Elevating Avionics Testing
Broad compliance across industry standards ensuring reliability and safety for avionics systems
Ensure Reliability with EA's Advanced DC Power Supplies and Electronic Loads
Aircraft electronics, including avionics, face some of the most challenging power conditions. Rigorous testing is required to validate their resilience against over-and-under voltage conditions, power dropouts, and voltage transients, as outlined in MIL-STD-704 and MIL-HDBK-704-7/8 standards.
Elektro-Automatik offers a versatile range of DC power supplies, electronic loads, and bidirectional power supplies designed for these tests. With features like auto-ranging, onboard arbitrary waveform, and function generation, EA’s PSI, EL, ELR, and PSB series can output up to 2000V. This ensures comprehensive testing to simulate real-world conditions, guaranteeing the reliability of avionics and other airborne equipment even under extreme conditions.
Related Products
Across the avionics industry, the EA power supply is a crucial instrument, offering versatile testing capabilities that meet a variety of DC compliance standards, including Airbus ABD0100.1.8 (A380), Airbus ABD0100.1.8.1 (A350), Airbus AMD24C, Boeing 787B3-0147 (B787), MIL-STD-704, and RTCA/DO-160. The EA power supply delivers precise and stable DC power, aiding in the detection of vulnerabilities within avionics systems. This accuracy enables effective corrective actions, ensuring that onboard electronic systems function reliably and in accordance with industry regulations. Whether it’s for regular maintenance, troubleshooting, or compliance assessments, EA’s power supply offerings stand as an invaluable resource.
PS / PSI Autoranging DC Power Supplies
Turnkey Power Racks
Application Solutions
Future Proofing Avionics with DC Electrified Systems
As the aviation industry moves towards sustainable fuel and power systems, engineers are developing next-generation DC electrified charging and propulsion technologies. These are set to replace the current mix of DC and AC power solutions. Current key challenges are:
Energy Supply & Storage: Innovations in liquid hydrogen fuel and fuel cell battery management are essential for delivering consistent power during peak take-off and moderate in-flight conditions.
Engine Weight & Size: The physical dimensions and weight of engines and battery power systems are critical factors in the design process.
Extreme Conditions: New systems must be robust enough to withstand a range of harsh conditions, from temperature fluctuations and humidity to high acceleration and vibration.
Hazardous Materials: Safe handling and containment of materials like lithium batteries and liquid hydrogen, which is stored at -250 degrees Celsius or as gas under 700-bar pressure, are paramount.
Power Conversion & Distribution: Engineers are working on versatile power conversion systems that can adapt main DC supply grid levels of 700-1000V to lower ranges suitable for various airplane systems, such as instrumentation, air conditioning, and critical landing gear controls.
The PSB bidirectional programmable DC power supply can effortlessly transition between charging and discharging batteries and comes equipped with various test functions compatible with the PSB, PSI, EL, and ELR series. Whether you need standard or custom charge and discharge cycles, EA provides the ideal equipment and expert guidance for effective and safe battery testing.
Pioneering DC Power in Aviation
As the aerospace industry shifts its focus from AC to DC power systems, EA Elektro-Automatik is at the forefront, providing essential power supply and load technologies. These tools are crucial for testing new electronic systems for performance, reliability, EMI interference, and safety. The challenges are unique and must be validated both in development labs and in-flight conditions. Key areas of innovation include:
High-Power DC Electric Propulsion: Development of megawatt-capable electric turbines for propulsion.
Passenger Comfort Systems: Innovations in heat/air conditioning, lighting, and infotainment systems.
Critical Aircraft Systems: Heavy-duty solutions for landing flaps, braking, and landing gear.
Avionics Instrumentation: Advanced instrumentation for navigation and control.
Battery and Fuel Cell Technologies: Focus on enhancing battery capacity and efficiency for long-haul flights, often through the integration of fuel cells and non-flammable battery boosters.
Beyond aircraft systems, the industry is also redefining the green aviation ecosystem and hydrogen supply chain. This includes hydrogen production via electrolysers powered by solar installations and the transportation of hydrogen fuel to airports using emerging electric-powered trucks. EA Elektro-Automatik’s technologies are instrumental in this transformative journey towards sustainable aviation.
Testing the Future of Flight
EA Elektro-Automatik provides a diverse portfolio of power conversion products designed for rigorous testing of electrical and electronic networks. With power ranges spanning from 320W to 3.84MW, voltage ranges of 0-60 VDC to 0-2000 VDC, and current capacities up to 64,000A, EA’s offerings are tailored for demanding test scenarios.
True Autoranging Capability: EA’s power supplies feature true autoranging, allowing engineers to test a broader spectrum of devices. These supplies can deliver full power output across a wide range of voltages and currents, even down to 1/3 of their maximum capabilities. This versatility results in cost savings, reduced test rack space, and lower cooling requirements.
Bidirectional Regenerative Power Supplies: Unique to EA Elektro-Automatik, these bidirectional supplies recover energy from the device under test and feed it back into the grid with 96% efficiency during long-term testing. This feature offers a quick return on investment.
Built-in Function Generator: Eliminating the need for an external signal generator, EA’s built-in function generator allows for easy modulation of the power supply output.
Electronic Loads with Energy Recovery: EA’s electronic loads come equipped with autoranging, a built-in function generator, and regenerative energy recovery. These features enable comprehensive testing of fuel cell power sources, simulating various load states, including failure scenarios.
MIL-HDBK-704-7 270 VDC Abnormal Voltage Transients
The Abnormal Voltage Transients Test, outlined in MIL-HDBK-704-7’s Method HDC302, is a critical procedure for assessing the resilience of 270 VDC avionics equipment against voltage fluctuations. This test involves exposing the unit under test to various voltage transients, followed by a comprehensive performance evaluation to confirm its integrity and functionality. EA Elektro-Automatik’s DC power supplies are uniquely equipped for this specialized testing.
EA’s DC power supplies come with an integrated arbitrary function generator, allowing you to program specific voltage transients for the test. These supplies can deliver up to 15 kW and feature minimal EMC emissions. Additionally, they offer galvanically isolated connectivity options like USB, Ethernet/LAN, or GPIB, making them ideal for automated avionics testing scenarios.
With EA Elektro-Automatik’s advanced DC power supplies, you can confidently conduct MIL-HDBK-704-7 compliant tests, ensuring your avionics equipment meets the highest performance and safety standards.
EA Advantages
MIL-HDBK-704-8 28 VDC Power Failure
The Power Failure Test, as specified in MIL-HDBK-704-8’s Method LDC601, is an essential procedure for evaluating the durability and performance of 28 VDC avionics equipment during intermittent power outages. This test involves cutting off the power supply to the unit under test for predetermined durations, then restoring it and conducting a thorough performance assessment to confirm the equipment’s reliability and integrity. EA Elektro-Automatik’s DC power supplies are designed to meet these rigorous testing conditions.
Equipped with a digital control interface, EA’s DC power supplies can handle power-off times of 100 ms, 500 ms, 3 s, and 7 s, as required by the test. These supplies can deliver up to 15 kW and feature low EMC emissions. They also offer a range of galvanically isolated connectivity options, including USB, Ethernet/LAN, and GPIB, making them ideal for automated avionics testing scenarios.
With EA Elektro-Automatik’s specialized DC power supplies, you can perform MIL-HDBK-704-8 compliant Power Failure Tests, ensuring your 28 VDC avionics systems meet stringent performance and safety criteria.