Texas Instruments AN-2154, Application Report

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Bench Evaluation Procedure
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• a. Used for RD-195 operation. A 9V battery can be used instead; this will provide several hours of
operation.
3. Ballasting Resister (must be able to withstand >200W)
• a. Incandescent light bulbs can be used as load.
4. Arc Generation unit (discussed further below)
The basic setup is shown in Figure 12 below.
Figure 12. Basic Setup Photo
On the left is the DC power supply (item 1). The ballasting resistor and arc generation unit are combined
into a single unit on the left. Once the system is connected up, slowly opening the knife switch on the Arc
Generation unit will produce a controllable electrical arc. See
Figure 13 . The Arc Generation unit is not a
commonly available piece of lab equipment. See Figure 14 . They can be built using polycarbonate
enclosure surrounding a knife switch (rating > 15A is required. A Filnor A-10S is acceptable).
Polycarbonate is used as it provides protection against physical damage, is available in flame-resistant
varieties, and also blocks the UV radiation an electrical arc produces. Below in
Figure 15 is a picture of
the knife switch. Notice the long handle. Be sure to use a non-conductive material for the handle which is
flame-resistant.
Figure 13. Basic Setup Schematic
12 AN-2154 RD-195 DC Arc Detection Evaluation Board SNOA564F – June 2011 – Revised December 2012
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