Pendulum Instruments · Dual-Channel High-Voltage Linear Amplifiers
A600D
Dual-channel fixed-gain high-voltage linear amplifier for piezo actuators and precision loads in the lab
The A600D is the two-channel version of the A600: ×100 gain per channel, ±300 V bipolar, 75 mA continuous, ±3 V maximum input. The ×100 gain means the same as on the single-channel model: a controller card or DAC output drives it directly, with no preamplifier. The second channel lets two axes or two devices share one supply and one ground. It suits two-axis setups that drive 300 V class devices from a low-voltage control system. Note the 75 mA continuous per channel: it comes from the shared power budget, so size the unit for the worst case with both channels working at once.
Overview
A common mistake with dual-channel units is to rate them as two single-channel instruments. The two channels share one supply and one heatsink, so total power is capped; the 75 mA continuous per channel of the A600D reflects that and is below what a single A600 can deliver. This is not a derated product, it is the trade-off that comes with integration, and the point is to size it for both channels at full load at once rather than applying the single-channel figure to each. Otherwise ×100 gain and ±300 V bipolar output match the single-channel version: a ±3 V control output drives it directly, the signal chain needs no preamplifier, and closed-loop latency is shorter. Input noise sensitivity rises in the same way, so both signal cables should be shielded and routed away from mains wiring. Typical uses are two-axis high-voltage piezo positioning, paired electrostatic transducer drive, and test setups that need two high-voltage outputs from one source.
Key specifications
| Channels | 2 channels (independent outputs) |
|---|---|
| Voltage gain | Fixed 100 times (×100) |
| Max output voltage | ±300V bipolar |
| Max input amplitude | ±3V |
| Continuous output current (per channel) | 75 mA |
| Output power (per channel) | About 30 W |
| Slew rate | 500 V/µs (no load); the 300 V/µs factory setting corresponds to the 300 pF load limit |
| Max capacitive load | 300 pF |
| Frequency range | DC to 350 kHz at the full 600 Vpp swing; DC to 1 MHz at 100 Vpp |
| Overload protection | 15 mA input microfuse (blows when the input exceeds 500% of maximum) |
| Grounding | Both channels share ground reference and power supply |
Features
×100 gain on two channels
A ±3 V controller output drives both axes directly; neither channel needs a preamplifier.
±300 V bipolar
Synchronized two-axis drive of high-voltage piezo and electrostatic devices.
Take 75 mA per channel seriously
The channels share one power budget; size for the worst case with both at full load.
Shared ground
The common-mode relationship is fixed, so two-axis trajectories are not disturbed by potential differences between separate instruments.
Shielding matters more
×100 amplifies input noise too; shield both signal cables and keep them away from mains wiring.
High-impedance capacitive loads
Piezo actuators, MEMS, OLED and liquid-crystal drive in two-axis development setups at research institutes and component makers.
Typical applications
Nanopositioning
Synchronized drive of XY piezo stages
The XY nanopositioning stages of scanning probe and atomic force microscopes need two independent, low-distortion high-voltage signals driving the X and Y piezo actuators in step. The two A600D channels share a ground reference and raise a ±3 V scan signal from a standard function generator to ±300 V at ×100, keeping nanometer positioning accuracy with very low nonlinearity.
MEMS development
MEMS device characterization and verification
Development labs evaluating electrostatic or piezoelectric MEMS devices such as micropumps, micromirror arrays and microresonators apply wideband high-voltage excitation from DC to a few hundred kHz while monitoring two responses. The two linear A600D channels let engineers apply differential bias or run two-port analysis on one device, shortening the characterization cycle.
Vibration testing
Structural vibration excitation and active noise control verification
Vibration test benches in aerospace and precision machinery often use a pair of piezo patches, one as the exciter and one as the sensing feedback element, and need two high-voltage channels with controllable phase and wide bandwidth. The dual-channel A600D drives both the excitation and the compensation channel of an active structure from one instrument, reducing the measurement noise that ground-loop differences between separate units would add.
Options and configuration
Tick the options you need; we collect them into a configuration list and carry it into the quotation form.
Standard equipment (included)
Other models in the series
Warranty and calibration services
Downloads
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