RBS Series Regenerative Bidirectional DC Source

The GW Instek RBS Series is a regenerative bidirectional DC source: a single 3U instrument that combines a programmable DC power supply, a programmable DC electronic load, and built-in simulation functions in one chassis. Available in 5 kW, 10 kW and 15 kW ratings across six voltage classes from 100 V to 2250 V and currents up to ±510 A, the RBS replaces the traditional stack of a DC supply, a blocking diode, and a separate electronic load. Energy absorbed during sink (load) mode is regenerated back to the AC grid rather than dissipated as heat, cutting both electricity and cooling costs in test facilities that run continuous charge/discharge cycles.

What Is a Regenerative Bidirectional DC Source?

A regenerative bidirectional DC source can both supply power to a device under test and absorb power from it, while feeding that absorbed energy back into the building’s electrical supply instead of burning it off as heat in a resistor bank. This is exactly the behaviour modern energy testing demands: an EV battery is charged and discharged, a DC-DC converter pushes power in both directions, and a solar inverter is fed a programmable I-V curve. The RBS Series performs all of these roles from one instrument, with fast transient response and high power density, making it a core building block for new-energy power testing in R&D and on the production line.

How Engineers Use the RBS Series

The RBS Series is purpose-built for the test workloads growing fastest in Indian power-electronics labs:

• EV battery and powertrain testing: pack charge/discharge cycling, BMS validation, on-board charger (OBC) and traction-inverter DC-bus testing.
• EV charging module testing: sourcing and sinking at DC-fast-charging voltages and currents.
• Solar / PV inverter validation: SAS-based MPPT verification with cloud-shading and cloud-movement profiles (500 V and above models).
• Energy storage system (BESS) qualification: rack-level charge/discharge profiles with grid energy recovery for economical 24/7 cycling.
• Motor drive testing: sourcing the DC bus while sinking regenerative braking energy, replacing a supply-plus-load combination.
• Power-electronics R&D and production test: high-precision, programmable, automated sequences for development, aging and quality assurance.
• ESG / energy-recovery labs: regenerating absorbed energy back to the grid to lower the carbon and energy footprint of the test floor.

Bidirectional Operation: Source and Sink in One Chassis

The RBS transitions between source and sink modes within the same instrument in milliseconds, with no dead zone. For battery testing, a single connection to the pack handles both charging and discharging, no rewiring between a source and a load. For DC-DC converter work, the bidirectional behaviour exercises both the forward and reverse power paths that automotive bidirectional converters require. The regenerative architecture returns absorbed energy to the AC grid at up to 93% efficiency, so long-duration cycling no longer means high electricity bills or a heavy cooling load.

EV Battery & Powertrain Testing

The RBS includes eight built-in battery models plus one user-defined custom model, covering lithium manganate (LMO), lithium cobalt oxide (LCO), lithium iron phosphate (LFP), ternary lithium (NCM), lithium titanate (LTO), lead-acid (Pb), nickel-metal hydride (NiMH) and nickel-cadmium (NiCd). Battery emulation reproduces the chemistry’s voltage-current characteristics and state-of-charge behaviour, allowing battery management system (BMS) qualification without a physical pack. A dedicated battery charge/discharge mode connects to real battery-type loads to perform charge and discharge operations with full protection.

Solar Array & PV Inverter Simulation

On models rated 500 V and above, the built-in Solar Array Simulation (SAS) function generates realistic photovoltaic I-V curves using PV SAS, EN50530 and Sandia profiles. It supports static and dynamic MPPT testing plus complex irradiance simulations including cloud shading and cloud movement, letting engineers characterise inverter maximum-power-point-tracking algorithms in the lab, independent of weather. Multiple RBS units in parallel reproduce utility-scale string-inverter inputs.

Energy Storage System (BESS) Validation

For grid-scale energy storage qualification, the RBS sources DC-bus voltage at the values typical of utility installations and sinks the discharged energy with regeneration. Bidirectional power flow with energy recovery makes continuous cycling tests economically practical, where resistive loads would make long-duration testing prohibitively expensive. Complete protection, OVP, OCP, OTP, and input over/under-voltage protection, safeguards both the RBS and the device under test through extended automated sequences.

