CIE Components in Electronics
Texas Instruments (TI) has introduced what is claims is the industry’s first fully programmable DC arc detect reference solution. The RD-195 makes it faster and easier for designers to address a growing need to safeguard high-power DC systems, such as automobile and aircraft battery management systems, industrial factory equipment, and photovoltaic units, against the catastrophic damage that can result from arc faults.
Designers can program the RD-195 to optimise the balance between arc-detection accuracy and false detection prevention to meet their system needs. The RD-195 is accompanied by a software application tool that enables alteration of threshold detection parameters.
A fully programmable reference solution, the arc detection threshold parameters can be configured using an accompanying software tool so that the system always detects valid arcs, while minimising nuisance tripping.
The RD-195 can detect different types of arcs, including series, parallel and ground arcs. It is designed to operate in noisy environments with RF interference. In addition all signal chain components operate across the full industrial temperature range of -40 degrees C to +85 degrees C.
The RD-195 has been certified per the Underwriters Laboratories UL1699B standard, and is listed as a recognised device under UL1998. This helps ease and speed designers’ time to market with a UL-certified product. It is also compliant with the NEC690.11 solar power safety requirements.
The RD-195 evaluation module (EVM) will enable designers to evaluate the RD-195 for a variety of applications. It includes TI’s C2000 Piccolo TMS320F28033 32-bit microcontroller with C28x core and control law accelerator (CLA), one SM73201 16-bit analogue-to-digital converter (ADC), three SM73307 dual-channel precision operational amplifiers (op amps), and one SM73308 low noise, rail-to-rail output op amp.
Also included are bill of materials, schematic, board layout files, software application tool, firmware licensing agreement, arc detect code with UL1998 models, and application note.
