8500 Series

DC – 50 kHz, 400 Vp Switch-Mode Amplifiers

8500 Series

4 kW to 24 kW (up to 100 kVA), up to 400A continuous, single-phase and three-phase

AE Techron’s 8500 Series amplifiers are 400Vp, low-noise, DC-to-50 kHz switch-mode amplifiers. The 8500 Series provides a unique combination of the advantages of switch-mode and linear amplifiers. Switch-mode efficiency is combined with a low noise floor and THD, while also benefitting from high slew rates and wide bandwidth. The 8500 Series is also able to safely drive both reactive and resistive loads of varying impedances with no loss in rated output power.

Key Performance Capabilities:

Bandwidth: DC to 50 kHz
Voltage: 0 to 250 V_RMS; 0 to 350 VDC
Slew rate: Up to 80 V/µs
Current: Up to 80 to 480 A_RMS*
Distortion: <0.2%
Power: 4 kW to 24 kW*
Power levels up to 5X rated power when driving reactive loads
High power efficiency and density

*Models available with output power from 4 kW to 24 kW (capable of up to 120 kVA).

SKU: N/A Category: Series

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8500 Series Model Pages: 8504 8508 8512 8516 8520 8524

OVERVIEW

Unlike traditional switch-mode amplifiers with a ripple frequency between 80 kHz and 100 kHz, the 8500 series has an effective switch frequency of 1 MHz. This ultra-high-frequency switching gives the 8500 amplifier many benefits over both linear (dissipative) amplifiers and traditional switch-mode amplifiers.

Bandwidth: The first and most obvious benefit from a higher switching frequency is wider bandwidth. AE Techron 8000 series amplifiers are the only high-power switch-mode amplifiers with a bandwidth that extends to 250 kHz.

Smaller output filter: Switch-mode amplifiers, as a part of their basic design, have high-frequency, high-voltage switching at the heart of their operation. The last stage in any switch-mode amplifier is the low-pass filter that removes the high-frequency switching-noise artifacts from the output signal. Increasing the effective switching frequency by a factor of 10 allows us to reduce the size of these large L-C components used to create this low-pass filter by a similar amount, reducing amplifier size and cost.

Lower magnitude, higher frequency ripple noises: The reduction in output filter component size also makes it easier to implement more complex, higher-order low-pass filters, to greatly reduce output ripple noise. The 8500 series uses this advantage to create output voltages of up to 400 Vp with 1 MHz ripple noises that are less than 2 Vp, with in-band noise specifications similar to low-noise linear amplifiers. If even lower noise floors are needed, simple, small, external filtering can reduce this noise even further.

Optimized for transient waveforms and reactive loads: The 8500 Series of amplifiers are compact and capable. They are able to drive purely resistive loads, at rated power, continuously, but really excel when it comes to reproducing short-duration waveforms and/or driving reactive loads.

For periods of up to one minute, the 8500 series amplifier can exceed continuous power ratings by as much as 2.5X. When the load to be driven is reactive, and most of the energy sent into the load is returned to the amplifier, the 8500 can reuse this returned energy to produce apparent power levels that are as much as 5X that of the amplifier’s continuous power ratings.

Scalable: The 8500 Series is scalable, available in power levels from a 4 kW, 3U, single-phase, bench top model to mini rack systems that can deliver up to 120 kVA of power into reactive loads at currents of up to 480 A_RMS.

Configurable: A key to everyday product usability is quick and easy product (re)configuration. The 8500 Series provides all key configuration controls on the back panel of the unit. Configuration options available include:

GAIN: Fixed or variable gain (0 to 40)
CURRENT LIMIT: From 5% to rated limit (to protect fragile DUTs or where specified in the Standard)
DC CONTROL: DC enabled or DC blocked and DC Servo (for driving transformer-coupled loads or coils)
INPUT: Balanced and/or unbalanced
MODE: Voltage source or current source
OUTPUT IMPEDANCE: Variable from 0 to 1 ohm (Voltage mode)
SENSE: Correction to voltage drops to the load

Flexible and Powerful: The 8500 Seriesof amplifiers are very signal- and application-versatile, able to reproduce AC, DC and AC+DC wave forms at rated power into loads from a dead short to high impedance without re-configuring or selecting different operational modes.

8500 series amplifiers pack a lot of power into a small package. They are able to produce surge power ratings at up to 2.5X continuous and process apparent power at levels up to 5X the continuous power ratings. This makes an 8500 series amplifier an ideal choice for many difficult-to-drive reactive loads.

