The Agilent N6700 Low-Profile Modular Power System (MPS) is a 1U-high, multiple-output programmable DC power supply system that gives test system integrators the flexibility to mix and match from over 30 different DC power and electronic load modules. Built on an advanced switching power supply design that fits within 1U of rack space, a single mainframe holds one to four modules to build a 1- to 4-channel system that can be optimized to match a specific set of test requirements, letting engineers invest in high-performance outputs where speed and accuracy matter and basic outputs where simple DC power is all that is needed.

The N6700 MPS is built for automatic test equipment (ATE) systems in R&D, design validation, and manufacturing. Power supplies and electronic loads are a fundamental component of test systems across aerospace and defense, consumer electronics, computers and peripherals, communications, semiconductor, and automotive electronics — industries where complex ATE systems often require multiple power sources and where reducing occupied rack space and increasing test throughput are constant pressures. Within the family, precision modules are suited to semiconductor and passive device testing where a precisely controlled output and highly accurate measurements are needed, while the source/measure unit modules support applications such as battery drain analysis and functional test.

The same modules also install in the Agilent N6705 DC Power Analyzer, a modular bench instrument that sources and measures DC voltage and current into a device under test, combining one to four DC power supplies (or electronic loads) with the functions of a digital multimeter, oscilloscope, arbitrary waveform generator, and data logger in a single integrated unit. All sourcing and measuring functions are available directly from the front panel without writing a single line of code, giving R&D engineers insight into a device's power consumption. From the front panel an engineer can set up and view turn-on and turn-off sequences, measure and display voltage and current versus time to visualize power into the DUT, control DC bias and electronic-load ramp-up and ramp-down rates, generate DC bias transients and disturbances as arbitrary waveforms, and log data over seconds, minutes, hours, or even days to capture current and power consumption or anomalies. A common task is inrush current measurement: triggering the oscilloscope on the DC output's on/off key in single-shot mode captures the current flowing into the DUT as the output turns on. Sharing the same modules between the N6705 bench analyzer and the N6700 low-profile mainframes used in ATE allows test correlation and program sharing between R&D and manufacturing.

ValueTronics stocks and holds its own test-and-measurement inventory in a 20,000-square-foot secure warehouse at 1675 Cambridge Drive in Elgin, Illinois, so the instruments we sell are on hand in our facility. Every pre-owned unit is inspected and functionally verified in-house before it ships, while new units ship factory-sealed exactly as received from the manufacturer. Keeping inventory on hand and verifying used units in our own facility means an order can be filled quickly and with confidence in the unit's condition.

Brand Heritage

These instruments are branded Agilent Technologies. Agilent Technologies was formed in 1999 as a spin-off of Hewlett-Packard's test and measurement business; that electronic measurement business was subsequently established as Keysight Technologies in 2014, which carries this product line forward today. Equipment bearing the Agilent name reflects this period of the brand's corporate history.

Compare Other Models in This Series

The N6700 Modular Power System is a single 1U platform built around three low-profile mainframes — the 400 W N6700B, the 600 W N6701A, and the 1200 W N6702A — each able to hold one to four modules. Later-generation N6700C/N6701C/N6702C mainframes and the N6705/N6705B/N6705C DC Power Analyzers run the same module catalog. Rather than a fixed-configuration supply, it is a user-reconfigurable system: integrators select from over 30 modules to assemble exactly the channel count, voltage, current, and performance grade a test station calls for, and can swap or add modules as test needs change.

The modules fall into distinct series — basic DC power (N6730, N6740, and N6770 ranges), high-performance autoranging (N6750), precision (N6760), source/measure units (N6780), application-specific (N6783A), and DC electronic loads (N6790) — so a single mainframe can combine a high-power autoranging output with several economical basic outputs. A module's available capabilities depend not only on its own hardware but also on the hardware and firmware of the mainframe in which it is installed; modules placed in an N6705 DC Power Analyzer gain front-panel scope view, arbitrary waveform generation, and data logging not present in the low-profile mainframes. The system can be purchased as a mainframe plus separate modules for self-assembly, or as a build-to-order N6710B/N6711A/N6712A (or N6715B/N6715C) system shipped fully assembled.

