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Chapter 2  Operating Your Frequency Counter

Front Panel Display Messages

Operating Guide

2-65

2

Menu Messages

Table 2-4. Menu Messages 

Display Message

Description

(AC COUPLED)

You have selected the VOLT PEAKS function to be measured on a channel which is ac 
coupled.

BAD CODE

The Counter’s calibration is secured and you have entered an incorrect code.

CAL ABORTED

Calibration was aborted because of GPIB or the user pressing a key besides the Enter 
key.

CAL SECURE

You are in the Calibration menu, and the first menu item indicates that the Counter is 
secure against calibration.

CAL UNSECURE

You are in the Calibration menu, and the first menu item indicates that the Counter is 
unsecure for calibration.

CALIBRATING

You have invoked calibration from the Calibration menu item 

CAL:

, and the Counter is 

currently performing the calibration.

1

EEPROM FAIL

You have requested that a Counter setting which is stored in the EEPROM (

HP-IB:

BAUD:

,

 PARITY:

SW PACE:

DTR:

SHOW 9 AS:

, or 

CAL:

) be updated, and a 

hardware failure has resulted.

FAIL, NO MEAS

You have selected 

SET REF:  YES

 without a valid measurement.

GAIN 1 FAIL

You have invoked the 

GAIN

 choice from the Calibration menu item 

CAL:

, and the 

calibration failed.

GAIN 1 PASS

You have invoked the 

GAIN

 choice from the Calibration menu item 

CAL:

, and the 

calibration passed.

IN REMOTE

You have pressed a key (other than Local) while in remote.

LOCAL LCKOUT

You have pressed the Local (Save & Print) key while in remote with local lockout.

NO CHANNEL 2

You have pressed the Freq Ch 2 key and your Counter does not contain the optional 1.5 
GHz or 3.0 GHz RF Input (CHANNEL 2).

NO GATE MENU

You currently have the VOLT PEAKS function selected and requested the Gate & Ext 
Arm menu.

NO LIM MENU

You currently have the VOLT PEAKS function selected and requested the Upper & 
Lower or Limit Modes menu.

NO MATH MENU

You currently have the VOLT PEAKS function selected and requested the Scale & Offset 
menu.

Summary of Contents for 53181A

Page 1: ...Agilent 53181A 225 MHz Frequency Counter Operating Guide Manual Part Number 53181 90001 Printed in Malaysia...

Page 2: ...NOTES...

Page 3: ...Agilent 53181A 225 MHz Frequency Counter Agilent 53181A Operating Guide This guide describes how to use the Agilent 53181A 225 MHz Frequency Counter...

Page 4: ...receives notice of such defects during the warranty period Agilent will replace software media which does not execute its programming instructions due to such defects Safety Considerations General Th...

Page 5: ...NTIAL INCLUDING LOST PROFIT OR DATA OR OTHER DAMAGE WHETHER BASED IN CONTRACT TORT OR OTHERWISE For consumer transactions in Australia and New Zealand the warranty terms contained in this statement ex...

Page 6: ...th the requirements of the Low Voltage Directive 73 23 EEC and the EMC Directive 89 336 EEC including 93 68 EEC and carries the CE Marking accordingly EMC Standard IEC 61326 1 1997 A1 1998 EN 61326 1...

Page 7: ...rdware xvii Support xvii Accessories Supplied and Available xviii Accessories Supplied xviii Accessories Available xviii Agilent 53181A Quick Reference Guide xix 1 Getting Started The Front Panel at a...

Page 8: ...Select Scale and Offset 1 19 Entering the Scale Value 1 19 Entering the Offset Value 1 20 Displaying the Math Results 1 21 Disabling Math 1 22 To Set Limits of Measurements 1 23 Setting the Upper Lim...

Page 9: ...en Sequencing Through the Other Meas and Recall Menus 2 9 To Use During State Changing ON OFF LO MED HI etc 2 10 To Use on Prompted Help Messages MATH HELP NO YES PRT HELP NO YES 2 10 Using the MEASUR...

Page 10: ...the Stats Menu for Automatic and Continuous Statistical Analysis 2 27 Example Procedure for Computing Stats 2 27 Example Procedure for Easy Viewing of Stats 2 28 Example Procedure for Filtering Data...

Page 11: ...ave and Recall Functions 2 48 To Use the Save Function 2 49 To Use the Recall Function 2 50 To Unsave a Measurement Setup 2 51 Using the Print Menu 2 52 Overview of the Print Menu 2 52 To Use the Prin...

Page 12: ...r Power up and RST 2 68 Preset Values for Functions Accessible Via Front Panel or GPIB 2 68 Preset Values for Functions Accessible Via GPIB Only 2 72 Common Questions 2 74 Why is Stats result not avai...

