Design and Development of a Current and Voltage Measurement System for Automated Load Testing

Abstract

Accurate testing of pulsed DC generators is crucial prior to deployment, as plasma coating quality depends on precise power delivery. Currently, engineers at Rubig GmbH perform these tests manually, connecting and disconnecting capacitive, inductive, and resistive loads, and using external current and voltage probes to obtain rough power measurements for each load. This thesis presents a microcontroller-based measurement system designed to streamline this process. All three load types are permanently integrated into the system and can be switched using dedicated IGBT modules. Real-time monitoring is enabled by an STM32 microcontroller, ADCs, and high-resolution voltage and current sensors. A custom graphical user interface (GUI) facilitates data visualization—including high voltage, high current, and power values—load selection, CSV logging, and PDF test report generation. The system enhances quality assurance in generator manufacturing and plasma coating applications by improving repeatability, reducing testing time, and promoting standardization.

Date of Award	2025
Original language	English
Supervisor	Roland Exler (Supervisor)