Operator's Manual
Issue 14
/
Mar 2016 / UMC0071
Mercury
iPS
©2016 Oxford Instruments NanoScience. All rights reserved.
Page
14
2 MERCURY IPS BASICS
The
Mercury
iPS is a high-precision, highly stable power supply designed for driving a
superconducting magnet in laboratory applications. The supply is capable of sourcing and
sinking current and it also accurately controls the slew of the current. The power supply includes
a bank of high-power load-resistors to dissipate stored energy from the magnet.
On power-up, the contacts of an internal clamp relay are connected across the magnet output
terminals. The clamp relay contacts open to allow current to flow in the external (magnet) circuit.
The contacts close if a fault (such as a power failure) occurs.
The
Mercury
iPS output control board is microprocessor based and is controlled by an operating
program (firmware) contained in flash memory. The firmware version number is indicated by a
two-part number (e.g. 1.01). The first digit of this number indicates the major version of the
firmware, and the second two digits indicate minor revisions.
The basic unit includes a bipolar magnet output. Additional slave units can be connected to
increase the output power capability. Slave units can be connected in series or in parallel with
the master unit, or can be connected to separate magnet-coils, for example in a vector-rotate
arrangement.
The unit accommodates up to eight optional daughter-boards to allow additional features to be
added.
The Mercury iPS includes a single persistent-switch output (see See Switch-heater output). This
output is used to drive an optional persistent-switch in the magnet.
The unit also includes a temperature sensor input that can accept a wide variety of temperature
sensors. The unit can detect short-circuit inputs, open-circuit inputs, and inputs that are shorted
to ground.
Optional expansion boards can be added:-
1. to monitor the level of cryogens (typically Helium and Nitrogen) in a reservoir
2. to measure temperature
3. to measure pressure
4. to control a stepper motor (e.g. to control a lambda plate fridge when combined with 2
and 3 above).
