Programmable, single and three phase models. HIGH POWER ACFREQUENCY CHANGERSFOR BURN IN AND TEST 1, 2 AND 3 PHASEAC POWER SOURCES AC Sources &Frequency Converters Automotive Testing Expo 2016, October 25-27 Adaptive Power to display its power test equipment at the 13th Automotive Testing Expo Advanced Power Electronics Conference 2017 Adaptive Power Systems will be at the APEC 2017 Conference in Tampa Florida New Single Phase AC and DC Programmable Power Sources New single phase output power sources cover wide range of DC and AC Load applications New Three Phase AC and DC Programmable Power Sources New three phase power sources cover wide range of DC and AC Load applications New Generation Programmable LED Loads New 41D & 42D LED electronic loads offer improved accuracy and higher currents TESTING ELECTRIC VEHICLE BATTERY PACKS AC Sources & Frequency Converters Adaptive Power AC Power Sources and Solid State Frequency Converters provide frequencies and voltages found around the world and in military avionics/shipboard applications.

The AC/AC converters will accept multiple frequency and voltage inputs, offer fully adjustable output frequency and a very broad adjustable voltage range that permits the duplication of worldwide utility configurations. APS CFS Series models expand usability by offering both AC and DC output modes. air filter window ac unitThe APS range is available in power levels from 500 VA to 180 kVA and high power models can be paralleled to 750 kVA if needed.window ac units for large windows Adaptive Power Systems offers and extensive line of programmable electronic loads for DC and AC load applications in R&D, ATE and Production. small bedroom ac unitOur loads offer leading edge features and capabilities for a wide range of voltage, current and power needs.

Available in power levels starting at 150W all the way to100’s kW. Easy front panel operation and GPIB, USB and LAN interfaces support both Lab and ATE Learn More Adaptive Power Systems offers several Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 compatible Graphical User Interface (GUI) software programs to control its power test equipment products.  This includes DC power supplies, DC loads and AC loads. Pre-Compliance Testing and Safety Agency Certification Astrodyne offers two different testing capabilities to our customers – pre-compliance testing and UL/IEC certification services. Having these labs on-site at our Norristown, PA, Yorba Linda, CA and Kunshan, China facilities not only saves time in the certification process, but also money for our customers. Pre-compliance testing dramatically improves a device’s chance of passing EMC testing and significantly lowers the risk of failure during the certification process. Failing an EMC test poses a substantial threat to project deadlines and budget – something no company wants to go through.

At Astrodyne, we offer comprehensive testing and analysis – including three fully equipped EMC test chambers located in Norristown, PA, Yorba Linda, CA and Kunshan, China – enabling us to quickly and cost-effectively bring products into compliance. UL, CSA and IEC Certification In addition to its pre-compliance testing, the Yorba Linda facility also features a UL and SEMKO certified lab. Our Client Test Data Program (CTDP) at Yorba Linda offers UL and CSA certification while the ENEC MTL (Manufacturer’s Test Laboratory) offers SEMKO certification, allowing for certification to domestic and international standards. With these labs readily on-site, Astrodyne is able to certify filters to various safety standards including UL 1283, CSA C22.2 No. 8 and IEC/EN 60939-1/2. Recently our CTDP program was extended to include power supply test and certification capabilities. Power supplies are harmonized to global standards including IEC/EN 60950 (ITE standard), IEC/EN 60601 (medical standard) as well as IECEE SMT (CB Scheme).

Accuracy, Lower Cost and Quick Time To Market All of our labs feature the same calibrated test equipment found in a typical final testing facility, offering an extremely high level of accuracy. They also enable us to demonstrate EMI and safety performance of filter and power supply products separately or together, in a quick and accurate manner. By offering pre-compliance testing and UL, CSA and SEMKO certification testing, Astrodyne offers: • Shorter lead times for safety approvals • Reduced risk of failing safety or EMI tests to avoid potentially costly retesting/recertification • Quicker time to market with a fully certified product Our experienced EMI/RFI filter design engineers and EMC testing personnel design our products to provide high-reliability performance for both COTS and custom solutions. Design engineers can feel confident that when they send their devices to our facility they are assured to pass. For more information, contact us today.

Multimeter Tutorial: How to Measure AC VoltageThe moment you bring home a "new old" radio or TV, the temptation is to plug it in and try it out. That's always a bad idea. For all you know, the set may have a short circuit in the power cord, failed electrolytic capacitors in the power supply, or other serious problems not obvious to the naked eye. prematurely may damage expensive parts or even start a fire. Many experienced restorers replace all of the electrolytic capacitors in a set before attempting to start it up. If your radio is valuable or it has great personal value, that's the prudent course. in Old Radios and TVs for details. There are other basic steps, such as inspecting for ruined parts, testing tubes, and cleaning controls, which should also be performed before power-up. These are detailed in the article, FirstIf you haven't already done those steps, pleaseIt's pointless to turn on a radio that has dead tubes.

