HP 34401A User Manual Download Page 2

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The HP 34401A is a 6

⁄

-digit, high-performance digital multimeter.

Its combination of bench-top and system features makes this multimeter
a versatile solution for your measurement needs now and in the future.

Convenient Bench-Top Features

•

Highly visible vacuum-fluorescent display

•

Built-in math operations

•

Continuity and diode test functions

•

Hands-free,

Reading Hold

feature

•

Portable, ruggedized case with non-skid feet

Flexible System Features

•

HP-IB (IEEE-488) interface and RS-232 interface

•

Standard programming languages: SCPI, HP 3478A, and Fluke 8840

•

Reading rates up to 1000 readings per second

•

Storage for up to 512 readings

•

Limit testing with pass/fail signals

•

Optional

HP 34812A BenchLink/Meter Software

for Microsoft

Windows

HP 34401A
Multimeter

Note:

Unless otherwise indicated, this manual applies to all Serial Numbers.

Summary of Contents for 34401A

Page 1: ...timeter User s Guide Part Number 34401 90004 February 1996 For Safety information Warranties and Regulatory information see the pages behind the Index Copyright Hewlett Packard Company 1991 1996 All Rights Reserved ...

Page 2: ...uity and diode test functions Hands free Reading Hold feature Portable ruggedized case with non skid feet Flexible System Features HP IB IEEE 488 interface and RS 232 interface Standard programming languages SCPI HP 3478A and Fluke 8840 Reading rates up to 1000 readings per second Storage for up to 512 readings Limit testing with pass fail signals Optional HP 34812A BenchLink Meter Software for Mi...

Page 3: ...a Glance 1 Measurement Function keys 2 Math Operation keys 3 Single Trigger Autotrigger Reading Hold key 4 Shift Local key 5 Front Rear Input Terminal Switch 6 Range Number of Digits Displayed keys 7 Menu Operation keys 2 ...

Page 4: ...en unless the multimeter is UNSECURED for calibration B MATH MENU 1 MIN MAX 2 NULL VALUE 3 dB REL 4 dBm REF R 5 LIMIT TEST 6 HIGH LIMIT 7 LOW LIMIT C TRIGger MENU 1 READ HOLD 2 TRIG DELAY 3 N SAMPLES D SYStem MENU 1 RDGS STORE 2 SAVED RDGS 3 ERROR 4 TEST 5 DISPLAY 6 BEEP 7 COMMA 8 REVISION E Input Output MENU 1 HP IB ADDR 2 INTERFACE 3 BAUD RATE 4 PARITY 5 LANGUAGE The menu is organized in a top d...

Page 5: ...al trigger Reading Hold is enabled Turns on when reading memory is enabled Multimeter is in dcv dcv ratio function A math operation is enabled null min max dB dBm or limit test Hardware or remote interface command errors are detected Rear input terminals are selected Shift key has been pressed Press Shift again to turn off Multimeter is in 4 wire ohms function Multimeter is in continuity test func...

Page 6: ... Input Fuse 5 Voltmeter Complete Output Terminal 6 External Trigger Input Terminal 7 HP IB IEEE 488 Interface connector 8 RS 232 interface connector Use the front panel Input Output Menu to Select the HP IB or RS 232 interface see chapter 4 Set the HP IB bus address see chapter 4 Set the RS 232 baud rate and parity see chapter 4 5 ...

Page 7: ...rking with the multimeter Each listing contains enough information to help you diagnose and solve the problem Application Programs Chapter 6 contains several remote interface application programs to help you develop programs for your measurement application Measurement Tutorial Chapter 7 discusses measurement considerations and techniques to help you obtain the best accuracies and reduce sources o...

Page 8: ...Panel Menu Operation Front Panel Menu Reference 27 A Front Panel Menu Tutorial 29 To Turn Off the Comma Separator 37 To Make Null Relative Measurements 38 To Store Minimum and Maximum Readings 39 To Make dB Measurements 40 To Make dBm Measurements 41 To Trigger the Multimeter 42 To Use Reading Hold 43 To Make dcv dcv Ratio Measurements 44 To Use Reading Memory 46 Chapter 3 Features and Functions M...

Page 9: ...nal Trigger Terminal 83 System Related Operations Reading Memory 84 Error Conditions 85 Self Test 86 Display Control 87 Beeper Control 88 Comma Separators 89 Firmware Revision Query 89 SCPI Language Version Query 90 Remote Interface Configuration HP IB Address 91 Remote Interface Selection 92 Baud Rate Selection RS 232 93 Parity Selection RS 232 93 Programming Language Selection 94 Calibration Cal...

Page 10: ...s 159 Using Device Clear to Halt Measurements 160 TALK ONLY for Printers 160 To Set the HP IB Address 161 To Select the Remote Interface 162 To Set the Baud Rate 163 To Set the Parity 164 To Select the Programming Language 165 Alternate Programming Language Compatibility 166 SCPI Compliance Information 168 IEEE 488 Compliance Information 169 Chapter 5 Error Messages Execution Errors 173 Self Test ...

Page 11: ...207 Loading Errors ac volts 209 Measurements Below Full Scale 210 High Voltage Self Heating Errors 210 Temperature Coefficient and Overload Errors 210 Low Level Measurement Errors 211 Common Mode Errors 212 AC Current Measurement Errors 212 Frequency and Period Measurement Errors 213 Making High Speed DC and Resistance Measurements 213 Making High Speed AC Measurements 214 Chapter 8 Specifications...

Page 12: ...1 Quick Start 1 ...

Page 13: ...arious functions and operations Most keys have a shifted function printed in blue above the key To perform a shifted function press Shift the Shift annunciator will turn on Then press the key that has the desired label above it For example to select the dc current function press Shift DC V If you accidentally press Shift just press it again to turn off the Shift annunciator The rear cover of this ...

Page 14: ...yed Notice that the multimeter powers up in the dc voltage function with autoranging enabled To review the power on display with all annunciators turned on hold down Shift as you turn on the multimeter 3 Perform a complete self test The complete self test performs a more extensive series of tests than those performed at power on Hold down Shift as you press the Power switch to turn on the multimet...

Page 15: ...ng The line voltage is set to the proper value for your country when the multimeter is shipped from the factory Change the voltage setting if it is not correct The settings are 100 120 220 or 240 Vac for 230 Vac operation use the 220 Vac setting See the next page if you need to change the line voltage setting 3 Verify that the power line fuse is good The multimeter is shipped from the factory with...

Page 16: ...r assembly from the rear panel 2 Remove the line voltage selector from the assembly 3 Rotate the line voltage selector until the correct voltage appears in the window 4 Replace the fuse holder assembly in the rear panel Verify that the correct line voltage is selected and the power line fuse is good 1 Chapter 1 Quick Start If the Multimeter Does Not Turn On 15 ...

Page 17: ...Handle To adjust the position grasp the handle by the sides and pull outward Then rotate the handle to the desired position Bench top viewing positions Carrying position Chapter 1 Quick Start To Adjust the Carrying Handle 16 ...

