Comprehensive Test Solutions For Domestic Grid-Tied Solar Inverters 

An integrated approach that surrounds

the inverter promises to accelerate the

transition to solar energy

Improvements in solar array technology and competitive cost pressures in solar energy products are enabling rapid industry growth. As a result, solar systems are becoming increasingly cost-effective for residential and commercial use, especially when global government incentives for implementing green

technologies are taken into account.

As a leading designer and manufacturer of complete test solutions including power sources and test equipment, AMETEK has extensive knowledge of the requirements and solutions for solar power systems. Today, the large majority of world solar

product sales are in applications tied to the electricity grid.

This white paper will focus on the testing requirements of these grid-tied solar products. Click here to continue 

Modern communication technologies such as LTE and WiMAX require test and measurement systems that are able to handle complex modulation schemes and high dynamic signal levels. Pulsed RF applications like radar and MRI are also challenging, typically transmitting relatively high power signals but receiving

weak signals that face significant ambient noise.

Power measurements are vital for any kind of RF transmission system: too much power and the signal gets distorted, too little power and the signal is submerged in the noise and the information is lost. Spectrum analyzers (SA), vector network analyzers

(VNA), and RF power meters all offer power measurement capabilities. Power meters, however, are by far the most accurate way to perform RF power measurements. Their wideband sensors detect all power signals at the measured ports of the DUT in the desired frequency band and in unwanted bands, sacrificing transmission energy and causing interference. Determining sensitivity, maximum output power, or linearity of an RF component are just a few of many parameters commonly analyzed, and fast power meters are the ideal instruments for this. Click here to learn more 

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Vector-Receiver Load Pull Measurement 

The automated load pull was introduced by Maury Microwave Corp. based on an automated slide-screw tuner in 1987. At least 20 years earlier, manual mechanical tuners of various forms were used to match transistor impedances when characterizing and designing amplifiers. Today, the importance of properly matching a transistor module when designing an amplifier is common knowledge; it is essential to use impedance matching networks on the input and output of a transistor in order to maximize power transfer, output power, gain and efficiency. The technique used to determine ideal matching network impedances is referred to as 'load pull'. This paper looks at some of the shortcomings of the older traditional methods and the improved accuracy introduced by techniques developed around the new class of nonlinear-based vector analyzers. To continue reading click here