Yokogawa delivers power analysis for drivetrain testing

This article originally appeared in the July'23 magazine issue of Electronic Specifier Design – see ES's Magazine Archives for more featured publications.

This was the type of test solution required by ATESTEO an independent automotive testing service provider based in Kassel, Germany to equip its automotive test beds.As well as adaptability and ease of set up, ATESTEO was also looking for a solution that offered high accuracy and reliability.

To meet its requirements, ATESTEO chose the Yokogawa WT1800E, a modular power analyser that offers up to six input channels, as well as a wide range of display and analysis features, and PC connectivity.

The WT1800E meets ATESTEO’s needs with a guaranteed power accuracy of 0.05% of reading plus 0.05% of range. It is capable of harmonics analysis up to the 500th order of a 50/60 Hz fundamental frequency.

The instrument also offers high stability, ensuring that precision measurements can be made reliably with the WT1800E today and over the long term.

ATESTEO’s engineers can use the WT1800E to make simultaneous measurements on up to six inputs at a rate of 2 MS/s; all current and voltage measurement inputs are synchronised. A mechanical channel can acquire either analogue or pulsed signals.

The built-in motor evaluation capability is ideal for ATESTEO’s testing regime as it means that it can measure more than just electrical parameters: measurement of rotation speed and direction, torque, mechanical power, synchronous speed, slip, electrical angle, motor efficiency and total system efficiency can be derived from the analogue or pulse outputs of rotation and torque sensors.

ATESTEO also opted for the Yokogawa DL950 ScopeCorder, which captures and analyses a wide variety of electrical and physical sensor signals and serial buses. It combines high sampling rates for a detailed view with long recording times to monitor trends over time.

The DL950 measures signals at high resolution and secures data in the harshest environments with superior noise immunity and isolation technology.

Andreas Olf, Branch Manager at ATESTEO’s Kassel facility, says: “Underpinning ATESTEO’s service is our confidence that the measurement values that we supply to customers for efficiency, power output, NVH and the rest are true and accurate. That is why we choose to use Yokogawa products for power analysis. Over many years of operation, we can see the results from the Yokogawa equipment are stable, accurate and reliable, and so we have no hesitation in continuing to rely on the WT1800E and DL950.”

From its locations in Germany, USA, China and Japan, ATESTEO provides a wide range of drivetrain testing services, including noise, vibration and harshness (NVH) measurements and environmental simulation, as well as tests of an entire vehicle on a dynamometer or on the road.