Page 18: ...1000 V 750 Vac Maximum resolution 100 nV on 100 mV range AC technique true RMS ac coupled To Measure Resistance Ranges 100 Ω 1 kΩ 10 kΩ 100 kΩ 1 MΩ 10 MΩ 100 MΩ Maximum resolution 100 µΩ on 100 ohm range 1 Chapter 1 Quick Start To Measure Voltage 17 ...

Page 19: ...imum resolution 10 nA on 10 mA range AC technique true RMS ac coupled To Measure Frequency or Period Measurement band 3 Hz to 300 kHz 0 33 sec to 3 3 µsec Input signal range 100 mVac to 750 Vac Technique reciprocal counting Chapter 1 Quick Start To Measure Current 18 ...

Page 20: ... fixed at 1 kohm Beeper threshold 1 Ω to 1000 Ω beeps below adjustable threshold To Check Diodes Test current source 1 mA Maximum resolution 100 µV range is fixed at 1 Vdc Beeper threshold 0 3 volts Vmeasured 0 8 volts not adjustable 1 Chapter 1 Quick Start To Test Continuity 19 ...

Page 21: ...he front panel ranging applies to the signal s input voltage not its frequency The range is fixed for continuity 1 kΩ range and diode 1 Vdc range Ranging is local to the selected function This means that you can select the ranging method auto or manual for each function independently When manually ranging the selected range is local to the function the multimeter remembers the range when you switc...

Page 22: ...he resolution is fixed at 51 2 digits for continuity and diode tests You can also vary the number of digits displayed using the arrow keys however the integration time is not changed Resolution is local to the selected function This means that you can select the resolution for each function independently The multimeter remembers the resolution when you switch between functions Press the Shift key ...

Page 23: ...dc range 41 2 digits are displayed 113 325 6 OHM This is the 100 ohm range 61 2 digits are displayed OVL D mVDC This is an overload indication on the 100 mVdc range 1 2 digit 5 digits Negative sign or blank positive H 1 2 digit 0 or 1 D Numeric digits E Exponent m k M F Measurement units VDC OHM HZ dB 1 2 digit Chapter 1 Quick Start Front Panel Display Formats 22 ...

Page 24: ...Any HP System II instrument of the same size can be rack mounted beside the HP 34401A Remove the carrying handle and the front and rear rubber bumpers before rack mounting the multimeter To remove the handle rotate it to the vertical position and pull the ends outward Front Rear bottom view To remove the rubber bumper stretch a corner and then slide it off 1 Chapter 1 Quick Start To Rack Mount the...

Page 25: ...nts side by side order lock link kit 5061 9694 and flange kit 5063 9212 To install one or two instruments in a sliding support shelf order shelf 5063 9255 and slide kit 1494 0015 for a single instrument also order filler panel 5002 3999 Chapter 1 Quick Start To Rack Mount the Multimeter 24 ...

Page 26: ...2 Front Panel Menu Operation 2 ...

Page 27: ...art starting on page 11 This chapter introduces you to three new groups of front panel keys MENU MATH and TRIG You will also learn how to use the comma separator and store readings in memory This chapter does not give a detailed description of every front panel key or menu operation It does however give you a good overview of the front panel menu and many front panel operations See chapter 3 Featu...

Page 28: ...gister Recalls or sets the dBm value stored in the dB relative register Selects the dBm reference resistance value Enables or disables limit testing Sets the upper limit for limit testing Sets the lower limit for limit testing 1 READ HOLD 2 TRIG DELAY 3 N SAMPLES Sets the reading hold sensitivity band Specifies a time interval which is inserted before a measurement Sets the number of samples per t...

Page 29: ...tion Selects the interface language SCPI HP 3478 or Fluke 8840 42 1 SECURED 1 UNSECURED 2 CALIBRATE 3 CAL COUNT 4 MESSAGE The multimeter is secured against calibration enter code to unsecure The multimeter is unsecured for calibration enter code to secure Performs complete calibration of present function must be UNSECURED Reads the total number of times the multimeter has been calibrated Reads the...

Page 30: ... You move down or up the menu tree to get from one level to the next Each of the three levels has several horizontal choices which you can view by moving left or right To turn on the menu press Shift Menu On Off To turn off the menu press Shift Menu On Off or press any of the function or math keys on the top row of front panel keys To execute a menu command press Enter To recall the last menu comm...

Page 31: ...ayed after you press Menu Enter to execute the command MIN VALUE The value you specified on the parameter level is too small for the selected command The minimum value allowed is displayed for you to edit MAX VALUE The value you specified on the parameter level is too large for the selected command The maximum value allowed is displayed for you to edit EXITING MENU You will see this message if you...

Page 32: ...us level The MEAS MENU is your first choice on this level A MEAS MENU 2 Move across to the SYS MENU choice on this level There are six menu group choices available on the menus level Each choice has a letter prefix for easy identification A B etc D SYS MENU 3 Move down to the commands level within the SYS MENU The RDGS STORE command is your first choice on this level 1 RDGS STORE Shift On Off 2 Ch...

Page 33: ...parameter choice is ON for the BEEP command the beeper setting is stored in non volatile memory and ON is the factory setting ON 6 Move across to the OFF choice There are two parameter choices for BEEP OFF 7 Save the change and turn off the menu The multimeter beeps and displays a message to show that the change is now in effect You are then exited from the menu CHANGE SAVED Auto Man ENTER Chapter...

Page 34: ... command used before you exited the menu in the Example 1 6 BEEP 2 Move down to the BEEP parameter choices The first parameter choice is OFF the current setting from Example 1 OFF 3 Move across to the ON choice Set the parameter back to its original value ON 4 Save the change and turn off the menu The multimeter beeps and displays a message to show that the change is now in effect You are then exi...

Page 35: ...the menu You enter the menu on the menus level The MEAS MENU is your first choice on this level A MEAS MENU 2 Move across to the MATH MENU choice on this level There are six menu group choices available on this level B MATH MENU 3 Move down to the commands level within the MATH MENU The MIN MAX command is your first choice on this level 1 MIN MAX 4 Move across to the NULL VALUE command on this lev...

Page 36: ...he edit and return to the commands level by pressing 6 Make the number negative The leftmost character on the display toggles between and 000 000 mVDC 7 Move the flashing cursor over to edit the first digit Notice that the leftmost digit is flashing 000 000 mVDC 8 Increment the first digit until 2 is displayed You decrement or increment each digit independently Neighboring digits are not affected ...

Page 37: ...he change and turn off the menu The multimeter beeps and displays a message to show that the change is now in effect You are then exited from the menu CHANGE SAVED Keep in mind that math null is turned on and 2 0 volts is used as the null value for measurements To clear the null value press Null This is the end of the front panel menu tutorial The remainder of the chapter discusses several of the ...

