Electrical Test & Measurement · Electrical Test Equipment
Five-model battery simulator range covering 20 to 48 V and up to 20 A, with 1 mV and 1 mA setting resolution, four-wire remote sensing and readback of voltage, current and power.
KS9830 (5 models) ·
A battery simulator replaces the cell in a test fixture with something that behaves like one but can be set, repeated and left running. That is useful long before a product reaches production: a device that draws a surge at start-up can be tested against a supply that never runs flat, and the same supply can be swept to the ends of the cell’s voltage window on demand.
The range is five models over two body widths and two power stages. Three are switching and two are linear, and the voltage classes are 20, 24 and 48 V. The 24 V and 48 V classes each appear twice, once in each power stage, so the choice is not only about voltage.
All five share the same control behaviour: voltage and current are set from the front panel, the output is taken from a four-wire terminal block, and the delivered voltage, current and power are read back on the same display. A dedicated software package provides computer control and stores measurements, and the rear panel carries the serial, output, USB-C and mains connections.
A battery is a voltage source with internal resistance, and its terminal voltage falls as current rises. A simulator reproduces this by regulating the output to a set voltage while limiting the current to a set value; when the load asks for more than the limit, the instrument moves from constant voltage to constant current and the terminal voltage follows the load.
That transition is the part worth testing. A product that resets when its supply sags, or that draws a current spike at power-up larger than its steady-state figure, will show it here rather than in the field.
The four-wire connection is what makes the delivered voltage meaningful. Two leads carry the current and two separate sense leads measure at the product’s terminals, so the drop along the current leads is measured and corrected rather than included in the reading. On a 20 A output, that drop is not a rounding error.
The voltage class comes first, and it is set by the product rather than by the cell: a 12 V product needs headroom above its charging voltage, and a 36 or 48 V product needs the 48 V models. Selecting at the top of a range leaves no room for a product that needs a little more.
The current comes second. The 20 A models differ from the 12 A model mainly in this, and the switchable 10 or 20 A setting lets a bench run a small product without giving up the resolution that a lower range provides.
The power stage comes third, and it is the choice that is easiest to overlook. A linear stage is heavier and larger for the same rating. In the parameter table the three models with the wider operating temperature range are KS9831A, KS9832 and KS9832A, so the two linear versions and one switching version share that range and the rest do not. A switching stage is smaller and lighter, with a ripple figure printed for one model only, so the ripple requirement has to be raised explicitly rather than assumed.
Finally, decide whether the product expects a charger at its input. The fast-charge protocols are an option, and a product that negotiates a charging profile will not behave correctly against a plain DC source. Send the voltage window, the current profile and whether the protocols are needed, and a configuration can be proposed.
The printed readback specification stops at 12 A even on models that deliver 20 A. That does not mean the output stops there; it means the accuracy of the current reading above 12 A is not covered by the figure in the material and has to be confirmed before the instrument is used to characterise a load in that region.
The terminal block carries its own marking, and that marking has to be read before the fixture is wired. The material shows a 25 V DC maximum printed beside the terminals, on a range that includes 48 V models, so the marking on the unit supplied should be checked against the model rather than assumed from the series.
Two environmental figures change with the model: the operating temperature range and the mains marking. The rear socket is marked for a narrower mains window than the input specification in the table, and the operating range differs between the switching and linear versions. A bench that runs warm, or a site with a wide supply, should be matched against the model actually being ordered.
Every value below is taken from source documentation. Where a parameter is not stated in the available material it is marked as information required rather than estimated.
