63640-80-80 Chroma DC Electronic Load New

In Summary

In summary, the Chroma 63640-80-80 is a 400W, 80V, 80A programmable DC electronic load module from the Chroma 63600 series — a modular professional-tier load platform designed for testing multi-output AC/DC power supplies, DC/DC converters, chargers, batteries, server power supplies, and power electronic components. The module operates in CC, CR, CV, CP, and the Chroma-unique CZ (constant impedance) mode, with a 16-bit A/D measurement circuit that achieves 0.025%+0.01% F.S. voltage accuracy and 0.05%+0.05% F.S. current accuracy — precision sufficient to meet ENERGY STAR® and 80 Plus efficiency test requirements.

What is the Chroma 63640-80-80 electronic load used for?

The Chroma 63640-80-80 is used by power supply manufacturers, battery test engineers, EV component developers, fuel cell researchers, and production test teams to absorb DC power from a device under test (DUT) in a precise, programmable way. Its defining capability is drawing the full 80A rated current at conducting voltages as low as 0.4V (typical) — which is why the 63640-80-80 is the go-to choice for low-voltage high-current devices such as Point-of-Load regulators, server VRMs, and fuel cells. The module ships with USB standard, with Ethernet and GPIB available as options for automated test system integration.

How does the Chroma 63600 series compare to a standard DC electronic load?

The 63600 series differs from conventional DC electronic loads in three structural ways. First, it is modular — a single 63600-5 mainframe accepts up to five user-installable load modules, yielding up to 10 independent channels or up to 2,000W of paralleled Master/Slave power. Second, it includes the Chroma-unique CZ (constant impedance) mode for realistic simulation of capacitive load turn-on behavior, in addition to the standard CC, CR, CV, and CP modes. Third, the 63600 draws rated current at conducting voltages as low as 0.4V typical (on the 63640-80-80) — a low-voltage characteristic the datasheet describes as guaranteeing the best loading performance for modern Point-of-Load conditions and fuel cells.

Accessories & Options

The Chroma 63600 series is a modular load family. The load module itself does not operate standalone — it must be installed in a Chroma 63600 mainframe, which supplies power and provides the front-panel display, rotary knob, and rear-panel I/O. Communication interfaces are configured at order time.

Complete Specifications — Chroma 63640-80-80

Specification Notes

1. The maximum current loading below the minimum operating voltage (0.5V) will follow a derating curve.
2. The 400W power rating of the 63640-80-80 specified at an ambient temperature of 35˚C, please refer to the power rating curve on the right.
3. Does not apply to setting current < 0.25% full scale current in high range. Does not apply to setting current < 0.05% full scale current in low and middle range.
4. The full scale is Vmax × Imax.
5. The DC level measurements are made over a period of 20ms, and does not measure any transient signals in the DC measurements.
6. Its limits are the maximum power and maximum current of the current range.
7. The 63600 is guaranteed to meet specified performance at temperature range of 25±5˚C.
8. If the operating voltage exceeds the rated voltage for 1.1 times, it would cause permanent damage to the device.
9. Please refer to user's manual for detail specifications, and S (siemens) is the SI unit of conductance, equal to one reciprocal ohm.

Power Derating (per Note 2 — 63640-80-80 only)

Product Overview

The electronic load is the necessary counterpart to every power source on the bench. You cannot fully characterize a power supply, a battery, a fuel cell, a DC-DC converter, or a solar panel without a controllable load on the output — something that draws current from the device under test in a precise, repeatable, and programmable way. The Chroma 63600 series is the modular professional-tier solution for that requirement, and the 63640-80-80 is the low-voltage high-current 80A module within that family. Chroma's 63600 series is designed for testing multi-output AC/DC power supplies, DC/DC converters, chargers, batteries, server power supplies, and power electronic components — and is excellent for research, development, production, and incoming inspection applications.

The Chroma 63640-80-80 is the flagship low-voltage high-current module of the 63600 family. Rated 400W at 0–80V with a 0–80A high range, the 63640-80-80 draws its full 80A rated current at a conducting voltage of just 0.4V (typical) — a capability the Chroma datasheet calls out as the defining feature of the series. That low-voltage characteristic is what makes the 63640-80-80 the right module for modern Point-of-Load (POL) regulators, fuel cells, DC-DC converters, and server VRMs whose output voltages can sit below 1V at rated current. Paralleled five-up in a 63600-5 mainframe, the 63640-80-80 delivers up to 2,000W of total load capability for high-current single-output testing. It addresses modern Point-of-Load (POL) regulators, server VRMs, fuel cells, and low-voltage DC-DC converters whose output voltages can sit below 1V at rated current.

