Testing Power Sources for Stability
Recent advances in measurement technology have made it not only possible
to measure stability margins, but made it a quick and simple process. On
power sources with remote voltage sensing terminals, gain and phase margins
can usually be determined in a few seconds without even removing the cover.
These measurements can be made while the source is operating normally,
supplying power to the real load. In this way, the effects of the real load
on stability margins and power source performance can easily be determined.
This paper will explore the causes of problems when the power source is
connected to the real load — as opposed to the resistive load normally
used by the power source manufacturers — and how to specify and test
the power source to avoid those problems.
|