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Evaluating Current Probe Technologies
for Low-Power Measurements
Application Note
Introduction
To continue to make advancements in low power designs, be they battery powered devices or "Green" environmental friendly devices, designers
are tasked with devising ever more sophisticated power saving schemes. Designers of low power products require more sophisticated tools to
help them develop these cutting-edge power saving methods. Oscilloscopes and an accompanying current probe are being increasingly used to
develop, characterize and debug power saving alternatives. This application note will evaluate oscilloscope current probes for their usefulness
in making low power measurements. It will also demonstrate a new class of current probes from Agilent Technologies that will transform the
way low power measurements can be made. This gives you a new option that will revolutionize the way you think about and make low power
measurements in your product design.
Evaluation Criteria--Needs Current Probes Available
These are several areas that should be considered as you look at An oscilloscope current probe is actually a current transducer
evaluating an oscilloscope current probe for a low-power application. producing an output voltage proportional to the input current being
Since the goal is to reduce the overall power consumption of the measured. The output voltage is acquired by the oscilloscope, scaled
device and to monitor the power dissipation, it follows that we can appropriately then displayed and measured in amps. There are many
look at the current draw to characterize that power. Making measure- different methods to make current measurements, but presently
ments of current in low power applications presents challenges and there are two typical methods employed by oscilloscope current
needs that can be unique to these situations. probes and thus two different types of current probes to evaluate: