Key Features at a Glance

• 150 W in a compact half-width benchtop chassis
• CC, CR, and CV operating modes
• Short-mode test to simulate fault conditions
• OCP and OVP protection
• Bright, easy-to-read LED display
• Save up to 400 instrument setting profiles
• Half the footprint of typical stand-alone bench loads
• Economical price point — ideal for education and production floor

In summary: The B&K Precision 8540 is a compact 150 W DC electronic load designed for benchtop, educational, and production-floor use. The unit operates in constant current, constant resistance, and constant voltage mode, supports a short-mode test function, and stores up to 400 instrument setting profiles.

What is the 8540 used for?

The 8540 is used wherever an engineer or technician needs to draw a defined load from a low-voltage DC source — for example, sinking 30 A from a 5 V power supply to verify regulation, or characterizing the output of a small DC adapter or battery pack. The compact, half-width chassis fits two-up on a single bench station, half the footprint of typical stand-alone bench loads at half the price.

Who chooses this instrument?

Educational labs and entry-level production stations standardize on the 8540 because it is simple, reliable, and economically priced. The bright LED display is readable from across the bench, the short test simulates fault conditions safely, and OCP/OVP protection makes the instrument forgiving of operator error.

The 8540 covers 60 V × 30 A × 150 W with CC-mode accuracy of ±(0.1% + 0.15% F.S.) at the high range and ±(0.1% + 0.1% F.S.) at the low range. CC resolution is 1 mA low / 10 mA high. The chassis measures 88 × 175 × 282 mm (W × H × D).

As the most economical DC electronic load in the B&K Precision catalog, the 8540 is the standard recommendation for benchtop training, educational coursework, and basic incoming-inspection stations where simple, dependable performance is more valuable than programmability or remote interfaces.

Accessories Supplied

• Power cord (regional)
• Quick-start guide / user manual

Product Core & Specifications

The 8540 is a compact 150 W DC electronic load. The instrument operates in CC, CR, and CV mode with CC-mode accuracy of ±(0.1% + 0.1% F.S.) at the low range and ±(0.1% + 0.15% F.S.) at the high range. CC resolution is 1 mA low / 10 mA high. The chassis measures 88 × 175 × 282 mm (W × H × D) and is half the footprint of most stand-alone bench DC loads at half the price. Short-mode test, OCP, and OVP protection are standard; up to 400 instrument setting profiles can be saved and recalled.

Specifications

Calibration Options

Select one calibration option for this unit:

• No Calibration Required (factory new)
• NIST Traceable
• NIST Traceable with Full Data
• ISO/IEC 17025 Accredited

This webpage was written by a human with an A.I. 'Intern', which may contain errors. Please review the Manufacturer's Data Sheet to verify published specifications. Feedback on this webpage is always welcome — please reach out to your Test Architect at any time for questions or concerns. Thank you, we truly appreciate you being our customer.