Page 38: ... 3 Move down a level and then across to the COMMA command 7 COMMA 4 Move down a level and then move across to the OFF choice OFF 5 Save the change and turn off the menu The comma separator setting is stored in non volatile memory and does not change when power has been off or after a remote interface reset 08 24153 VDC With comma separator factory setting Without comma separator Shift On Off Auto ...

Page 39: ...aken after you press Null is stored as the null value in the Null Register Any previously stored value is replaced with the new value After enabling null you can edit the stored null value by pressing Shift Menu Recall This takes you to the NULL VALUE command in the MATH MENU only if null is enabled Go down to the parameter level and then edit the displayed value The null register is cleared when ...

Page 40: ...kes you to the MIN MAX command in the MATH MENU only if min max is enabled Go down to the parameter level and then read the values by pressing or The stored values are cleared when you turn min max off turn off the power or perform a remote interface reset The average is of all readings taken since min max was enabled not just the average of the stored minimum and maximum The count is the total nu...

Page 41: ...laced with the new value After enabling dB operations you can edit the relative value by pressing Shift Menu Recall This takes you to the dB REL command in the MATH MENU only if dB is enabled Go down to the parameter level and then edit the value displayed The register is cleared when you change functions turn dB off turn off the power or perform a remote interface reset Enables dB operation Press...

Page 42: ...Bm REF R command in the MATH MENU only if dBm is enabled Go down to the parameter level and then select a value 50 75 93 110 124 125 135 150 250 300 500 600 800 900 1000 1200 or 8000 ohms The reference resistance is stored in non volatile memory and does not change when power has been off or after a remote interface reset Enables dBm operation Press again to disable Math annunciator is on when dBm...

Page 43: ...ernal Trigger The external trigger mode is also enabled by pressing It is like the single trigger mode except that you apply a trigger pulse to the rear panel Ext Trig terminal The multimeter is triggered on the negative edge of a TTL pulse The front panel key is disabled when in remote Single Single Enables single trigger and triggers the multimeter Trig annunciator is on when the multimeter is w...

Page 44: ... within the band The default band is 0 10 of reading After enabling reading hold you can choose a different band by pressing Shift Menu Recall This takes you to the READ HOLD command in the TRIG MENU only if reading hold is enabled Go down to the parameter level and then select a value 0 01 0 10 1 00 or 10 00 of reading The sensitivity band is stored in volatile memory the multimeter sets the band...

Page 45: ...nce voltage measurements on the Sense terminals The Input LO and Sense LO terminals must have a common reference and cannot have a voltage difference greater than 2 volts The specified measurement range applies only to the signal connected to the Input terminals The signal on the Input terminals can be any dc voltage up to 1000 volts Ratio dc signal voltage dc reference voltage Ratio annunciator i...

Page 46: ...to the parameter level For this command there is only one choice on this level DCV DCV 4 Select the ratio function and turn off the menu Notice that the Ratio annunciator turns on CHANGE SAVED To disable ratio measurements select a different measurement function by pressing any front panel function key Shift On Off Auto Man ENTER 2 Chapter 2 Front Panel Menu Operation To Make dcv dcv Ratio Measure...

Page 47: ...ding memory 2 Select the single trigger mode Notice that the Trig annunciator turns on When reading memory is enabled readings are stored when you trigger the multimeter For this example single triggering is used to store readings You can also use auto triggering or reading hold 3 Turn on the menu A MEAS MENU 4 Move across to the SYS MENU choice on this level D SYS MENU 5 Move down to a level to t...

Page 48: ... is full the Mem annunciator will turn off Readings are preserved until you re enable reading memory at another time turn off the power or perform a remote interface reset 8 Trigger the multimeter three times This stores three readings in memory 9 Use menu recall to retrieve the stored readings This takes you to the SAVED RDGS command in the SYS MENU 2 SAVED RDGS Single Single Single Auto Man ENTE...

Page 49: ...stored readings are displayed with their units µ m k etc when appropriate For example 10 31607K 1 11 Move across to view the two remaining stored readings The readings are stored horizontally on the parameter level If you press when you get to the parameter level you will see the last reading and you will know how many readings were stored 12 Turn off the menu EXITING MENU Reading number Exponent ...

Page 50: ...3 Features and Functions 3 ...

Page 51: ...ator Maintenance starting on page 100 Power On and Reset State on page 101 Some knowledge of the front panel menu will be helpful before you read this chapter If you have not already read chapter 2 Front Panel Menu Operation starting on page 25 you may want to read it now Chapter 4 Remote Interface Reference starting on page 103 lists the syntax for the SCPI commands available to program the multi...

Page 52: ...e memory the multimeter selects the medium filter 20 Hz when power has been off or after a remote interface reset Front Panel Operation Select from the menu the slow filter 3 Hz medium filter 20 Hz or fast filter 200 Hz The default is the medium filter 1 AC FILTER MEAS MENU Remote Interface Operation Specify the lowest frequency expected in the input signal The multimeter selects the appropriate f...

Page 53: ...ly from the front panel The threshold resistance is stored in non volatile memory and does not change when power has been off or after a remote interface reset The factory setting for the threshold resistance is 10 Ω After enabling the continuity function you can select a different threshold resistance by pressing Shift Menu Recall 2 CONTINUITY MEAS MENU See also To Test Continuity on page 19 0010...

Page 54: ... reset Front Panel Operation Select from the menu the 10 MΩ mode fixed resistance for all dc voltage ranges or the 10 GΩ mode The default is 10 MΩ 3 INPUT R MEAS MENU Remote Interface Operation You can enable or disable the automatic input resistance mode With AUTO OFF default the input resistance is fixed at 10 MΩ for all ranges With AUTO ON the input resistance is set to 10 GΩ for the three lowe...

Page 55: ...umber of digits selected and the resulting integration time in power line cycles is shown below The autozero mode is set indirectly when you set the resolution See also Autozero on page 59 Resolution is local to the selected function This means that you can select the resolution for each function independently The multimeter remembers the resolution when you switch between functions Resolution Cho...

Page 56: ...gits does more than just change the resolution of the multimeter It also changes the integration time which is the period the multimeter s analog to digital A D converter samples the input signal for a measurement See also Integration Time on page 57 For ac measurements the resolution is actually fixed at 61 2 digits If you select 41 2 digits or 51 2 digits the multimeter masks one or two digits T...

Page 57: ...n not in number of digits For example for dc volts specify the resolution in volts For frequency specify the resolution in hertz CONF VOLT DC 10 0 001 41 2 digits on the 10 Vdc range MEAS CURR AC 1 1E 6 61 2 digits on the 1 A range CONF FREQ 1 KHZ 0 1 Hz 1000 Hz input 0 1 Hz resolution VOLT AC RES 0 05 50 mV resolution on the ac function CONFigure function range MIN MAX DEF resolution MIN MAX DEF ...

Page 58: ...umber of power line cycles NPLCs The choices are 0 02 0 2 1 10 or 100 power line cycles The default is 10 PLCs The integration time is stored in volatile memory the multimeter selects 10 PLCs when power has been off or after a remote interface reset Only the integral number of power line cycles 1 10 or 100 PLCs provide normal mode line frequency noise rejection The only way to control the reading ...