Page 13: ...Contents Operating Guide ix Measurement Arming and Processing 3 16 General Information 3 17 Index...

Page 14: ...Contents x Operating Guide...

Page 15: ...k reference guide three chapters and an index This preface contains the following information Contents and Organization page xii Related Documents page xiii Types of Service Available if Your Instrume...

Page 16: ...er this preface Chapter 1 Getting Started is a quick start guide that gives you a brief overview of the Counter s keys indicators menus display and connectors Last a graphical procedure for performing...

Page 17: ...ion on counters refer to the following Series 200 Application Notes Fundamentals of Electronic Frequency Counters Application Note 200 Agilent part number 02 5952 7506 Understanding Frequency Counter...

Page 18: ...Service Guide and repair the unit yourself Standard Repair Services Worldwide Contact your nearest Agilent Technologies Service Center They will arrange to have your Counter repaired Express Repair P...

Page 19: ...ag to the instrument identifying the owner and indicating the required service or repair Include the instrument model number and full serial number Place the instrument in its original container if av...

Page 20: ...ions include Frequency Period Peak Voltage and Frequency Ratio if Channel 2 is installed The Agilent 53181A includes additional measurement functions and features that are designed specifically for ma...

Page 21: ...ric characters that is they are not letters Hardware Medium Stability Oven Timebase Option 001 DC Power Input Option 002 High Stability Oven Timebase Option 010 Ultra High Stability Oven Timebase Opti...

Page 22: ...s Supplied and Available Accessories Supplied Power cord 2 3 meters Accessories Available Agilent 34161A Accessory Pouch Agilent 34131A Transit Case Printer RS 232 Interface cables Agilent 24542G or A...

Page 23: ...ead Chapter 1 Getting Started in the Operating Guide first The Quick Reference Guide follows this page and consists of the following items A Menu Tree which may be torn out of the guide for external u...

Page 24: ...Preface xx Operating Guide...

Page 25: ...ON LIM TEST OFF LIM TEST ON ON FAIL GO ON ON FAIL STOP SHOW NUMBER SHOW GRAPH SHOW STDDEV SHOW MEAN SHOW MAX SHOW MEAS SHOW MIN USE ALL MEAS USE IN LIMIT Other Meas Freq Ch 2 Agilent 53181A Frequency...

Page 26: ...20 UNSAVE SAVE PRINT OFF PRINT ON LEVEL 50 PCT AUTO TRG ON AUTO TRG OFF LEVEL 0 000V SENSTVTY HI SENSTVTY LO SENSTVTY MED SLOPE POS SLOPE NEG CH 1 NO FILT CH 1 LP FILT CH 1 X1 ATT CH 1 X10 ATT CH 1 AC...

Page 27: ...Y 1 FREQUENCY 2 Other Meas Other Meas Other Meas RATIO 1 TO 2 RATIO 2 TO 1 VOLT PEAKS 1 PERIOD 1 MEASURE Freq Ch 1 Freq Ch 2 Other Meas Freq Ch 2 Other Meas Other Meas Freq Ch 2 Agilent 53181A Frequen...

Page 28: ...START NEG START TIME 100 Enter Gate ExtArm STOP NEG STOP POS STOP STOP TIME Gate ExtArm TIME 100 Enter Gate ExtArm DIGITS 4 Gate ExtArm Gate ExtArm TIME 200 TIME 200 DIGITS 5 Enter RUN RUN RUN RUN MEA...

Page 29: ...Enter Enter ON FAIL GO ON LIM TEST Limit Modes SHOW NUMBER Limit Modes RUN LIM TEST OFF LIM TEST ON ON FAIL GO ON ON FAIL STOP SHOW NUMBER SHOW GRAPH RUN RUN LIMITS Limit Modes Limit Modes Uppr Lower...

Page 30: ...et Scale Offset Scale Offset SCAL 2 000000 Enter RUN OFFS 0 500000 RUN MATH OFF MATH ON RUN Enter MEAS X SCALE OFFS RESULT Enter MATH Scale Offset Scale Offset Agilent 53181A Frequency Counter RUN MAT...

Page 31: ...MAX SHOW MIN SHOW N 100 STATS STATS OFF STATS ON USE USE ALL MEAS USE IN LIMIT Stats Stats Stats Enter Stats Run RUN N 200 RUN MATH Stats SHOW MEAS Stats Agilent 53181A Frequency Counter ON SINGLE ON...

