Electronic Load Fundamentals

Overview

Testing the reliability of a power source or the efficiency of an energy conversion block is a crucial step for various industries to ensure that the devices connected to them meet the required compliance standards. Multiple devices representing complex loading profiles for their power source require a high-density test system with advanced features. A dc electronic load is a programmable instrument that offers various modes for loading control such as constant voltage, constant current, constant power, and constant resistance. It comes in different footprints ideal for automatic test equipment (ATE) systems, design validation, and manufacturing. DC electronic loads emulate various loading scenarios of actual devices that connect to your power source.

Device manufacturers and design engineers use dc electronic loads to test numerous power devices such as power supplies, DC-DC converters, chargers, adapters, batteries, solar panels, fuel-cells, and more.

In this Keysight Technologies white paper, explore how dc electronic loads provide greater flexibility by allowing you to sink power at various levels and with arbitrary profiles, and are effective solutions for testing power devices. They reduce test time and cost by easily adapting to continuous changes in device test requirements.