Flexible and Powerful
The 8500 Seriesof amplifiers are very signal- and application-versatile, able to reproduce AC, DC and AC+DC wave forms at rated power into loads from a dead short to high impedance without re-configuring or selecting different operational modes.

8500 series amplifiers pack a lot of power into a small package. They are able to produce surge power ratings at up to 2.5X continuous and process apparent power at levels up to 5X the continuous power ratings. This makes an 8500 series amplifier an ideal choice for many difficult-to-drive reactive loads.

This combination of abilities, flexibility, and ease-of-use makes 8500 series amplifiers a singular solution for many common and some previously unsolvable amplifier applications. 8500 series amplifiers can be used for EMC conducted immunity testing, MIL-PRF capacitor tests, DC automotive dropout testing and as a variable AC source for ISO 61000, Aviation and Power Quality Measurements. 

The 8500 Advantage
Unlike tradition switch-mode amplifiers with a ripple frequency between 80 kHz and 100 kHz, the 8500 series has an effective switch frequency of 1 MHz. This ultra-high-frequency switching gives the 8500 amplifier many benefits over both linear (dissipative) amplifiers and traditional switch-mode amplifiers.

Bandwidth: The first and most obvious benefit from a higher switching frequency is wider bandwidth. The 8500 is the only high-power switch-mode amplifier with a bandwidth that extends to 50 kHz.

Smaller output filter: Switch-mode amplifiers, as a part of their basic design, have high-frequency, high-voltage switching at the heart of their operation. The last stage in any switch-mode amplifier is the low-pass filter that removes the high-frequency switching-noise artifacts from the output signal. Increasing the effective switching frequency by a factor of 10 allows us to reduce the size of these large L-C components used to create this low-pass filter by a similar amount, reducing amplifier size and cost.

Lower magnitude, higher frequency ripple noises: The reduction in output filter component size also makes it easier to implement more complex, higher-order low-pass filters, to greatly reduce output ripple noise. The 8500 series uses this advantage to create output voltages of up to 400 Vp with 1 MHz ripple noises that are less than 2 Vp, with in-band noise specifications similar to low-noise linear amplifiers. If even lower noise floors are needed, simple, small, external filtering can reduce this noise even further.

Optimized for transient waveforms and reactive loads: The 8500 Series of amplifiers are compact and capable. They are able to drive purely resistive loads, at rated power, continuously, but really excel when it comes to reproducing short-duration waveforms and/or driving reactive loads. 

For periods of up to one minute, the 8500 series amplifier can exceed continuous power ratings by as much as 2.5X. When the load to be driven is reactive, and most of the energy sent into the load is returned to the amplifier, the 8500 can reuse this returned energy to produce apparent power levels that are as much as 5X that of the amplifier’s continuous power ratings. 

Scalable: The 8500 Series is scalable, available in power levels from a 4 kW, 3U, single-phase, bench top model to mini rack systems that can deliver up to 100 kVA of power into reactive loads at currents of up to 300 ARMS.

Configurable 
A key to everyday product usability is quick and easy product (re)configuration. The 8500 Series provides all key configuration controls on the back panel of the unit. Configuration options available include:

• GAIN: Fixed or variable gain (0 to 40)
• CURRENT LIMIT: From 5% to rated limit (to protect fragile DUTs or where specified in the Standard) 
• DC CONTROL: DC enabled or DC blocked and DC Servo (for driving transformer-coupled loads or coils)
• INPUT: Balanced and/or unbalanced
• MODE: Voltage source or current source
• OUTPUT IMPEDANCE: Variable from 0 to 1 ohm (Voltage mode)
• SENSE: Sense line with correction of up to 4 volts