Each pre-owned model below is its own dedicated product page with condition-matched pricing. Select the mainframe or module that matches your channel count, output rating, and interface needs, and review that page for its specific specifications and pre-owned availability.

The mainframes differ chiefly in total available output power — 400 W, 600 W, and 1200 W — and only the 1200 W mainframe offers the automatic AC-line power scaling that lets it run from a standard outlet: at turn-on it senses the available AC line power and limits output to 600 W so the high-power frame can be plugged into any standard outlet. Multi-mainframe output sequencing synchronization (by wiring the rear-panel I/O ports together) is supported on the N6700B, N6701A, and N6702A mainframes; it is not supported on the discontinued N6700A mainframe.

Among the modules, the differences are output rating (from 18 W up to 500 W), voltage and current range (0–5 V up to 0–150 V), ripple and noise, programming and measurement accuracy, quadrant operation, and which series each belongs to. Basic modules provide clean, economical DC power at 50 W, 100 W, and 300 W; high-performance autoranging and precision modules add autoranging output, lower noise, faster voltage changes, and available power up to 500 W, with the precision series adding dual programming and measurement ranges, 16-bit programming and 18-bit measurement precision, and simultaneous voltage and current measurement. The source/measure units add two-quadrant and four-quadrant operation, battery emulator/charger and CC/CV load functions, and measurements down to nanoamperes (ranges down to a 10 µA current range) for battery drain analysis and functional test; the application-specific N6783A-BAT and N6783A-MFG provide two-quadrant battery charge/discharge (18 W to 24 W) for mobile-device design and manufacturing test; and the DC electronic loads absorb rather than source power (up to 200 W, 60 V, and 40 A) with voltage, current, power, and resistance priority modes and programmable slew rates. The 300 W and 500 W autoranging and precision modules and the 200 W load each occupy two of the four module slots. The comparison table below lays out these per-model ratings side by side.

Additional differences in specifications beyond the few shown above are not listed here — see each model's full specifications below.

This Module: N6742B Detailed Specifications

Product Core & Specifications

For the precision (N6761A–N6766A), source/measure (N6781A/N6782A/N6784A), and application-specific N6783A modules, the values shown are for the highest output/measurement range; these modules have multiple ranges.

DC Power Analyzer Mainframe Characteristics (N6705B / N6715B)

The N6705C DC Power Analyzer mainframe adds 4 gigabytes of internal non-volatile storage, a built-in real-time clock, front-panel binding posts rated 20 A per post, and a built-in digitizer to 200 kHz with up to 256 k samples per trace (512 k via SCPI) and roughly 30 kHz measurement bandwidth. The Agilent 14585A Control and Analysis Software controls up to four N6705 mainframes — up to 16 power and electronic load modules simultaneously — from a single PC, adding enhanced data visualization and management.

Important: DC power and electronic load modules are not standalone instruments; they require an Agilent N6700-series (N6700B/N6701A/N6702A or N6700C/N6701C/N6702C) or N6705 DC Power Analyzer (N6705A/N6705B/N6705C) mainframe, sold separately, and at least one module is required for the system to function. A module's basic capabilities depend on the hardware and firmware of the mainframe in which it is installed.

Important: Each module occupies one module slot, except the N6753A–N6756A and N6763A–N6766A double-wide modules and the N6792A load, which each occupy two of the four mainframe slots.

Important: The mainframe's total available output power is 600 W (N6705B/N6715B/N6705C). If the sum of the installed module power exceeds the mainframe's available output power, the power management feature allocates available power to the outputs where it is needed.

Important: Front-panel binding posts are rated for 20 A per post; modules with outputs rated greater than 20 A (such as the N6753A or N6792A) route their high-current wiring through the N6705 rear panel. The N6705B mainframe provides rear-panel access ports for this; for an N6705A mainframe, order N6705U-057 to replace the rear panel.

