Hardware Systems
During my PhD Studies, I used several different hardware systems, some more than others. Below is a description of the major hardware systems and how I used them.
- ARBIN BT-2000 Battery Test System. I characterized several EDLCs, in thermal chambers, using the Arbin. Tests included charge/discharge, current sweeps from 5A to 55A, and all tests were run across a wide range of temperature from -40 to +180.
- GAMRY Electrochmical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS) system – EIS is a method that can be used to create an actual Bode plot of a real device. I swept a small voltage signal across the frequency range of 1MHz down to below 1uHz. Tests using frequencies at the low range take a long time to run.
- Oscilliscopes and other standard lab equipment.
- Data Loggers. Because some large systems lack the measurement resolution required, I used a USB based data logger to collect voltage data across the range of tests. Calibration between systems must be considered.
As a professor at the Air Force Academy, I directed the electronics lab and also an energy lab. Additionally, with many students using different equipment for different projects, I had to learn at least the basics of many pieces of equipment.
- Tektronix Curve Tracer as applicable to discrete transistors (NPN, PNO, NMOS, PMOS). Matching transistors for use in push-pull amplifiers can also be done with a curve tracer.
- Harmonic Analyzer – Specifically used to determine the quality of amplifer circuits. Harmonics may or may not be desired in certain systems. For audio applications, very detailed analysis can be done.
- Arduino board – Several projects used these small and inexpensive but highly programmable boards. One application was to remotely measure the temperature below a solar panel on the roof and compare to the ambient temperature.