SMUs ease test of battery performance for new mobile designs

SMUs ease test of battery performance for new mobile designs

Two two-quadrant source measure units (SMUs) — the N6781A for battery-drain analysis and the N6782A for functional test— are designed for testing battery-powered devices. By specifically targeting this type of testing, these units, which slip into the N6705B mainframe, make the job of characterizing advanced power-management methods a whole lot simpler. Previous SMUs could not adequately measure the dynamic currents these methods involve.

The N6781A and N6782A handle dynamic currents with a feature called seamless measurement ranging. As current drawn by a device under test changes, this feature permits the SMU to automatically detect the change and switch to the range that gives the most precise measurement. This feature and a built-in 18-bit digitizer enables effective vertical resolution of 28 bits, so engineers can measure to an extremely high precision without glitches or measurement disruptions.

In addition to seamless measurement ranging, the N6781A drain analysis unit offers programmable output resistance and an auxiliary DVM. Used with 14585A software for a PC, it can offer even greater measurement insight,

The N6782A functional-test unit can modulate its output up to 100 kHz, suiting it for test of such devices as dc/dc converters, power amps, and power-management units and ICs. It offers fast sourcing and waveforms as well as electronic load capabilities. (N6781A, $5,300; N6782A, $4,230; N6705B, $6,900; 14585A software license, $1,240 available now.)

Agilent Technologies , Santa Clara , CA
Sales 800-829-4444
http://www.agilent.com