Page 59: ...MINimum MAXimum Front Rear Input Terminal Switching Any measurement made using the front terminals can also be made using the input terminals on the rear panel See The Front Panel at a Glance on page 2 for the location of the front rear switch The input terminals can only be configured from the front panel You cannot select the terminals from the remote interface but you can query the present sett...

Page 60: ... or ratio measurements The autozero mode is stored in volatile memory the multimeter automatically enables autozero when power has been off or after a remote interface reset Front Panel Operation The autozero mode is set indirectly when you set the resolution Remote Interface Operation The OFF and ONCE parameters have a similar effect Autozero OFF does not issue a new zero measurement Autozero ONC...

Page 61: ...1 Autozero On Digits Displayed 51 2 NPLC 1 Autozero Off Digits Displayed 51 2 NPLC 0 2 Autozero On Digits Displayed 51 2 NPLC 0 2 Autozero Off Digits Displayed 51 2 NPLC 0 02 Autozero On Digits Displayed 41 2 NPLC 0 02 Autozero Off Digits Displayed 41 2 Front Panel Equivalent Slow 6 digits N A Fast 6 digits Slow 5 digits N A Slow 4 digits N A N A Fast 5 digits N A Fast 4 digits Digits Displayed N ...

Page 62: ... 37 from the remote interface For frequency and period measurements the multimeter uses one range for all inputs between 3 Hz and 300 kHz The multimeter determines an internal resolution based on a 3 Hz signal If you query the range the multimeter will respond with 3 Hz With no input signal applied frequency and period measurements return 0 The range is fixed for continuity tests 1 kΩ range and di...

Page 63: ... s input voltage not its frequency See also To Select a Range on page 20 Remote Interface Operation You can set the range using any of the following commands CONFigure function range MIN MAX DEF resolution MIN MAX DEF MEASure function range MIN MAX DEF resolution MIN MAX DEF function RANGe range MINimum MAXimum function RANGe AUTO OFF ON Chapter 3 Features and Functions Measurement Configuration 6...

Page 64: ...ent measurement function math is turned off If you select a valid math operation and then change to one that is invalid a Settings conflict error is generated from the remote interface From the front panel you enable a math operation by pressing the appropriate key The exception is Limit Test which you enable using the LIMIT TEST command in the MATH MENU From the remote interface the math operatio...

Page 65: ...r a new minimum or maximum is found It is possible that the multimeter will beep even if the displayed reading does not change this is because the multimeter s internal resolution may be greater than the displayed resolution See also Beeper Control on page 88 The minimum maximum average and count are stored in volatile memory the multimeter clears the values when min max is turned on when power ha...

Page 66: ...ATA FEED RDG_STORE do not store readings DATA FEED RDG_STORE CALCulate store readings default See page 126 for more information on using the DATA FEED command Null Relative Operation When making null measurements also called relative each reading is the difference between a stored null value and the input signal One possible application is in making more accurate two wire ohms measurements by null...

Page 67: ...above the first reading does not overwrite the stored value Front Panel Operation After enabling null you can edit the stored null value by pressing Shift Menu Recall Any previously stored value is replaced with the new value Turning on the menu does not disable the null operation the multimeter will resume taking measurements when you turn off the menu 2 NULL VALUE MATH MENU See also To Make Null...

Page 68: ...ting the multimeter from the front panel entering a relative value also turns on the dB function The second way to enter the relative value is to let the multimeter take the first reading convert it to dBm and store that value in the register Changing the dBm reference resistance see page 68 does not change the stored relative value After you enable dB the first reading taken will be 0 dB if you h...

Page 69: ...is 600Ω The choices are 50 75 93 110 124 125 135 150 250 300 500 600 800 900 1000 1200 or 8000 ohms The reference resistance is stored in non volatile memory and does not change when power has been off or after a remote interface reset Front Panel Operation After enabling dBm you can select a new reference resistance by pressing Shift Menu Recall Turning on the menu does not disable the dBm operat...

Page 70: ... the multimeter to generate a service request SRQ on the first occurrence of a failed reading See The SCPI Status Model starting on page 134 for more information Front Panel Operation The multimeter displays OK for each reading that is within the specified limits It displays HI or LO for each reading that exceeds the upper or lower limit The multimeter beeps once if the front panel beeper is enabl...

Page 71: ... pins for limit testing you must install two jumpers inside the multimeter See the Service Guide for more information A low going pulse is output to pin 1 for each reading that is within the specified limits A low going pulse is output to pin 9 for each reading that exceeds the upper or lower limit C a u t i o n Do not use the RS 232 interface if you have configured the multimeter to output pass f...

Page 72: ... Auto triggering takes continuous readings at the fastest rate possible for the present configuration See also To Trigger the Multimeter on page 42 Triggering the multimeter from the remote interface is a multi step process that offers triggering flexibility First you must configure the multimeter for the measurement by selecting the function range resolution etc Then you must specify the source f...

Page 73: ...Sample Sample Count 1 Trigger Count 1 Initiate Triggering MEASure READ INITiate Trigger Source TRIGger SOURce IMMediate TRIGger SOURce EXTernal TRIGger SOURce BUS Front panel Single key Trigger Delay TRIGger DELay Sample Q Annunciator Chapter 3 Features and Functions Triggering 72 ...

Page 74: ...er a remote interface reset To select the trigger source from the remote interface use the following command The CONFigure and MEASure commands automatically set the trigger source to IMMediate TRIGger SOURce BUS IMMediate EXTernal Auto Triggering In the auto trigger mode front panel only the multimeter continuously takes readings at the fastest rate possible for the present configuration This is ...

Page 75: ...igger is accepted a Trigger ignored error is not reported After the reading in progress is complete the stored trigger satisfies the trigger source and then the trigger is issued Front Panel Operation The external trigger mode is like the single trigger mode except that you apply the trigger to the Ext Trig terminal Pressing Single to enable the single trigger mode also enables the external trigge...

Page 76: ...terface This mode is similar to the single trigger mode from the front panel but you trigger the multimeter by sending a bus trigger command To select the bus trigger source send the following command TRIGger SOURce BUS To trigger the multimeter from the remote interface HP IB or RS 232 send the TRG trigger command The TRG command will not be accepted unless the multimeter is in the wait for trigg...

Page 77: ... place the multimeter in the wait for trigger state by executing any of the following commands from the remote interface MEASure READ INITiate The multimeter requires approximately 20 ms of set up time after you send a command to change to the wait for trigger state Any triggers that occur during this set up time are ignored Halting a Measurement in Progress You can send a device clear at any time...

Page 78: ...er received Number of samples 1 to 50 000 The default is 1 sample per trigger The selected number of samples is stored in volatile memory the multimeter sets the sample count to 1 when power has been off or after a remote interface reset The CONFigure and MEASure commands automatically set the sample count to 1 Front Panel Operation 3 N SAMPLES TRIG MENU Remote Interface Operation SAMPle COUNt val...

