Contents General Information Product Overview Package Contents Product Dimensions Rackmount Installation Front Panel Overview 1.5.1 Combination Keys Rear Panel Overview Display Overview Getting Started Input Power Fuse Requirements 2.2.1 Fuse Replacement Input Connections Preliminary Check 2.4.1 Verify AC Input Voltage 2.4.2 Self-test Errors 2.4.3...
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Rear Panel Functions Remote Sensing External Triggering Current Monitoring (I Monitor) 5.3.1 Remote Sensing 5.3.2 Current Monitoring (I Monitor) Advanced Functions Short Operation Short-circuit Analog Function Transient Operation 6.3.1 CC Mode 6.3.2 CV, CW, and CR modes LIST Operation 6.4.1 Configure List 6.4.2 Run List...
General Information 1.1 Product Overview The 8500B Series DC Electronic Loads are versatile instruments used for static and dynamic testing of DC power supplies, batteries, DC-to-DC converters, battery chargers, and other applications including fuel-cell, and solar cell test. Primary modes include constant voltage (CV), constant current (CC), constant resistance (CR), and constant power (CW). A wide range of dynamic loading applications can also be simulated through user-programmable slew rates, load levels, duration, and conducting voltage.
Verify that all items above are included. If anything is missing, please contact B&K Precision. 1.3 Product Dimensions All models are designed to fit in a standard 19-inch rackmount. The dimensions are shown in Figure 1.1. Figure 1.1 External Dimensions - Half-rack models 1.4 Rackmount Installation The instrument can be installed in a standard 19 inch rack.
Item Description VFD Display Power Switch Numeric Input and Advanced Functions Mode keys and Input Control Navigation Keys Input Terminals Rotary Input Knob Figure 1.3 Front Panel 1.5.1 Combination Keys Press button first and then other keys to activate the more advanced functions. Turn short circuit on or off.
System menu setting Configure menu setting Press this button if you need a pause when running an auto test file. Cause an immediate trigger. Enter OCP test function. Set detailed parameters in CC/CV/CW/CRmode. Enter OPP test function. Recall the DC Load state from non-volatile memory. Key lock function 1.6 Rear Panel Overview The rear panel connections are shown in...
1.7 Display Overview Item Description Measured Voltage Measured Current Measured Power Set Value Input Off indicator, lit when input is off Operation mode indicators (CC, CV, CW, CR) Remote control active indicator Error indicator Waiting for Trigger indicator Timer indicator External indicator Remote Sense active indicator Protection event indicator...
Getting Started Before connecting and powering up the instrument, please review and go through the instructions in this chapter. 2.1 Input Power The load has a selectable AC input that accepts line voltage input within: Voltage Frequency 115 V (+/-10%) or 230 V (+/- 10%) 47 Hz – 63 Hz Table 2.1 Input Power Requirements Use the line voltage selector switch in the back to switch between 110 V and 220 V operation.
Figure 2.1 Fuse Holder current levels. The “banana” input is capable of up to 10 A of current. Any more current is not recommended and could lead to excessive connector heating, melting and worse. Note: The screws on the terminals can be completely removed to allow for ring type adapters. The screw posts are 7mm in diameter.
2.4.2 Self-test Errors Connect AC power cord to the AC receptacle in the rear panel and press the power switch to the ON position to turn ON the instrument. Various elements of the system are checked during the power-on self test routine. If any occur, they are reported during the power-up procedure.
Front Panel Operation The electronic load provides the following modes: • Constant current (CC) operation mode • Constant voltage (CV) operation mode • Constant resistance (CR) operation mode • Constant power (CW) operation mode 3.1 Local Mode/Remote Mode The 8500B series can either be operated locally or remotely. When in “Remote” mode, the RMT indicator will be lit. When in this mode, the front panel of the load is disabled and all commands are issued via the serial interface.
3.3 Slew Rate Measurement and Actual Transition time Current slew rate is defined as the change in current over time. A programmable slew rate allows a controlled transition from one load setting to another. The actual transition time is defined as the time for the input to change from 10% to 90%, or 90% to 10% of the programmed current values.