Page 32: ...TRG OFF SENSTVTY HI SENSTVTY LO SENSTVTY MED SLOPE RUN LEVEL 0 000V LEVEL 50 PCT LEVEL 80 PCT Enter RUN RUN LEVEL 2 000V Trigger Sensitivity Trigger Sensitivity Trigger Sensitivity Trigger Sensitivit...

Page 33: ...1 Getting Started...

Page 34: ...ional RF input 8 Utility menu key Hold during power up to access Utility functions 9 Recall Save and Print menu keys 10 Gate and External Arm menu key 11 Measurement control keys 12 Display Digits key...

Page 35: ...ed When these indicators are lit the key s enable menu item that is Limit Modes LIM TEST Scale Offset MATH Stats STATS and Save Print PRINT is enabled When this indicator is lit it indicates that auto...

Page 36: ...M AC X1 or no filter is active A lit Remote indicator indicates that the Counter is in remote mode Note In the remote mode the Save Print key becomes the Local key If while in remote an error occurs t...

Page 37: ...ENCY 2 Freq Ch 2 FREQUENCY 1 Freq Ch 1 1 1 1 Limit Modes LOWR 0 000000 UPPR 0 000000 Uppr Lower Gate ExtArm Stats N 100 OFFS 0 000000 SCALE 1 000000 Scale Offset SETREF NO SETREF YES SETREF HELP STATS...

Page 38: ...ears if an instrument setup has been saved Recall RECALL 1 RECALL 3 RECALL 0 RECALL 5 RECALL 2 RECALL 4 NO REGISTERS RECALL 20 Save Print UNSAVE SAVE PRINT OFF PRINT ON PRT HELP NO PRT HELP YES Trigge...

Page 39: ...HP IB 3 REV X X X X Recall Utility On Stby POWER TIMEBAS AUTO TIMEBAS INT TIMEBAS EXT TEST LOOP ON TESTLOOP OFF TST PRINT ON TST PRINT OFF BAUD 19200 BAUD 1200 BAUD 9600 BAUD 300 BAUD 2400 PARITY OFF...

Page 40: ...to use the signal connected at rear panel Ref In connector as the timebase TIMEBAS EXT or Counter is set to automatically TIMEBAS AUTO select the timebase and has chosen the signal connected at the re...

Page 41: ...Special Character Description A placeholder that indicates the digit has been blanked using the Display Digits keys Special Character Description A placeholder that indicates this digit is not signifi...

Page 42: ...Test Graph Characters at a Glance 1 10 Operating Guide 1 The Limit Test Graph Characters at a Glance Special Character Description The colons represent the lower and upper limits The asterisk represe...

Page 43: ...nal Arm input connector 5 External Reference Input connector 6 10 MHz Output connector 7 GPIB IEEE 488 1 interface connector 8 Oscillator Adjust potentiometer 9 RS 232 Interface or Limit Output connec...

Page 44: ...nput channels Second you are shown how to use the input coupling impedance and trigger sensitivity keys to set the input conditions of Channel 1 to match the signal being measured Third you are shown...

Page 45: ...rstand the meaning of the icons which are used throughout this chapter Legend 1 Press key one time and release 2 Press key two times and release 3 Repeated key presses 4 Press and hold 5 Result 6 Auto...

Page 46: ...s the Counter s rear panel 10 MHz Out signal to CHANNEL 1 input as shown in the illustrated procedure below The Counter will automatically display the measured frequency of the input signal On Stby PO...

Page 47: ...ignal doing this will help you become familiar with the DC AC 50 1M and Trigger Sensitivity keys To Select Input Coupling and Impedance Selecting Input Coupling Channel 1 s input coupling is now set t...

Page 48: ...hange the input impedance back to the default 1 M impedance perform the following step To Set Input Channel Trigger Level Sensitivity Changing Trigger Mode Press any one of these arrow keys to toggle...

Page 49: ...EVEL display is highlighted indicating that if you press the d key once the displayed value will increase to 1 000 volt as shown in the following step Channel 1 s trigger level is now set to 1V To set...

Page 50: ...Levels in Chapter 2 for more information about trigger slope if needed Selecting Input Sensitivity Refer to the sub section titled To Use the Trigger Sensitivity Key to Adjust Counter s Trigger Volta...

Page 51: ...tively of the measurement by user specified constants Modification of the displayed measurement by these Math operations is represented by the following equation Measurement Scale Offset Displayed Res...

Page 52: ...to 10 and MATH has been enabled The Scale Offset indicator is now lit to show that MATH is enabled Since MATH is enabled the results are being scaled and offset Entering the Offset Value To demonstrat...

Page 53: ...increase to 1 Mega that is 1E6 as shown in the following step NOTE BE SURE to press the Enter key to enter the 1 Mega value The Offset is now set to 1 Mega Displaying the Math Results The Counter dis...

