Pickering Interfaces has expanded its portfolio of modular signal switching and simulation solutions with the launch of the 60-191 LXI High Current & Sense SPST switching family. Designed for electronic test and verification applications, the new range supports switching of signals up to 80 A and 300 V, making it the company’s highest-current switching solution so far. It is intended to simplify the distribution, sequencing, and control of multiple high-current power supplies in automated test environments.
The 60-191 series is offered in four standard configurations, featuring combinations of up to 20 hermetically sealed 40 A SPST normally open contactors and 4 hermetically sealed 80 A contactors, along with matching 1 A SPST relays for sense-line connections. Standard front-panel screw terminals are used for both power and sense-line wiring, while custom relay configurations and alternative connector options are available on request.
Installed between multiple high-current power supply units (PSUs) and a device or system under test, each unit can programmatically connect and disconnect each PSU’s positive and negative outputs and their associated high- and low-sense lines. Engineers can control every relay independently or operate two high-current and two low-current relays as a group with a single command, simplifying the switching of the four connections commonly used by a PSU.
“High-current switching in automated test systems is often implemented as a custom assembly using contactors and digital output modules,” said Steven Edwards, Head of Product Management at Pickering. “The 60-191 family provides fully tested, easily maintainable LXI alternatives in standard 4U enclosures, with the switching capacity, control features, and software support needed to integrate high-current supplies more quickly.”
Each unit includes a sequencing service that can store up to 5,000 predefined switching sequences and execute them through software or configurable hardware triggers. By storing sequences within the LXI controller, the units can reduce host transactions and system latency. Front-panel LEDs indicate switch status to simplify programming and debugging, while relay cycle counting supports preventive maintenance and balances usage across available paths.
The 60-191 units are controlled through an LXI 1.5-compliant 1000Base-T Ethernet interface using an API or built-in soft front panel. IVI and direct I/O drivers support Windows and Linux and common development environments, including LabVIEW, Python, C/C++, C#, MATLAB, and Simulink.
Typical applications include EV battery and high-drain automotive electronics testing, fuel-cell and hydrogen-electrolysis research, solar inverter and energy-storage testing, aerospace development, and functional or production testing of high-current power supplies
