How do you use a power supply sense line?

How do you use a power supply sense line?

The power supply is forced by the sense lines to supply the correct voltage to the resistor and the voltage across V+ and V- (in the example given) is set 200mV higher. If the load current changes then the power supply will have to keep adjusting its output voltage to correct for the loss in the connection resistance.

What is a sense connection?

In electronics, sense is a technique used in power supplies to produce the correct voltage for a load. Two types of sense are used, depending on where the power supply output is measured. In local sense, the supply simply measures the voltage at its output terminals, where the leads to the load connect.

Can you connect two power supplies?

Two or more power supplies being capable of CV/CC automatic cross over operation can be connected in parallel to obtain a total output current greater than that available from one power supply. The total output current is the sum of the output currents of the individual power supplies.

What is a sense wire?

Sense wires measure the voltage at the load (sense wires pass very little current so they don’t suffer that much voltage drop), and the PSU corrects the voltage based on the feedback they get.

What is remote sense in a power supply?

Remote sensing is a feature on many power supplies that allows the power supply to remotely regulate the voltage right at your load. This is accomplished by using a set of remote sense leads that are in addition to your load leads.

What is auto sensing PSU?

Autoranging power supplies, sometimes simply called autorangers, are designed to provide a greater range of operation than a typical supply. If the maximum volts times maximum amps is greater than maximum watts, you have an autoranger.

How do you sense voltage?

A voltage sensor is a sensor used to calculate and monitor the amount of voltage in an object. Voltage sensors can determine the AC voltage or DC voltage level. The input of this sensor is the voltage, whereas the output is the switches, analog voltage signal, a current signal, or an audible signal.

What is local sense?

Local sense and remote sense are methods of performing voltage and output measurements. Local sense describes measurements taken using a single set of leads while remote sense describes measurements taken using two sets of leads.

Where do you connect the alternator sense wire?

If installing an alternator with Remote Sense capabilities in a vehicle that does not have a Remote Sense line, connect a fused (5 Amp) insulated wire from the Alternator Remote Sense terminal to the positive (+) battery terminal or the common distribution point such as the starter solenoid battery (+) terminal.

What are the connections on an alternator?

Find the terminal on the alternator labeled “Neg”, “F” or “Field.” This is the ground connection. Typical alternators have this terminal although some alternators don’t as they are grounded directly to the engine. The wire that connects to this terminal is black and the opposite end attaches to a metal part of the car.

How does remote sense work on a power supply?

For example, with just a 0.5V cable drop with a 100A load, the lost power amounts to 50W in each cable or 100W total. The remote sense function automatically increases the output voltage at the output terminals of the supply to compensate for any unwanted voltage drop in the output cables with heavy load currents.

How are sense lines used in power supply?

The sense lines tell the power supply what the voltage is at the point of load, so if you have a 20ft cable that connects the power supply to the load for some reason, you can run separate sense lines and hook them up right at the load.

How is a local sense set up on a power supply?

Referring to Figure 3, to use a local sense set up the + and -Sense lines should be connected to either their corresponding local sense (LS) terminals, which are provided on many power supplies, or connected to the corresponding +Vout and –Vout terminals.

What’s the maximum range of a remote sensing power supply?

Most remote sensing circuits are capable of compensating for from 0.25V to 0.75V of voltage-drops across the output cables. However, to be sure, always check your power supply’s instruction manual to determine its maximum remote sense compensating range.