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Chapter 7 Tutorial
Output Characteristics
150
Figure 7-5 shows the operating modes of the output of the Agilent E3633A and
Agilent E3634A power supplies. The operating point of one supply will be either
above or below the line R
L
= R
C
. This line represents a load where the output
voltage and the output current are equal to the voltage and current setting.
When the load R
L
is greater than R
C
, the output voltage will dominate since
the current will be less then the current setting. The power supply is said to be
in constant voltage mode. The load at point 1 has a relatively high resistance
value (compared to R
C
), the output voltage is at the voltage setting, and the
output current is less than the current setting. In this case the power supply is
in the constant voltage mode and the current setting acts as a current limit.
Figure 7-5. Output Characteristics
When the load R
L
is less than R
C
, the output current will dominate since the
voltage will be less than the set voltage. The power supply is said to be in
constant current mode. The load at point 2 has a relatively low resistance, the
output voltage is less than the voltage setting, the output current is at the
current setting. The supply is in constant current mode and the voltage setting
acts as a voltage limit.