Uses for the 52120A Transconductance Amplifier outside of the lab

Power monitoring must be precise. Inaccurate power measurements can mean unfairly overcharging a customer or undercharging a utility, resulting in lost revenue. The instruments that keep track of power usage need to be accurate to properly monitor transformers or other power measuring devices. Ensuring that accuracy is there during the manufacturing process, especially for high current and high voltage products, is where the Fluke Calibration 52120A Transconductance Amplifier comes in.

In a calibration lab, this tool offers a simplified way of calibrating products with a high voltage source, but it has useful applications outside the lab as well. In a manufacturing test environment, the transconductance amplifier offers high voltage, source flexibility, overvoltage protection, and high accuracy.

High AC and DC current

This amplifier supplies DC current up to 100 amps and AC current up to 120 amps, at accuracies to 140 ppm. You can even connect three together in parallel for an output up to 360 amps. And using accessory coils, the 52120A can generate 3,000 or 6,000 amps. The inductive drive capability of 1 mH and compliance voltage of 4.5 V also supports many applications making this amplifier suitable in many industries.

• Output ranges: 2 A, 20 A, 120 A
• Standard mode parallel operation: up to ten amplifiers, up to 1200 A in a single phase
• Closed loop parallel operation: (with 61XXX Electrical Power Quality Calibrator or 5730A High Performance Multifunction Calibrator) two or three amplifiers, up to 360 A in a single phase
• Accessory coils: 25-turn coil supports 3000 A, 50-turn coil supports 6000 A

Source flexibility

With the 52120A, you can use either a current source or a voltage source to drive the output amps. This offers additional flexibility in setting up and running the tests needed to verify accuracy. You have the opportunity to use a variety of inputs, and still know that whatever the source is, it’s outputting the exact power based on the range you set.

• Input ranges: 2 V or 200 mA F.S. for 2 A and 20 A ranges, 1.2 V or 120 mA F.S. for 120 A range

Not only can you use different sources, but when you parallel-connect multiple 52120A Transconductance Amplifiers together, you can produce up to 1200 A in a single phase, with ten amplifiers together. All of those amplifiers can be outputting with a single input going into each of the different units.

Overvoltage sensing

With many other amplifiers, if you go over their threshold, you might start to smell smoke. Whether you’ve completely broken the unit and need to replace it, or it needs to be repaired, having this happen is a huge inconvenience and could mean expensive downtime for a manufacturing test facility.

The 52120A Transconductance Amplifier has a protection sensing feature. If you’re accidentally trying to overdrive the unit, it goes into standby mode to protect itself from damage. The system will give you an error, so you know why the amplifier isn’t running, allowing you to correct the mistake without damaging the asset.

This amplifier also has a display that shows if your impedance is going too high. The 52120A has a graphical bar that shows how close it is to going over the allowable limit for compliance voltage, 4.5 volts at 120 amps.

High accuracy

The 52120A leads the industry in transconductance amplifier accuracy. When working with this amplifier, you know, within a very small error, that you have certain accuracy to calibrate or test your devices.

• 140 ppm AC (used with 61XXA Electrical Power Standard or 5730A)
• 350 ppm AC (used with DC/lf calibrator)
• 160 ppm DC (used with DC/lf calibrator)

This level of accuracy not only allows certainty that newly-manufactured power monitoring equipment is accurate to the specification it needs to be, but users can be confident that the traceability is there. The further up that traceability ladder you go, the less uncertainty can be present in the products.

When looking for precision in a manufacturing process, adding a Fluke Calibration 52120A Transconductance Amplifier to your workflow offers accuracy, damage control sensitivity, multiple source options, and higher voltage tests in both AC and DC. Instead of worrying about unfairly overcharging a customer or undercharging a utility provider, you can be confident as your power monitoring products are manufactured.

If you’d like more information about how to maintain your power monitoring precision, you can reach me by phone at 425-760-7426 or email at martin.kidd@flukecal.com. We also have extensive free online learning resources, including our Education Hub, filled with content you and your staff can consume at home, as well as live and on-demand webinars.

Keep learning

• 52120A Extended Specifications
• Fluke Calibration 52120A Transconductance Amplifier enables accurate calibration of a broad high-current workload at full current range
• Extend the Workload of Your Calibrators with Current Coils Application Note

See related products

• Fluke Calibration 52120A Transconductance Amplifier
• 6100B Electrical Power Quality Calibrator
• 5730A High Performance Multifunction Calibrator

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