Teledyne LeCroy announces the HVFO high voltage fiber-optically isolated oscilloscope probe. The 60 MHz bandwidth HVFO probe further extends Teledyne LeCroy’s power electronics test solutions, such as the only HV differential probe rated for 1500Vdc common-mode testing, the 8-channel, 12-bit resolution oscilloscopes, and Motor Drive Analyzers for three-phase electrical and mechanical power measurements.
The HVFO is optimally designed probe for measurement of small signals floating on a High Voltage bus in power electronics designs. Optical isolation between the probe tip and the oscilloscope input reduces adverse loading of the device under test (DUT); and also reduces noise, distortion, ringing, overshoots, and transients on the measured signal.
It surpasses the measurement capabilities and signal fidelity of both conventional HV differential probes and acquisition systems that rely on galvanic channel-to-channel and channel-to-ground high voltage isolation.
Furthermore, it mitigates reliance on dangerous test setups that require floating the oscilloscope and probe, or investments in specialized isolated oscilloscope or data acquisition systems that result in other performance compromises.
The HVFO architecture is simple, with a single laser and fiber optic cable providing optical isolation and modulated signal plus data communication. Multiple tips achieve different operating voltage ranges : +/-1V to +/-40V.
The HVFO has low tip capacitance and high input impedance, and because the amplifier is optically-isolated, the tip only has to measure the small signal gate-drive voltage. Therefore, there is approximately 1/100th of the loading compared to a conventional HV differential probe; and the superior noise and rejection provided by the high common-mode rejection ratio (140 dB CMRR), low lead loop inductance, and low attenuation permits the gate-drive signal to be faithfully reproduced in challenging environments.
The HVFO will be priced less than 4000$.