Custom Power Electronic Test Benches for R&D and End-of-Line Testing – TPS Case Portfolio
When standard automated test equipment is not enough, R&D labs and production teams need custom power electronic test benches that match their converters, inverters and battery packs. This article shows how TPS designs and builds custom test equipment racks for power electronics testing, from early functional testing in r&d labs to end of line test systems on the production floor. You will see where custom test benches fit alongside automated testing, what a typical solution looks like and what results customers achieved.
Who is this for?
Engineering managers, R&D lab technicians and production test engineers who are responsible for power electronics testing and end-of-line test in electronics manufacturing.
What is covered?
Three TPS cases: an R&D power electronic test bench, a battery pack end-of-line testing equipment rack and a mixed-signal production test bench for custom electronics manufacturing.
Why custom benches?
To integrate electronic test equipment, power supplies, loads, safety and test automation into one reliable system instead of wiring ad-hoc setups for every project.
How TPS helps
We design, build and document the complete custom test equipment rack, including wiring, safety, PLC or PC-based control and integration with your software test automation services.
How custom power electronic test benches complement automated test equipment
In many electronics companies, automated testing starts with standard automated test equipment (ATE). ATE combines computer control, electronic test equipment and fixtures to run automated testing on devices under test in high volume. This approach works well when products share the same interface and only low-power functional testing is required.
Power electronics testing adds extra complexity. A power electronic test bench must safely handle high currents, high voltages and bidirectional power flow while coordinating programmable power supplies, electronic loads, DC busbars and measurement channels. At the same time, it still needs all the benefits of automated testing: reproducible test sequences, reliable pass/fail criteria and automated logging.
TPS typically builds custom test equipment racks that sit between generic automated test equipment and completely bespoke one-off setups. We reuse proven building blocks—DIN-rail components, programmable DC sources and loads, safety relays, PLCs and industrial PCs—so that R&D labs can move faster without turning every project into a full research and development project management exercise.
Compared with off-the-shelf automated test equipment, a TPS bench is designed around your devices under test: dc dc converter and dc to dc converter topologies, inverters, on-board chargers or power supplies. Instead of asking r&d labs to wire ad-hoc test stands every time, we provide a repeatable platform that still works with your existing functionality testing software and test automation automated frameworks.
Case 1 – R&D power electronic test bench for converters and inverters
A customer operating several r&d labs needed a flexible power electronic test bench to validate new dc dc converter and inverter designs. They already owned a mix of electronic test equipment but wiring each prototype was time-consuming and error-prone. R&D lab technicians were spending more time fixing setups than running power electronics testing on new designs.
TPS designed a bench inspired by modern power electronics test bench platforms used for rapid control prototyping and hardware-in-the-loop. The custom test equipment rack included programmable DC sources and electronic loads, measurement channels for voltages and currents, patch panels for connecting different converter topologies and an industrial PC for automated testing.
The control PC connected to the bench supported both automated test sequences and rapid control prototyping tools. This allowed engineers to run power electronic test procedures, adjust firmware and repeat power electronic test bench measurements without rewiring. When they needed to evaluate new algorithms, they could integrate HIL models and reuse the same hardware.
Compared with the previous ad-hoc setups, the new bench reduced setup time for testing electronic converters by more than half. It also made it easier to separate early power electronics testing from later EMC testing; when the customer wanted to pre-scan emissions, they simply rolled the DUT over to an EMC pre-compliance bench described in TPS’s EMC battery charger & safety testing article.
Case 2 – Battery pack end-of-line testing equipment rack
Another customer manufactures EV battery packs and needed end of line testing systems that combined functional testing, safety checks and traceable results. They were looking for battery pack end of line testing equipment that could verify pack voltage, insulation resistance, contactor operation and BMS communication at the end of every production line. Off-the-shelf automated test equipment covered some low-voltage checks, but not the high-power DC paths or safety interlocks.
TPS built a custom power electronic test bench as a 19" rack integrated into the customer’s end of line test. The rack included high-current DC contactors, measurement channels, an insulation tester interface and a PLC that coordinated functional testing steps and safety. Our design followed common best practices for end-of-line test systems used in automotive and electronics manufacturing, where functional testing verifies correct operation under load before shipment.
