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Voltech dc1000 User Manual

Precision dc bias current source
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  • Page 2 Thank you for choosing the Voltech DC1000. This quality instrument will give you many years of reliable use. Should you experience any difficulty during the set up or use of your Voltech product, please do not hesitate to contact either your local supplier or one of our main offices.

  • Page 3: Table Of Contents

    USING MULTIPLE DC1000S IN PARALLEL ..................17 USING A PC TO CONTROL YOUR DC1000 (S) ..................18 USING A PC TO CONTROL YOUR DC1000(S) WITH AN RS232 LCR METER (NOT A VOLTECH AT SERIES PRODUCT)............................19 USING A PC TO CONTROL YOUR DC1000(S) WITH AN IEEE-488 LCR METER (NOT A VOLTECH AT SERIES PRODUCT)..........................
  • Page 4 ........................36 ONNECTING THE QUIPMENT ..........................37 SING THE OFTWARE SPECIFICATIONS ..........................43 EMC COMPLIANCE ........................... 45 98-100 ISSUE 8...

  • Page 5: Warranty

    Because software is inherently complex, and may not be completely free of errors, you are advised to verify your work. In no event will Voltech be liable for direct, indirect, special, incidental or consequential damages arising out of the use of or inability to use software or documentation, even if advised of the possibility of such damage.

  • Page 6: Health & Safety

    & S EALTH AFETY Electrical devices can constitute a safety hazard. It is the responsibility of the user to ensure the compliance of the installation with any local acts or bylaws in force. Only qualified personnel should install this equipment, after reading and understanding this users manual.
  • Page 7 CHECK YOUR LINE INPUT VOLTAGE SETTING BEFORE CONNECTING TO SUPPLY! Fig.1 Use a flat-headed screwdriver to pull the fuse drawer out. Rotate the gray voltage selector to select the correct voltage for your location. 98-100 ISSUE 8...

  • Page 8: Safety Precautions

    AFETY RECAUTIONS  There are no user serviceable parts inside the DC1000. Please return the unit to a Voltech approved service center for any repairs that may be required.  Use fuses only of the type and rating – 4.00A 5X20 T-LAG HI-BREAK (VPN 66-052) ...

  • Page 9: What Is The Dc1000

    DC1000? HAT IS THE The DC1000 is a DC Bias current source that can generate between 0 and 25A. Up to ten DC1000’s can simply be joined together in parallel to produce up to 250A. The DC1000 can be used with almost any LCR meter – making it unique amongst all DC Bias Current Sources.

  • Page 10: Packing List

    We recommend using an approved Safety System at all times. Please consult your safety officer. (VPN 91-265)  1 x Product Registration Card – Please fill this out and return it to Voltech to help us serve you better. (VPN 86-203) ...

  • Page 11: Getting Started

    ETTING TARTED The DC1000 is designed with ease of use and speed of testing in mind. Following is a description of the functions on both the front and rear panels of the DC1000, to help you familiarize yourself with the basic operation of the instrument.
  • Page 12 1) RS232 IN – Connects either to a PC or to the RS232 OUT port of the DC1000 closest to the controlling DC1000 or a Voltech AT instrument. 2) RS232 OUT – Connects to the RS232 IN port of another DC1000, in order to control its functionality, or connects to another DC1000, or any LCR meter other that a Voltech AT series product.

  • Page 13: Safety Interlock

    AFETY NTERLOCK For the DC1000 to produce any current, a safety system is required. The DC1000 can be used with and produces high currents; therefore, Voltech recommends that your always use a safety system when using your DC1000. Consult with your company’s safety officer prior to using the DC1000.

  • Page 14: Sing The Dc1000 And Aoltech At3600/At5600 With A Safety System

    AT3600/AT5600 SING THE AND A OLTECH WITH A SAFETY SYSTEM When using your DC1000(s) with a Voltech AT a bespoke “Y” lead should be used for the interlock system Fig. 25 shows this connection. Fig. 25 INTERLOCK A) Use the Safety Device “Y” lead (250-031).
  • Page 15 DC1000 output will cease. Voltech can provide a cable for connection between a light curtain and the DC1000 or AT transformer tester. The cable has been optimized for use with the ‘Banner’ safety light curtain described below, but safety light curtains from other manufacturers may also be suitable.