| Output voltage, KS9830 | 0 to 20 VStandard |
|---|---|
| Output voltage, KS9831 and KS9831A | 0 to 24 VStandard |
| Output voltage, KS9832 and KS9832A | 0 to 48 VStandard |
| Output current, KS9830 | 0 to 12 AStandard |
| Output current, other models | 10 or 20 A, switchableStandard |
| Output power, KS9830, KS9831 and KS9831A | 0 to 240 WStandard |
| Output power, KS9832 and KS9832A | 0 to 450 WStandard |
| Input power, KS9831 | 0 to 250 W, as printed against the 240 W output figureStandard |
| Power stage | Switching or linear, depending on modelStandard |
| Voltage setting resolution | 1 mVStandard |
|---|---|
| Current setting resolution | 1 mAStandard |
| Voltage setting accuracy | 0.05% + 2 mVStandard |
| Current readback resolution | 1 µA below 10 mA; 1 mA at or above 10 mAStandard |
| Voltage readback row | 0.05% + 2 mV, printed under the readback resolution headingStandard |
| Current readback accuracy | 0.15% + 5 µA below 10 mA; 0.15% + 4 mA from 10 mA to 12 AStandard |
| Voltage load regulation | Below 0.1%Standard |
| Voltage line regulation | Below 0.1%Standard |
| Ripple, KS9830 | 100 mV peak to peakStandard |
| Ripple, other models | No figure printedInformation required |
| Over-current protection | SupportedStandard |
|---|---|
| Forward and reverse test | SupportedStandard |
| Voltage remote measurement | SupportedStandard |
| Output terminals | I−, S−, S+, I+Standard |
| Terminal marking | ±20 A maximum, 25 V DC maximum, as printed beside the terminalsStandard |
| Communications listed in the material | RS-232C, LAN, OUTPUT, INPUT, WIFIStandard |
|---|---|
| Rear panel parts shown | GND terminal, 9-pin RS-232, OUTPUT terminal block, USB-C socket, AC inletStandard |
| Host software | Provides computer control and measurement data storageStandard |
| Mains input | 100 to 240 V AC, 50 to 60 HzStandard |
|---|---|
| Inlet marking | LINE~ 200-240 V AC, as printed beside the socketStandard |
| Operating temperature, KS9830 and KS9831 | 0 to 40 °CStandard |
| Operating temperature, KS9831A, KS9832 and KS9832A | −10 to 55 °CStandard |
| Storage temperature | −20 to 70 °CStandard |
| Cooling | Fan, 60 × 60 × 25 mmStandard |
| Dimensions, KS9830 and KS9831 | 305 mm long, 214 mm wide, 97 mm highStandard |
|---|---|
| Dimensions, KS9831A, KS9832 and KS9832A | 432 mm long, 214 mm wide, 97 mm highStandard |
| Dimensions on the dimension page | 241 mm wide, 97 mm high, 432 mm deep, which matches neither table entry as printedInformation required |
| Weight, KS9830 and KS9831 | 5.51 kgStandard |
| Weight, KS9831A | 10 kgStandard |
| Weight, KS9832 | 7.42 kgStandard |
| Weight, KS9832A | 12.16 kgStandard |
| Weight on the dimension page | 6.04 kg, against 5.51 kg for the same model in the tableInformation required |
| Packaged weight | 6.43 kg, 6.43 kg, 11.2 kg, 8.6 kg and 13.36 kg by modelStandard |
| Model | Configuration | Key ranges | Availability |
|---|---|---|---|
| KS9830 | Switching power stage, 20 V class | 0 to 20 V, 0 to 12 A, 0 to 240 W | The only model without the 10 or 20 A switch |
| KS9831 | Switching power stage, 24 V class | 0 to 24 V, 10 or 20 A, 0 to 240 W output | Input power printed as 250 W |
| KS9831A | Linear power stage, 24 V class | 0 to 24 V, 10 or 20 A, 0 to 240 W | Linear output, wider temperature range |
| KS9832 | Switching power stage, 48 V class | 0 to 48 V, 10 or 20 A, 0 to 450 W | Higher voltage and power |
| KS9832A | Linear power stage, 48 V class | 0 to 48 V, 10 or 20 A, 0 to 450 W | Linear output at the higher voltage |
Certifications are only published once a certificate copy can be produced, so this section is deliberately empty rather than populated with assumed approvals. Tell us which approvals your application requires and we will confirm what is available for this instrument.
The following are required for a complete specification but are not stated in the documentation supplied to us. They are listed rather than estimated:
KS9832 or KS9832A, the two 48 V models. They differ in the power stage: KS9832 is switching and KS9832A is linear. The linear version has a wider operating temperature range in the parameter table, and it is physically larger and heavier.
The power stage. Models without the suffix are switching; models with the A suffix are linear. That changes the ripple behaviour, the weight and the operating temperature range, and it is the reason the same voltage class appears twice in the range.
The readback accuracy is printed in two bands, one below 10 mA and one from 10 mA to 12 A. That upper figure is 12 A even on the models whose output current can be switched to 20 A, so the current range above 12 A is outside what the printed readback specification covers. It should be confirmed before the instrument is used to characterise a load above that level.
The voltage and current the product draws, whether the supply has to be linear or switching, whether the fast-charge protocols are needed at the input, and the operating temperature of the bench. The last one matters because the two power stages are rated over different ranges.
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