Page 79: ...ores the trigger count setting when you return to remote the trigger count returns to the value you selected Number of triggers 1 to 50 000 The default is 1 trigger The selected number of triggers is stored in volatile memory the multimeter sets the trigger count to 1 when power has been off or after a remote interface reset The CONFigure and MEASure commands automatically set the trigger count to...

Page 80: ...ory the multimeter selects an automatic trigger delay when power has been off or after a remote interface reset The CONFigure and MEASure commands automatically set the trigger delay to automatic If you specify a delay other than automatic that same delay is used for all functions and ranges If you have configured the multimeter to take more than one reading per trigger sample count 1 the specifie...

Page 81: ...ct the parameter level of the TRIG DELAY command Move the flashing cursor to the units location on the right side of the display Press until AUTO DELAY is reached then press Menu Enter Remote Interface Operation You can use the following command to set the trigger delay TRIGger DELay seconds MINimum MAXimum You can use the following command to set an automatic trigger delay TRIGger DELay AUTO OFF ...

Page 82: ...ge 100 Ω 1 kΩ 10 kΩ 100 kΩ 1 MΩ 10 MΩ 100 MΩ Trigger Delay For NPLC 1 1 5 ms 1 5 ms 1 5 ms 1 5 ms 15 ms 100 ms 100 ms AC Filter Slow Medium Fast Trigger Delay 7 0 sec 1 0 sec 600 ms Remote or single external trigger Range 100 Ω 1 kΩ 10 kΩ 100 kΩ 1 MΩ 10 MΩ 100 MΩ Trigger Delay For NPLC 1 1 0 ms 1 0 ms 1 0 ms 1 0 ms 10 ms 100 ms 100 ms AC Filter Slow Medium Fast Trigger Delay 1 5 sec 200 ms 100 ms ...

Page 83: ...hin the band Select one of these values 0 01 0 10 default 1 00 or 10 00 of reading For example assume that the 1 00 band is selected and a 5 volt signal is applied to the multimeter If three consecutive readings are between 4 975 volts and 5 025 volts the display will show a new reading The sensitivity band is stored in volatile memory the multimeter sets the band to 0 10 when power has been off o...

Page 84: ...ing devices External Trigger Terminal You can trigger the multimeter by applying a low true pulse to the rear panel Ext Trig external trigger terminal To use this terminal from the remote interface you must select the external trigger source TRIGger SOURce EXTernal You can use a simple switch to generate an external trigger using the Ext Trig input as shown below 5 V 0 V Approximately 2 µs Output ...

Page 85: ... are stored in volatile memory the multimeter clears the stored readings when reading memory is turned on again when power has been off after a self test or after a remote interface reset You can use reading memory with auto trigger single trigger external trigger and reading hold If you configure the multimeter for multiple readings per trigger the specified number of readings are stored in memor...

Page 86: ... are stored until you remove errors from the queue If no errors have occurred when you read the error queue the multimeter responds with 0 No error The error queue is cleared when power has been off or after a CLS clear status command has been executed The RST reset command does not clear the error queue Front Panel Operation 3 ERROR SYS MENU If the ERROR annunciator is on press Shift Recall Menu ...

Page 87: ...te self test does not alter the state of the multimeter If the complete self test is successful PASS is displayed on the front panel If the self test fails FAIL is displayed and the ERROR annunciator turns on See the Service Guide for instructions on returning the multimeter to Hewlett Packard for service Front Panel Operation You can perform some of the tests complete self test individually or yo...

Page 88: ...t panel any additional characters are truncated Commas periods and semicolons share a display space with the preceding character and are not considered individual characters When a message is displayed readings are not sent to the display Sending a message to the display from the remote interface overrides the display state this means that you can display a message even if the display is turned of...

Page 89: ...red in the diode test function Disabling the beeper has no effect on the tone generated when 1 an error is generated 2 the continuity threshold is exceeded 3 you turn off the front panel menu Turning off the beeper does not disable the key click generated when you press a front panel key The beeper state is stored in non volatile memory and does not change when power has been off or after a remote...

Page 90: ...has three microprocessors for control of various internal systems You can query the multimeter to determine which revision of firmware is installed for each microprocessor The multimeter returns three numbers The first number is the firmware revision number for the measurement processor the second is for the input output processor and the third is for the front panel processor Front Panel Operatio...

Page 91: ...e multimeter is in compliance by sending a command from the remote interface You cannot query the SCPI version from the front panel The following command returns the SCPI version SYSTem VERSion Returns a string in the form YYYY V where the Y s represent the year of the version and the V represents a version number for that year for example 1991 0 Chapter 3 Features and Functions System Related Ope...

Page 92: ... being addressed by a bus controller over either HP IB or RS 232 For proper operation make sure your printer is configured in the listen always mode Address 31 is not a valid address if you are operating the multimeter from the HP IB interface with a bus controller If you select the RS 232 interface and then set the HP IB address to the talk only address 31 the multimeter will send readings over t...

Page 93: ...If you select the RS 232 interface you must set the baud rate and parity for the multimeter RS 232 is displayed when you turn on the multimeter If you select the RS 232 interface and then set the HP IB address to the talk only address 31 the multimeter will send readings over the RS 232 interface when in the local mode There are certain restrictions to be aware of when you are selecting the remote...

Page 94: ... To Set the Baud Rate on page 163 Parity Selection RS 232 You can select the parity for RS 232 operation The multimeter is configured for even parity with 7 data bits when shipped from the factory The parity can be set only from the front panel Select one of the following None 8 data bits Even 7 data bits or Odd 7 data bits When you set the parity you are indirectly setting the number of data bits...

Page 95: ... are certain restrictions to be aware of when you are selecting the interface language see also Remote Interface Selection on page 92 The HP 3478A and Fluke 8840A 8842A languages are not supported on the RS 232 interface Front Panel Operation 5 LANGUAGE I O MENU See also To Select the Programming Language on page 165 Remote Interface Operation L1 select SCPI language L2 select HP 3478A language L3...

Page 96: ... up to 12 alphanumeric characters as shown below The first character must be a letter but the remaining characters can be letters or numbers You do not have to use all 12 characters but the first character must always be a letter A _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 12 characters To secure the multimeter from the remote interface so that it can be unsecured from the front panel use the eight character format s...

Page 97: ...t the 2 CALIBRATE command is hidden if the multimeter is secured To unsecure the multimeter select the parameter level of the SECURED command enter the security code then press Menu Enter When you go to the commands level in the CAL MENU again you will notice that the multimeter is unsecured Notice also that the 2 CALIBRATE command is no longer hidden and you can perform a calibration Remote Inter...

