Sentek Dynamics is proud to present a revamped series of amplifiers that will be paired with Medium, High, and Extra High force shaker series line up. The learning and feedback from our successful line up of PA series amplifiers that have been selling for decades have been applied to the Enhanced Series. Remote monitoring, machine condition monitoring, and energy efficiency are a few of the advancements made in the new line of PAE (Power Amplifier Enhanced) amplifier series.
The new enhanced amplifiers are equipped with Control Units that can communicate and be operated remotely with the Crystal Instruments’ Engineering Data Management vibration controller software. The Enhanced series has a smaller footprint, with a greater power output.
Figure 1. PAE6440 Amplifier
Figure 2. Remote monitoring of amplifier with EDM Cloud
Figure 3. Amplifier Control Unit operated with Crystal Instruments’ EDM VCS software
The enhanced amplifier has enabled our Electrodynamic Shakers to achieve greater velocity capabilities from the higher power output it is able to achieve. With improved Field Coil output control, the amplifier power output can be modulated based on the payload and test profile requirements for energy efficiency.
Few of the metrics that the Enhanced series has shown improvement over the legacy PA series are addressed in the sections below.
1. Power Module Update
The enhanced series of amplifiers are equipped with redesigned state of the art power modules that have improved power output of 20kVA compared to the previous design which had an output of 12kVA. Higher output from the power modules significantly reduces the footprint of the amplifier. Additionally, the maximum time between failures for these modules is significantly higher (over 300,000 hours).
2. Total Harmonic Distortion (THD)
THD is a key metric used to quantify the distortion present in a signal. It provides a measure of how much the signal has been altered from its original form due to the presence of harmonics introduced by a device or system.
Before diving into THD, it’s essential to understand what harmonic distortion is.
Harmonics: When a pure sine wave passes through a non-linear system (like an amplifier or a power supply), the output may contain not just the original frequency (fundamental frequency) but also additional frequencies that are integer multiples of the fundamental frequency. These additional frequencies are called harmonics.
For example, if the fundamental frequency is 50 Hz, the harmonics might include 100 Hz (2nd harmonic), 150 Hz (3rd harmonic), 200 Hz (4th harmonic), and so on.
Distortion: Harmonic distortion occurs when these harmonics are added to the original signal, changing its shape. Ideally, in a perfect system, the output signal would be identical to the input signal, with no added harmonics. However, in real-world systems, some distortion is inevitable.
Total Harmonic Distortion is a metric that quantifies the overall level of harmonic distortion in a system. It is typically expressed as a percentage, which represents the ratio of the power of all harmonic frequencies to the power of the fundamental frequency.
The PAE series amplifiers have a Total Harmonic Distortion (1kHz, 100Arms, resistive load) of less than 0.2%. Reduced THD improves the fidelity of the amplified signal.
3. Common Mode Rejection Ratio
The Common Mode Rejection Ratio (CMRR) is a critical performance metric for differential amplifiers, operational amplifiers, and instrumentation amplifiers. It quantifies the ability of an amplifier to reject common-mode signals—those that are present equally on both inputs, and amplify only the differential signal, that is the difference between the inputs.
CMRR measures an amplifier's ability to reject unwanted common-mode signals while amplifying desired differential signals. A high CMRR ensures better noise rejection and signal fidelity.
PAE series amplifiers have a CMRR that is greater than 90 dB @ 1.0 kHz. This is a significant improvement from the PA series which has a CMRR of greater than 60 dB @ 1.0 kHz.
4. Switching Frequency
The switching frequency in power amplifiers refers to the rate at which the output stage of the amplifier switches between its high and low states during operation. The PAE series switching frequency is at 102 kHz which is an improvement from the 100 kHz provided by the PA series amplifiers. Improved switching frequency reduces distortion and improves signal quality.
5. Heat Dissipation
Better thermal management prevents component damage and maintains performance over time. With PAE amplifiers, the transistor temperature is monitored, and the cooling fans are speed regulated to ensure efficient and proper cooling. This is one of the essential factors that has enabled packaging more power into the PAE amplifiers within a smaller form factor.
6. Improved HMI [Human Machine Interface]
Legacy PA amplifiers were equipped with robust control units that had a minimalistic design.
Figure 4. PA Amplifier Control Unit Interface
The PAE amplifiers have an updated touch screen user interface with advanced control for field coil power, power module status and run time monitoring.
Figure 5. PAE Amplifier Control Unit Interface
The rollout of our enhanced series of amplifiers is a testament to our commitment to delivering high-quality products, services and solutions to meet the unique needs of our customers.
Contact Sentek Dynamics to learn more about our turn-key vibration testing solutions. For testing inquiries or to schedule a product demo day contact Sentek Dynamics at: https://www.sentekdynamics.com/testing-evaluation-services
For inquiries about vibration controllers and data-acquisition systems, contact Crystal Instruments at: https://www.crystalinstruments.com/contact-us