The Modular 63600 System — One Mainframe, Up to 10 Channels, Up to 2,000W

The Chroma 63600 mainframe is the chassis that accepts user-installable load modules. The 63640-80-80 is one of those modules. The 63600-5 mainframe holds up to five load modules, which can be configured as up to 10 independent 100W channels (using 63610 dual modules) or up to 2,000W of paralleled single-channel power (using five 63640-80-80 modules in Master/Slave parallel operation). All modules on the mainframe share a common GPIB address to synchronize operation and speed up data read-back, and the GO/NG output port provides immediate production pass/fail judgment of the unit under test.

Flexible CC, CR, CV, CP, and CZ Operation Modes

The Chroma 63640-80-80 operates in five distinct loading modes, each suited to a different category of test requirement. The standard four — constant current (CC), constant resistance (CR), constant voltage (CV), and constant power (CP) — cover the universe of power supply, battery, and converter characterization. The fifth mode, CZ (constant impedance), is unique to the 63600 series and is designed to make the simulated loading current more realistic when testing power supplies that drive capacitive loads.

CC — Constant Current

Load/Cross regulation test for CV power supply; Battery discharge time test and life cycle test; Fuel cell testing; Loading pattern simulation for automotive wiper.

CR — Constant Resistance

Test current limit point and slew rate for power supply; Soft start test for telecom power; Loading simulation for automotive temperature controller.

CV — Constant Voltage

Charger test for mobile phone; Current limit test for fold back power supply; Fuel cell test; Current source test.

CP — Constant Power

CP power test; Battery capacity test and capacity life cycle test; Pout vs Eff% curve test.

CZ — Constant Impedance (Unique to 63600 Series)

The unique CZ mode designed in 63600 series can improve the loading behavior of CC & CP mode and makes the simulated loading current more realistic — particularly when simulating turn-on into capacitive loads such as motherboards, server backplanes, and switching supply output stages.

Real-World Applications by DUT Category

• Electric Vehicle Components: Battery, Charger, Generator, Wiper current simulation, DC to DC converter, Fuse, Relay, Connector, Body control module (BCM), A/C controller
• Storage Power: Battery, PV module, Fuel cell
• 3C Products: Adaptor, Power supply, Server power, Printer power, Charger, VRM/POL, UPS, Telecom power, DC to DC converter

Dynamic Loading and Control — Up to 50 kHz Frequency Sweep

Modern electronic devices operate at very high speed and demand rapid transient response characteristics. To address these applications the 63600 offers high speed, programmable dynamic loading, sweep simulation and control capability never before achieved. Waveforms can be single shot or set to repeat, with the number of cycles programmable from 1 to 65,535 — excellent for determining the peak current which can be sustained by converters. The 63600 also offers a unique dynamic frequency sweep with variable frequencies up to 50 kHz. Measurement of the Vpeak (+/-) can be achieved by this function with a sampling rate of 500 kHz. Dedicated remote load sensors and control circuits guarantee minimum waveform distortion during dynamic loading.

Master / Slave Parallel Control — Up to 2,000W per Mainframe

When the need is for increased power, paralleling two or more loads can be done to achieve the desired load current. The 63600 provides the user with smart Master/Slave mode controls which enables the user to program the load currents of the Master and have them automatically calculated and downloaded to the slave modules. Using several loads in parallel to emulate a single load dramatically simplifies operation and allows the 63600 to be used for both multiple output power supplies and larger single output supplies. The 63600 can be controlled and reconfigured with USB, Ethernet, and GPIB interfaces for automated testing applications.

Precise Measurement — 16-Bit A/D for ENERGY STAR® and 80 Plus Compliance Testing

The 63600 series provides three operating current ranges and a built-in 16-bit, precision A/D converter, achieving 0.025%+0.01% F.S., 0.05%+0.05% F.S. and 0.1%+0.1% F.S. accuracy for voltage, current and power measurement respectively. Precise measurements like these are ideal for testing power efficiency and other critical parameters of the UUT's. The precise measurement of 63600 series also meets the requirements of ENERGY STAR® and 80 Plus. The 63600 series can measure OCP/OLP trip voltage and current by setting the step, step current, dwell time and so on, and will judge the test result for Pass or Fail and shows the maximum power (Pmax) on the display after completing the OCP/OLP test. Two high-speed A/D are built in the 63600 series to measure the voltage and current at the same time and calculate the true power value for displaying without distortion.

