A Programmable Power Supply; What you need to know

Programmable DC power supply
Programmable power supplies come in typically two flavors rack mounted or benchtop. Connections do not need to be disconnected by a user, instead they are done programmatically and are great for complex boards that need testing or research to be conducted on. Additionally, these devices are great for higher loading scenarios that may lead to arcing or shock to the user. Technology is progressing in the programmable power supply allowing the shrinking and consolidation of components. Recently 2U rack-based systems have been released that perform much better than 1U systems working together; this allows the technician to set up testing through one interface, not two. As well as general performance improvements and reduced component form-factors, there are additional benefits that a modern programmable power supply offers and we will take a look at a few of them below;    
 

Highspeed speed data acquisition
Many devices these days are designed to be performant, with specific waveforms, phase handling and smaller frequency ranges. As such sensors need to be able not just be precise but also at least as performant as the device being tested. Data acquisition, storage and real-time processing is needed, and require many resources to function adequately. Without cutting edge technology data can be missed and a totally different result may be produced from the testing process.
Voltage priority and current priority modes
Faster voltage regulation provides shorter recovery times, with typically lower latencies of 30 micro-seconds produced in modern programmable power supply solutions. While faster current regulation a lower recovery time less than 50 micro-seconds is possible allowing for LED testing; this is because they are sensitive to even short current spikes.
High-capacitance mode
High-capacitance mode provides compensation for the power supply leads and measures current directly at the DUT. This mitigates false results from the connection to the devise, with devices with higher precision aiding this mitigation.
Fast Load Regulation
Consumer electronic devices such as cellular phones and internet of things (IoT) devices are optimized for sleep mode to extend device isolation from a power source. When the current increases in transmit mode a power device needs to be able to handle the load changes from nA to the amp range without creating voltage drops or spikes.
Simulating batteries and loads
A two or four quadrant architecture of these source measure units allows them to function as both a source and sink. This simulates batteries and loads much more accurately. As the external applied voltage exceeds the nominal voltage the programmable dc power supply goes into sink mode. These four quadrant architectures allow you to provide both positive and negative polarities for voltages and currents and a useful function for any product tester.
 

Summary
A programmable dc power supply should be present in any product development workflow, with more advanced products requiring modern assessment and monitoring technology to validate the presented solution. Irrespective of the programmable dc power supply you use, it will need high speed sensor capabilities to ensure the data returned does not miss data-points. Voltage priority or current priority will also need to be a key requirement, and is a standard application of a programmable power supply; the higher resolution of feedback a better monitoring is achieved. High-capacitance mode again will be needed especially when defining product specifications and technical product specification reports. Load regulation may or may not be a prime consideration for your application however it will provide versatility to the programmable dc power supply system. Two or four quadrant technology is a feature that provides voltage and current polarities that can help simulate batteries and loads; an excellent feature to have.