Page 54: ...t the Scale Offset key indicator is now off NOTE DO NOT cycle POWER because you will need to use these Scale and Offset values in the following procedure To Set Limits of Measurements Continue to the...

Page 55: ...e To Select Scale and Offset Enable Math by performing the following steps The result of this Math operation is a measurement of 101 MHz Measurement Scale Offset Result 10 MHz 10 1 Mega 101 Mega Now s...

Page 56: ...display your entry in hundreds of Mega units as shown in the following step The leftmost 0 digit in the UPPR display is highlighted as shown above indicating that each press of the d key will increas...

Page 57: ...a Upper Limit Setting Setting the Lower Limit Press the arrow keys as shown in the following steps to set the lower limit value Press the s key nine times to cause the Counter to display your entry in...

Page 58: ...er Limit 2 101 Mega Scale Offset Measurement 3 100 Mega Lower Limit Figure 1 2 100 Mega Lower and 102 Mega Upper Limits Settings Figure 1 3 represents what transpired during this Math and Limits proce...

Page 59: ...lect the STOP choice in the ON FAIL display Note that ON FAIL GO ON is the default state after power up The current modified measurement of the input signal applied to CHANNEL 1 is displayed Since the...

Page 60: ...surement result exceeds the limits previously entered The current modified measurement of the input signal applied to CHANNEL 1 is displayed Since the Counter is now in the go on fail mode the Limit a...

Page 61: ...rements Selecting the Type of Statistics Stats Suppose you want the Counter to compute and display the standard deviation of the current input data which is the 10 MHz signal applied to CHANNEL 1 Also...

Page 62: ...g Started Making Measurements 1 30 Operating Guide 1 Updating the SHOW configuration caused Stats to be enabled The Stats indicator is now lit NOTE BE SURE to press the Enter key to enter the value of...

Page 63: ...e 10 MHz signal since no limits were set Computing Stats on Filtered Data Only A special feature of the Counter allows you to use the upper and lower limits to filter data before statistical processin...

Page 64: ...ute statistics on only frequency measurements within the limits you set Since the Limits were set to 100 Mega and 102 Mega values that are based on a scale of 10 and offset of 1 Mega you must re enabl...

Page 65: ...show standard deviation at the beginning of this Stats procedure But you may want to perform the step anyway to verify that the Counter is displaying the standard deviation of the measurement The sta...

Page 66: ...Operating Guide 1 Disabling Stats and Math The Counter is now making and displaying normal measurements that is the Counter is not showing statistics or scale offset results Stats Display 1 7 13 92 Sc...

Page 67: ...not lit Hence pressing the Stop Single key while the Counter is making measurements in Run causes the Counter to stop after the measurement in progress is completed If you press the Stop Single key ag...

Page 68: ...Chapter 1 Getting Started Making Measurements 1 36 Operating Guide 1...

Page 69: ...2 Operating Your Frequency Counter Operator s Reference...

Page 70: ...2 5 Using the Measurement Control Keys Run and Stop Single page 2 6 Using Entry Select Arrow Keys page 2 9 Using the MEASURE Menu Keys page 2 11 Using the Gate External Arm Menu Key page 2 15 Using t...

Page 71: ...re for Set Reference Function Offset From the Last Measurement Value Seeing Digits Not Visible on the 12 Digit Display page 2 25 Example Procedure for Computing Stats page 2 27 Limits Testing Example...

Page 72: ...r after a remote interface reset The Counter automatically displays measurement s in a couple of seconds after you select a measurement function e g Period The Counter accepts your numeric entry for a...

Page 73: ...er to perform printing and or limit detecting Use MEASURE menu keys to select the measurement function Use CHANNEL 1 keys to set up input conditioning Use Gate ExtArm key to set the gate time and reso...

Page 74: ...measurement after your selection of another measurement function abort the current measurement by starting a new measurement if already in Run mode or in Single mode with a measurement in progress Thi...

Page 75: ...t the Run key indicator is ON 3 Press Stop Single key The Counter is put into Single mode and the current measurement is completed One measurement is taken with each press of Stop Single key Note that...

Page 76: ...d press Freq Ch 1 key The Counter is now displaying one of the statistical results 10 Press Stop Single key One set of N frequency measurements is taken with each press of the Stop Single key At the c...

Page 77: ...d highlighted digit of the displayed value Use the key to change the sign of the numeric value Use the Enter key to complete a numeric entry If a numeric entry is changed and the Enter key is NOT pres...

