Ametek Sorensen Asterion AST Series User manual

M330460-01 Rev A www.powerandtest.com
DC Asterion 1U
Operation Manual

M330460-01 Rev A iii
About AMETEK
AMETEK Programmable Power, Inc., a unit of AMETEK Electronic Instruments Group (a division
of AMETEK, Inc.), is a global leader in the design and manufacture of precision, programmable
power supplies for R&D, test and measurement, process control, power bus simulation and power
conditioning applications across diverse industrial segments. Offering bench-top supplies to rack-
mounted industrial power subsystems, AMETEK Programmable Power is the proud manufacturer
of Elgar, Sorensen, California Instruments, Power Ten, and Amrel brand power supplies and
electronic loads.
AMETEK, Inc. is a leading global manufacturer of electronic instruments and electromechanical
devices with annualized sales of $3.6 billion. The company has over 14,000 colleagues working at
more than 120 manufacturing facilities and more than 80 sales and service centers in the United
States and around the world.
Trademarks
AMETEK is a registered trademark of AMETEK, Inc.
Other trademarks, registered trademarks, and product names are the property of their respective
owners and are used herein for identification purposes only.
Notice of Copyright
M330460-01 DC Asterion 1U Operation Manual © 2018, AMETEK Programmable Power, Inc.,
All rights reserved.
Exclusion for Documentation
UNLESS SPECIFICALLY AGREED TO IN WRITING, AMETEK PROGRAMMABLE POWER, INC.
(“AMETEK”)
(a) MAKES NO WARRANTY AS TO THE ACCURACY, SUFFICIENCY OR SUITABILITY OF ANY
TECHNICAL OR OTHER INFORMATION PROVIDED IN ITS MANUALS OR OTHER
DOCUMENTATION.
(b) ASSUMES NO RESPONSIBILITY OR LIABILITY FOR LOSSES, DAMAGES, COSTS OR
EXPENSES, WHETHER SPECIAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL OR INCIDENTAL,
WHICH MIGHT ARISE OUT OF THE USE OF SUCH INFORMATION. THE USE OF ANY SUCH
INFORMATION WILL BE ENTIRELY AT THE USER’S RISK, AND
(c) REMINDS YOU THAT IF THIS MANUAL IS IN ANY LANGUAGE OTHER THAN ENGLISH,
ALTHOUGH STEPS HAVE BEEN TAKEN TO MAINTAIN THE ACCURACY OF THE
TRANSLATION, THE ACCURACY CANNOT BE GUARANTEED. APPROVED AMETEK
CONTENT IS CONTAINED WITH THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE VERSION, WHICH IS POSTED AT
WWW.PROGRAMMABLEPOWER.COM.
Date and Revision
July 2018, A
Part Number
M330460-01
Contact Information
Telephone: [phone] (toll free in North America)
858 450 0085 (direct)
Fax: [phone]
Email: [e-mail]
[e-mail]
Web: www.powerandtest.com

M330460-01 Rev A iv
Product Family: M330460-01
Warranty Period: Five Years
Warranty Terms
AMETEK Programmable Power, Inc. (“AMETEK”) provides this written warranty covering the
Product stated above, and if the Buyer discovers and notifies AMETEK in writing of any defect in
material or workmanship within the applicable warranty period stated above, then AMETEK may,
at its option: repair or replace the Product; or issue a credit note for the defective Product; or provide
the Buyer with replacement parts for the Product.
The Buyer will, at its expense, return the defective Product or parts thereof to AMETEK in
accordance with the return procedure specified below. AMETEK will, at its expense, deliver the
repaired or replaced Product or parts to the Buyer. Any warranty of AMETEK will not apply if the
Buyer is in default under the Purchase Order Agreement or where the Product or any part thereof:
•is damaged by misuse, accident, negligence or failure to maintain the same as specified
or required by AMETEK;
•is damaged by modifications, alterations or attachments thereto which are not authorized
by AMETEK;
•is installed or operated contrary to the instructions of AMETEK;
•is opened, modified or disassembled in any way without AMETEK’s consent; or
•is used in combination with items, articles or materials not authorized by AMETEK.
The Buyer may not assert any claim that the Products are not in conformity with any warranty until
the Buyer has made all payments to AMETEK provided for in the Purchase Order Agreement.
Product Return Procedure
1. Request a Return Material Authorization (RMA) number from the repair facility (must be done
in the country in which it was purchased):
•In the USA, contact the AMETEK Repair Department prior to the return of the product to
AMETEK for repair:
•Telephone: [phone], ext. 2295 or ext. 2463 (toll free North America)
858-450-0085, ext. 2295 or ext. 2463 (direct)
•Outside the USA, contact the nearest Authorized Service Center (ASC). A full listing
can be found either through your local distributor or our website,
www.programmablepower.com, by clicking Support and going to the Service Centers tab.
2. When requesting an RMA, have the following information ready:
•Model number
•Serial number
•Description of the problem
Note: Unauthorized returns will not be accepted and will be returned at the shipper’s expense.
Note: A returned product found upon inspection by AMETEK, to be in specification is subject to
an evaluation fee and applicable freight charges.

