The drive for efficiency and long battery life implies that power considerations play a key role in designs—from battery-powered mobile devices and electric vehicles to industrial and utility power systems. Our February issue includes a contributed feature article (see “Selecting the right instrument for electrical power measurement applications”) that describes the types of instruments—from dedicated power analyzers to general-purpose instruments like oscilloscopes—able to make power measurements. It describes the advantages and disadvantages of each—without mentioning specific instrument models and vendors.
The May 2017 issue of EE-Evaluation Engineering will include a staff-written article that follows up by listing specific instruments and vendors. It will cover the gamut of tools available for power analysis, including but not limited to dedicated power analyzers, data-acquisition systems and data recorders, and general-purpose instruments such as oscilloscopes that can be applied to power measurements, perhaps with help from power-analysis software.
We welcome your input. The questions below indicate some of the topics we will be covering in this feature, and we would appreciate your brief responses.
If you perform power analysis measurements:
- What types of power measurements are you making (for example, to extend battery life of portable devices, ensure signal and power integrity in sensitive electronics, optimize efficiency in electric drive trains, or test grid-scale power generation)?
- What challenges do you face?
- If you don’t have a dedicated power analyzer, are you considering buying one within the next few months, or will you make do with the equipment you already have?
- If you do have a dedicated power analyzer, has it been worth the investment, or do you believe a general-purpose instrument would have sufficed?
If you make equipment for power analysis:
- Along the gamut of power-analysis applications (for example, mobile battery-powered devices, industrial electric motors, electric vehicles, utility/grid), which applications do you address?
- What challenges are your customers facing when it comes to power analysis?
- What are some specific products do you offer that find use in power-analysis applications, and what is unique about your offerings?
- Do you offer any options (for example, software or hardware accessories like probes) that are particularly applicable for power analysis applications?
- Are there any other points you would like to emphasize with regard to power analysis?
- Could you refer us to any new or current application notes? (Please provide links.)
We need to receive replies by February 28. Send replies to [email protected], or leave a comment below. Thanks for your help.