Page 78: ...ter Save Print Utility Menu The key is ignored during the state changing operating mode To Use on Prompted Help Messages MATH HELP NO YES PRT HELP NO YES When MATH HELP YES is displayed press Enter ke...

Page 79: ...us under the MEASURE keys will terminate select function and return to measurement result display after a short timeout WARNING When measuring power line frequencies be extremely careful and always us...

Page 80: ...ignal However you may disable auto triggering and change the trigger levels and slopes To set up CHANNEL 1 s coupling impedance and triggering conditions to match the input signal you are trying to me...

Page 81: ...ratio of a signal applied to CHANNEL 1 in relation to a signal applied to CHANNEL 2 Ch1 Ch2 RATIO 2 TO 1 is also available Ch2 Ch1 Note that Ratio 1 to 2 and Ratio 2 to 1 menu items are not available...

Page 82: ...of signals applied to CHANNEL 1 NOTE In Volt Peaks function the Counter measures the input signal after the signal has been conditioned by the input settings impedance coupling attenuation and filter...

Page 83: ...me the length of time for which your signal is measured NOTE Gate time and resolution are linked the longer the gate time the greater the resolution With an increase in resolution you get a larger num...

Page 84: ...ample Procedure for Changing the Number of Digits Displayed There is no Gate and External Arm menu available for Voltage Peaks measurements Table 2 2 The Gate External Arm Key Menus as a Function of t...

Page 85: ...wn in the following figure the Counter is always synchronized to the input signal Arming occurs on the rising edge of external arm ExtArm and the measurement gate is synchronized to the trigger event...

Page 86: ...is displayed 9 Set the Gate Time to 5 ms by performing the following steps a Press Gate ExtArm or Enter key TIME 100 seconds the default time is displayed b Press the appropriate arrow keys until TIM...

Page 87: ...er Meas key until PERIOD 1 is displayed After a few seconds 0 100 000 000 0 s is displayed Hence the default number of digits or resolution displays a precise measurement 4 To demonstrate how to use d...

Page 88: ...er key DIGITS 4 is displayed the default number of digits d To set the number of digits displayed to 8 press the appropriate arrow keys until DIGITS 8 is displayed e Press Enter key f Press Run key 0...

Page 89: ...rrors or display the percentage difference between signals Also the overall math operation can be disabled and then re established without having to re enter constants The menu items of the Scale and...

Page 90: ...erform the following procedure to accomplish this task 1 Connect the output to channel 1 input and press Freq Ch 1 key The frequency of the signal is displayed 2 Press Scale Offset key until SCAL 1 00...

Page 91: ...a local oscillator LO The target frequency can be entered as a negative offset then the Counter can display the differences between the LO s frequency and the target frequency You can then adjust the...

Page 92: ...ess key which is located below the arrow keys to change the plus sign to minus OFFS 222 127 MHz is displayed c Press Enter key NOTE BE SURE to press the Enter key to complete numeric entry 8 Press Run...

Page 93: ...Let s assume you are measuring the frequency of a stable source but you are only interested in the least significant digits of the measurement Use the SET REF YES menu item to configure the appropria...

Page 94: ...ch would not be observable in the 12 digit display Overview of Statistics Stats Menu The Stats menu allows you to select which computed statistics you want displayed SHOW STD DEV MEAN MAX or MIN choos...

Page 95: ...the following procedure to accomplish this task 1 Connect the signal to channel 1 input and press Freq Ch 1 key 2 Press Stats key until N is displayed N 100 is displayed 100 is the default value 3 Set...

Page 96: ...yed c Press Freq Ch 1 key CAUTION Pressing the Run key now would clear the present statistics results and calculate a new set of results after N measurements Example Procedure for Easy Viewing of Stat...

Page 97: ...ggle to IN LIMIT state USE IN LIMIT is displayed 5 Press Run key The Counter will now perform the statistical computations that is standard deviation mean maximum and minimum on only those measurement...

Page 98: ...rements Please refer to the procedure titled To Use the Measurement Control Keys on page 2 7 in this chapter for an example use of ON SINGLE Example Procedure for Turning Off Stats Mode 1 Press Stats...

Page 99: ...r limits or update any menu item in the Limit Modes menu thus the primary function of the LIM TEST menu item is to allow you to turn Limit Testing off set the Counter to stop making measurements when...

Page 100: ...stop making measurements if this signal drifts more than 1 kHz 1 Connect the 10 MHz input signal to channel 1 of the Counter and press Freq Ch 1 key Assume that the frequency measured is 10 MHz If th...

Page 101: ...IM TEST ON display and the Limit Modes indicator 7 Press Limit Modes key ON FAIL GO ON is displayed 8 Press any one of the arrow keys to toggle to the next state ON FAIL STOP is displayed The ON FAIL...