M330460-01 Rev A v
IMPORTANT SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS
Before applying power to the system, verify that your product is configured properly for
your application.
WARNING!
Hazardous voltages might be present when covers are removed. Qualified
personnel must use extreme caution when servicingthis equipment. Circuitry,
test points, and output voltages might be floating with respect to chassis
ground. Do not touch electrical circuits and use appropriately rated test
equipment. A safety ground wire must be connected from the chassis to the
AC mains input when servicing this equipment.
WARNING!
This equipment contains ESD sensitive input/output connection ports.
When installing equipment, follow ESD safety procedures. Electrostatic
discharges might cause damage to the equipment.
Only qualified personnel, who understand and deal with attendant hazards in power
supplies, can perform installation and servicing.
Ensure that the AC mains input ground is connected properly to the chassis safety ground
connection. Similarly, other power ground lines, including those to application and
maintenance equipment, must be grounded properly for both personnel and equipment
safety. Always ensure that facility AC mains input is de-energized prior to connecting or
disconnecting any cable.
In normal operation from the front panel, the operator does not have access to hazardous
voltages within the chassis. However, depending on the application configuration, HIGH
VOLTAGES HAZARDOUS TO HUMAN SAFETY might be normally generated on the
output terminals. The user must ensure that the output power lines are labeled properly
as to the safety hazards and that any possibility for inadvertent contact with hazardous
voltages is eliminated.
Guard against risks of electrical shock during open cover checks by not touching any
portion of the electrical circuits. Even when power is off, capacitors mayretain an electrical
charge. Use safety glasses during open cover checks to avoid personal injury by any
sudden component failure.
Neither AMETEK Programmable Power Inc., San Diego, California, USA, or any of the
subsidiary sales organizations, can accept any responsibility for personnel, material or
inconsequential injury, loss or damage that results from improper use of the equipment
and accessories.

M330460-01 Rev A vi
SAFETY SYMBOLS
WARNING: Electrical Shock Hazard
HAZARD: Strong oxidizer
GENERAL WARNING/CAUTION: Read the accompanying message for
specific information.
BURN HAZARD: Hot Surface Warning. Allow to cool before servicing.
DO NOT TOUCH: Touching some parts of the instrument without protection
or proper tools could result in damage to the part(s) and/or the instrument.
TECHNICIAN SYMBOL: All operations marked with this symbol are to be
performed by qualified maintenance personnel only.
ELECTRICAL GROUND: This symbol inside the instrument marks the
central safety grounding point for the instrument.

M330460-01 Rev A vii
FCC NOTICE
This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class A digital device,
pursuant to part 15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection
against harmful interference when the equipment is operated in a commercial environment.
This equipment generates, uses, and can radiate radio frequency energy and, if not installed and
used in accordance with the instruction manual, may cause harmful interference to radio
communications. Operation of this equipment in a residential area is likely to cause harmful
interference inwhich case the userwill be required tocorrect the interference at his own expense.

About DC Asterion Series
viii M330460-01 Rev A
ABOUT THIS MANUAL AND REGULATORY COMPLIANCE
This manual has been written for the Asterion DC Series of power supplies, which have been
designed and certified to meet the Low Voltage and Electromagnetic Compatibility Directive
Requirements of the European Community.
These models have been designed and tested to meet the Electromagnetic Compatibility
directive (European Council directive 2014/30/EU; generally referred to as the EMC directive)
and to the requirements of the Low Voltage directive (European Council directive 2014/35/EU,
93/68/EEC, dated 22 July 1993). In addition, these models have been found compliant with FCC
47 CFR Part 15, Subpart B107(e) Class A, 109(g) Class A.
Since the Low Voltage Directive is to ensure the safety of the equipment operator, universal
graphic symbols have been used both on the unit itself and in this manual to warn the operator
of potentially hazardous situations (see Safety Instruction page).