  • Page 16: Using The Dc1000 With An Lcr Meter

    Be sure to connect the HI side of your LCR meter to the same side of the inductor to which the HI side of your DC1000 is attached, and use the opposite side of the inductor to connect the LO sides of both the DC1000 and the LCR meter.

  • Page 17: Using Multiple Dc1000S In Parallel

    DC1000. Then, if you have more than two DC1000’s, connect the RS232 OUT of the second DC1000 in your chain to the RS232 IN of the third. Follow the same pattern for any remaining DC1000’s you wish to connect together in parallel.

  • Page 18: Using A Pc To Control Your Dc1000 (S)

    Fig.6. Fig. 6 Connect your computer’s RS232 port to the RS232 IN port of the first DC1000 in your chain (‘DC1000 # 1’), using a 9-way male to 9-way female null modem cable (see ‘Accessories’ section of this user manual).

  • Page 19: Product

    When using an LCR meter with RS232 communications capability, connect the RS232 port of the LCR meter to the RS232 OUT port of the last DC1000 ‘(DC1000 # 2’ in the Fig. 7) in your chain, using a null modem cable (see the Accessories section...

  • Page 20: Using A Pc To Control Your Dc1000(S) With An Ieee-488 Lcr Meter (Not A Voltech At Series Product)

    Fig.8. Fig.8 Connect your computer’s RS232 port to the RS232 IN port of the first DC1000 in your chain (‘DC1000 # 1’), using a 9-way male to 9-way female null modem cable (see ‘Accessories’ section of this user manual).

  • Page 21: Using The Dc1000 With A Voltech At3600 Or Ati(And Optional Pc)

    NOTE: See the RS232 communications section for information on USB to RS232 converters. If you wish to use a PC to control your AT36 when you have a DC1000 hooked up to the auxiliary port, attach the PC’s RS232 connector to the DC1000’s RS232 OUT port using the 9-way male to 9-way male straight-through RS232 cable that was provided with your AT product.

  • Page 22: At Compensation With Ultiple Dc1000

    When using the DC1000 PC Software, which was provided with your DC1000, the HI side of the DC1000 output, and of the inductor under test, should be connected to node 15 of the AT fixture being used, and the LO side should be connected to node 13.

  • Page 23: Sing Ir, Ilk, Hpdc, Hpac Tests Igh Oltage Ests )

    ESTS Voltech AT3600 or ATi programs that include any of these tests should be connected such that the LO winding is the one that is connected to the DC1000 output. Fig.10 below illustrates this setup. INCORRECT CONNECTIONS TO THE DC1000 MAY CAUSE DAMAGE.
  • Page 24 On selecting ‘LSBX Inductance with External Bias (Series Circuit)’ or ‘LPBX Inductance with External Bias (Parallel Circuit) from the ‘Available Tests’ window, a dialogue box will be displayed. Fig.11 To program the test: 1. Enter the signal, frequency and bias current required for the test. Note that the signal is normally entered as a voltage by selecting the ‘mV’...

  • Page 25: Lpbx - Inductance With External Bias (Parallel Circuit )

    ‘Medium’ is the default setting. ‘Long’ will give you more stable readings (for tighter limits) at the expense of test time, and ‘Short’ will test at the maximum speed, but may give slightly noisier readings. 3. Enter the terminal names between which the inductance will be measured. By pulling down the menu along side the fill-in box, you may select the high and low terminals for each test.
  • Page 26 Fig.12 To program the test: 6. Enter the signal, frequency and bias current required for the test. Note that the signal is normally entered as a voltage by selecting the ‘mV’ or ‘V’ button; but you may optionally enter it as a current by selecting the ‘mA’ button.

  • Page 27: Zbx - Impedance With External Bias

    XTERNAL The Winding Impedance with External Bias test measures the impedance of a selected winding while applying a DC current from the DC1000 through the winding. An AC voltage is also applied across the winding from the AT. This test can be used with inductors to measure the change in impedance with a bias current.
  • Page 28 Fig. 13 To program the test: 1. Enter the value of a voltage (or current) for the signal and the required frequency of the test. Also enter the bias current you would like to apply. Please note that the Measure button may be used here. For information, refer to the ‘Test Program Editor’...
  • Page 29 >< Enter minimum and maximum values. > Enter just a minimum value. < Enter just a maximum value. 5. Select OK. The test specification will then be displayed in the program window. 98-100 ISSUE 8...

