A Portable Efficiency Characterization Setup for Technology Demonstration of Power Modules

Abstract:
This article presents an efficiency characterization setup used for technology demonstration and competitive analysis of low-mid power dc-dc converters. The setup is designed to provide for a high-level of portability, where all components can fit into a size of 30 cm x 10 cm x 10 cm. Two devices under test (DUTs) can be characterized at the same time for the same operational point. A sense circuit measures the input and output voltage and current for each device, and the analog signals are fed into a highresolution analog-to-digital converter (ADC). A microcontroller (MCU) processes each device’s efficiency and writes the data on an on-board LCD display. The presented setup has an accuracy of ± 1 % for efficiency measurement with currents higher than 100 mA, which provides a good trade-off between measurement accuracy and portability.