Wide Full Power Operating Range

The ALx Series utilizes conventional linear MOSFET-based dissipative elements, allowing the series to achieve a very wide voltage-current operating range within the model’s maximum power rating. Using the same heat management innovations developed for Magna-Power’s high density programmable DC power supplies, the ALx Series’ conservative cooling ensures long product life in environments up to 50 °C ambient operating temperature.

Resources

Key Features

MagnaLINK™ Distributed DSP Architecture

Magna-Power’s MagnaLINK™ technology provides distributed Texas Instrument DSP control across power processing stages inside the MagnaLOAD DC electronic load. This technology follows a significant internal development cycle from Magna-Power to provide a unified digital control platform across its electronic loads and power supplies, featuring fully digital control loops, adjustable control gains, programmable slew rates, function generation, and many new advanced control technologies.

Many Control Modes

To accommodate a variety of DC sources, all ALx Series MagnaLOADs come with several distinct control modes, including: Voltage Mode, Current Mode, Power Mode, Resistance Mode, and Shunt Regulator Mode. Preference for DC regulation is given to the parameter in the selected mode within the programmed set-points. Using the MagnaLOAD's set-points and trip settings, the product can configured to either trip with a fault when a limit is exceeded or to cross-over into a different regulation state.

Shunt Regulator Mode turns the MagnaLOAD into a high-speed smart braking resistor, engaging the DC input only when a specified voltage and exceeded by a user-defined percentage, while limiting the shunt current to a programmed set-point.

Digital Master-Slaving: Expandibility Without Compromise

This is a planned feature that will be available via a future firmware update.

All MagnaLOADs come standard with a MagnaLINK™ Input and a MagnaLINK™ Output port, which provides plug and play digital master-slaving. Simply connect the master's MagnaLINK™ Output to the slave's MagnaLINK™ Input and the MagnaLOADs will automatically configure themselves for master-slave operation based on the populated ports. Buffered digital MagnaLINK™ connections means many MagnaLOADs can be daisy-chained in master-slave operation.

The internal MagnaLINK™ protocol was developed with expandability at the forefront. When configured for master-slave operation, the master controller takes control of all the slave's digital "targets." With this digital master-slaving strategy, it is completely transparent whether the unit is operating as a stand-alone product or in master-slave.

Extensive Programming Support

All ALx Series MagnaLOADs come with a dedicated National Instruments LabVIEW™ driver, Interchangeable Virtual Instrument (IVI) driver, and support for a wide range of Standard Commands for Programmable Instrumentation (SCPI). These programming interfaces support full control, measurement, and monitoring of the MagnaLOAD. All of the MagnaLOAD's available communication interfaces are supported by these drivers and command sets, including: USB, RS485, LXI TCP/IP Ethernet, and IEEE-488 GPIB.

Showcased in the following basic code examples, SCPI commands provide the simplest form of communication by using plain ASCII text and parameters sent over a basic socket connection. Over 50 commands are provided, with detailed documentation in the ALx Series User Manual.

Configurable External User I/O

Beyond the front panel and computer controls, all MagnaLOADs come standard with a 25-pin D-Sub connector designated as the External User I/O. This connector provides :

• 8 Digital Outputs
• 4 Digital Inputs
• 4 Analog Outputs
• 4 Analog Inputs

All the analog-digital I/O ports are configurable, allowing the user to select which parameters they want to control and monitor. This configurable I/O scheme reduces complexity, eases PLC integration and allows control parameters from various interfaces simultaneously.

The MagnaLOAD's configurable analog inputs provide 0-10V programming from PLCs and external D/A converters.

Integrated Arbitrary Waveform Generation

This is a planned feature that will be available via a future firmware update.

All MagnaLOADs provide four user programmable arbitrary waveforms. Each arbitrary waveform can consists of up to 1024 points, each point with the following settings:

• Voltage, Current, Power, and Resistance Set Points
• Time Period
• Rise and Fall Slew Rates
• Stop, Loop, or Jump-to-Point Setting

With the integrated arbitrary waveform generation, the MagnaLOAD can easily be used to provide a wide range of user-generated waveforms including step load transitions or pulsed DC loading.

MagnaWEB Software Interface

Magna-Power's next generation software interface, MagnaWEB, provides intuitive and user-friendly web-browser based controls for programming and measurement read-back of the MagnaLOAD's activity. Virtually all of the MagnaLOAD's available functions can be controlled and monitored from the MagnaWEB software over any of product's installed communication interfaces.

MagnaWEB uses a server-client software model to provide access to the MagnaLOAD from nearly any device and operating system. Install and run the MagnaWEB software locally on Windows, OSX or Linux and, using a web browser, access the server connected to the MagnaLOAD from a variety of devices including other desktops, tablets or smart-phones.