Page 98: ... command when you go into the CAL MENU To secure the multimeter select the parameter level of the UNSECURED command enter the security code then press Menu Enter When you go to the commands level in the CAL MENU again you will notice that the multimeter is secured Notice also that the 2 CALIBRATE command is now hidden and you cannot perform a calibration Remote Interface Operation CALibration SECu...

Page 99: ...ng the old security code Then enter the new code For example CAL SEC STAT OFF HP034401 unsecure with old code CAL SEC CODE ZZ010443 enter new code Calibration Count You can determine the number of times that your multimeter has been calibrated Your multimeter was calibrated before it left the factory When you receive your multimeter read the count to determine its initial value The calibration cou...

Page 100: ...either the front panel menu or the remote interface The calibration message may contain up to 40 characters However the multimeter can display only 12 characters of the message on the front panel additional characters are truncated The calibration message is stored in non volatile memory and does not change when power has been off or after a remote interface reset Front Panel Operation 4 MESSAGE C...

Page 101: ...rent Input Fuses The front and rear current input terminals are protected by two series fuses The first fuse is a 3A 250 Vac fast blow fuse and is located on the rear panel To replace this fuse order HP part number 2110 0780 A second fuse is located inside the multimeter to provide an additional level of current protection This fuse is a 7A 250 Vac high interrupt rated fuse HP part number 2110 061...

Page 102: ...libration State Power On Reset State 20 Hz medium filter On 10 Ω DC volts 10 MΩ fixed for all dcv ranges 10 PLCs Autorange 51 2 digits slow mode Power On Reset State Off Null All registers are cleared 600 Ω Power On Reset State 0 10 of range 1 sample Automatic Delay Auto Trigger Power On Reset State On On On Off cleared Power On Reset State 9600 baud 22 HP IB IEEE 488 SCPI Even 7 data bits Power O...

Page 103: ...4 Remote Interface Reference 4 ...

Page 104: ...tarting on page 148 RS 232 Interface Commands on page 153 An Introduction to the SCPI Language starting on page 154 Output Data Formats on page 159 Using Device Clear to Halt Measurements on page 160 TALK ONLY for Printers on page 160 To Set the HP IB Address on page 161 To Select the Remote Interface on page 162 To Set the Baud Rate on page 163 To Set the Parity on page 164 To Select the Programm...

Page 105: ...AC range MIN MAX DEF resolution MIN MAX DEF CURRent DC range MIN MAX DEF resolution MIN MAX DEF CURRent AC range MIN MAX DEF resolution MIN MAX DEF RESistance range MIN MAX DEF resolution MIN MAX DEF FRESistance range MIN MAX DEF resolution MIN MAX DEF FREQuency range MIN MAX DEF resolution MIN MAX DEF PERiod range MIN MAX DEF resolution MIN MAX DEF CONTinuity DIODe CONFigure VOLTage DC range MIN ...

Page 106: ... AC RANGe MINimum MAXimum RESistance RANGe range MINimum MAXimum RESistance RANGe MINimum MAXimum FRESistance RANGe range MINimum MAXimum FRESistance RANGe MINimum MAXimum FREQuency VOLTage RANGe range MINimum MAXimum FREQuency VOLTage RANGe MINimum MAXimum PERiod VOLTage RANGe range MINimum MAXimum PERiod VOLTage RANGe MINimum MAXimum SENSe VOLTage DC RANGe AUTO OFF ON VOLTage DC RANGe AUTO VOLTa...

Page 107: ...LCycles 0 02 0 2 1 10 100 MINimum MAXimum VOLTage DC NPLCycles MINimum MAXimum CURRent DC NPLCycles 0 02 0 2 1 10 100 MINimum MAXimum CURRent DC NPLCycles MINimum MAXimum RESistance NPLCycles 0 02 0 2 1 10 100 MINimum MAXimum RESistance NPLCycles MINimum MAXimum FRESistance NPLCycles 0 02 0 2 1 10 100 MINimum MAXimum FRESistance NPLCycles MINimum MAXimum SENSe FREQuency APERture 0 01 0 1 1 MINimum...

Page 108: ...lue MINimum MAXimum NULL OFFSet MINimum MAXimum CALCulate DB REFerence value MINimum MAXimum DB REFerence MINimum MAXimum CALCulate DBM REFerence value MINimum MAXimum DBM REFerence MINimum MAXimum CALCulate LIMit LOWer value MINimum MAXimum LIMit LOWer MINimum MAXimum LIMit UPPer value MINimum MAXimum LIMit UPPer MINimum MAXimum DATA FEED RDG_STORE CALCulate DATA FEED Chapter 4 Remote Interface R...

Page 109: ...m MAXimum COUNt MINimum MAXimum TRIGger COUNt value MINimum MAXimum INFinite COUNt MINimum MAXimum System Related Commands see page 132 for more information FETCh READ DISPlay OFF ON DISPlay DISPlay TEXT quoted string TEXT TEXT CLEar SYSTem BEEPer BEEPer STATe OFF ON BEEPer STATe Default parameters are shown in bold SYSTem ERRor SYSTem VERSion DATA POINts RST TST IDN L1 L2 L3 4 Chapter 4 Remote In...

Page 110: ...ble EVENt STATus PRESet CLS ESE enable value ESE ESR OPC OPC PSC 0 1 PSC SRE enable value SRE STB Calibration Commands see page 146 for more information CALibration CALibration COUNt CALibration SECure CODE new code SECure STATe OFF ON code SECure STATe CALibration STRing quoted string STRing CALibration VALue value VALue Chapter 4 Remote Interface Reference Command Summary 110 ...

Page 111: ...SYSTem REMote SYSTem RWLock IEEE 488 2 Common Commands see page 169 for more information CLS ESE enable value ESE ESR IDN OPC OPC PSC 0 1 PSC RST SRE enable value SRE STB TRG TST Default parameters are shown in bold 4 Chapter 4 Remote Interface Reference Command Summary 111 ...

Page 112: ... multimeter for measurements You can select the measurement function range and resolution all in one command The multimeter automatically presets other measurement parameters ac filter autozero trigger count etc to default values as shown below First time SCPI users see page 154 Command AC Filter DET BAND Autozero ZERO AUTO Input Resistance INP IMP AUTO Samples per Trigger SAMP COUN Trigger Count ...

Page 113: ...ONFigure Command For a little more programming flexibility use the CONFigure command When you execute the command the multimeter presets the best settings for the requested configuration like the MEASure command However the measurement is not automatically started and you can change measurement parameters before making measurements This allows you to incrementally change the multimeter s configura...

Page 114: ...umber of digits For example for dc volts specify the resolution in volts For frequency specify the resolution in hertz You must specify a range to use the resolution parameter Using the READ Command The READ command changes the state of the trigger system from the idle state to the wait for trigger state Measurements will begin when the specified trigger conditions are satisfied following the rece...

Page 115: ...ceived The readings are placed in the multimeter s internal memory up to 512 readings can be stored Readings are stored in memory until you are able to retrieve them Use the FETCh command to transfer the readings from the multimeter s internal memory to the multimeter s output buffer where you can read them into your bus controller MEASure Example The following program segment shows how to use the...

