage priority
mode is set by default and the +/- current limits are set to their maximum allow
able value. The output is
programmed to zero volts, hence zero-burden.
The N6781A SMU power module has an auxiliary voltage metering input that can be
used to measure battery
voltage in battery drain applications. Measurements from the auxiliary voltmeter
are used to validate
battery run-time and performance. Refer to DVM+ and DVM- connections in Figure 1
for setup con guration
of the auxiliary voltmeter. To enable auxiliary voltage measurements using the 1
4585A, expand the Instrument
Control tab and select Meter then Properties.
Using the Scope Mode
There is a scope mode in 14585A control and analysis software. The mode allows y
ou to
monitor the current drain as it happens. In the scope mode, the graphical user i
nterface allows you to
control the choices of voltage/current measurements, measurement ranges, and the
scaling of the display much
like an oscilloscope. You can also adjust the number of sample points per trace
to a maximum of up to 256 K
points for a single trace.
These features are also available from the front panel using Scope View.
The scope acquisition can be started or stopped by pressing the circular button
on the lower right-hand
corner under the word Scope. You can pull
up markers to further analyze the trace, as shown in Figure 5. Marker can be use
d to narrow in on a
specific time interval and extract information speci c to that time interval such
as min, max, and average
value.
Using the Data Logging Mode
The data logging mode in the N6705B and 14585A software permit long-term data co
llection. The settings allow
you to define the duration and the period of the data logging. The duration can
be up to several hours or
even days at a time. Set it to run longer than the expected actual battery rundo
wn duration to ensure that
you capture the entire event. You can define the integration period for the data
logging. For each
integration period, a set of min, max, and average values is generated and logge
d. In the data log display,
the min, max, and average values are all plotted together in the same graph. Fig
ure 6 shows a data log plot
of an actual battery rundown. These features are also available from the front p
anel using Data Logger.

Markers are available to use with data logging. Turn on the vertical measurement
markers and place them at
the start and shut-down points. This will set up the software to base all of its
numerical calculations just
over the enclosed time interval rather than the entire display.
You can set the data logging function to measure current as well as the voltage
reading from the auxiliary
DVM. Once the data is captured, it is stored in a binary format. There is an opt
ion to export the binary file
into a CSV (comma-separated variable)
le format. A CCDF (Complimentary cumulativ
e distribution function)
is another display feature. It is a cumulative form of a histogram that provides
a concise display of shortand long-term battery drain measurement. It is a distribution plot of the curren
t amplitude versus its
relative frequency of occurrence.