In the context of power supplies and measurement instruments, drift refers to the gradual change in an output parameter (such as voltage or current) or a measured value over time, occurring even when external conditions--including ambient temperature, input voltage, and load--remain constant. It is a key indicator of the device's stability.
For instance, even if a power supply is set to a specific voltage and the surrounding environment remains unchanged, the output level may fluctuate minutely over several hours.
Drift is primarily caused by internal factors, such as the self-heating of components during operation (warm-up drift) or the aging of electronic parts over long periods (long-term drift).
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