  • Page 30: Rs232 Communication

    RS 232 connection Many PCs today do not come with an RS232 as standard. To add an RS232 port to your PC, Voltech recommend the use of one of the following USB to RS232 converters: 1. USB Gear (www.usbgrear.com) part number USBG-RS232-F12.

  • Page 31: Commands

    For your convenience, listed below are the RS232 commands you can use to control the DC1000 remotely. The baud rate that you should use to communicate with the DC1000 is 9600, with 8 data bits, parity is none, 1 stop bit, and there is hardware flow control.

  • Page 32: Set Dc1000 Output Current

    If everything is OK, 0 or 1 will be returned. If not, then a status number will be returned.  DC1000 O UTPUT URRENT Command “D_SET,level <lf>”, where level is the demand in milli-Amps and can range from 100 to 25000.

  • Page 33: Read The Serial Number

    The following will be returned Serialnumber <cr> <lf> where serialnumber is the serial number of the DC1000 (Serial number returned will always be 12 digits, if the queried unit’s serial number has less characters, then spaces will fill it out to 12.

  • Page 34: Status Numbers

    TATUS UMBERS The DC1000 will return status numbers, either on the front panel display if there is an error, or via RS232 if it is requested. If the status is an error that is indicated in fig. 14 as needing to turn off the output, then in order to clear the error, and try again, the output must first be turned off.

  • Page 35: Calibration

    ‘Packing List’ in this manual. The Voltech part number for the RS232 cable supplied with AT products that you can use to interface with the DC1000 is 77-015.

  • Page 36: Pc Software

    PC software application that will enable you to use your DC1000 and an LCR meter to make inductance measurements with different DC bias current levels. The results can be displayed graphically on the screen as well as saved to a file.
  • Page 37 GPIB then the device will need to be selected. In the example shown in figure 16, the HP4284 is on GPIB address 17 and the DC1000 is on comm. port 6. You can see what comms ports are available by opening the Device Manager on your To test that the communications are working correctly, click on “Test Comms”.
  • Page 38 identifier string will be displayed. If comms are not working, then an error message will be displayed with information on what may be wrong. Figure 17 Clicking on the Saturation curve tab while in Comms Set-up with the “Test Comms” button pressed, will return you straight back to the screen shown in figure 17.
  • Page 39 Figure 18 For example, if figure 18, the step size would be 0.1A. Step 4: Set up the inductance measurement Next, set up the inductance test voltage and frequency. Also, if the LCR meter is an AT3600 or an ATi, you will need to specify the high and low node of the top matrix between which the inductance measurement will be made.
  • Page 40 If you click the “Begin” button with no or inappropriate communications set up, you will receive an error message and the application will stop. The application can be re- started by clicking on the right-facing Run arrow at the top left. Step 6: View the results As the test runs, the inductance measurements and the DC current will be added to each step in the results grid.
  • Page 41 Figure 21 The appearance and the position of the cursor can be controlled by using the buttons to the right of the inductance value. To enable or disable cursor movement, press . To change the appearance of the cursor, press .
  • Page 42 DC1000 software can be saved to an HTML file by selecting the name and destination of the file and clicking on “Save html”. 98-100 ISSUE 8...

  • Page 43: Specifications

    Compliance voltage: 5V pk. Affect of the DC1000 on Inductance Readings The affect the DC1000 has on an inductance reading is dependant on the test Voltage and frequency. Fig. 17 should be used to determine the affect for a particular test.
  • Page 44 Supply Voltage Input Voltage: 100-125V / 200-250V AC 48-65Hz Input Power: 400VA Max. Fuse: Environment +5 ° to 40°C operating Temperature: Humidity: 10% to 80% RH non-condensing. Dimensions Height: 88mm Width: 475mm Length: 255mm Weight: 10kg Interfaces RS232 connection to AT or AT3600 Transformer Testers Safety Interlock Protection for operators from back EMF when interlock connected to safety cage.

  • Page 45: Emc Compliance

    EMC C OMPLIANCE The DC1000 complies with the limits of BS EN 55022 Class A. DECLARATION OF CONFORMITY Voltech Instruments, Inc. Manufacturer's Name Manufacturer's Address 11637 Kelly Road Fort Myers FL declares, that the product Precision DC Bias Current Source...

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