INNOVATION and EX C ELL E N C E
Features
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Applications
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Figure 1. Simplifi ed Schematic
NEW
ISOLATED
DC/DC
CONVERTER
12-BIT
D/A
DATA
LATCH
AMPLIFIER
AND
CURRENT
SENSOR
+LOAD
+LOAD
LOAD
LOAD
CONTROL STROBE (CS)
CLOCK (CLK)
INPUT
BUFFERS
OPTO
ISOLATORS
SERIAL DATA INPUT (SDI)
LATCH DATA (LD)
GROUND
+5V SUPPLY
UNDERVOLTAGE
DETECTION
POWER DEVICE
UNDER TEST
FAULT
DATEL, Inc., Mansfi eld, MA 02048 (USA) Tel: (508)339-3000, (800)233-2765 Fax: (508)339-6356 Email: sales@datel.com Internet: www.datel.com
DTL Series
DTL2A-LC Model
100 Watt, Digitally Programmable
Low-Voltage, Electronic Loads
DATEL's new DTL2A-LC is an optically isolated, digitally programmable, serial-
input electronic load designed for use in burn-in, characterization and test of today's
low-voltage power supplies and power components. The DTL2A-LC is essentially a
digitally controlled current source that can sink currents from 0 to 20 Amps, at loading
voltages as low as 0.6 Volts, up to a maximum power of 100 Watts.
The DTL2A-LC accepts a serialized, 12-bit, CMOS/TTL-compatible, digital input
word easily supplied by any standard digital I/O card. The DTL2A-LC optically isolates
(500Vdc) the digital data, latches it, and presents it to an on-board, 12-bit, digital-
to-analog (D/A) converter. The D/A output drives a near-ideal (10M
min. output
impedance), voltage-controlled current source. One LSB (least signifi cant bit) of the
D/A corresponds to a 5mA increment (0.025% of 20A) in load current. The DTL2A-LC
guarantees a 10mA max. offset error and a 0.4% max. gain error. It has an impressive
full-scale step response time of 100sec and can be updated at rates to 20kHz.
The DTL2A-LC operates from a single +5V and draws a mere 150mA. It is housed
in a thermally effi cient, 2" x 2" x 0.5" metal package that has an aluminum baseplate
with through-hole spacers for easy pcb mounting and/or heat-sink attachment.
When operating with constant currents up to 20 Amps, the DTL2A-LC has an
output compliance voltage of 0.6 to 50 Volts. Should the output/load voltage drop below
the 0.6V minimum required for proper biasing, an internal monitoring circuit activates the
DTL2A-LC's output Fault line.
DATEL's electronic loads and their companion controller boards and software are
outstanding building-block components for power-supply (AC/DC and DC/DC convert-
ers) and power-component (diodes, FET's, etc.) burn-in and test systems. They are an
extremely reliable, cost-effective solution that enables you to quickly confi gure fl exible,
impressively accurate systems.
12-bit, optically isolated (500Vdc),
CMOS/TTL-compatible serial input
Output load voltages as low as 0.6 Volts
Output current 0-20A in 5mA increments
Output power to 100 Watts
10M
minimum output impedance
10mA offset error; 0.4% gain error
100sec full-scale step response
Operate in parallel for higher power
Miniature, 2" x 2" metal package
Static/dynamic power-supply burn-in
Power-supply test and characterization
Battery capacity testing
Current-source testing
Capacitor discharge testing
Real-time load simulation
DTL Series
Performance Specifi cations and Ordering Guide
P A R T N U M B E R S T R U C T U R E
M E C H A N I C A L S P E C I F I C A T I O N S
Input
Output
DTL
2
DATEL
Electronic Load
Voltage Range:
2 = 0.6 to 50V
A
A-Series
High Reliability
T E M P E R A T U R E D E R A T I N
11
8
9
10
1
2
4
3
5
6
7
METAL CASE
ALUMINUM BASEPLATE
2.00
(50.80)
2.00
(50.80)
0.20 MIN
(5.08)
1.20
(30.48)
6 EQ. SP. @
0.200 (5.08)
1.800
(45.72)
1.640
(41.66)
1.640
(41.66)
0.50
(12.70)
0.060 0.002 DIA.
(1.524 0.051)
0.040 0.002 DIA.
