Design of automatic test system for voltage-stabilized power supply

Abstract: The stabilized power supply is an important part of each radar subsystem, which directly determines whether the radar can work normally. In order to solve the problem of low efficiency and low accuracy of traditional indicator testing of radar stabilized power supply, a system design method for automatic testing is proposed, the composition and function of the stabilized power supply automatic testing system are introduced, the process and data processing method of the automatic testing system to complete the test are explained, and compared with the traditional testing method, the superiority of the automatic testing system is demonstrated.

0 Introduction

The stabilized power supply is an important part of modern electronic systems, especially large-scale electronic equipment such as radar, which requires more stabilized power supply models and quantities. And with the development of technology and the upgrading of radar, the number of stabilized power supply models is still increasing, which brings challenges to the testing of stabilized power supply. In order to reduce the workload of testers, reduce test time and tester configuration, it is necessary to design an automatic test system for stabilized power supply.

1 Test system design goals

1.1 Problems faced by traditional testing methods

The traditional test method of regulated power supply requires the tester to use a digital multimeter to measure the output signal of each pin of the regulated power supply in turn, and compare it with the signal level of each pin specified in the document. This test method not only takes a lot of test time, but also because radar regulated power supply has many pins, most of which are 210 pins, it is easy to click the wrong pin or read the wrong drawing during the test process, which requires the tester to verify repeatedly, and the test efficiency is not high. Moreover, with the increase in the number of regulated power supply models, the configuration of testers is increasingly insufficient, which brings great inconvenience to the production acceptance of regulated power supply.

1.2 Automatic test system design goals and feasibility

The design goal of the automatic test system of the voltage stabilizer is to free the tester from the complicated test process. The computer helps the tester to measure the output signal of the voltage stabilizer and compare it with the preset signal level, so as to determine whether the voltage stabilizer is normal and estimate the location of the fault point to assist the operator in repair. In addition, the test system should be expandable without changing the hardware, so as to test new types of voltage stabilizers that may appear in the future without changing the hardware.

Standardization makes it possible to realize automatic test system. At present, the voltage stabilizer adopts PDS 210 JW connector and the input adopts DC 24 V. Designing a universal interface and control software can realize automatic test of existing voltage stabilizer and test of new type voltage stabilizer by changing the software.

2. Composition of automatic test system

The automatic test system consists of two parts: hardware equipment and test control software, which together complete the automatic test of the voltage-stabilized power supply.

2.1 Hardware composition of automatic test system

The hardware composition of the voltage-stabilized power supply automatic test system is shown in Figure 1. It mainly consists of a bracket, power supply, control computer, electronic switch, digital multimeter module, printer, display and connecting cables.

Figure 1 Hardware composition of the voltage-stabilized power supply automatic test system

The main task of the control computer is to control the operation of the electronic switch, then collect and store the test data through the digital multimeter, and determine whether the working status of the tested voltage-stabilized power supply is normal.

The main task of the display is to facilitate human-computer communication, display test data and judgment results, and facilitate test personnel to manually control the start or interruption of the test process.

The main task of the printer is to print test data and judgment results for easy archiving or discussion and analysis by testers.

The electronic switch controls the interruption or connection of the 210 pins on the test stand so that only one pin's output signal can be tested at a time.

The main task of the digital multimeter module is to collect test data.

The function of the test bracket is to fix the regulated power supply to be tested and ensure the reliable connectivity of the test circuit.

The printer prints the test results after the control display system processes.

2.2 Automatic test system software composition

The main task of the test system is to control the test instruments and electronic switches to complete the automatic test of the regulated power supply to be tested. Its software design mainly includes three parts: control software, calculation and display software, and monitoring software.

The function of the control software is to facilitate users to set the test voltage-stabilized power supply model, control the start and interruption of the test process, etc., and control the instrument to work and collect test data according to the required steps.

The function of the display judgment software is to calculate and archive the collected data and display it on the interface, and compare it with the pre-set standard signal to judge the working status of the voltage-stabilized power supply and infer the possible fault location of the faulty voltage-stabilized power supply, so that the test personnel can analyze the test results.

The function of the monitoring software is to monitor the operating status of the test system, locate faults in the test system, and alarm to remind testers when a fault occurs or the test is completed.

3 Test Method Overview

3.1 Testing process

When testing the regulated power supply, first connect the cable between the regulated power supply to be tested and the instrument according to Figure 1, then start the control computer to check whether the equipment is normal, set the model of the regulated power supply to be tested, and after completion, start the automatic test in the control interface.

The control program controls the electronic switch to connect the first pin, and starts to test the first set of data after the voltage-stabilized power supply is working stably. The control program takes the current test data from the digital multimeter, stores it and sends it to the display system, and displays the collected data results and judgment results on the display interface.

After the control display system completes the first data test, it sends a command to the electronic switch to change the pin. The electronic switch then disconnects the previous pin, connects the next pin, and starts collecting the next set of data.

When the new pin exceeds the preset pin range, the control system issues an end command, turns off the instrument, and the entire voltage-regulated power supply test is completed.

3.2 Test data processing

The data collected by the automatic system is divided into two types, which can be selected by the tester: one is the unprocessed raw collected data; the other is the final result after being processed by the display judgment software [10]. When the automatic test system completes the automatic test of the voltage-stabilized power supply, since the test data is relatively large, it is time-consuming and prone to errors to write it manually. The display judgment software prompts the tester through the display whether to store the test data, and can print the data for archiving through the printer interface.

4 Conclusion

The automatic test system allows one person to complete the test of the voltage-stabilized power supply. Compared with the traditional test method, the automatic test system saves a lot of manpower and time, improves the efficiency of the test work, reduces the impact of human factors on the test results, and by modifying the control computer, it is possible to increase the test of new models of voltage-stabilized power supplies. This is of great significance to the development of the automatic test system.