Uncover the secrets of oscilloscope power supply ripple test method

For modern electronic systems, due to their complexity, ripple noise is not limited to AC-DC, but also DC-DC. The existence of ripple and noise can cause many hazards and affect the normal operation of the circuit. Therefore, accurate measurement of power supply ripple noise is indispensable. How to perform power supply ripple test? The following Antai Test will reveal the method of oscilloscope power supply ripple test:

1. What is ripple?

Ripple is defined as the AC component superimposed on the DC stable quantity in a DC voltage or current.

It has the following main harms: it is easy to generate harmonics in electrical appliances, which will cause more harm; it reduces the efficiency of the power supply; strong ripples will cause surge voltage or current, leading to burning of electrical appliances; it will interfere with the logical relationship of digital circuits and affect their normal operation; it will cause noise interference, making image equipment and audio equipment unable to work normally.

2. Expression methods of ripple and ripple coefficient

It can be expressed as effective value or peak value, or as absolute quantity or relative quantity;

The unit is usually: mV

For example: a power supply works in a regulated state, its output is 12V5A, and the measured effective value of the ripple is 10mV. This 10mV is the absolute amount of the ripple, and the relative amount, that is, the ripple coefficient = ripple voltage/output voltage = 10mv/12V = 0.12%.

3. Ripple test method

Take 20M oscilloscope bandwidth as the limiting standard, set the voltage to PK-PK (effective value can also be measured), remove the clip and ground wire on the oscilloscope control head (because the clip and ground wire themselves will form a loop, like an antenna to receive noise, introducing some unnecessary noise), use a ground ring (it is also possible not to use a ground ring, but the error it causes must be considered), connect a 10UF electrolytic capacitor and a 0.1UF ceramic capacitor in parallel to the probe, and test directly with the oscilloscope probe; if the oscilloscope probe is not in direct contact with the output point, it should be measured with a twisted pair or 50Ω coaxial cable.

4. Main classification of switching power supply ripple

The output ripple of the switching power supply mainly comes from five aspects: input low-frequency ripple; high-frequency ripple; common-mode ripple noise caused by parasitic parameters; ultra-high frequency resonant noise generated during the switching process of power devices; and ripple noise caused by closed-loop regulation control.

5. Power ripple test

Ripple is an AC interference signal superimposed on a DC signal, and is a very important standard in power supply testing. Especially for power supplies used for special purposes, such as laser power supplies, ripple is one of its fatal weaknesses. Therefore, the test of power supply ripple is extremely important.

There are roughly two methods for measuring power supply ripple: one is the voltage signal measurement method; the other is the current signal measurement method.

Generally, the voltage signal measurement method can be used for constant voltage sources or constant current sources with low ripple performance requirements, while the current signal measurement method is best used for constant current sources with high ripple performance requirements.

Measuring ripple of voltage signal means using an oscilloscope to measure the AC ripple voltage signal superimposed on the DC voltage signal. For constant voltage source, the voltage signal output to the load can be directly measured with a voltage probe. For constant current source testing, the voltage waveform across the sampling resistor is generally measured by using a voltage probe. During the entire test process, the setting of the oscilloscope is the key to whether the real signal can be sampled.

The instrument used is: TDS1012B oscilloscope equipped with a voltage measurement probe.

The following settings need to be made before measurement.

1. Channel settings:

Coupling: that is, the choice of channel coupling mode. Ripple is an AC signal superimposed on a DC signal, so if we want to test the ripple signal, we can remove the DC signal and directly measure the superimposed AC signal.

Bandwidth Limit: Off

Probe: First, select the voltage probe. Then select the probe attenuation ratio. It must be consistent with the actual probe attenuation ratio, so that the data read from the oscilloscope is real data. For example, if the voltage probe is set to ×10, then the probe option here must also be set to ×10.

2. Trigger settings:

Type: Edge

Source: The actual channel selected. For example, if you plan to use CH1 for testing, you should select CH1 here.

Slope: Ascending.

