Description
Battery packs, traction inverters and big DC supplies push hundreds of amps through a single cable. The Tektronix TCP404XL current probe suits that kind of load. It is an AC/DC clamp-on current probe, so it reads both the steady DC level and the ripple on top, from DC to 2 MHz. Lost in HCM offers it for rental or sale and arranges service on request.
500 A continuous, and when 750 A applies
The listing rates the probe at 500 A DC continuous. It can also go up to 750 A, but only under the maker’s duty-cycle derating. So a short burst at 750 A differs from a long soak at that level. Before a long test, read the derating curve in the Tektronix manual.
The TCPA400 belongs in the order
This probe does not drive an oscilloscope on its own. Instead, the source names the TCPA400 amplifier as a requirement, and it comes as a separate item. The amplifier powers the probe and scales its signal for the scope. Therefore, quote the probe and the TCPA400 together unless your lab already owns the amplifier.
DC accuracy on the Tektronix TCP404XL current probe
With the TCPA400, the source gives a system DC accuracy of ±3% of reading. That helps, for example, when you log a charge current or check a power budget. Even so, the figure holds only when you degauss and zero the system as the manual describes. Also clamp one conductor at a time, because a supply and return pair inside the jaw cancels out.
Typical jobs
- EV and battery test: pack charge and discharge current.
- Inverter and UPS work: DC bus current as well as its ripple.
- Welding and plating lines: steady high DC loads.
- Large motor drives: start-up current on the DC side.
Validation phases often need this probe for weeks rather than years, which makes a rental attractive. Meanwhile, a battery lab with constant high-current work may choose to buy. Share your scope model, expected current, frequency and conductor size, then ask Lost in HCM for a quote on the probe and amplifier. Also browse the other oscilloscope probes, check the Tektronix site for the manual, or contact SMK Vietnam about the Tektronix TCP404XL current probe.
High-current probing questions
Can I plug the TCP404XL straight into a scope?
No. The listing names the TCPA400 amplifier as a requirement, so plan the probe, the amplifier and the scope as one chain.
What does duty-cycle derating mean here?
The probe can go above 500 A, up to 750 A, but only for limited periods that the maker sets. So check the manual for the exact limits.
Does the amplifier come in the box?
No. The source lists the TCPA400 as separately specified.
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