DC Asterion Series Contents
M330460-01 Rev A ix
CONTENTS
1OVERVIEW...................................................... 1-1
1.1 General Description.....................................................................................1-1
1.2 Specifications...............................................................................................1-3
1.2.1 Output Current and Voltage Models...............................................................1-3
1.2.2 AC input specifications ...................................................................................1-3
1.2.3 Output Power derating characteristics with AC input Voltage........................1-4
1.2.4 DC output programming and measurement specifications ............................1-4
1.2.5 DC output regulation Characteristics..............................................................1-4
1.2.6 Output transient specifications .......................................................................1-5
1.2.7 Remote Analog programming and External user control interface characteristics
1-6
1.2.8 Output Isolation...............................................................................................1-7
1.2.9 Remote Control Digital Interface Characteristics ...........................................1-7
1.2.10 Protection Function Characteristics................................................................1-8
1.2.11 Environmental Specifications .........................................................................1-8
1.2.12 Mechanical Specifications ..............................................................................1-9
1.2.13 Regulatory Agency Compliance.....................................................................1-9
2INSTALLATION................................................ 2-1
2.1 Inspection.....................................................................................................2-1
2.2 Contents of Shipment..................................................................................2-1
2.3 Mechanical Installation................................................................................2-2
2.4 Rack Mounting .............................................................................................2-3
2.5 Chassis Removal from Rack .......................................................................2-4
2.6 Outline drawings..........................................................................................2-5
2.7 Rear Panel Input/ Output Connections.......................................................2-7
2.8 AC input power connection.........................................................................2-9
2.8.1 AC input overcurrent protection......................................................................2-9
2.8.2 AC Input Safety Disconnect Device................................................................2-9
2.8.3 AC Input Connector........................................................................................2-9
2.8.4 1-Phase AC Input Operation ........................................................................2-11
2.8.5 3-Phase AC Input Operation ........................................................................2-11
2.9 DC output power connection.....................................................................2-12
2.10 Remote Sense ............................................................................................2-12
2.11 Wire Gauge Selection.................................................................................2-14
2.11.1 Wire Size ......................................................................................................2-14

Contents DC Asterion Series
x M330460-01 Rev A
2.12 Load Considerations..................................................................................2-17
2.12.1 Inductive and Stored-Energy Loads.............................................................2-17
2.13 Rear Panel User Interface Connectors .....................................................2-17
2.13.1 Remote Analog programming and External user control interface ..............2-18
2.13.2 RS-232C Serial Interface..............................................................................2-23
2.13.3 USB interface................................................................................................2-24
2.13.4 LAN interface................................................................................................2-25
3OPERATION .................................................... 3-1
3.1 Front Panel Display Menu and Functionality .............................................3-1
3.1.1 Power-Up Screens..........................................................................................3-1
3.1.2 Home Screen Top-Level Menu.......................................................................3-2
3.1.3 Dashboard Screen Top-Level Menu...............................................................3-4
3.1.4 Output Program Screen..................................................................................3-6
3.1.5 Measurements Screen ...................................................................................3-8
3.1.6 Ramp Screen..................................................................................................3-9
3.1.7 Configuration Screen....................................................................................3-14
3.1.8 Control Interface Screen...............................................................................3-23
3.1.8 System Settings Screen ...............................................................................3-31
3.1.9 Warning/Fault Screen...................................................................................3-34
3.1.10 Local/Remote Screen...................................................................................3-35
3.1.11 Parallel/Series Screen..................................................................................3-36
3.2 Output Verification.....................................................................................3-36
3.2.1 Constant-Voltage Mode Operation...............................................................3-36
3.2.2 Constant-Current Mode Operation...............................................................3-37
3.2.3 Overvoltage Protection.................................................................................3-38
3.2.4 Constant-Power Mode..................................................................................3-39
3.3 Remote Analog Programming Connector ................................................3-40
3.3.1 Remote Analog Isolated Interface Control (Option) .....................................3-40
3.4 Remote Current Programming..................................................................3-44
3.4.1 Remote Current Programming by Resistance..............................................3-44
3.4.2 Remote Current Programming by Voltage Source.......................................3-45
3.4.3 Remote Current Programming by 4-20mA Source ......................................3-46
3.5 Remote Voltage Programming..................................................................3-46
3.5.1 Remote Voltage Programming by Resistance .............................................3-46
3.5.2 Remote Voltage Programming by Voltage Source.......................................3-47
3.5.3 Remote Voltage Programming by 4-20mA Source......................................3-48
3.6 Remote Power Programming ....................................................................3-48
3.6.1 Remote Power Programming by Resistance ...............................................3-48