(1.016 0.051)
#4-40 CLEAR THRU
(TYP. 4 PL)
BOTTOM VIEW
0.10
(2.54)
0.08
(2.03)
0.22
(5.59)
0.40
(10.16)
Pin
Function P31
Pin
Function P31
1
Fault
7
Control Strobe (CS)
2
Ground
8
Load
3
+5
Volt
Supply
9
Load
4
Latch
Data
(LD)
10
+Load
5
Serial Data In (SDI)
11
+Load
6
Clock
(CLK)
I/O Connections
Contact DATEL for Heat Sink information.
Output P
o
wer/Load (W
atts)
Baseplate Temperature (
C)
100
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
The horizontal axis of the above chart references the temperature of the DTL2A-LC's
aluminum baseplate. The device can continually dissipate up to 100 Watts if the baseplate
is maintained at or below +50C. At +25C ambient temperature, with no heat sink or
supplemental air fl ow, the DTL2A can reliably dissipate a continuous 10 Watts.
2
Case C24
Compliance
Resolution
Logic
Current Resolution Voltage
Power
Package
Model
(Bits)
Compatibility
(Amps)
(mA)
(Volts)
(Watts)
(Case,
Pinout)
DTL2A-LC 12
CMOS/TTL
0-20
5
0.6-50
0-100 C24,
P31
-
LC
Low Compliance Voltage
Typical at T
A
= +25C with nominal +5V supply voltage unless noted.
The smallest increment/decrement in output current is defi ned by one LSB (least signifi cant bit) of the 12-bit
digital input word. One LSB is equal to full scale (FS) divided by 4096 which corresponds to 0.0244% of 20A or 4.88mA.
For proper operation, the unit's output/load voltage must remain within this range. Voltages greater than the listed
maximum can damage the device. Voltages less than the minimum provide insuffi cient bias for the output stage
and will result in unpredictable or no operation. See Output Compliance Voltage and the Fault Line for details.
See Performance/Functional Specifi cations for details.
1 0 0 W A T T , L O W - V O L T A G E E L E C T R O N I C L O A D S
DTL2A-LC Model
Digital Inputs/Outputs
Logic Compatibility (Pins 1, 4-7) CMOS/TTL
Input Logic Levels:
Logic "1" +2 Volts, minimum
Logic "0" +0.8 Volts, maximum
Input Logic Loading:
Logic "1" (I
IH
@ V
IH
= 5 Volts) 20A, maximum
Logic "0" (I
IL
@ V
IL
= 0 Volts) 0.6mA, maximum
Output Logic Levels:
Logic "1" (@ 150A) +3.5 Volts, minimum
Logic "0" (@ 1.6mA) +0.4 Volts, maximum
Timing See Timing Diagram
Output
Current:
Range 0-20 Amps
Resolution
0.024%FS (4.88mA)
Accuracy
3%, maximum
Voltage Range
0.6-50 Volts
Power Range 0-100 Watts
Impedance 10M
, minimum
Offset Error
10mA, maximum
Gain Error 0.4%, maximum
Isolation Voltage:
Digital Inputs/Output to Load 500Vdc, minimum
Any Pin to Case 500Vdc, minimum
Isolation Resistance 100M
, minimum
Dynamic Performance
Output Slew Rate 10A/sec, minimum
Output Settling Time
100sec
Digital Input Update Rate to 20kHz
Power Requirements
Power Supply Range (+V
CC
, Pin 3) +4.75-5.25 Volts (+5V nominal)
Power Supply Current 110mA typ., 150mA max.
Environmental
Operating Temperature
40 to +100C (Case)
Storage Temperature 40 to +125C (Ambient)
Humidity (Non-condensing) to 95%
Altitude Above Sea Level 10,000 feet
Physical
Dimensions 2" x 2" x 0.5" (51 x 51 x 12.7mm)
Shielding 6-sided (Connected to pin 2)
Case Material Tin-plated steel shell with
aluminum baseplate
Pin Material Brass, solder coated
Mounting Holes Through-hole spacers, #4-40 clearance
Weight 1.9 ounces (54 grams)
The smallest increment/decrement in output current is defi ned by one LSB (least signifi cant
bit) of the 12-bit digital input word. One LSB is equal to full scale (FS) divided by 4096 which
corresponds to 0.0244% of 20A or 4.88mA.
For proper operation, the unit's output/load voltage must remain within this range. Voltages
greater than the listed maximum can damage the device. Voltages less than than the
minimum provide insuffi cient bias for the output stage and will result in unpredictable or no
operation. See Output Compliance Voltage and the Fault Line for details.
Offset error is defi ned as the current sunk/sourced by the DTL2A's output, under any output
voltage conditions, when the digital input word is all "0's."
