AC Power Source
Available in a choice of power levels ranging from 1250 VA to > 45,000 VA, the CTS Systems covers the complete range of single and three phase products that require testing to conform with existing and pending IEC standards. All iX Series AC sources meet IEC requirements for low voltage distortion and offer arbitrary waveform generation, precision measurements, and waveform analysis capabilities. Actual
AC Source voltage distortion is measured in real-time during the harmonics test and any distortion that could affect the test results is clearly indicated.

All iX Series based CTS systems support full compliance testing for several IEC 61000-4 AC immunity standards as well (certain options may be required, see ordering information for details).

Direct PC Data Acquisition
A high-speed digital signal processor based data acquisition system is used to implement the required IEC compliance measurement system. Direct access to the PC bus ensures a much higher data throughput capability than typically found in single box IEC test systems that use either the IEEE-488 instrumentation, USB, LXI or RS-232 bus to communicate between the analysis instrument and the PC.

This high-speed acquisition system architecture stores raw data to the hard drive and offers several features. It not only possesses the ability to support future versions of test standards by merely installing new PC software but it also greatly reduces the risk of product obscolescence as test standards evolve. Furthermore, since the data is streamed to hard disk in real-time, a complete data record is created each time which may be used for audit purposes, data replay and further analysis or to prove compliance to all the measurement requirements specified in the test standard.

A special signal conditioning and isolation unit is used to provide quick and easy connection between the AC source output and the Equipment Under Test. This unit provides the required isolation, signal conditioning and anti-alias filtering for the measurement system. The equipment under test can be plugged in the front panel mounted European style outlet (single phase systems only), or wired to a rear panel mounted terminal block.

Harmonics Analyzer
A key part of the CTS system is the IEC compliant power analyzer which provides detailed information on both voltage and current. Measurements of both harmonics and interharmonics are made in real-time with no measurement gaps to fully conform to the latest revision of the IEC 61000-4-7 test standard. AC source voltage and EUT power are
monitored continuously during the entire test. Voltage distortion and current harmonic data is checked against IEC class limits for pass or fail detection. Comprehensive test reports can be generated easily.

Test limits are retained in a password protected database and can be updated if needed in the future without the need to change software. Other software changes as a result of changing IEC harmonics standard can be accomplished by simply installing new PC software. No harmonics testing software resides in system firmware which would require more costly field upgrades.

Flicker Reference Impedance
An IEC61000-4-15 compliant flicker meter is an integral part of the CTS software. The required IEC 60725 compliant reference impedance is implemented in the iX Series AC Source using programmable output impedance. Programmable impedance offers improved accuracy compared to a lumped reference impedance and the ability to support different national standards without the need to switch out lumped reference impedance hardware. A good example is testing for compliance with the Japanese harmonics and flicker standard, which requires different impedance values to be programmed as compared to the European test standard.

Optionally, a lumped impedance compliant with IEC 60725 or the Z-test specification of IEC61000-3-3 can be ordered for single or three phase iX Series based CTS systems. For three phase CTS systems, a lumped impedance option is recommended. The software can be configured to use either impedance type during flicker testing.