Is your Lightning Protection Circuitry still effective? – Even after a lightning strike?

Did you know that your systems may appear to be functioning perfectly, even with damaged or inoperative lightning protection circuitry?

The QM42000 checks your lightning protection circuitry – safely.

QM42000 Pulsed Energy Response Analyser

The Challenge

Lightning protection circuitry, by its nature is designed to be “invisible” to the function it protects. That means if it is damaged, for example by a lightning strike, there may be no indication until it is too late.

A New Approach – the QM42000

The QM42000 combines profiled voltage waveform to test the function and effectiveness of protection devices; yet at the same time (using energy management) preventing damage to the functional circuitry of the product under test.

The facilities offered by the QM42000, include those required to comply with the relevant sections of the internationally recognised standard RTCA/DO-160E.

Using dual power supplies (in ‘Ramp’, ‘Pulse’ or ‘combined’ modes) protection elements on each pin of a UUT - such as RC networks or transorbs - can be individually tested for presence and effectiveness:

• Protection circuit presence is verified by measuring the circuits minimum activation current, using an incrementing voltage.

• Protection circuit effectiveness is tested by applying a finite energy pulse, but limiting the energy; so preventing any damage to the operational circuitry of the UUT.

Test in circuit protection elements such as transorbs and RC networks. Tests not only the presence of protection elements but also the effectiveness by applying current but limiting the applied energy to prevent circuit damage. Tests upto 896 channels on your UUT using the QM45000 high density multiplexer.

The QM42000 instrument can solve your multi-channel testing needs, by testing up to 896 channels on your UUT with the addition of a single QM45000 high density multiplexer (optional).

The QM42000 ‘Pulsed Energy Response Analyser’ provides a rapid convenient method for testing a product’s ability to withstand a lightning strike. Using detailed information provided by the QM42000, the product’s effectiveness at doing this may be understood in depth.

The QM42000 is at home in Laboratory, production and field environments.

Easy to use

A built-in - high quality - 8” LCD touch-screen display and graphical control interface, provides simple; clear user- ergonomics.

A text-based script file is used to define the test parameters for each pin. This can be executed manually or automatically, by sequencing through the test list.

Three Test Modes

• In the ‘Binary Ramp Mode’, the applied voltage is ramped until the protection filter or transorb conducts a small amount of current (as measured by a Hall Effect Sensor). This test ensures that there is protection in the circuit, and that it will conduct a small current at the specified voltage.

• In the ‘Pulse Mode’, a profiled voltage waveform is applied to the designated pin on the UUT for a specified amount of time - chosen by the user - to limit the energy applied. In this mode, a capacitor is charged to the test voltage, and then discharged through an active current control to the UUT.

• For more complex testing, the QM42000 can also perform ‘Pulse on Ramp’ tests. This is useful where RC components need to be charged prior to applying a pulse; so ensuring that all the pulse energy is conducted through the protection circuit or device.

By applying a typical current of the order of one amp to the protection circuitry, a much higher level of confidence in the protection circuitry’s performance during a lightning strike is achieved.

Product Specifications

The QM42000 checks your lightning protection circuitry – safely.

Contact QM Systems For More Information

Call Leigh Hollamby on 01252 336612 x 226 or

email sales@qm-systems.com