Page 116: ...akes a reading when the Ext Trig terminal is pulsed and sends the reading to the multimeter s internal memory The FETCh command transfers the reading from internal memory to the output buffer CONF VOLT DC 10 0 003 TRIG SOUR EXT INIT FETC bus enter statement Storing readings in memory using the INITiate command is faster than sending readings to the output buffer using the READ command The multimet...

Page 117: ...ng is sent to the output buffer MEASure VOLTage DC RATio range MIN MAX DEF resolution MIN MAX DEF Preset and make a dc dc ratio measurement with the specified range and resolution The reading is sent to the output buffer For ratio measurements the specified range applies to the signal connected to the Input terminals Autoranging is automatically selected for reference voltage measurements on the S...

Page 118: ...resolution The reading is sent to the output buffer For frequency measurements the multimeter uses one range for all inputs between 3 Hz and 300 kHz With no input signal applied frequency measurements return 0 MEASure PERiod range MIN MAX DEF resolution MIN MAX DEF Preset and make a period measurement with the specified range and resolution The reading is sent to the output buffer For period measu...

Page 119: ...olution parameter only affects the front panel display CONFigure CURRent DC range MIN MAX DEF resolution MIN MAX DEF Preset and configure the multimeter for dc current measurements with the specified range and resolution This command does not initiate the measurement CONFigure CURRent AC range MIN MAX DEF resolution MIN MAX DEF Preset and configure the multimeter for ac current measurements with t...

Page 120: ...asurements the multimeter uses one range for all inputs between 0 33 seconds and 3 3 µsec With no input signal applied period measurements return 0 CONFigure CONTinuity Preset and configure the multimeter for continuity measurements This command does not initiate the measurement The range and resolution are fixed for continuity tests 1 kΩ range and 51 2 digits CONFigure DIODe Preset and configure ...

Page 121: ...r PERiod VOLTage MIN selects the lowest range for the selected function MAX selects the highest range Stored in volatile memory function RANGe MINimum MAXimum Query the range for the selected function function RANGe AUTO OFF ON Disable or enable autoranging for the selected function For frequency and period use FREQuency VOLTage or PERiod VOLTage Autorange thresholds Down range at 10 of range Up r...

Page 122: ...alid only for dc volts ratio dc current 2 wire ohms and 4 wire ohms MIN 0 02 MAX 100 Stored in volatile memory function NPLCycles MINimum MAXimum Query the integration time for the selected function FREQuency APERture 0 01 0 1 1 MINimum MAXimum Select the aperture time or gate time for frequency measurements the default is 0 1 seconds Specify 10 ms 41 2 digits 100 ms default 51 2 digits or 1 secon...

Page 123: ...goes to the wait for trigger state Autozero ONCE issues an immediate zero measurement Stored in volatile memory SENSe ZERO AUTO Query the autozero mode Returns 0 OFF or ONCE or 1 ON INPut IMPedance AUTO OFF ON Disable or enable the automatic input resistance mode for dc voltage measurements With AUTO OFF default the input resistance is fixed at 10 MΩ for all ranges With AUTO ON the resistance is s...

Page 124: ...allowed with the present measurement function math is turned off If you select a valid math operation and then change to one that is invalid a Settings conflict error is generated over the remote interface For null and dB measurements you must turn on the math operation before writing to their math registers CALCulate FUNCtion NULL DB DBM AVERage LIMit Select the math function Only one function ca...

Page 125: ...eter clears the value when min max is turned on when power has been off or after a remote interface reset Stored in volatile memory CALCulate NULL OFFSet value MINimum MAXimum Store a null value in the multimeter s Null Register You must turn on the math operation before writing to the math register You can set the null value to any number between 0 and 120 of the highest range for the present fun...

Page 126: ...ange for the present function MIN 120 of the highest range MAX 120 of the highest range Stored in volatile memory CALCulate LIMit UPPer MINimum MAXimum Query the upper limit DATA FEED RDG_STORE CALCulate Selects whether readings taken using the INITiate command are stored in the multimeter s internal memory default or not stored at all In the default state DATA FEED RDG_STORE CALC up to 512 readin...

Page 127: ...ility First you must configure the multimeter for the measurement by selecting the function range resolution etc Then you must specify the source from which the multimeter will accept the trigger The multimeter will accept a software bus trigger from the remote interface a hardware trigger from the rear panel Ext Trig external trigger terminal or an immediate internal trigger Then you must make su...

Page 128: ...ample Sample Count 1 Trigger Count 1 Initiate Triggering MEASure READ INITiate Trigger Source TRIGger SOURce IMMediate TRIGger SOURce EXTernal TRIGger SOURce BUS Front panel Single key Trigger Delay TRIGger DELay Sample Annunciator Chapter 4 Remote Interface Reference Triggering 128 ...

Page 129: ...erm used primarily for remote interface operation From the front panel the multimeter is always in the wait for trigger state and will accept triggers at any time unless a measurement is already in progress You can place the multimeter in wait for trigger state by executing any of the following commands from the remote interface MEASure READ INITiate The multimeter requires approximately 20 ms of ...

Page 130: ... average of a series of readings without storing the individual values DATA FEED RDG_STORE do not store readings DATA FEED RDG_STORE CALCulate store readings default See page 126 for more information on using the DATA FEED command READ Change the state of the trigger system from the idle state to the wait for trigger state Measurements will begin when the specified trigger conditions are satisfied...

Page 131: ...ay setting Returns 0 OFF or 1 ON SAMPle COUNt value MINimum MAXimum Set the number of readings samples the multimeter takes per trigger Select from 1 to 50 000 readings per trigger MIN 1 MAX 50 000 Stored in volatile memory SAMPle COUNt MINimum MAXimum Query the sample count TRIGger COUNt value MINimum MAXimum INFinite Set the number of triggers the multimeter will accept before returning to the i...

Page 132: ...lowing the receipt of the READ command Readings are sent immediately to the output buffer DISPlay OFF ON Turn the front panel display off or on Stored in volatile memory DISPlay Query the front panel display setting Returns 0 OFF or 1 ON DISPlay TEXT quoted string Display a message on the front panel The multimeter will display up to 12 characters in a message any additional characters are truncat...

Page 133: ...YSTem ERRor Query the multimeter s error queue Up to 20 errors can be stored in the queue Errors are retrieved in first in first out FIFO order Each error string may contain up to 80 characters SYSTem VERSion Query the multimeter to determine the present SCPI version DATA POINts Query the number of readings stored in the multimeter s internal memory RST Reset the multimeter to its power on configu...

Page 134: ...event bit is set subsequent state changes are ignored Bits in an event register are automatically cleared by a query of that register such as ESR or STAT QUES EVEN or by sending the CLS clear status command A reset RST or device clear will not clear bits in event registers Querying an event register returns a decimal value which corresponds to the binary weighted sum of all bits set in the registe...