The end-of-line test included automated testing of pack voltage, insulation resistance and contactor operation, plus checks of BMS communication. For some products the customer also added noise and vibration end of line testing using dedicated sensors connected through the same rack. This combined approach followed industry practice where functional testing and end-of-line test are tightly linked.
On the software side, TPS integrated the rack with the customer’s existing software test automation services, rather than replacing them. The PLC exposed simple interfaces so that the plant’s test automation automated scripts could trigger individual steps and log results. Compared with the old semi-manual procedure, the new end of line tester reduced rework, improved traceability and simplified audits.
Case 3 – Mixed-signal production test bench for custom electronics
A third project came from a company focused on custom electronics manufacturing. They needed a mixed-signal production bench for final functional testing of control boards and power stages in a family of custom electronics products. The existing setup combined several small electronic test bench instruments with component tester add-on options, but there was no central rack or safety concept.
TPS worked with both the engineering team and production engineering to define an end of line test system that supported functional testing of control logic, power stages and interfaces. The resulting custom electronics test rack combined low-voltage electronic testing with higher-power power electronic test capabilities, and still left space for future product variants.
The new bench supported end of line testing for several products, including noise and vibration end of line testing where needed. It also gave the customer a clearer separation between development and production: r&d labs could experiment with new functions, while the production bench concentrated on repeatable end-of-line test and reporting. For management, the project offered better visibility into research development cost and test coverage without building a full in-house automated test equipment platform from scratch.
What TPS delivers with each custom power electronic test bench
Across these projects, TPS delivered more than hardware. Each custom bench came with wiring diagrams, panel layouts, bills of material and configuration files so that future r&d labs or plants could reproduce the design. We treated every project as a piece of reusable infrastructure instead of a one-off experiment.
Typical deliverables include:
- A 19" custom test equipment rack with all power and electronic test equipment mounted and wired.
- Integrated safety circuits, E-stop loops and interlocks following relevant functional testing practices.
- PLC or PC-based automation that works with your existing functionality testing software.
- Documentation for r&d lab technicians and production staff, including maintenance and calibration notes.
- Interfaces for traceability and quality systems so that end of line testing data is stored centrally.
When to partner with TPS on a custom R&D or production test bench
If your team is already running small experiments with converters, dc dc converter prototypes or custom electronics, building a temporary bench is natural. But once power electronics testing becomes critical for multiple projects, custom benches start to look more like infrastructure than experiments. That is the point where partnering with a specialist can free engineers to focus on design instead of rack wiring.
TPS can either extend existing automated testing setups or design new benches from scratch. We are comfortable working alongside third-party providers of automated test equipment or software test automation services and can build the hardware layer that connects them to your devices. This allows technical teams to concentrate on power electronic test cases while TPS takes care of the cabinet, wiring and safety.
FAQ – Custom power electronic test benches and end-of-line testing
What is a power electronic test bench?
A power electronic test bench is a dedicated setup that combines programmable power sources, loads, measurement, safety and automation to test converters, inverters, chargers or other power electronics. Unlike generic ATE focused on PCB-level electronic testing, a power electronic test bench can safely handle higher voltages and currents while running automated testing on complete devices.
How is end of line testing different from R&D power electronics testing?
In r&d labs the goal is flexibility: engineers need to test many variants of dc to dc converter or inverter under different conditions. End of line testing, by contrast, focuses on repeatable functional testing of finished units on the production line. EOL testers verify that products meet their specifications and often integrate with MES systems for traceability.
Can one custom test equipment rack support both R&D and production?
In some cases, yes. For example, a test bench can start in r&d labs and later be duplicated in production with stricter limits on configuration. TPS usually recommends designing with this reuse in mind, so that test sequences and hardware can be shared between development and end-of-line test systems where appropriate.
How does TPS work with existing automated test equipment and software?
TPS benches are designed to complement, not replace, your existing automated test equipment. We can integrate our power, safety and I/O layers with your current control PC, PLC or test automation framework so that engineering teams keep using the tools they know while gaining a robust hardware platform for power electronics testing.