- Rohde & Schwarz offers a new family of power analyzers, comprising three models to meet different needs for measuring voltage, current, power and harmonic distortion on DC and AC sources.
- The R&S NPA101 wattmeter performs all fundamental measurements, the R&S NPA501 power analyzer offers additional measurement functions and graphical analysis capabilities, while the R&S NPA701 model also incorporates test functions to comply with IEC 62301 and EN 50564 standards on power consumption and EN 61000-3-2 on harmonic emission.
- The R&S NPA family, part of the German manufacturer’s R&S Essentials range of instruments, replaces the R&S HMC8015 series of power analyzers.
The power analyzers in the R&S NPA family enable power measurements at levels ranging from 50 µW to 12 50 µW to 12 kW, at potential differences from 1 mV to 600 V and currents from 1 mA to 20 A. The R&S NPA501 and R&S NPA701 include interfaces for external probes or shunts to extend the range even further. All three models feature a sampling rate of 500 ksample/s. The 16-bit resolution A/D convertor ensures an accuracy of ± 0.05 % for both current and voltage readings.
The three instruments of the R&S NPA family include the same 23 standard measurements of power, current, voltage, harmonic distortion and energy. Users can select up to ten measurements to be displayed from a total of 37 to display simultaneously on the screen with a refresh rate of 100 ms. The screen contents can be output as a graphic to the USB port, the values can be recorded over time for all measurements with the logging function. A choice of Crest factor values of 1, 3 or 6 allows to capture all peaks and maximize dynamic range.
All instruments of the family incorporate a LAN and USB interface for remote control; the R&S NPA501-G and R&S NPA701-G models also have a GPIB interface. A set of SCPI commands as well as drivers for LabVIEW, LabWindows/CVI and IVI.net are available for easy integration of the instruments into systems. Users benefit from the compact form and footprint; for system use, two instruments can be mounted side-by-side in a 19” rack.
In addition, all R&S NPA501 and R&S NPA701 models have maximum and minimum peak values for voltage, current and power. With the PASS/FAIL function, users can define up to six sets of maximum and minimum values to check easily whether the DUT’s output remains within the limits. Both instruments also feature a graphical display mode. In the time domain, users can view the power-up inrush characteristic, the voltage and current waveforms simultaneously, or a selection of parameters over longer periods. In the frequency domain, users can view up to the 50th harmonic, logarithmically if required or as a table.
The top model of the family, the R&S NPA701 compliance tester, additionally provides step-by-step procedures in line with IEC 62301 and EN 50564 for power consumption in low-power modes, and EN 61000-3-2 for EMC harmonic emissions. According to Rohde & Schwarz the R&S NPA701 is the only power analyzer in its class that does not require a separate PC to perform compliance tests.
