A new switching platform handles demanding power paths while combining load switching and signal sensing for automated test systems.
High-current automated test systems often need to connect several power supplies to a device under test while also monitoring their sense lines. Pickering Interfaces has addressed this requirement with its 60-191 LXI high-current and sense SPST switching family, designed to switch signals up to 80 A and 300 V. The platform combines high-current power switching and low-current sensing in a single test-system enclosure.
The key features are:
- 4U rack-mount form factor for test-system integration
- LXI 1.5 compliance for network-based instrumentation control
- 1000Base-T Ethernet connectivity
- Windows and Linux support through IVI and direct-I/O drivers
- Compatible with LabVIEW, Python, C/C++, C#, MATLAB, and Simulink
The 60-191 family is offered in four standard configurations. Depending on the configuration, each unit can incorporate up to 20 hermetically sealed 40 A SPST-NO contactors and four 80 A contactors, alongside complementary 1 A SPST relays for sense lines. High-current and sense connections use front-panel screw terminals, while custom relay combinations and alternative connector arrangements can also be specified.
The switching architecture is intended to sit between multiple high-current power supplies and the device or system under test. It can independently connect or disconnect the positive and negative supply outputs along with their corresponding high- and low-sense connections. This allows engineers to control individual relays or group two high-current and two low-current relays through a single command, reducing the complexity of managing the four connections typically associated with a power supply.
For automated testing, the platform includes an integrated sequencing service capable of storing up to 5,000 predefined switching sequences. Sequences can be initiated through software or hardware triggers, helping reduce host-side transactions and switching latency. Front-panel LEDs provide switch-status indication, while relay cycle counting can help with preventive maintenance and load balancing.
The 60-191 is aimed at applications including EV battery and high-drain automotive electronics testing, fuel-cell and hydrogen-electrolysis research, solar inverter and energy-storage testing, aerospace development, and functional or production testing of high-current power supplies. By combining power and sense switching with programmable control, the platform provides a standardized alternative to custom contactor-and-digital-I/O assemblies used in high-current automated test setups.
