Specifications

change in time; that is the
difference of the cursors. For
B&K Precision's 8510 DC load,
slew rate is measured to be 1
A/μs.
OTHER DC LOAD
APPLICATIONS
DC loads can be very
resourceful for various tests
and applications. Sometimes,
they may even act as a
different type of test
instrument for measurement.
A good example would be a
voltmeter. Other practical
applications that will be
mentioned in this section is a
fuse. DC loads can also act as
a fuse in a circuit for
monitoring current thresholds
to help prevent possible
damage from overcurrent or
overpower.
Voltmeter
In any design or test
environment, a voltmeter is
required in one way or another
for measurements. It is one
of the most useful test tool
today. For this reason, it is
often convenient to have a DC
load that can read voltages
when a voltmeter is not
around. For simplicity, a test
program script has been
provided under “Software
Examples” at the end of the
note under section labeled
“Voltmeter Reading” to
perform simple voltage
measurements and reading
rates of B&K Precision's 8500
DC load. This load can
measure with a millivolt
resolution before indicating an
overrange. Refer to the
section for detailed
information on setting up and
running the software
application.
Fuse
The application described in
this section is to demonstrate
how to use a DC load as a fuse
in a circuit. Under program
control, the load can shut off
when either current, voltage,
or power measured exceeds a
set value in the load. This is a
basic application for a fuse,
and due to some delays from
the software control, it is not
recommended for use if fast
responses are required. The
program codes to run this
application can be found in the
“Software Examples” section
under “Fuse Application”.
Details of usage and operation
are provided in the same
section.
Setup
Connect load in series with a
circuit. Be sure that remote
sense is off. Run the program
to monitor current. Threshold
value is set in the program.
Note: The DC load does not
behave like a pure resistance.
For this fuse application, it
may be hard to test low
currents in the few mA range.
For B&K Precision's 8500 load,
there is a turn-on threshold
voltage of around 0.1 volts
before the load starts
conducting current and, thus,
it may jump past a low
current setting. Thus, please
test this fuse application
carefully before using it to
protect valuable circuitry.
SOFTWARE
EXAMPLES
The following sections include
the source codes for all
software based applications
and examples previously
mentioned. If not done
already, please read the
documentation provided from
B&K Precision's website at:
http://www.bkprecision.com/p
roducts/categories/sub_catego
ries/models/?
model=8500#software for
successful installation of the
python libraries. This must
be setup correctly prior to
using any of the source codes
provided in this note. Be sure
to also read the instructions
under each software examples
for correct usage.
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