Power Delivery to Remote Instrumentation

Long resistive cables used in the operation of remote instrumentation impose fundamental limits on the amount of power delivered. Due to their constant-power load profile, switching regulators pose unique problems when operated at the end of long resistive cables. Some of the problems associated with the operation of switching regulators in these systems include limitations on power delivered at the remote-end, voltage jumps at startup and startup load cycling. Analytical calculations and experimental results are provided to validate the previously mentioned phenomena. Two new methods of power delivery based on state feedback control and parallel operation of switching and linear regulators to enhance stability and increase the power delivered at the remote-end are proposed and validated experimentally.