NJ MET, Inc. Announces Comparative Testing Results of ACUPWR AUD-500 & PowerBright FC-500W Devices

CLIFTON, N.J. - Nov. 21, 2016 - PRLog -- NJ Micro Electronic Testing, Inc. (NJ MET) tested an ACUPWR AUD-500 transformer and a PowerBright VC-500W transformer in side-by-side electrical testing. NJ MET engineers found the ACUPWR AUD-500 to be more efficient, better at generating specified voltage, and safer.  The ACUPWR AUD-500 was manufactured in Wisconsin, USA and the PowerBright VC-500W was manufactured in Suzhou, China.

NJ MET, Inc. is an AS9100 & ISO 9001 registered company in operation for 40 years and is a full service laboratory for testing electronic components and counterfeit detection of electronic components. NJ MET, Inc.'s main offices and laboratory are in Clifton, NJ.

Both models are step-up/step down power transformers, meaning that they can convert voltage from the wall up or down to meet the requirements of an electrical device.  NJ MET engineers test how they performed in step-down mode, converting 240 voltage down to the 120 voltage commonly used in the United States.  This would allow usage of US standard devices in a country where 240 volts is the standard.

To stress the devices, both transformers were tested at 100%, 125%, and 150% of the rated wattage. The devices ran until they failed or shutdown.   The performance of the transformers were compared with respect to output voltage, efficiency, and safety of operation.

Test results include the following findings:

        -- The ACUPWR AUD-500 performed exactly as specified at the 500W level outputting 120 V_RMS with a 96% efficiency and a case temperature barely above room temperature. The PowerBright VC-500W, with a specified 110V_RMS, underperformed, outputting 100 V_RMS with a 89% efficiency and within an hour was outputting 96 V_RMS with a case temperature of 63°C (145.4°F).

       -- At the 125% level (625W) the ACUPWR AUD-500 delivered 119 V_RMS with a 95.7% efficiency, while the PowerBright VC-500W delivered only 95 V_RMS with an 85.6% efficiency. Within 6 minutes the PowerBright transformer was outputting just 91 V_RMS whereas the Acupower transformer continued to output 119 V_RMS.

        -- At the 150% level (750W) the PowerBright VC-500W outputted 85 V_RMS and in 15 minutes reached a temperature of 88°C (190°F). Smoke was coming through the case vents and the protective fuse did not blow. At the same power level the ACUPWR AUD-500 outputted 118 V_RMS and was still 94% efficient. At 55 minutes the thermal protection circuit activated and shut down the transformer at a case temperature of a much cooler 56°C (133°F) avoiding a possible dangerous situation. 27 minutes later, when the case temperature had cooled to 50°C (122°F), the ACUPWR AUD-500 resumed normal operation.

"Based on the findings of this comparative study, the ACUPWR transformer is far superior to the PowerBright transformer in supplying the specified output voltage, efficiency, and overall operational safety," said John Lauermann, Director of Engineering at NJ MET, Inc. Video of the testing can be seen at https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B7dHuN0L6g6lTXBKOXl2VXExTVk/view . The testing was performed at the request of ACUPWR.  ACUPWR transformers are built in the U.S. PowerBright transformers are built in China.

Joseph Federico, NJ MET Vice President and Director of Operations, added that, "Comparative electrical testing is one of the many electronic testing services provided by NJ MET.  Our laboratory is equipped to perform all types of electronic testing for the commercial, industrial, automotive, military, aerospace, and space fields."  Visit the NJ MET, Inc. website (http://www.njmetmtl.com) for more information.