Page 102: ...drifts out of the user entered limits the Limit annunciator in the display will light but the Counter will continue to make measurements The Limit annunciator will go on whenever a result is out of l...

Page 103: ...t represents the lower limit and the colon to the right represents the upper limit 6 Adjust your signal down to 9 7 MHz The asterisk is now out of the limits as it is below the entered 9 8 MHz lower l...

Page 104: ...values as in the previous procedure NOTE Since the Limit Testing and Stats functions are independent LIM TEST doesn t have to be ON in order to filter measurements for statistics 1 Press Stats key un...

Page 105: ...e arrow keys to toggle Limits OFF LIM TEST OFF is displayed When Limit Testing is off the Limit annunciator the stop on limit capability the limit graph and the rear panel RS 232 Limit Output if DTR L...

Page 106: ...es your Limit Testing choices by simply pressing the Save Print key until SAVE 1 is displayed then Enter key to save to register 1 b Turn off the Counter c Press and hold Recall Utility key then press...

Page 107: ...ing setting To get more digits displayed for a measurement refer to the sub section titled TIME Arming page 2 15 in this chapter for information on using the Gate ExtArm key to change the gate time re...

Page 108: ...you are instructed to blank out all digits below 1 kHz for easier reading 1 Cycle POWER key to preset the Counter 2 For demonstration purposes connect the Counter s rear panel 10 MHz Out signal to ch...

Page 109: ...ty menu items allow you to override the automatic settings The menu items under the Trigger Sensitivity key allows you to manually select the auto trigger mode AUTO TRIG ON or OFF If auto trigger is O...

Page 110: ...trigger the Counter SLOPE POS or NEG select medium high or low sensitivity levels thus varying the hysteresis window or trigger band for the optimum sensitivity for certain measurement applications SE...

Page 111: ...f the input signal as shown in the following figures Signal will not generate a count because the peak to peak amplitude of the signal is insufficient Signal will not generate a count because the trig...

Page 112: ...SENSTVTY MED HI or LOW menu choices in the Trigger Sensitivity key menu for optimum sensitivity for certain measurement applications For example low sensitivity setting is very useful when measuring n...

Page 113: ...l adjustment is live The CHANNEL 1 LED indicates the trigger state that is flashing when triggering ON when trigger is too low and OFF when trigger is too high The trigger voltage level for CHANNEL 1...

Page 114: ...ivity is not set to HI then press any one of the arrow keys to change to HI The Counter s CHANNEL 1 sensitivity is set high as shown in the following figure Refer to the section titled DEFINITION OF S...

Page 115: ...C select the attenuation of signals at the input channel The normal or no attenuation state key indicator OFF connects the input signal directly to the input amplifier The X10 state attenuates the inp...

Page 116: ...s saved to memory registers are preserved when the Counter is powered down or disconnected from a power source The Save and Recall functions enable faster and easier operation fewer operator errors an...

Page 117: ...input coupling to DC 1 Cycle POWER key to preset the Counter setup The Counter is now ready to measure the frequency of a signal applied to CHANNEL 1 input as indicated by the Freq and Ch1 annunciator...

Page 118: ...section To Use the Recall Function This procedure describes how to RECALL the measurement setup you ve saved in the previous procedure NOTE You cannot save a setup to register 0 RECALL 0 The Counter a...

Page 119: ...ne how many setups are saved continuously press the d key while UNSAVE n is displayed and count the number of registers that are present Perform step 2 below to delete a measurement setup 1 Suppose th...

Page 120: ...n if STATS ON all statistics that is standard deviation mean maximum and minimum will be printed NOTE Printing may slow the update rate of the Counter because the Counter may have to wait for the prin...

Page 121: ...he RS 232 port set the print baud rate BAUD 9600 19200 300 1200 or 2400 set print parity PARITY OFF EVEN or ODD set the software pace SW PACE XON or NONE set the hardware pace to send data to a serial...

Page 122: ...on how to select an GPIB address from the front panel Talk only In this mode the Counter can send data to a printer It cannot receive commands or setups from the computer To select the talk only opera...

Page 123: ...Hz oscillator if no external reference is present INT allows the Counter to be synchronized to the internal 10 MHz oscillator EXT allows the Counter to be synchronized to an external 1 5 or 10 MHz hou...

Page 124: ...ons to the inputs while a Utility menu self test may require a specific signal to be connected Some self tests can only be invoked from the Utility menu for example the keypad test You can specify tha...

Page 125: ...connect the timebase output to channel 1 INTERP test interpolators KEYPAD request user to press all keys Note this test is not available if TEST LOOP is ON TEST LOOP must be OFF PRINT send three test...

