How to Automate Supercapacitor Testing

+ In-Circuit Tester

Evaluating the supercapacitor's ESR and capacitance with an in-circuit tester

Testing the supercapacitor on a printed circuit board assembly (PCBA) typically requires measuring its equivalent series resistance (ESR) and capacitance. This method involves completely discharging the supercapacitors to avoid damage to the testing equipment due to potential stored charges. However, minimizing the discharge time to align with high-volume manufacturing is important. Apply a rapid current to the capacitor when conducting the ESR test to prevent thorough charging. This current induces a voltage across the capacitor, resulting from the product of the ESR and the current.

Calculate the ESR by dividing the measured voltage by the current (ESR = V/I). Before and after this procedure, it is imperative to fully discharge the supercapacitor to prevent any damage caused by the residual energy, ensure precise readings, and safeguard other circuitry and sensitive tester components. Test engineers should employ a test plan to define the steps to measure the voltage and current, charge the supercapacitors, remeasure the voltage and current, and fully discharge the supercapacitors before proceeding to the next test.

Supercapacitor test solution

Assessing faulty supercapacitors requires a multistep test plan and custom fixture electronics implemented by an engineer with expertise in circuit design. The Keysight supercapacitor testing solution, which consists of the Keysight i3070 Series 7i in-circuit (ICT) tester and a DC electronic load / source measure unit modules, alleviates time and labor costs by providing automated test generation. The efficient methodology enables fast and accurate supercapacitor charging, testing, and discharging.

By leveraging standard instruments and introducing easy integration of DC electronic load / source measure unit modules, you can streamline charging and discharging processes for enhanced speed and reliability. This solution reduces expenses by eliminating the need for custom circuitry for each fixture and automates testing through intelligent program generation (IPG), making it more efficient and accurate.

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