A dim-bulb tester lets you try out a radio or TV under safe conditions and see whether it has problems in its power supply. You can build one in an evening. Here's my dim-bulb tester: a few leftover electrical parts mounted on a piece of scrap wood. It includes an on/off switch, although the switch The sketch shows how I wired the tester. As the diagram shows, the dim-bulb tester puts a light bulb between your radio and the AC power in the wall. This way, if your radio has a short circuit, it will just light up the bulb instead of causing damage. Safety Note: the dim-bulb tester involvesIf you aren't experienced with household wiring, or this diagram looks confusing, get assistance from someoneIf you don't know anyone like that, try contacting an area collector club; you might find someone willing to help. The ARC website has a list of clubs in the USA and throughout the world. You must choose a light bulb of the correct wattage when using this tester.

If your radio is a typical five-tube set, it probably uses about 30 to 35 watts of power. The radio's wattage is often stated on a label on the back,For example, here is the label from my Zenith Z-733 clock radio, showing that it consumes 30 watts: More complicated radios have more tubes and thus draw more power. my Hallicrafters SX-88 shortwave radio has 20 tubes and it draws 138 watts. A vintage TV may draw even more. To use a dim-bulb tester with these, you'll need to use higher wattage bulbs. If the bulb's wattage is too low, it will light brightly even if your radio has no problems, and your radio won't play at all. We'll demonstrate this in an example below. Generally speaking, your radio should play normally without fully lighting a bulb that is 1.5 to 2 times the radio's stated wattage. Let's look at a real-world example. The next photo shows my GE F-63. This radio has been fully restored and it works like new. Next to it is my dim-bulb tester

and three bulbs, of 40, 75, and 150 watts. I have plugged the tester into the wall and plugged the radio into the tester. This six-tube GE radio draws 70 watts, according to its label. You would normally use a bulb equal to that or somewhat higher, but let's see what happens when you put a 40-watt bulb in the tester and try to power the radio: The 40-watt bulb glows very brightly and the radio doesn't play. This is not a sign of trouble—the bulb is simply too small, only a little over half the wattage drawn by the radio. I showed this example to demonstrate that there's no point in using a too-small bulb. It won't tell you anything useful. Now, let's substitute a 75-watt bulb, which approximates the radio's 70 watts. The 75-watt bulb shines dimly—notice the faint pink-orange glow—and the radio playsIt takes a few seconds longer than usual to warm up, and the bulb shines a little more brightly during that warm-up period. This is normal behavior for a good radio when the wattage

of the bulb is roughly the same as the radio's wattage. If this 75-watt bulb shone brightly, rather than dimly, that would indicate a problem such as a short-circuit in the radio. You would not want to turn on the radio any more until you The final example uses a 150-watt bulb, slightly more than twice the radio's wattage. The 150-watt bulb barely glows at all. The radio warms up quickly and it plays normally. Again, this is what you'd expect from a normally-functioning radio. bulb shone brightly, that would indicate a problem. Passing the dim-bulb test doesn't mean that your radio works perfectly, only that it doesn't have a catastrophic short circuit in the power supply. There are many other faults that can't be detected by this device. allow you a safe startup. If the radio contains a short circuit, the current load is taken by the light bulb rather than your radio, preventing damage to the radio. Here is a handy procedure which I found in an old radio service book.

It is used to check the transformer and input filter capacitor in a transformer-type power supply. (This will not work with an "AC/DC" type power supply, which lacks a powerOf the two radios mentioned earlier in this article, the Zenith Z-733 has an AC/DC type power supply and the GE F-63 has a transformer type supply.) To check the power transformer: When you replace the tubes in the radio, be sure to put them back into the right sockets! Although this method is quick and convenient, there are other ways to check the transformer and filter capacitors, of course. There are many ways to construct this simple device. An easy variation would be to use a three-way light socket. you could install a three-way bulb and simply turn the switch to change the bulb's wattage. A couple of years ago, Kai Lydestad shared these photos of his compact dim-bulb tester: I like Kai's approach. If I didn't already have a dim-bulb tester, I'd build one like his.

Several years after writing this article, I ran across a commercial tester built by the Christy Electronics company in Chicago. It serves the same purpose as my simple dim-bulb tester and it includes additional parts, such an ammeter, making it more versatile. Christy Electronic Tester article for more information. In discussions of trying out unrestored radios, you'll often hear mentionIt's not equivalent to a dim-bulb tester, but each device has its uses. The term variac was originally a brand name; the proper name for this device is an autotransformer, and simply put, its purpose is to let you vary the voltage of the AC current supplied to your radio. My workshop also includes a device called a variac, which lets you start up a radio at low voltage and gradually increase it. This can allow you to detect problems before something terrible happens. it's best to use a variac that has a meter and to understand how much power your