Page 126: ...Hardware Pacing 1 Press and hold Recall Utility key then cycle POWER key 2 Press Recall Utility key until DTR is displayed 3 Press any one of the arrow keys until the desired hardware pacing is displ...

Page 127: ...an select the parity for RS 232 operation The Counter is configured for parity off when shipped from the factory 1 Press Recall Utility key until PARITY is displayed 2 Press any one of the arrow keys...

Page 128: ...simply pressing the Save Print key and the appropriate arrow keys until SAVE 1 is displayed then Enter key to save to register 1 b Turn off the Counter c Press and hold Recall Utility key then press...

Page 129: ...l display a frequency measurement similar to 12 000 000 000 1 MHz for example Note that the integral portion 12 is separated from the fractional portion of the number by a comma This numerical convent...

Page 130: ...roller for the printer To Select the GPIB Talk Only Mode for Printing 1 Press and hold Recall Utility key then cycle POWER key 2 Press Recall Utility key until HP IB is displayed 3 To set the GPIB to...

Page 131: ...ent therefore no valid measurement was taken 1 MEAS FAIL A measurement calibration failed on the last measurement NEW TIMEBASE You have selected the auto reference mode TIMEBAS AUTO and the Counter de...

Page 132: ...TE If there is a failure each test that fails will display a failure message and SELFTST FAIL will be displayed You must press any key in order for the Counter to go on Possible individual failure mes...

Page 133: ...e requested that a Counter setting which is stored in the EEPROM HP IB BAUD PARITY SW PACE DTR SHOW 9 AS or CAL be updated and a hardware failure has resulted FAIL NO MEAS You have selected SET REF YE...

Page 134: ...is message will also be displayed when an event for example TEST ALL or SET REF YES or help MATH HELP YES is selected but not invoked with Enter key OFFS 1 FAIL You have invoked the OFFS choice from t...

Page 135: ...GPIB Messages Display Message Description 1 HP IB nnnn You have generated the GPIB error corresponding to the indicated error number Refer to Chapter 5 Errors in the Programming Guide for a list of t...

Page 136: ...requency arm yes ________ TIME no Frequency start arm yes IMMediate ________ no Frequency stop arm yes TIMer ________ no Frequency stop arm digits yes 4 4 no Frequency gate time yes 100 E 3s 100 E 3s...

Page 137: ...00 no Offset yes 0 0000000000 0 0000000000 no Limits Parameters Limit test on off yes OFF OFF no On fail stop go on yes GO ON GO ON no Lower limit yes 0 0000000000 0 0000000000 no Upper limit yes 0 00...

Page 138: ...________4 ________4 yes 2048 Channel 1 trigger gain cal no ________4 ________4 yes 1700 Utility Menu Parameters Option Timebase cal no ________4 ________4 yes 2048 GPIB address no ________4 ________4...

Page 139: ...ments immediately The Counter does not make measurements when the Utility menu is selected This is to reduce confusion while the user configures major attributes of the instrument When you power up on...

Page 140: ...mit test fail count on INITiate yes ON ON no Statistics Parameters Statistics type yes MEAN MEAN no Miscellaneous Measurement Parameters Interpolator calibration on off no ON ON no Monitor external ti...

Page 141: ...fined no Device trigger definition yes INIT INIT no Key queue no ________ cleared no Macros no disabled disabled no Response format yes ASCii ASCii no READ FETCh function memory no ________ ________ n...

Page 142: ...ment is collecting measurements if the Gate annunciator is flashing on and off Why won t printer work Go to the Utility menu and set up serial port Why did Counter stop measuring Did you set the Count...

Page 143: ...3 Specifications...

Page 144: ...y Sinusoid 1 DC to 100 MHz 20 mVrms to 5 V ac dc 75 mVrms with optional rear connectors 2 100 MHz to 200 MHz 30 mVrms to 5 V ac dc 75 mVrms with optional rear connectors 2 200 MHz to 225 MHz 40 mVrms...

Page 145: ...and Sensitivity Sinusoid Option 015 100 MHz to 1 5 GHz 27 dBm to 19 dBm Option 030 100 MHz to 2 7 GHz 27 dBm to 19 dBm 2 7 GHz to 3 GHz 21 dBm to 13 dBm Option 050 200 MHz to 5 GHz 23 dBm to 13 dBm Op...

Page 146: ...onth Per Year 3 x 10 7 4 x 10 8 2 x 10 7 5 x 10 10 1 5 x 10 8 1 x 10 10 3 x 10 9 2 x 10 8 Turn on stability vs time in 30 minutes 2 x 10 7 referenced to 2 hours 5 x 10 9 referenced to 24 hours 5 x 10...

