A Bipolar power supply is a power supply that can output both positive and negative polarities. It is also called a four-quadrant power supply because it can operate with both polarities for voltage and current. If the voltage and current are in the same direction, it is a source operation; if they are opposite, it is a sink operation. In addition to DC operation, sine waves and arbitrary waveforms can be operated at high speed.
At Matsusada Precision, a four-quadrant power supply with a built-in signal source is called a bipolar power supply, and one that operates by amplifying signals from an external source is classified as a bipolar amplifier. Bipolar amplifiers capable of high-voltage output are also classified as high-voltage amplifiers. When considering a bipolar power supply or bipolar amplifier, select a high-speed bipolar amplifier that can drive more than the required frequency bandwidth and speed as well as output power.
The four quadrants visualize the directions of the voltages and current, and they represent the following four states.
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The first quadrant has a positive voltage and current state, and indicates the operation as a positive power source.
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The second quadrant has a positive voltage and negative current state, and corresponds to the operation as a positive electronic load.
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The third quadrant has a negative voltage and negative current state, and indicates the operation as a negative power supply.
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The fourth quadrant has a negative voltage and positive current state, indicating the operation as an electronic load at the negative pole.