3.6 Constant Resistance (CR) Mode In this mode, the electronic load approximates a resistor. The current draw is varied by the load according to the input voltage. The performance of this mode is not as fast as in CC or CV mode. This is because it is a sampled system and response to changing input takes a finite amount of time.
Front Panel Operation The electronic load provides the following modes: • Constant current (CC) operation mode • Constant voltage (CV) operation mode • Constant resistance (CR) operation mode • Constant power (CW) operation mode 4.1 Local Mode/Remote Mode The 8500B series can either be operated locally or remotely. When in “Remote” mode, the RMT indicator will be lit. When in this mode, the front panel of the load is disabled and all commands are issued via the serial interface.
4.3 Slew Rate Measurement and Actual Transition time Current slew rate is defined as the change in current over time. A programmable slew rate allows a controlled transition from one load setting to another. The actual transition time is defined as the time for the input to change from 10% to 90%, or 90% to 10% of the programmed current values.
4.6 Constant Resistance (CR) Mode In this mode, the electronic load approximates a resistor. The current draw is varied by the load according to the input voltage. The performance of this mode is not as fast as in CC or CV mode. This is because it is a sampled system and response to changing input takes a finite amount of time.
4.7.2 External Triggering EXTERNAL:An external trigger is a TTL low signal applied to the Trigger connection on the back panel. This TTL signal must last for more than 5 ms. A trigger applied to this input is used to change settings (voltage, current , resistance), toggle between settings in transient- toggle mode, or generate a pulse in pulse mode.
Rear Panel Functions Item Description Power Input Fuse Holder AC Input Voltage Selection Current Monitor Output Remote Sense/Trigger Input Remote Interface Figure 5.1 Rear Panel 5.1 Remote Sensing Remote sensing is used to counteract the effect of lead resistance. For example, if you connect a power supply to the DC Load, the voltage at the power supply’s terminals will not be the same as the voltage at the DC Load’s terminals if there is a current flowing because of the finite resistance from the wires.
1. Press to enter the configuration menu. 2. Use the arrow keys to navigate to the “SENSE” menu item. Press to enter the menu. 3. Use the arrow keys to select the desired value “ON, or OFF” and press to confirm the setting. 4.
Advanced Functions In addition to the 4 general modes of operation, there are a number of other more application specific functions. These functions enable more advanced testing. 6.1 Short Operation The electronic load can simulate a short circuit at its input. During front panel operation, press to switch the short on/off state.
1. First, select the load’s mode of operation, which will determine which type of transient operation will be configured. Press or to select between CC, CV, CW, or CR mode. Verify the selection by the backlight behind its corresponding button, which will be lit when selected. 2.
Figure 6.1 List Mode Current Waveform 6.4.1 Configure List Lists are run exclusively from internal memory only. As in other menus, an active field is denoted by an underline cursor or flashing. To enter a list into memory, complete the following: 1.
3. Use the button to go back to the normal display. The load is now ready and waiting for a trigger. 4. Press to enable the input, and send a trigger to start the list program. If Trigger Source is set to Manual, press to send a trigger.
Stop Timer The maximum test time. 4. When the settings are entered, the last step is to set the memory location. Set the value (1 - 10) and press complete the configuration entry. 6.5.2 Enable Battery Test Mode 1. Press to enter the system menu.
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1. Press (Prog). ACTIVE =0987654321 2. Press and press enter to confirm. ACTIVE =0987654YYY 3. Select the step that should pause during the test. When paused, press [downarrow] continue the test. PAUSE=NNNNNNN32Y 4. Step 3 short circuit testing, press , and press to confirm.
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Ton, Toff and Tpf (P/F) Relation: the delay time for a step 15. Set stop conditions: COMP means stop test when all the steps are completed, FAILURE means stop test when the testing fails. Press to confirm. STOP COMP FAILURE 16.
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1. Press [[Shift)+[CC] button and then [CV] (Setup) to enter the setting interface. RANGE=30.000A 2. Set the current range press to confirm. RANGE =1.2A CC 3. set the upper limit of voltage, press to confirm. HIGH=4.6V 4. Set the lower limit of voltage, press to confirm.