Additional Functions

• Program Sequences: 100 programmable loading sequences enable the user to simulate various real world conditions. Each module can be operated independently or synchronized so that all modules start operating at the same time while running independent programs.
• Sine Wave Dynamic Function: Unique sine wave loading function that allows setting of a current bias (I_DC), a loading sine wave (I_AC) and sine wave frequency without the need for an external function generator. Can be used in D2D/ATX Power supplies for sine wave dynamic testing.
• Digitizing Function: Records transients in both voltage and current waveforms. Sampling Time: 2µs to 40ms / R: 2µs. Sampling Point: 1 to 4096.
• User Defined Waveform (UDW): Accepts digital data from DAQ cards or analog data from function generators. Each module can store up to 10 sets of waveforms with each comprising up to 1.2 million data points.
• Timing Function: Precise time measurements in the range of 2ms to 100,000s for battery discharge testing and similar applications.
• Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT): Built-in MPPT function for solar panel test — connect the solar panel and the 63600 tracks the maximum power point using a high-speed built-in algorithm. Also calculates energy consumption automatically.
• Short Circuit Simulation: Apply a short circuit across the input from the front panel keypad; short circuit current set to 100% of rated current for the selected range.
• 100 Storage States: Up to 100 sets of system operating status stored in EEPROM and recallable instantly for automated testing.
• Full Protection Suite: Self-diagnostic routines and full protections against OP (over power), OC (over current), OT (over temperature), with alarm indicating OV (over voltage) and reverse polarity.

Factual Grounding & Industry Context

The Chroma 63640-80-80 delivers 400W maximum power across the 0~80V voltage range with current ranges of 0~0.8A / 0~8A / 0~80A. It operates in CC, CR, CV, CP, and CZ modes; supports dynamic loading with auto frequency sweep up to 50 kHz and Vpeak measurement at 500 kHz sampling rate; stores up to 100 programmable loading sequences with dwell time programmable 0.1 ms to 30 s; and accepts User Defined Waveforms of up to 1.2 million data points per waveform (10 waveform sets per module). The module weighs 4.5 kg / 9.9 lbs and measures 142 × 86 × 514 mm (5.6 × 3.4 × 20.2 inch). The 63600 series meets ENERGY STAR® and 80 Plus efficiency test measurement requirements and carries CE marking for EMC and safety. Per the manufacturer's specification notes, all stated accuracy figures are guaranteed at an ambient temperature of 25±5°C.

Entity Authority — Chroma ATE and the Power Test Ecosystem

Chroma ATE was founded in 1984 in Taoyuan, Taiwan, and is publicly traded. Chroma is unique in the power test market in offering a complete power test ecosystem — AC sources, DC supplies, DC and AC electronic loads, battery test systems (17000 series), electrical safety analyzers (19000 series), and solar array simulators — all from a single manufacturer with shared software and designed-to-integrate hardware. The 63600 series sits inside Chroma's broader DC electronic load portfolio, which the industry recognizes as the professional standard for power supply and battery test. Chroma's primary market tailwind is the EV revolution — the 63600 series is directly applicable to battery discharge testing, DC/DC converter test, and EV fuel cell characterization.

How does the 63640-80-80 compare to standard DC electronic loads?

• Modular system architecture: Standard benchtop DC loads are fixed-power single-channel units. The 63600 mainframe accepts up to 5 user-installable modules — yielding up to 10 channels of 100W each, or up to 2,000W of paralleled single-channel power, in one chassis.
• Low-voltage operation: The 63600 series can draw rated current at conducting voltages as low as 0.4V typical (on 63640-80-80). Most conventional DC loads require 1V to 3V minimum to draw rated current — making them unsuitable for modern Point-of-Load regulators and fuel cell test.
• CZ (Constant Impedance) mode: Unique to the 63600 series, CZ mode improves the loading behavior of CC & CP modes for more realistic simulation of capacitive turn-on loads — a capability absent from conventional CC/CR/CV/CP-only loads.
• Measurement precision: 16-bit A/D delivers 0.025%+0.01% F.S. voltage accuracy and 0.05%+0.05% F.S. current accuracy — sufficient for ENERGY STAR® and 80 Plus efficiency test, where many lower-tier loads fall short.
• Auto frequency sweep to 50 kHz: Dynamic loading sweep with Vpeak+/- measurement at 500 kHz sampling — ideal for ATX power supply transient response verification.
• Master/Slave parallel up to 2,000W: Smart Master/Slave mode automatically downloads slave current settings from the Master, simplifying high-power test configurations that would otherwise require manual coordination of multiple independent loads.