Split Power Supply Wiring
This article explains how to connect two independent outputs of a power supply to provide a + and - voltage to a device.
Jim Wilson
Last Update pred enim letom
Models: SPD3000X (X-E, C) and SPD4000X
The SPD3000X and SPD4000X series power supplies can each produce both positive and negative potentials as power rails for a circuit or device if the supplies are operating in Independent Mode and are wired as a split supply.
Independent Mode: The output channels on these supplies are in Independent Mode when both the Series and Parallel modes of the supply are turned OFF.
Wiring: On the SPD3000X for example, the Channel 1 and Channel 2 outputs can be wired together as a split supply by tying the positive output of one channel to the negative output of the other channel. The node which connects Channel 1 and Channel 2 provides the circuit common. The two remaining outputs supply the positive and negative rail voltages.
The setpoints and readback measurements on these supplies can be only positive values. Therefore, the output channel that is used for negative polarity will show positive values on the screen. Measurement data that is read from the power supply to a remote device will also be represented by positive values.
Below are diagrams that show how the supply may be wired to provide positive and negative power rails to a circuit in floating and grounded configurations.