Trigger mode: If you are observing the ripple signal in real time, select 'Auto' trigger. The oscilloscope will automatically follow the changes of the actual measured signal and display it. At this time, you can also set the measurement button to display the measured value you need in real time. However, if you want to capture the signal waveform during a certain measurement, you need to set the trigger mode to 'Normal' trigger. At this time, you also need to set the trigger level. Generally, when you know the peak value of the signal you are measuring, set the trigger level to 1/3 of the peak value of the measured signal. If you don't know, the trigger level can be set slightly smaller.

Coupling: DC or AC..., generally AC coupling is used.

3. Sampling length (seconds/grid):

The setting of sampling length determines whether the required data can be sampled. When the sampling length is set too long, the high-frequency components in the actual signal will be missed; when the sampling length is set too short, only part of the actual signal can be seen, and the real actual signal cannot be obtained. Therefore, when measuring, you need to rotate the button back and forth and observe carefully until the displayed waveform is a real and complete waveform.

4. Sampling method:

It can be set according to actual needs. For example, if you need to measure the PP value of the ripple, it is best to choose the peak measurement method. The number of sampling times can also be set according to actual needs, which is related to the sampling frequency and sampling length.

5. Measurement:

By selecting the peak value measurement of the corresponding channel, the oscilloscope can help you display the required data in a timely manner. You can also select the frequency, maximum value, RMS value, etc. of the corresponding channel.

By properly setting up and operating the oscilloscope in a standardized manner, the desired ripple signal can be obtained. However, during the measurement process, care must be taken to prevent other signals from interfering with the oscilloscope probe itself, so as to avoid the measured signal being unrealistic.

Measuring the ripple value by the current signal measurement method means measuring the AC ripple current signal superimposed on the DC current signal. For constant current sources with relatively high ripple index requirements, that is, constant current sources with relatively small ripples, a more realistic ripple signal can be obtained by using the current signal direct measurement method. Unlike the voltage measurement method, a current probe is also used here. For example, continue to use the above oscilloscope, and add a current amplifier and a current probe. At this point, you only need to clamp the current signal output to the load with the current probe, and you can use the current measurement method to measure the ripple signal of the output current. As with the voltage measurement method, during the entire test process, the settings of the oscilloscope and the current amplifier are the key to whether the real signal can be sampled.

In fact, when measuring with this method, the basic settings and usage of the oscilloscope are the same as above. The difference is that the probe settings in the channel settings are different. Here, you need to select the current probe mode. Then, select the probe ratio, which must be the same as the ratio set by the amplifier, so that the number read from the oscilloscope is the real data. For example, if the ratio of the amplifier used is set to 5A/V, then this item of the oscilloscope must also be set to 5A/V. As for the coupling mode of the current amplifier, when the channel coupling of the oscilloscope has been selected as AC coupling, you can choose AC or DC here.

It should be noted that when using this method, you need to turn on the oscilloscope first, and then turn on the current amplifier. And remember to demagnetize the current probe before use.

In addition, measuring power supply ripple itself requires certain skills. Improper use of an oscilloscope to measure power supply ripple first uses an oscilloscope probe with a long ground wire; second, the loop formed by the probe and the ground wire is close to the power transformer and switching components; and finally, additional inductance is allowed to form between the oscilloscope probe and the output capacitor. The resulting problem is that the measured ripple waveform carries the picked-up high-frequency components.

There are many high-speed, high-voltage and current signal waveforms in the power supply that can easily couple into the probe, including magnetic field coupling from the power transformer, electric field coupling from the switch node, and common-mode current generated by the transformer interwinding capacitance.

The use of correct measurement techniques can effectively improve the results of ripple measurements. First, the bandwidth upper limit of the ripple is usually specified to avoid picking up high-frequency noise that exceeds the ripple bandwidth upper limit. The oscilloscope used for measurement should be set with an appropriate bandwidth upper limit. Secondly, the antenna formed by the long ground lead can be removed by taking off the "hat" of the probe. We wrap a short piece of wire around the probe ground lead and connect it to the power supply ground. This has the added benefit of shortening the length of the probe exposed to the high-intensity electromagnetic radiation near the power supply, thereby further reducing high-frequency pickup.