Important: Installing a 500 W module in a 400 W N6700B mainframe may prevent that module from running at its full rated output power.

Important: For proper operation you must fill any empty module slots with filler panels. When configuring a mainframe with fewer than four filled module slots, you must order a filler panel kit (N6708A); each kit contains three filler panels.

Important: If you will be rack mounting your N6700, you must order the rack mount kit (N6709A); standard rack rails or slides are not compatible with the N6700 because of its 1U size and airflow requirements.

Important: Output current is derated 1% per °C above 40 °C ambient temperature.

Important: Option 760 (Output Disconnect/Polarity Reversal Relays) limits the output current to 10 A maximum on Models N6742B and N6773A, and is not available on Models N6741B, N6751A, N6752A, N6761A, N6762A, and N6781A–N6784A. Option 761 provides output (and sense) disconnect relays without polarity reversal.

Important: Option 2UA (200 µA measurement range) is available only on Models N6761A and N6762A.

Important: Series and parallel operation: the maximum series operation is 240 V, and the maximum rated parallel operation is 100 A per N6705 mainframe. Output terminal isolation: no output terminal may be more than ±240 VDC from any other terminal or chassis ground. When using the auxiliary measurement input terminals on the N6781A, no output or input terminal may be more than ±60 VDC from any other terminal and chassis ground.

Important: N6783A modules cannot be used in series with other N6783A modules or any other N67xx module.

Important: When sinking power, Model N6784A can operate at the maximum rated output power for only a limited amount of time; the unit monitors internal power device temperature and latches the output off if the safe limit is exceeded (annunciated by the OT status bit), after which a protect clear is required to resume operation.

Important: For model N6712A, the maximum output power is limited to 600 W at 100 VAC; to achieve full output power of 1200 W you must use option 929 and operate at 200 VAC. An AC mains rated at 100–180 VAC cannot supply enough current to power the N6702A mainframe at full rated power; when connected to a 100–180 VAC mains, internal circuits limit the power available to modules to 600 W maximum.

Important: Arbitrary waveform generation, scope view, and the related N6705 oscilloscope measurement capabilities apply only when the power modules are installed in an N6705 DC Power Analyzer. High-Speed Test Extensions are standard on the precision and SMU modules and an option (054) on others.

Important: Published current/power ratings for Models N6751A and N6752A differ between the datasheet's specification table (page 16: N6751A 50 V/5 A/50 W, N6752A 50 V/10 A/100 W) and the ordering tables (pages 19 and 21: both listed as 50 V/1.5 A/50 W); confirm the installed module's rating from the instrument before relying on maximum output.

Important: This data sheet does not include a comprehensive list of all power module specifications and characteristics; complete performance specifications and supplemental characteristics for all power modules are in the N6700 Modular Power System Family Specifications Guide, part number N6700-90001.

About this Pre-Owned unit

This pre-owned unit is inspected and functionally verified in-house before it ships and is backed by our pre-owned warranty. To confirm its exact condition, firmware revision, installed options, or included accessories for your application before ordering, contact our Test Architects.

• Warranty included
• Functional verification included
• Standard Calibration Upgrade Options: No Calibration Required, NIST Traceable, Z540.1 or ISO 17025 with Data, Z540.3 Guardbanding with Data.
• Note that unnecessary accessories may not be included (contact Test Architect to confirm).

ValueTronics supplies both new and used test and measurement equipment. New units ship factory-sealed, exactly as received from the manufacturer; every used unit is inspected and functionally verified in-house at our 20,000 sq ft secure facility in Elgin, Illinois before it ships. Our Test Architects can help you select the condition, calibration, and configuration that fit your application.

Please review the Manufacturer's Data Sheet to verify published specifications. Feedback on this webpage is always welcome — please reach out to your Test Architect at any time for questions or concerns. Thank you, we truly appreciate you being our customer.