Prototype of High-Precision AC Voltage Measuring Converter

Evaluation of electrical signals’ level with various shapes, such as sinusoidal or rectangular, pulse trains, random, etc., is most often carried out based on the root-mean-square value of voltage and the peak factor. Analysis performed showed absence of mass-produced domestic high-precision measuring converters of alternating voltage to direct current voltage based on the root-mean-square value, intended primarily for use in alternating current voltmeters and high-frequency voltage calibrators. Aim of this work was to develop, manufacture and experimentally study a prototype measuring converter of alternating voltage to direct current voltage for processing sinusoidal signals with a frequency from 1 kHz to 50 MHz and arbitrary signals with a peak factor equal to 5. Article describes design and circuitry features of the created prototype and of its characteristics measurements’ results. The developed prototype contains a measuring converter of alternating voltage to direct current voltage at the root-mean-square level with a thermoelectric converter microassembly, a broadband amplifier with an eight-fold gain, a set of electronically commutated scaling voltage amplifiers with a transmission coefficient equal to 1.36; 2.15; 4.7. The prototype makes it possible to convert a sinusoidal signal with a root-mean-square voltage in the range from 4.7 mV to 2 V and a frequency from 1 kHz to 50 MHz into direct current voltage with an error of less than ± 4 %, and error in converting a rectangular signal with a peak factor in the range from 1 to 5 does not exceed ± 0.2 %. The measured error of the prototype is comparable to the error of the measuring instruments used, therefore the actual error of the prototype is possibly smaller. In addition, by reducing the range of voltages and/or frequencies of the recorded signals the error of the measuring converter can be minimized by optimally selecting the connected scaling amplifiers.

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