Texas Instruments has introduced its first fully programmable DC arc detect reference design.
It is designed to protect high-power DC systems such as aircraft battery management systems, industrial factory equipment and photovoltaic units, against the catastrophic damage that can result from arc faults.
The RD-195 can be programmed to balance between arc-detection accuracy and false detection prevention to meet system needs.
The RD-195 is accompanied by a software application tool that enables alteration of threshold detection parameters.
The arc detection threshold parameters can be configured so that the system always detects valid arcs, while minimising nuisance tripping.
The RD-195 detects different types of arcs, including series, parallel and ground arcs. It is designed to operate in noisy environments with RF interference.
The typical response time of the design is specified at less than 100ms.
