While working on his master thesis, a student and his two supervisors developed the Triple Pulse Tester concept, enabling them to perform automated tests of power modules. Since then the research team has cooperated with PowerCon, who has developed the concept into a fully functioning product, and launched it into the market in less than a year.

The first version of the PowerCon TPT system has been built to test PrimePack Power Modules (PM) with a “standard” Gate Driver (GD) and a dedicated busbar with integrated shunts for high-bandwidth current measurements, but the system can be provided for other PM’s and/or GD’s, redesigned for other busbars or integrated power stacks on request.

The core idea in the TPT system is to help PowerCons customers to automate and standardize tests of power modules, securing that the user only has to place the power module, and either select the specific operating points for the set of tests which should be performed, or select a pre-defined test set, and push start. Then the system will perform the selected tests automatically, and provide a full test report at the end.

Automated test duration can be from a few minutes for a few test points to several hours for many (+1000) test points at many different temperature levels. The TPT system thereby enable customers to free up time in design and development stages, and potentially adopt a more agile development process to optimize next generation of power modules. While at the same time enabling the customers to verify standard power modules against required specifications in order to qualify and select suppliers, as well as test incoming supplies, before using power modules in their products.

The fact that the TPT system has been developed into a product in such a short timeframe is not only due to a dedicated expert team at PowerCon, and continued cooperation with the research team, and co-presentation of the product at PCIM 2016. But also to a high degree due to the financial support received from the Innovation Fund and the Obel Family Foundation, supporting both the research, and the product development at PowerCon.

PowerCon is a Danish engineering company, founded in 2009 by two former Aalborg University students with MSc’s in Electrical Engineering. The company today, has a highly-specialized knowledge base within electrical power conversion and especially the development, test and production of full-scale electric power converters.

Additional information

• PowerCon's website
• Triple Pulse Tester product sheet
• Read the article from AAU Update: Engineering firm makes AAU prototype into 3-in-1 device