Full scale step (20 Amps) settling to within 5mA of its fi nal value.
See Temperature Derating.
Applies over all specifi ed ranges/combinations of load voltage/current, operating temperature,
and V
CC
.
Power Supply Voltage (+V
CC
, Pin 3) 0.5 to +5.5 Volts
Digital Input Voltage (Pins 4-7) 0.5 to +5.5 Volts
Output Reverse-Polarity Protection No protection
Output Overvoltage Protection No protection
Output Undervoltage Protection Yes (See Fault Line)
Case Temperature +105C
Storage Temperature (Ambient) 40 to +125C
Lead Temperature (Soldering, 10 sec.) +300C
Absolute Maximum Ratings
These are stress ratings. Exposure of devices to any of these conditions may adversely
affect long-term reliability. Proper operation under conditions other than those listed in the
Performance/Functional Specifi cations Table is not implied.
Overview
The DTL2A-LC is a digitally programmable, CMOS/TTL-compatible, serial-
input current sink. It's output/load current range is 0 to 20 Amps (in 4.88mA
increments), over a compliance voltage range of 0.6 to 50 Volts and an output/
load power range of 0 to 100 Watts. The device's digital I/O coding is straight
binary (see table below). A digital input of all "0's" forces a load current of 0
Amps. A digital input of all "1's" forces a load current of 19.995 Amps.
In a typical power-supply test or burn-in application, the output pins of the
device under test (DUT) are connected to the DTL2A-LC's +Load (pins 10 and 11)
and Load (pins 8 and 9) outputs. The DTL2A-LC's operation is controlled by its
four digital input lines (Serial Data In, Clock, Latch Data and Control Strobe).
T E C H N I C A L N O T E S
MSB LSB
DTL2A
1111
1111
1111
19.995
1100
0000
0000
15.000
1000
0000
0000
10.000
0111
1111
1111
9.995
0100
0000
0000
5.000
0010
0000
0000
2.500
0000
0000
0001
0.005
0000
0000
0000
0.000
Serial Input Data Word
Load Current (Amps)
Mapping of the Serial-Input Data to Load Current
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1 0 0 W A T T , L O W - V O L T A G E E L E C T R O N I C L O A D S
Performance/Functional Specifi cations
Typical @ T
A
= +25C with nominal +5V supply voltage, unless noted.
DTL Series
Serial Data
Following initialization, the 12-bit digital word representing the desired output
current is applied to the SDI pin. The serial data should appear starting with
the most signifi cant bit (MSB, bit 1, D11) and ending with the least signifi cant
bit (LSB, bit 12, D0). With each data bit present and stable on the SDI line,
the CLK must be toggled through a low-to-high transition to register that bit.
Twelve rising clock edges, at rates up to 500kHz, are required to clock all 12
digital bits into the DTL2A-LC's input register.
Latching Data and Presenting It to the D/A
After loading the LSB, the serial data word is latched by bringing the Control
Strobe (pin 7) high and then toggling the Latch Data pin (pin 4) through a
high-low-high sequence. Approximately 100sec later, the output current will
settle to its fi nal desired value.
Software: C Language
The following steps describe a typical timing sequence when using the DTL2A-
LC's 4 digital inputs and a programming language such as C. Using 4 bits of
a typical 8-bit port, assign BIT_0 to the Control Strobe (CS, pin 7), BIT_1 to
Latch Data (LD, pin 4), BIT_2 to Serial Data In (SDI, pin 5), and BIT_3 to
the Clock (CLK, pin 6).
1. Initialize with Control Strobe, Latch Data, and Clock high:
BIT_0 = 1, BIT_1 = 1, BIT_2 = X (don't care), BIT_3 = 1
2. Bring the Control Strobe low.
BIT_0 = 0
3. Apply the MSB (D11) of the serial data word to Serial Data In.
BIT_2 = 0 or 1
4. Toggle the Clock high-low-high.
BIT_3 = 1 to 0 to 1
5. Apply D10 of the serial data word to Serial Data In.
BIT_2 = 0 or 1
6. Toggle the Clock high-low-high.
BIT_3 = 1 to 0 to 1
7. Repeat the process for remaining data bits D9 through D0.
8. Drive the Control Strobe high.
BIT_0 = 1
9. Toggle the Latch Data input high-low-high.
BIT_1 = 1 to 0 to 1.
