PXIe-4154 Programmable Output Resistance for Battery Applications

Batteries have internal series resistance that varies with their chemistry, usage characteristics, charge, and age. You can emulate this variable when simulating batteries with the PXIe-4154 by using configurable output resistance on channel 0.

Internal resistance causes the battery voltage to drop as higher currents are drawn. As the current increases, so does the internal voltage drop due to Ohm's Law. This causes the voltage at a battery's terminals to decrease as the current increases.

If the internal resistance and the current drawn from a battery are high enough, the output voltage can drop significantly, regardless of how much charge it is holding. For battery-operated devices, if the voltage drops below a certain threshold it causes the device to shut down. Internal resistance can therefore play a large role when testing battery-operated products.

  • Positive output resistance—Allows the channel to emulate the internal resistance of a battery over its lifetime.
  • Negative output resistance—Allows you to compensate for voltage drops due to resistive losses between the remote sense points and the DUT terminals.

    • You can set the output resistance with the Configure Output Resistance function.

    Refer to the PXIe-4154 Specifications for the range of output resistance you can program.