IN Brief:
- Rohde & Schwarz will show new power electronics test capabilities at PCIM Expo 2026.
- The MXO-K333 option adds three-phase power analysis to MXO oscilloscopes.
- Demonstrations cover SiC and GaN validation, harmonics, THD, and double-pulse testing.
Rohde & Schwarz will present new test and measurement capabilities for power electronics systems at PCIM Expo 2026 in Nuremberg, with demonstrations covering SiC and GaN devices, multi-phase power analysis, and automated double-pulse testing.
The company has introduced the R&S MXO-K333 three-phase power analysis option for its MXO 3, MXO 4, and MXO 5/5C oscilloscope families. The option turns the oscilloscope into a waveform-based analysis tool for AC power characterisation, allowing engineers to examine total power, power quality, harmonics, distortion, and phase relationships while retaining visibility of transient waveforms.
The software supports two-, three-, and four-wire configurations, including 2V2A, 3V3A, and 3VN3A setups. A setup wizard assigns the available channels to voltage and current probes, validates the wiring, and configures the instrument for cycle-based power calculations.
Measurement functions include RMS values, power factor, active power, reactive power, total power, phasor displays, harmonic analysis, FFT statistics, and total harmonic distortion. The option is designed to support engineers working across AC/DC, DC/AC, and motor-drive systems where power conversion behaviour must be evaluated alongside switching and transient activity.
Rohde & Schwarz will also show an automated double-pulse tester developed with PE-Systems. The setup uses the rack-optimised MXO58 oscilloscope and R&S RT-ZISO isolated probing to support repeatable switching measurements on SiC and GaN power devices in an automated environment.
Wide-bandgap semiconductors are moving from specialist converter designs into mainstream energy, mobility, and data-centre infrastructure. SiC and GaN devices can improve efficiency and power density, but their faster switching speeds place greater demands on measurement quality. Probe selection, grounding, timing alignment, isolation, and channel configuration all affect the accuracy of the switching view.
Three-phase power analysis on an oscilloscope narrows the gap between traditional power analysers and waveform-debug tools. Motor drives, renewable converters, and grid-interfacing equipment often require both steady-state power measurements and detailed transient analysis during switching events, load steps, and abnormal operating conditions.
Automated double-pulse testing is becoming more valuable as devices are qualified at higher voltages and faster switching edges. Manual extraction of switching parameters can introduce inconsistency, while automated setups allow comparisons across device types, gate-drive settings, layouts, and thermal conditions.
Power electronics validation is becoming more software-assisted and more closely tied to complete system behaviour. As converters are pushed into higher-density packages with tighter efficiency targets, the test bench has become a central part of the design process rather than a final check after the hardware is complete.