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1. Press [CW] button press to set related +[parameters] RANGE=150.00W 2. Set the power range press to confirm. RANGE =1.00W 3. Set the upper limit of voltage press to confirm. HIGH=120.00V 4. Set the lower limit of voltage press to confirm. LOW=0.000V 5.
According to the following steps to escape OPP mode: Press (system)—“RUNMODE”— —-select “NORMAL” mode— 6.6.2 Start Auto Test File Press [] to provide a signal to start auto test file. The discharging process will be auto terminated when stop conditions name: are reached.
11. Open power output. 12. The electronic load timer starts timing. After ending, time will keep stable, which is rise time of voltage. 13. Close the power output. The electronic load VFD will display voltage drop time. 6.8 Ripple Function The 8500B series DC electronic loads have test ripple function.
Configuration Functions 7.1 VON Function The DC load can be set to only turn on if the voltage is above a set value (VON set) under configure menu by pressing . There are two types of VON function: “Living” and “Latch”. The following will have detailed description for the two types.
7.5 System Menu (System) Press to enter the system menu. POWER-ON : POWER-ON Power on state of instrument RST (default) Do not remember state in SAVE 0. Customer can save a often used data in SAVE 0 to recall when power on the DC load next time. SAV0 Remember state in SAVE 0 BUZZER : BUZZER...
7.6 Config Menu Press to enter the menus. PROTECT - Max-P Set hardware power protection MAX POWER=150.00 W Set hardware OPP value A-LIMIT Set software current protecting state A-LIMIT Enable software over current protection function A-LIM POIN=30.00 0 A Set the software OCP level A-LIM DELAY= 3 S Set the OCP delay time Disable the software OCP function...
System Settings 8.1 Run Recall Edit 1. Select “Edit” and press . Enter a value using the numeric keypad or rotary knob for “Voltage On Level”. The value must be within the maximum input limits of the load. Press to continue. 2.
1. Press ) and then ( ). A “*” indicator will light up on the display, indicating that the front panel keys are lock. At this point, all keys are disabled except for the Lock function. 2. To unlock the keys again, press ) and then ( )again. The “*” indicator will disappear and all keys will be enabled. 8.5 Restore Factory Default Settings All instrument settings are reset back to their factory default values by doing the following: Note: Restoring the instrument to factory default will change all current instrument settings and parameters back to...
8.5.2 Load On Knob This setting controls the behavior of the knob. 1. From the “SYSTEM” menu, select “Knob” and press 2. There are two options: Update(default) Real time update. No update (when turning load ON/OFF, original value before use of rotary knob will be set) 3.
Storage Group Memory locations 1 – 10 11 – 20 21 – 30 31 – 40 41 – 50 51 – 60 61 – 70 71 – 80 81 – 90 91 - 100 When recalling settings, each of the numeric keypad numbers corresponds to the memory locations based on the storage group selected according to the table above.
1. First, consider the memory locations you want to recall from. As they are grouped together, select the appropriate storage group from the “SYSTEM” menu first by following the instructions in previous section. 2. Once selected, press (b- ) and (or press (recall) ) and it will light up to indicate the instrument is in “Recall”...
Parity: N (None), E (Even), O (Odd) Stop bit: 1 Flow control: NONE, CTS/RTS, XON/XOFF Note: The default is 4800, 8, N, 1, NONE. *Setting the baud rate to 115200 may provide unstable results during remote communication. Select a lower baud rate if communication errors occur.
8.5.15 Overcurrent Protection (OCP) The electronic load includes both hardware and software overcurrent protection features. “Hardware OCP” - The electronic load’s maximum input current will be limited to approximately 110% of the current range. Once the hardware OCP is triggered, the status register’s OC bit will be set. When the hardware OCP is removed, the status register’s OC bit will be reset.
Operation - Display on front pannel 1. Press “[ ]+ [ 8 ]” (system) enter into sysmtem menu - 0.0000V 0.000A POWER-ON BUZZER 2. Press right key,select RUNMODE and confirm - 0.0000V 0.000A RUN <NORMAL with button - 3. Press direction key to select OCP_TEST,Press “ ”...