Motor Drive Testing

In a conventional motor-drive test bench, the DC supply needs an external blocking diode to prevent reverse current, plus a separate electronic load to consume the regenerative current produced during braking or downhill operation. The RBS Series acts as both the DC source and the DC electronic load, and can feed regenerated energy back to the grid, simplifying configuration, saving rack space, and improving energy efficiency for motor-driver testing.

Battery Simulation, Sequence Programming & Load Mode

• Battery simulation: 8 fixed models + 1 custom, with SOC parameter setting and charge/discharge displays.
• Sequence (list) programming: store up to 50 sequences (numbered 0–49), each with up to 20 steps (0–19). Each step independently sets voltage/current/power, mode, dwell time, enable, loop count, ramp output and jump, ideal for automatic test and aging.
• Load mode: 8 operating modes: Constant Current (CC), Constant Voltage (CV), Constant Power (CP), Constant Resistance (CR), and composite CV→CC, CV→CR, CC→CR and AUTO. When resistance is set to 0 Ω, the CR function is off and only CC and CP are active.

Parallel & Series Operation: Scale to 150 kW

Up to 10 units of the same model operate in master-slave parallel, scaling system power to a maximum of 150 kW while preserving full bidirectional capability and regenerative efficiency. 100 V models can additionally be connected two-in-series (combined voltage not exceeding 300 V). This modular approach lets a test facility start with a single 5 kW or 10 kW unit and scale up as power requirements grow.

RBS Series Models: RBS05K-100 to RBS15K-2250

All 12 RBS Series models, from the entry RBS05K-100 (5 kW / 100 V) to the high-voltage RBS15K-2250 (15 kW / 2250 V), share the same 3U / 19-inch form factor. Output current is bidirectional, the same magnitude in source (+) and sink (−) modes. Source voltage range is 0 V to the model’s rated maximum.

PV / SAS (Solar Array Simulation) function is available on models rated 500 V and above.

Detailed Specifications

Output & accuracy (common across the range)

Protection

Input, 3-phase, 3-wire (400 V class)

General & mechanical

Interfaces & Remote Control

One of two communication cards is factory-installed. A standard dedicated PC control software covers source, source-sink, PV, battery simulation, charge/discharge, list and data-recording modes.

Ordering Information & Accessories

Models: RBS05K-100, RBS10K-100, RBS15K-100, RBS05K-500, RBS10K-500, RBS15K-500, RBS05K-750, RBS10K-750, RBS15K-750, RBS10K-1000, RBS15K-1500, RBS15K-2250.

Interface options: RBS-IF01 (USB, RS-232/RS-485, CAN, LAN) · RBS-IF02 (GPIB).

Optional accessories: GTL-series load cables from 100 A to 400 A in 1.5 m and 3 m lengths (GTL-133/218/219/220/221/222/223) · GPW-021 input power cord (10 AWG / 4C, 3 m, UL/CSA).

GW Instek RBS Series Price in India

The price of an RBS Series unit in India depends on the configuration you need, the power class (5, 10 or 15 kW), the voltage class (100 V up to 2250 V), the communication interface (4-in-1 RBS-IF01 vs GPIB RBS-IF02), the number of units for parallel operation, and load-cable accessories. As GW Instek’s authorized partner, GSAS quotes the RBS Series in INR with GST-compliant billing and helps you specify the lowest-cost configuration that still meets your DUT’s voltage and current envelope. Request a quote for current RBS pricing and lead time in India.

Why Buy the GW Instek RBS Series from GSAS in India

GSAS Micro Systems is GW Instek’s authorized partner in India, supplying the complete RBS Series with INR invoicing, GST-compliant billing, and pre-sales application engineering for test-system design. Our power-electronics team helps you select the right model based on your DUT’s voltage and current envelope, configure master-slave parallel systems for high-power applications, and integrate the RBS into existing test-automation frameworks. We provide demos, evaluation units, installation, calibration and after-sales support from offices in Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Chennai, Pune, Mumbai and Delhi NCR, with service reach across Visakhapatnam and the wider region.