Uses for DC programmable load in home lab - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / beginners

author: robsims
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: July 24, 2019, 10:01:01 pm
content: Hi,I'm thinking of buying a programmable dc load to test circuits under different load conditions. Are there any other uses for a programmable dc load in a home lab, besides testing circuits, batteries and power supplies?

author: JustMeHere
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: July 24, 2019, 10:53:02 pm
content: If you are building power supplies, the ones for your circuit, you will need a load. In switching power supplies, its a good idea to sweep the entire range of power and see if there are any current levels that cause excessive noise. Switching power supplies can be clean under different load conditions, and very dirty under other ones.

author: robsims
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: July 24, 2019, 11:13:31 pm
content: But besides power-supplies that i build, what can i also use it for. Someone know where i can find one for under $200?

author: ledtester
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 25, 2019, 12:10:52 am
content: I would recommend that you get the cheapest solution which satisfies your immediate needs. Electronic loads come with a wide variety of capabilities and parameters, and it doesn't make sense to buy features that you cannot make use of right now. Besides, you can test power supplies with simple power resistors, and there are tons of DIY electronic load projects discussed on this forum and the Internet, so it is quite likely you could even build something yourself which will work for you.To get a better idea of what you really need right now, here's a load that I own and use and have no problem recommending to others:On ebay/aliexpress search for "Constant Current Electronic Load 9.99A 60W 1-30V Battery Capacity Tester"Price is around $16. It can do 0.2A - 10A, 60W, 30V. There's a bigger cousin which can do 110W. I consider it one of the better budget offerings based on it's software and features.If you can tell me why this won't work for you, I can give you some other recommendations.

author: JustMeHere
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: July 25, 2019, 05:42:50 am
content: E-Bay is not a bad place to start:https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_nkw=electronic%20load&_sacat=0&_udlo=0&_udhi=200&rt=nc

author: MosherIV
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 25, 2019, 06:58:06 am
content: You have already mentioned batteries.The programable load can be used to test battery capacity, many people use one to test LiPo/LiIon.It needs a low voltage cut off.It can also be used to bring the charge in a Li pack down for storage.I disagree about only getting what you need now. As a beginner, to begin with you may not understand what a feature is for. After a while, you may find out what that feature is for and how to use it. If you bought one without that feature, you will wish you had it.

author: tszaboo
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 25, 2019, 09:30:24 am
content: You can use it as a constant current sink.Rudimentary dummy transmitter for 4-20mA.

author: robsims
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: July 28, 2019, 07:55:56 pm
content: Sometimes you want to test a circuit with a load connected, to see how that circuit will react. It is really annoying and time consuming to connect different value resistors or variable resistors to test the circuit. So in my eyes a programmable load is a essential equipment to have in home lab for designing and experimenting with circuits. What you guys think of this onehttps://www.ebay.com/itm/150W-Programmable-Electronic-Load-Voltage-Current-Power-DC-Tester-RS-232-Port-HF/173877929001?epid=4011012650&_trkparms=ispr%3D1&hash=item287beea429:g:i4YAAOSwtnpaKK-y&enc=AQAEAAAB8BPxNw%2BVj6nta7CKEs3N0qWRODNeS38frIPb4qNpgcvA2GhM8gNHM2EjDPc%2BHvezYU0cJlTopNcEdRSw0CeiMcQZbvDrVbo%2BQarjBowYaLL3eBu5kkj9GCw2Zm5yGchFgcwt2bIFG7GDA1DPyJ93bb%2FiOugfpWHWSNw69gCR8UVR3zO3rIcQdkIfN0RIc5sy48E%2BcF5bLAw%2B7klJ2UAZTyTYbaWMj7zyV4IFFIsiCiBPujpOCwIuudGDSr%2BD%2B21%2FfvfdKxagIcilAi7jzq9GMzECYGZOSLcEbRKNcObMBopM03eun%2FFhQbCNEcvfXD%2FyPS1lysxef9eAIX6h9rQaGB6tjm6fIlY9Ofk0%2BoUkWBGoc1EhA9ZBI%2F2qKVpFan%2B4uWFag7sewN02EoVSrJVjtvh4dN%2B%2FFc8BVIHup3mm%2FOne5Z0%2FGYezNgGw0PUxbHTM70QxrGNyN1jTa9nwqXXXwVW7O6d5MLLK6Ytq39WnD5w%2FbxgiYpT0ZQEHTABo%2BmMr36q3MSu0HvuBV251S0PXpTlFM5epVi7FBo1en2pWmMdlYdY%2BCQhl7V50s2oIDvWzuemYgggtDHDbh3gKieQJMb354XjFSkiFtuLWwee0c575M1Rwdf1RieKFdYjbZZE32juTX%2FGXmfOHC1ifZGpgcwU%3D&checksum=17387792900196ce43e2e04047f09c4eae7a4e55e850

author: ledtester
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 29, 2019, 04:08:45 am
content: For that much money I would concerned about support and a warranty.I'd try to find the company that actually makes the device and see what kind of support they have. Do they offer schematics or have firmware updates, for instance? Also getting ahold of a user manual can tell you a lot about what the unit can and cannot do.A quick google search for "ivytech 8871" brought up some aliexpress pages, but all of them said "Sorry, this item is no longer available."So here's another cheap alternative for your consideration... build a resistor load bank:-https://www.eevblog.com/forum/projects/dummy-making-a-dummy-load-box/msg2033329/#msg2033329-https://www.eevblog.com/forum/projects/have-you-built-a-resistive-load-bank-ideas/msg2148061/#msg2148061

author: robsims
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: July 29, 2019, 01:41:23 pm
content: Think i'm going to buy the cheap one you suggested in an earlier post ledtester"On ebay/aliexpress search for "Constant Current Electronic Load 9.99A 60W 1-30V Battery Capacity Tester"

author: ledtester
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 29, 2019, 02:34:32 pm
content: You can get it from Banggood - I've had a good experience with them when items arrived damaged or incomplete:https://usa.banggood.com/Original-ZHIYU-60W-110W-9_99A-30V-Constant-Current-Electronic-Load-Aging-Battery-Capacity-Tester-p-1146280.htmlAlso - that page has operating instructions in the description of the item.This page also has operating instructions and includes how to access the serial port to get a constant readout of the load's voltage:https://whatever.sdfa3.org/zpb30a1-electronic-load.html

author: robsims
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: July 29, 2019, 03:22:33 pm
content: Many thanks ledtester, i'll get one.

author: Gyro
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 29, 2019, 06:53:44 pm
content: Quote from: robsims on July 24, 2019, 11:13:31 pmI thought I was the only one who wondered why electronic loads were such a popular project!I tend use old high power rheostats and resistors for PSU testing. Obviously they are passive rather than active so not capable of constant current load (easy battery life calculations etc.) but they provide a benign bulletproof load for testing thermals and voltage sag.I suppose active loads are useful for testing transient performance... assuming that it's not the load that is unstable!

author: swgertsch
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: January 04, 2020, 10:35:06 pm
content: Purchased a ZHIYU 110W, 30V, 9.99A Constant Current Electronic Load-Battery Tester from BangGood a couple of years ago.Documentation available left a lot to be desired so I cobbled together a English language User Manual.