The circuit only has a few tasks to perform: generate excitation measure the signal and then display the results. The resulting cartesian plot has voltage on the X axis and current on the Y axis. The excitation is current-limited for protection of the DUT. The current through the device under test (DUT) and the voltage across the DUT is measured and then displayed on the screen. The Octopus ( Figure 2) applies a 15 volt peak 60 Hz sine wave across the two test terminals. Instead of an octopus’ worth of jumbled cables, there’s now just a pair of test leads. The circuit has been around just as long as oscilloscopes, but this Octopus is a small battery-operated instrument with its own display. The resulting plot can be used to track down opens, shorts, and noise in a component, as well as measure the breakdown voltage and phase relationship between voltage and current. The Octopus generates AC excitation across its two leads and then displays a voltage vs. Sometimes called a VI curve tracer, an IV curve tracer, or an oscilloscope Octopus, this general-purpose instrument is invaluable in troubleshooting ( Figure 1).
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |