Load Regulation

NI DC Power Supply & SMU

Load Regulation

Load regulation is a measure of the ability of an output channel to remain constant given changes in the load. Depending on the control mode enabled on the output channel, the load regulation specification can be expressed in one of two ways:

  • In Constant Voltage mode, variations in the load result in changes in the output current. This variation is expressed as a percentage of output voltage range per amp of current change, and is synonymous with a series resistance. When using local sense in Constant Voltage mode, the load regulation specification defines how close the output series resistance is to 0 Ω—the series resistance of an ideal voltage source.
  • In Constant Current mode, variations in the load result in changes to the voltage across the load. This variation is expressed as a percentage of change in the output current range, in amps per volt, and is synonymous with a resistance in parallel with the output channel terminals. In Constant Current mode, the load regulation specification defines how close the output shunt resistance is to infinity—the parallel resistance of an ideal current source. In fact, when load regulation is specified in Constant Current mode, parallel resistance is expressed as 1/load regulation.

Related Topics

Constant Current Mode

Constant Voltage Mode