# 9V Voltage and Micro Amperes

**URL:** <https://forum.qoitech.com/t/9v-voltage-and-micro-amperes/355>\
**Category:** Support\
**Created:** [September 23, 2020, 2:57pm UTC](https://forum.qoitech.com/t/9v-voltage-and-micro-amperes/355 "2020-09-23T14:57:34Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 13\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![horst](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/edb3f5/32.png) [@horst](https://forum.qoitech.com/u/horst)\
**Post date:** [September 23, 2020, 2:57pm UTC](https://forum.qoitech.com/t/9v-voltage-and-micro-amperes/355/1 "2020-09-23T14:57:34Z")

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Hello,  
how can I measure micro Amperes while measuring the current  
of an 9V power supply? I made an try with an shunt resistor (50mOhms),  
but the signal I got was very noisy.

Best regards

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**Author:** ![bjorn.rosqvist](https://dub1.discourse-cdn.com/flex017/user_avatar/forum.qoitech.com/bjorn.rosqvist/32/238_2.png) [@bjorn.rosqvist](https://forum.qoitech.com/u/bjorn.rosqvist)\
**Post date:** [September 24, 2020, 8:15am UTC](https://forum.qoitech.com/t/9v-voltage-and-micro-amperes/355/2 "2020-09-24T08:15:41Z")

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Hi and welcome to the forum.

Maximum voltage on all pins of Otii Arc is 5V (except DC plug) and if you exceed this then your Arc might get damaged. So it is not possible to measure a 9V device by using ADC input.

The only way to get to 9V is by connecting like this:

 ![image](https://europe1.discourse-cdn.com/flex017/uploads/qoitech/original/1X/8e220406405cd3beadfeaef5b2bd2cdf04966313.png)  
The external power supply must be isolated and 5V or lower not to damage your Otii Arc (do not exceed 5V).  
The current consumption measurement will be correct (but might be noisy due to the added power supply) but the voltage and energy measurement will be wrong.  
Otii Arc Main - connector is GND, that’s why you MUST have an isolated power supply, otherwise you will get a short circuit and you might damage your Otii Arc and other equipment.

Best regards,  
Björn

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![horst](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/edb3f5/32.png) [@horst](https://forum.qoitech.com/u/horst)\
**Post date:** [September 25, 2020, 3:35pm UTC](https://forum.qoitech.com/t/9v-voltage-and-micro-amperes/355/3 "2020-09-25T15:35:25Z")

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OK, thanks. Is there any documentation which descripes the inputs of the OTII? What makes the Sense pin for example? In the documentation I can’t find any description of the inputs.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![bjorn.rosqvist](https://dub1.discourse-cdn.com/flex017/user_avatar/forum.qoitech.com/bjorn.rosqvist/32/238_2.png) [@bjorn.rosqvist](https://forum.qoitech.com/u/bjorn.rosqvist)\
**Post date:** [September 28, 2020, 6:35am UTC](https://forum.qoitech.com/t/9v-voltage-and-micro-amperes/355/4 "2020-09-28T06:35:23Z")

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Hi,

You can find information here:

> **[Products - Qoitech](https://www.qoitech.com/products/)**
>
> Pick your Otii Power profiler, DC energy analyzer, power supply, digital multimeter, source measure unit, power debugger, battery life calculator. One Otii box to rule all.  Otii Arc Pro Supply/source up to 5 V.  Sampling rate up to 4 ksps....

The Tech Spec is also found in the end of this page.

Sense is used as two separate voltage measurements or, if you enable 4-wire, used to compensate for voltage drop in your power cables.

Best regards,  
Björn

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![horst](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/edb3f5/32.png) [@horst](https://forum.qoitech.com/u/horst)\
**Post date:** [October 1, 2020, 7:26am UTC](https://forum.qoitech.com/t/9v-voltage-and-micro-amperes/355/5 "2020-10-01T07:26:28Z")

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And that is the whole documentation/manual for an 500$ device? An table with technical information and an webpage with the headline **features**?

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![bjorn.rosqvist](https://dub1.discourse-cdn.com/flex017/user_avatar/forum.qoitech.com/bjorn.rosqvist/32/238_2.png) [@bjorn.rosqvist](https://forum.qoitech.com/u/bjorn.rosqvist)\
**Post date:** [October 1, 2020, 8:03am UTC](https://forum.qoitech.com/t/9v-voltage-and-micro-amperes/355/6 "2020-10-01T08:03:00Z")

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Hi,

I am not sure what information you are looking for but I am happy to help you.  
Could you be more specific?

Best regards,  
Björn

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![horst](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/edb3f5/32.png) [@horst](https://forum.qoitech.com/u/horst)\
**Post date:** [October 1, 2020, 8:08am UTC](https://forum.qoitech.com/t/9v-voltage-and-micro-amperes/355/7 "2020-10-01T08:08:45Z")

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What is for example the 5V pin on the front? Can I use it for measurement?What is the idea behind it? What is the maximum/minimum current of it? And where can I get these information besides asking in this forum?

