AT5600 Automatic Compensation Storage

What Is Automatic Compensation Storage ?

Existing AT users will already be familiar with the Short Circuit and Open Circuit compensation feature on the AT series (and any common LCR meter.)

Compensation allows you to remove the inherent measurement offset associated with any specific AT unit and of the test fixture or cabling you are using. This is most obviously visible on low milli-Ohm DC resistance readings and inter-winding capacitance readings, but it can possibly have an effect on any test.

Historically this has meant that, after any program load, the user had to short all connectors and perform short circuit compensation. then remove the shorts and perform open circuit compensation, and then proceed with normal batch testing.

We are pleased to announce that we have now implemented Automatic Compensation Storage on the AT5600.
This allows the AT5600 to store its compensation factors without the need for repeated compensation.
This will be especially useful for customers who regularly test small batches of transformers using the same fixtures, as it allows the last valid compensation to be automatically reloaded.

General Advice

1. Compensation, like any normal test run, should only be performed (and stored) when the unit has been warmed up for at least 30 minutes and self test is confirmed to pass.

2. Compensation storage has no “memory” of the specific cables or fixture used to perform compensation.
Hence if you have two similar fixtures moving between units there may be subtle differences between them.
Cables, Clips , Kelvin blades and fixture contacts can also degrade or become dirty over time, so should be maintained, as compensation removes the characteristics of these connections.

3. Stored compensation factors are a function of the specific unit and specific fixture/cabling.
Hence there is deliberately no way to transfer a stored compensation from one AT to another.

Stored compensation will NOT be loaded if:

1. Any change is made to the test program between the last compensation and the next program load.
This is because any changes to test signals for voltage or frequency, adding extra tests, or recording them, would render the stored compensation invalid.
The AT5600 silently checksums your test program to confirm the program has not changed and that any stored compensation is still valid.

2. You have deliberately discarded a saved compensation using the “REMOVE” buttons on the compensation screen. (see picture)

3. You have not yet compensated the test program after the upgrade to firmware v1.002.000 or later

Please see AT5600 user manual 8.1.6.5 for further details.
Requires AT5600 Firmware V1.002.000 or later. Free upgrades available from our download page.