Batteries - alkaline, lithium, lithium-ion, mercury, silver oxide, zinc air, lead acid, nickel-cadmium, nickel metal hydride, and the list goes on.
Just about everything today is centered on the power source of the device; whether your concern is power duration or green energy sources, the topic has had great focus. Within the Automated Test Systems (ATS) arena, power sources can be expensive, complicated, and difficult to sustain due to rare or hazardous materials. This can often result in test sets that are either damaged or unusable due to a faulty or unavailable power supply.
SmartCan™ development focused on this point while listening to users early in the process. This handheld test set is not only light and easy to use, but it is powered by regular AA batteries. Gaining feedback from the field, Generation 2 made some modifications to the power management system which now accommodates rechargeable AA batteries. This allows any – yes, any - over-the-counter AA battery to be used. The MTS-3060A SmartCan is powered by 6 AA batteries to run any test program on any fighter, attack or training aircraft.
The days of running out of extremely difficult to procure, expensive or highly toxic test set power supplies are now in the rear view mirror for flightline maintainers around the world.