Check whether the input power is within the rated power range or the programmed protection ranges. If it is out- side the range, disconnect the device under test. Then press any key on the front panel or remotely send command PROTection:CLEar.
(system)——RUNMODE—- ——select “NORMAL” mode—- 8.5.18 Overvoltage Protection (OVP) The instrument’s maximum OVP limit is 110% of the maximum rated voltage. If the OVP circuit has triggered, input will turn off, buzzer alarm will go off, and the status register’s OV and VF bit will be set.
4. It will then prompt to enter a value for “Delay”. This is the amount of time to enable the input from when the is pressed (or when input is turned ON remotely). Once this time is past, input will be disabled (OFF). Use the numeric keypad or rotary knob to enter the value.
Protection Functions 1 OCP Test Function The load has a built-in OCP test function that can be used to automate testing for OCP conditions. The load can save up to 5 OCP test programs into internal memory, which can be recalled and run. The OCP Test program requires the following parameters be configured before it can be run.
6. Finally, enter a value for “Max Trip Current”, and then “Min Trip Current”. Press (enter) after each settings to continue. 7. The load will prompt to “Save OCP File”. Select a number between 1 and 5. Then press (enter) to save all settings to the selected location. Note: At any time when configuring any parameters for the test, you can press the key to select the previous parameter to edit.
“Step Delay” This is the delay time to hold each power step in the test. This determines how fast or slow to run through the test. “End Power” This is the ending power value before OPP test ends. The test will only run through in steps from “Start Power”...
8 Reverse Voltage Protection (LRV) This feature protects the DC load in case the DC input terminals are connected to a power source with reversed polarity. If a reverse voltage condition is detected, the buzzer will sound and will be displayed on the VFD. Operations to Clear the Reverse Voltage State Check whether the connection is reversed;...
Remote Operation 10.1 Interface Connection 10.2 Serial Interface PIN Description Transmit Data Receive Data A straight pin-to-pin DB9 female to DB9 male serial cable is required for using the RS-232 interface. Do not use a null modem or crossover DB9 serial cable. 10.2.1 GPIB The load can be configured with a GPIB address from 0 –...
Troubleshooting Guide Below are some frequently asked questions and answers. Please check if any apply to your instrument before contacting B&K Precision. 1 General Q: I cannot power up the instrument. Check that the power cord is securely connected to the AC input and there is live power from your electrical AC outlet. Verify that the AC power coming from the mains have the correct voltage.
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2. Check whether the fuse of electronic fuse is burned out. If yes, change fuse. Detailed steps: • Pull out power line and take out the fuse box at power line jack with a small screw driver. As shown below. •...
Specifications Note: All specifications apply to the unit after: 1. A temperature stabilization time of 15 minutes over an ambient temperature range of 23 C ± 5 ∘ ∘ 2. Short correction operation performed before making measurement. Specifications are subject to change without notice.
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Programmable DC Electronic Loads 8500B Series Specifications Note: All specifications apply to the unit after a temperature stabilization time of 30 minutes over an ambient temperature range of 23 °C ± 5 °C. Model 8542B 8500B 8502B 8510B 8514B Input ratings Input voltage 0 to 150 V 0 to 150 V...
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Programmable DC Electronic Loads 8500B Series Specifications (continued) Model 8542B 8500B 8502B 8510B 8514B Readback voltage 0 to 18 V 0 to 50 V 0 to 18 V Range High 0 to 150 V 0 to 500 V 0 to 120 V 0.1 mV 1 mV 0.1 mV...
Service Information Warranty Service: Please go to the support and service section on our website at bkprecision.com to obtain an RMA #. Return the product in the original packaging with proof of purchase to the address below. Clearly state on the RMA the performance problem and return any leads, probes, connectors and accessories that you are using with the device.
LIMITED THREE-YEAR WARRANTY B&K Precision Corp. warrants to the original purchaser that its products and the component parts thereof, will be free from defects in workmanship and materials for a period of three years from date of purchase. B&K Precision Corp. will, without charge, repair or replace, at its option, defective product or component parts. Returned product must be accompanied by proof of the purchase date in the form of a sales receipt.
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