This combination of abilities, flexibility, and ease-of-use makes 8500 series amplifiers a singular solution for many common and some previously unsolvable amplifier applications. 8500 series amplifiers can be used for EMC conducted immunity testing, MIL-PRF capacitor tests, DC automotive dropout testing and as a variable AC source for ISO 61000, Aviation and Power Quality Measurements.

OUTPUT CHART

Output

CONTINUOUS AC OUTPUT CURRENT							CONTINUOUS DC OUTPUT CURRENT*
VOLTS RMS	8504	8508	8512	8516	8520	8524	VOLTS DC	8504	8508	8512	8516	8520	8524
60	60	120	180	240	300	360	13.5	80	160	240	320	400	480
120	32	64	96	128	160	192	24	80	160	240	320	400	480
230	10	20	30	40	50	60	48	75	150	225	300	375	425

Note: 8504 power ratings shown are for unit configured for 240VAC. At output voltages above 90VAC, units configured for 120VAC mains input may be breaker limited. Contact AE Techron for 120VAC performance ratings. Performance data is for a purely resistive load; performance will be improved into loads that are partially or completely reactive.

PERFORMANCE

SPECIFICATIONS

Performance Specifications (all models)

Operating Modes: AC, DC and AC + DC
Frequency, AC Mode Output (-3 dB): DC – 50 kHz
Max Voltage Ranges (no load):
- AC: 0 – 260 VRMS
- AC + DC: 0 – ±400 VP
Load Regulation (full scale): <0.025%, DC to 100 Hz; <0.05%, 10 Hz to 10 kHz
Line Regulation (full scale): <0.1% for 10% line change
External Sense: Voltage-drop compensation sense line
Harmonic Distortion (80 kHz, low-passed): Less than 0.3% from 10 Hz to 30 kHz; 0.5% up to 50 kHz
Harmonic Distortion (30 kHz, low-passed): Less than 0.1% from 10 Hz to 50 kHz
DC Offset: <10 mV
Distortion: <0.2%
Voltage Slew Rate: Load dependent; up to 60V per µs, typically 10 µs to 30 µs for 10% to 90% of full-scale change depending on load and power
Efficiency: 85%, typical
Power Factor: .72, typical
Source Impedance: 3 mΩ + 3 µH
Cooling: Internal forced-air fans
Protection: Over/under voltage, over current, over temperature
Input, Signal In:
- Unbalanced: BNC connector
- Balanced: Terminal strip
Output: 3/8-inch high-current post connectors

Operating Environment

Temperature: 5 °C to 50 °C (41 °F to 122 °F);
- Maximum output power derated above 30 °C (86 °F)
Humidity: Maximum relative humidity 80% for temperatures up to 31 °C decreasing linearly to 50% relative humidity at 40 °C
Altitude: 3000 m Maximum
Environment: Indoor Use Only, Pollution degree 2
Equipment Class: Group 1 Class A
Transient Overvoltage: Overvoltage Category II

MODEL COMPARISON

Model	8504	8508	8512	8516	8520	8524
Max Cont. Output Current	80A RMS	160A RMS	240A RMS	320A RMS	400A RMS	480A RMS
Surge Rating (2X power at up to 400Vp)	150A	300A	450A	600A	750A	900A
Apparent Power Rating (5X cont. power rating at up to 400 Vp)	150A	300A	450A	600A	750A	900A
Supply Voltage	Single-phase, 208V ±10% 30A, 50/60 Hz, 230/240V ±10%, 30A version available	Three-phase, 208V ±10%, 30A, 50/60 Hz; 400V ±10%, 30A version available	Three-phase, 208V ±10%, 30A, 50/60 Hz; 400V ±10%, 30A version available	Three-phase, 208V ±10%, 60A, 50/60 Hz; 400V ±10%, 60A version available	Three-phase, 208V ±10%, 60A, 50/60 Hz; 400V ±10%, 60A version available	Three-phase, 208V ±10%, 60A, 50/60 Hz; 400V ±10%, 60A version available
Dimensions (HxWxD)	5.25×19.0x25.26 in 13.34×48.26×64.16 cm	35.05×22.56×31.56 in 89.03×57.3×80.16 cm	35.05×22.56×31.56 in 89.03×57.3×80.16 cm	42.05×22.56×31.56 in 106.81×57.3×80.16 cm	42.05×22.56×31.56 in 106.81×57.3×80.16 cm	51.05×22.56×31.56 in 129.67×57.3×80.16 cm
Weight (approx)	84 lbs. (38.1 kg)	290 lbs. (131.5 kg)	370 lbs. (167.8 kg)	460 lbs. (208.7 kg)	540 lbs. (244.9 kg)	620 lbs. (281.2 kg)
Model Product Pages	8504	8508	8512	8516	8520	8524