Output Compliance Voltage and the Fault Line
For proper operation, the DTL2A-LC's output/load voltage must always be
between 0.6 and 50 Volts. The device cannot be used to directly load
extremely low-voltage (<0.6V) power components or to simulate a true short
circuit (0 Volts). Voltages greater than 50V can damage the device. Voltages
<0.6V will result in insuffi cient biasing of the output current source and
consequently unpredictable or no operation. Accordingly, we have installed
an internal output/load-voltage monitoring circuit. If the output/load voltage
drops below 0.6V and the DTL2A-LC's output is at risk of becoming disabled,
the Fault line activates.
The Fault line is an optically isolated, active-low function with an open-
collector output (internal 10k
pull-up resistor to +5V). Under normal condi-
tions, its output is high (logic "1"). Under fault conditions (V
OUT
< 2.5V), its
output drops to a logic "0." There is no output/load-voltage monitoring circuit
for voltages greater than 50V, and operation above 50V can damage the
device.
An "offset supply" can be inserted between the DTL2A-LC's Load output
(pins 8 and 9) and the power device under test (DUT) to "translate" the
DTL2A-LC's 49.4V output/load voltage range. The offset supply must have
adequate current capabilities and be connected with the polarities indicated
in Figure 2 below. Under no circumstances should the voltage across the
DTL2A-LC's output be allowed to experience a polarity reversal.
If a 5V/20A offset supply is inserted as shown, the range of DUT voltages will
be 4.4 to +45 Volts. Such a confi guration can be used for true short-circuit
testing. A mechanical relay can be used to short the outputs of the DUT
while the offset supply ensures the DTL2A-LC always sees at least 5 Volts
across its outputs.
Thermal Considerations
The DTL2A-LC can reliably handle 100W loads if its case temperature is
maintained at or below +50C. With no heat sinking or auxiliary cooling, the
device can only handle loads up to 10 Watts. Please refer to the Temperature
Derating Curve for additional information. DATEL's Electronic Load Applica-
tions Engineers can assist you in developing heat-sink solutions for your
higher-power DTL2A-LC applications. Please contact us for details.
Initialization
Preparing the DTL2A-LC to accept new digital data is accomplished by applying
logic "1's" to Control Strobe (CS, pin 7), Latch Data (LD, pin 4) and Clock
(CLK, pin 6) with all signals present and stable for a minimum of 1sec.
During this interval, it does not matter whether or not data is present on the
Serial Data In (SDI, pin 5) line.
+LOAD
DTL2A-LC
LOAD
11
10
9
8
5V
+
+
DUT
SHORT
CIRCUIT
RELAY
Figure 2. An "Offset Supply" Enables
True Short-Circuit Testing
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1 0 0 W A T T , L O W - V O L T A G E E L E C T R O N I C L O A D S
DTL2A-LC Model
DATEL makes no representation that the use of its products in the circuits described herein, or the use of other technical information contained herein, will not infringe upon existing or future patent rights. The descriptions contained herein
do not imply the granting of licenses to make, use, or sell equipment constructed in accordance therewith. Specifi cations are subject to change without notice. The DATEL logo is a registered DATEL, Inc. trademark.
DATEL (UK) LTD. Tadley, England Tel: (01256)-880444
DATEL S.A.R.L. Montigny Le Bretonneux, France Tel: 01-34-60-01-01
DATEL GmbH Mnchen, Germany Tel: 89-544334-0
DATEL KK Tokyo, Japan Tel: 3-3779-1031, Osaka Tel: 6-354-2025
DATEL, Inc. 11 Cabot Boulevard, Mansfi eld, MA 02048-1151
Tel: (508) 339-3000 (800) 233-2765 Fax: (508) 339-6356
Internet: www.datel.com Email: sales@datel.com
DS-0474A 9/00
ISO 9001 REGISTERED
INNOVATION and EX C ELL E N C E
Figure 3. DTL2A-LC Timing Diagram
CLK
500 kHz
t
in
1
sec
t
cl
= t
ch
1
sec
t
css
1
sec
t
csh
1
sec
t
ld1
2
sec
t
ld2
2
sec
t
ldw
2
sec
t
ds
0.5
sec
t
dh
0.5
sec
Timing
Min.
Typ.
Max.
Units
5
SDI
t
dh
t
ds
t
css
t
in
t
cl
t
ch
t
csh
t
ld2
t
ld1
t
ldw
D11
D10
D9
D8
D7
D6
D5
D4
D2
D3
D1
D0
CLK
CS
LD
1 0 0 W A T T , L O W - V O L T A G E E L E C T R O N I C L O A D S
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