Half-rack supplies add Ethernet for integration

Edited by the Electronicstalk editorial team Jul 20, 2005

Elgar Electronics Corp has added an Ethernet/LAN connectivity option to the Sorensen DLM 600W series, its most popular half-rack family of DC power supplies.

Elgar Electronics Corp has added an Ethernet/LAN connectivity option to the Sorensen DLM 600W series, its most popular half-rack family of DC power supplies.

Supporting 10base-T and 100base-T protocols, the optional Ethernet interface provides accurate 16bit control and readback of voltage and current, along with a full complement of control and communication functions.

To simplify system design, a single IP address on a master DLM can support up to 30 slave units configured with the optional multichannel slave interface.

"With the universal acceptance of Ethernet and its robust communications protocol, we view it as the ideal choice for automated test systems", says Bill Ruff, EEC's VP of Marketing.

"This introduction represents our commitment to Ethernet as the power system control method of the future".

To further ease the task of integrating the DLM supply into systems, the Ethernet connection is designed to conform to the Class C level of the new, soon to be released, LXI Consortium Version 1.0 industry standard for LAN enabled instrumentation.

Included is a IVI-COM compliant driver.

In addition to standard Ethernet features such as TCP/IP protocol, ICMP and DCHP support, the option provides a built-in web server enabling users to easily control the output of the power supply as well as monitor status and view and modify port configuration through their web browser and a user friendly GUI.

With password protection, the system designer can prevent unauthorised access to the power supply system.

The Ethernet/LAN option comes standard with a rear panel mounted RJ45 connector, along with status indicators and a pushbutton switch for manually resetting the port to the default IP address.

In addition a standard RS232C interface is included to support existing serial installations.

The M130 master and M131 slave Ethernet options, priced lower than the GPIB versions, offer test system integrators higher speed and two-times better accuracy combined with the lower costs and greater extendibility of a LAN based system.

Conformance to LXI standards eases system integration when used with other LXI Standard conforming instruments.