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![bjorn.rosqvist](https://dub1.discourse-cdn.com/flex017/user_avatar/forum.qoitech.com/bjorn.rosqvist/32/238_2.png) [@bjorn.rosqvist](https://forum.qoitech.com/u/bjorn.rosqvist)\
**Post date:** [October 1, 2020, 10:30am UTC](https://forum.qoitech.com/t/9v-voltage-and-micro-amperes/355/8 "2020-10-01T10:30:33Z")

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Hi,

Thank you for your feedback it is very valuable.

The +5V pin is a constant 5V supply, maximum 500mA, that is enabled either in the GUI (see picture) or via scripting.  
 ![image](https://europe1.discourse-cdn.com/flex017/uploads/qoitech/original/1X/82fafcdea8511cface1c51a160a1fc4b66248d35.png)  
To use this, you might also want to use an external DC adapter, not only power through USB, otherwise the voltage will be below 5V (if a voltage below 5V is acceptable then you do not need the power supply).

The idea behind this is in automation, where you can power a switchboard that Otii Arc controls via the GPIOs and/or UART, for example in a continuous integration setup.  
An example of a setup with Jenkins can be found here:  
[https://www.qoitech.com/help/otii/jenkins](https://www.qoitech.com/help/otii/jenkins)

Best regards,  
Björn

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![horst](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/edb3f5/32.png) [@horst](https://forum.qoitech.com/u/horst)\
**Post date:** [October 1, 2020, 11:13am UTC](https://forum.qoitech.com/t/9v-voltage-and-micro-amperes/355/9 "2020-10-01T11:13:00Z")

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Ok, thanks. I have another question. Where can I lock the high current range so that output voltage is 5V ?

 ![grafik](https://europe1.discourse-cdn.com/flex017/uploads/qoitech/original/1X/208534539d13f1104804e0470e2933c4838f3c28.png)

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![bjorn.rosqvist](https://dub1.discourse-cdn.com/flex017/user_avatar/forum.qoitech.com/bjorn.rosqvist/32/238_2.png) [@bjorn.rosqvist](https://forum.qoitech.com/u/bjorn.rosqvist)\
**Post date:** [October 1, 2020, 11:47am UTC](https://forum.qoitech.com/t/9v-voltage-and-micro-amperes/355/10 "2020-10-01T11:47:57Z")

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Hi,

In Otii application, you open Project Settings and go to tab Current, there you can disable Auto range.  
By disabling auto range you set you Otii Arc in high current range.

Best regards,  
Björn

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![horst](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/edb3f5/32.png) [@horst](https://forum.qoitech.com/u/horst)\
**Post date:** [October 1, 2020, 12:19pm UTC](https://forum.qoitech.com/t/9v-voltage-and-micro-amperes/355/11 "2020-10-01T12:19:57Z")

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OK, thanks. This works! But I think things like that should stand in an manual. But asking here is also fine.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![horst](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/edb3f5/32.png) [@horst](https://forum.qoitech.com/u/horst)\
**Post date:** [October 1, 2020, 1:56pm UTC](https://forum.qoitech.com/t/9v-voltage-and-micro-amperes/355/12 "2020-10-01T13:56:43Z")

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The only problem is, that when I use 5 Volt the measurement results are wrong (negativ current). I made two screenshots of the same signal of an microcontroller with an buck converter. The noisy one is (5V), the clear and correct one 4.5V. Is there any possibility to get correct results for the 5V? :

 ![4_55_AVG](https://europe1.discourse-cdn.com/flex017/uploads/qoitech/original/1X/f3402ad8fa1d1c9cd1da3440e8e650240b351e8c.png) ![5V_AVG](https://europe1.discourse-cdn.com/flex017/uploads/qoitech/original/1X/e41dc604862e772f6e1a1b6de78bd7e8fad988af.png)

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![bjorn.rosqvist](https://dub1.discourse-cdn.com/flex017/user_avatar/forum.qoitech.com/bjorn.rosqvist/32/238_2.png) [@bjorn.rosqvist](https://forum.qoitech.com/u/bjorn.rosqvist)\
**Post date:** [October 2, 2020, 5:49am UTC](https://forum.qoitech.com/t/9v-voltage-and-micro-amperes/355/13 "2020-10-02T05:49:37Z")

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Hi,

In the clear recording, the measurement is done in highest accuracy (auto range turned on) and the noisy one is done in high range (auto range turned off).  
There is a huge difference in resolution between low range and high range. The step size in low range is 5nA and in high range a little bit below 100uA, and you measure a signal of 2uA.

To get correct result for this recording you must have auto range turned on and that limits you to 4.55V.

Best regards,  
Björn