Page 147: ...LSD Displayed RMS Resolution tres 650 ps typical5 For Automatic Arming where N 1 for Ch1 Frequency 1 MHz 4 for Ch1 Frequency 1 MHz 128 for Ch2 LSD Displayed RMS Resolution tres 500 ps typical5 tjitte...

Page 148: ...and add a trigger error term as follows Automatic or External Arming Time or Digit Arming 10 100 1000 10000 100000 1000000 1E 07 1E 08 1E 09 1E 10 Input Frequency Hz 1E 10 1E 8 1E 6 1E 4 1E 2 1E 00 1E...

Page 149: ...Time or Digit Arming Automatic or External Arming Measurement Specifications Continued 10 100 1000 Auto Armed 1ms 10ms 100ms 1s 10s Gate Time 10000 100000 Input Frequency Hz Frequency Error Hz 100000...

Page 150: ...source locked to the 15 MHz signal then this error term can be substantially reduced The measurement resolution under these conditions is 75 Hz 1 sigma which determines the number of digits displayed...

Page 151: ...ange 10 10 to 1011 Auto Gate Time 100 ms or sufficient cycles on Channel 2 or 3 to make a valid measurement whichever is longer LSD RMS Resolution To minimize relative phase measurement error connect...

Page 152: ...at 10 and 90 Results Range 5 ns to 105 s LSD RMS Resolution tres Systematic Uncertainty Time Base Error Transition Time Trigger Level Timing Error 1 5 ns Differential Channel Error Agilent 53131A 900...

Page 153: ...als or for AC signals of frequencies between 100 Hz and 30 MHz with peak to peak amplitude greater than 100 mV The measurement will continue to operate up to 225 MHz though results are for indication...

Page 154: ...a trigger error term as follows Automatic or External Arming Time or Digit Arming 10 100 1000 10000 100000 1000000 1E 07 1E 08 1E 09 1E 10 Input Frequency Hz 1E 10 1E 8 1E 6 1E 4 1E 2 1E 00 1E 02 Fre...

Page 155: ...an be source locked to the 15 MHz signal then this error term can be substantially reduced The measurement resolution under these conditions is 0 8 MHz 1 sigma which determines the number of digits di...

Page 156: ...amplitude greater than 100 mV The measurement will continue to operate up to 225 MHz though results are for indication only Results Range 5 1 V to 5 1 V Resolution 10 mV Systematic Uncertainty for AC...

Page 157: ...w rate at the input of the trigger comparator Fractional Time Base Error Time base error is the maximum fractional frequency variation of the time base due to aging or fluctuations in ambient temperat...

Page 158: ...ent Statistics Available Statistics Mean Minimum Maximum Standard Deviation Number of Measurements 2 to 1 000 000 Statistics may be collected on all measurements or on only those which are between the...

Page 159: ...Immunity Testing When the product is operated at maximum sensitivity 20 mVrms and tested with 8kV AD according to IEC801 2 or with 1kV power line transients according to IEC 801 4 frequency miscounts...

Page 160: ...Chapter 3 Specifications Introduction 3 18 Operating Guide...

Page 161: ...nging the numerical convention of the display 2 61 changing the slope 2 45 Channel 1 1 2 2 41 Channel 2 1 2 1 5 2 13 2 41 characters 1 9 1 10 limit test graph 1 10 X 1 9 1 10 choosing HIGH to disable...

Page 162: ...function 2 23 running the self test 2 57 Scale function 2 22 setting the Offset from the last measurement value 2 25 turning off Math mode 2 25 turning off Stats mode 2 30 Example Procedure for Turni...

Page 163: ...48 Scale 2 21 seeing digits not visible on the 12 digit display 2 25 self test routines 2 56 sensitivity 2 42 2 44 SET REF 2 25 slope 2 42 2 45 Statistics 2 26 Stats 2 26 Talk Only 2 62 timebase sour...

Page 164: ...38 list of options xvii Local key 1 4 2 65 low pass filter 2 47 M making repetitive measurements 1 35 making the Counter flag on limits but continue measuring when the signal exceeds the user entered...

Page 165: ...ter 2 4 resolution 2 15 RS 232 interface 1 11 RS 232 serial port 2 38 Run key 2 6 run mode 2 6 running the self test routines 2 56 S Save function 2 40 2 49 saving measurement setups 2 48 Scale Offset...

Page 166: ...numeric values 2 9 to execute prompted help messages 2 10 to sequence through the menus of the MEASURE keys 2 9 using the entry select keys to enter numeric values 2 9 using the entry select keys to...

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