Using a DC Electronic Load vs power resistors (dummy load)

Question

When setting up a test to evaluate a DC power supply, would using a power resistor suffice? I have a 5 V power supply hooked up directly to a 5Ω 20 W resistor to pull a constant current of 1 A. When probing the 5 V line for charger noise (high frequency oscillation), I see voltage spikes on my oscilloscope which don't match up to the max variance in the data sheets. The vendor uses a programmable DC Electronic Load with a 1 A load and doesn't see the same spikes as I do. Would this be because of load I am using?

Answer 1

The spikes you are seeing should not be due to using a resistive load. Probing technique is critical in looking at output ripple in a power supply. Usually you want to get the scope probe right across the output terminals of the supply, or across the output caps. You can't use a long ground clip either. I usually wind a spring around the bare barrel of the probe (GND) and solder the spring to the negative output with as small a pigtail as possible. Then I do the same on the tip. Also, ripple is usually measured with the 20MHz filter on the scope active.

Answer 2

To answer your first question: Yes, it is fine to use a resistor as the dummy load instead of an active. programmable load so long as the "resistor" is really just a resistor and not an inductor posing as a resistor. Check Digikey and Mouser and you will see that power resistors are available in both inductive and non-inductive types. You definitely want to use the non-inductive type for this type of testing, or else you will likely see the spikes which are the topic of your second question.

If you are unsure of your specific resistor's inductance, you can check it with an LCR meter. Or, you can make an acceptable non-inductive power resistor by paralleling several smaller carbon resistors such as 1/4 to 1 or 2 watt units.

Also, be careful how you wire the dummy load to the power supply terminals. Use twisted pair wires between the terminals and the load and keep them as short as practical. Follow the scope probe precautions described by John D. in his previous post. My experience is that you will never get a true scope reading with a single-ended scope input, you really need to use a differential probe with a differential scope input. But these are almost never available, even in professional electronic laboratories. Therefore, you must know how to interpret the single-ended readings you make, which takes a whole lot of experience.

Having said all of that, what is the actual load your power supply will be connected to in the finished product? It is likely not purely resistive. So once you evaluate your design using a purely resistive dummy load, you must make the same measurements using the actual load with the real-world interconnect wiring.