Supplement: Power
Great expectations: why engineers demand form and function from modern test devices
By Mohamad El Boubou, product marketing manager, TDK-Lambda EMEA T
here has been a strong emphasis on user experience within the consumer electronics sector, with suppliers working hard to ensure that devices such as mobile phones are intuitive and easy to use. Efforts to elevate the look and feel of handsets have led to clean, logical designs and interfaces that support smooth performance and provide a sense of emotional satisfaction. This focus on user experience has also started to influence the B2B market, with engineers – shaped by their experience of the electronics they use at home – expecting the same level of intuitive design and ease of use in professional devices such as test equipment. They want to use equipment that can be set up quickly and operated efficiently, allowing them to work more productively in their day – and ultimately deliver greater value to their organisations.
AC power sources in action Let’s look at what that means in practice with the latest generation of test devices, specifically alternating current (AC) power sources, a foundational building block for our more electrified world. These advanced instruments generate highly controllable AC waveforms, allowing users to select different parameters such as voltage, frequency, phase, and waveform shape.
The outputs confirm the performance, reliability, and safety of a broad range of electrical and electronic devices by simulating various power conditions they might encounter in the real world. In aerospace, for instance, aircraft power systems operating at 115 V AC and 400 Hz are susceptible to harmonics from nonlinear loads, such as converters and lighting systems, which can degrade power quality. AC power sources are used to validate avionics systems, including communication equipment, flight controls, and
30 July/August 2025
Source:
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cockpit lighting, ensuring stability under real- world aircraft power conditions and confirming the robustness of critical avionics systems against harmonic interference in aircraft power networks.
Meanwhile, in the automotive sector, electric vehicles (EVs) are charged using various global power grids, which often contain harmonics. Programmable AC sources can simulate these conditions for testing, verifying the functionality of EV chargers and DC-DC converters under harmonic influence, ensuring protection mechanisms operate correctly during high distortion and complying with international standards (e.g., IEC 61000- 4-7) to ensure global compatibility of chargers. These scenarios indicate how modern AC programmable power can be used across a diverse range of industries and applications, and functionality is key. Increasingly, test and development engineers are seeking high-power density AC programmable power
Components in Electronics
sources with advanced capabilities such as waveform generation and harmonics analysis as standard. These devices must deliver rated current across the full voltage range with high- purity signals so that tests can be performed comprehensibly, reliably, and repeatably, making the best use of time and resources.
Why ease of operation is key Yet, as mentioned, modern-day test engineers want form as well as function, preferring to work with AC programmable power sources that help them go about their daily tasks in the most time-efficient manner. These individuals want highly automated and easily programmable settings that can be accessed without restrictions, making the most of their time in the laboratory, leading to productivity and cost savings. They also want these devices to be lightweight, flexible, robust, and easy to integrate. Intuitive design with ease of use in mind is also a need-to-have, allowing quick
and easy integration into testing operations with minimum setup times and, therefore, supporting more streamlined working for time-pressed engineers.
Here, again, the last generation of AC programmable power sources manages to fit the bill in a number of different ways. From a usability point of view, pre-programmed test standards for common IEC, aerospace, and marine tests in the graphical user interface (GUI) software are an attractive feature. This functionality means engineers can quickly set up and complete complex test sequences, saving time. The latest devices are also designed to be field upgradeable, allowing engineers to update equipment with the latest features and capabilities while maintaining continuity and eliminating the need to return devices to the manufacturer. No programming limitations are a boost, too. This functionality is crucial because it allows engineers to create specific test conditions without constraint.
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