Page 135: ...SCPI Status System 4 Chapter 4 Remote Interface Reference The SCPI Status Model 135 ...

Page 136: ...egister The status byte enable register request service is cleared when You turn on the power and you have previously configured the multimeter using the PSC 1 command You execute a SRE 0 command The status byte enable register will not be cleared at power on if you have previously configured the multimeter using PSC 0 Bit 0 Not Used 1 Not Used 2 Not Used 3 Questionable Data 4 Message Available 5 ...

Page 137: ...nt register whose summary bit is causing the service request To read the status byte summary register send the IEEE 488 serial poll message Querying the summary register will return a decimal value which corresponds to the binary weighted sum of the bits set in the register Serial poll will automatically clear the request service bit in the status byte summary register No other bits are affected P...

Page 138: ...andard event register and SRE status byte register enable masks Send the OPC operation complete query command and enter the result to assure synchronization Enable your bus controller s IEEE 488 SRQ interrupt To Determine When a Command Sequence is Completed Send a device clear message to clear the multimeter s output buffer Clear the event registers with the CLS clear status command Enable operat...

Page 139: ...s internal memory when using INITiate Sending the FETCh command transfers readings stored in internal memory by the INITiate command to the multimeter s output buffer Therefore the MAV bit can only be set after all measurements have been completed Using OPC to Signal When Data is in the Output Buffer Generally it is best to use the operation complete bit bit 0 in the standard event register to sig...

Page 140: ...er bits 0 1 or 9 However no error message is recorded in the multimeter s error queue Bit Definitions Standard Event Register Bit 0 Operation Complete 1 Not Used 2 Query Error 3 Device Error 4 Execution Error 5 Command Error 6 Not Used 7 Power On Decimal Value 1 2 4 8 16 32 64 128 Definition All commands prior to and including an OPC command have been executed Always set to 0 The multimeter tried ...

Page 141: ...andard event enable register is cleared when You turn on the power and you have previously configured the multimeter using the PSC 1 command You execute a ESE 0 command The standard event enable register will not be cleared at power on if you have previously configured the multimeter using PSC 0 4 Chapter 4 Remote Interface Reference The SCPI Status Model 141 ...

Page 142: ...queue Bit Definitions Questionable Data Register Bit 0 Voltage Overload 1 Current Overload 2 Not Used 3 Not Used 4 Not Used 5 Not Used 6 Not Used 7 Not Used 8 Not Used 9 Ohms Overload 10 Not Used 11 Limit Fail LO 12 Limit Fail HI 13 Not Used 14 Not Used 15 Not Used Decimal Value 1 2 4 8 16 32 64 128 256 512 1024 2048 4096 8192 16384 32768 Definition Range overload on dc volts ac volts frequency pe...

Page 143: ... the event register using STATus QUEStionable EVENt The questionable data enable register is cleared when You turn on the power PSC does not apply You execute the STATus PRESet command You execute the STATus QUEStionable ENABle 0 command 4 Chapter 4 Remote Interface Reference The SCPI Status Model 143 ...

Page 144: ...e bits set in the enable register STATus QUEStionable EVENt Query the Questionable Data event register The multimeter returns a decimal value which corresponds to the binary weighted sum of all bits set in the register STATus PRESet Clear all bits in the Questionable Data enable register CLS Clear the Status Byte summary register and all event registers ESE enable value Enable bits in the Standard...

Page 145: ...ble masks are not cleared when power is turned on Stored in non volatile memory PSC Query the power on status clear setting Returns 0 PSC 0 or 1 PSC 1 SRE enable value Enable bits in the Status Byte enable register SRE Query the Status Byte enable register The multimeter returns a decimal value which corresponds to the binary weighted sum of all bits set in the register STB Query the Status Byte s...

Page 146: ...nitial value Stored in non volatile memory The calibration count increments up to a maximum of 32 767 after which it wraps around to 0 Since the value increments by one for each calibration point a complete calibration will increase the value by many counts CALibration SECure CODE new code Enter a new security code To change the security code you must first unsecure the multimeter using the old se...

Page 147: ... the remote interface However you can read the message from either the front panel menu or the remote interface The calibration message may contain up to 40 characters However the multimeter can display only 12 characters of the message on the front panel additional characters are truncated CALibration STRing Query the calibration message and return a quoted string CALibration VALue value Specify ...

Page 148: ...ds for RS 232 are listed on page 153 RS 232 Configuration Overview Configure the RS 232 interface using the parameters shown below Use the front panel I O MENU to select the baud rate parity and number of data bits see also pages 163 and 164 for more information Baud Rate 300 600 1200 2400 4800 or 9600 baud factory setting Parity and Data Bits None 8 data bits factory setting Even 7 data bits or O...

Page 149: ...r on each end and the internal wiring must be correct Connectors typically have 9 pins DB 9 connector or 25 pins DB 25 connector with a male or female pin configuration A male connector has pins inside the connector shell and a female connector has holes inside the connector shell If you cannot find the correct cable for your configuration you may have to use a wiring adapter If you are using a DT...

Page 150: ... a 9 pin female connector on each end The cable pin diagram is shown below DB 25 Serial Connection If your computer or terminal has a 25 pin serial port with a male connector use the null modem cable and 25 pin adapter included with the HP 34398A Cable Kit The cable and adapter pin diagram is shown below Chapter 4 Remote Interface Reference RS 232 Interface Configuration 150 ...

Page 151: ...S 232 connector When enough characters have been removed to make space in the input buffer the multimeter sets the DTR line TRUE unless the second case see below prevents this 2 When the multimeter wants to talk over the interface which means that it has processed a query and has received a new line message terminator it will set the DTR line FALSE This implies that once a query has been sent to t...

Page 152: ...e to ignore DTR RS 232 Troubleshooting Here are a few things to check if you are having problems communicating over the RS 232 interface If you need additional help refer to the documentation that came with your computer Verify that the multimeter and your computer are configured for the same baud rate parity and number of data bits Make sure that your computer is set up for 1 start bit and 2 stop...

Page 153: ...the SYSTem REMote command to place the multimeter in the remote mode Sending or receiving data over the RS 232 interface when not configured for remote operation can cause unpredictable results SYSTem RWLock Place the multimeter in the remote mode for RS 232 operation This command is the same as the SYSTem REMote command except that all keys on the front panel are disabled including the LOCAL key ...

Page 154: ...r under a common node or root thus forming subsystems A portion of the SENSE subsystem is shown below to illustrate the tree system SENSe VOLTage DC RANGe range MINimum MAXimum VOLTage DC RANGe MINimum MAXimum FREQuency VOLTage RANGe range MINimum MAXimum FREQuency VOLTage RANGe MINimum MAXimum DETector BANDwidth 3 20 200 MINimum MAXimum DETector BANDwidth MINimum MAXimum ZERO AUTO OFF ONCE ON ZER...

Page 155: ... an error Braces enclose the parameter choices for a given command string The braces are not sent with the command string A vertical bar separates multiple parameter choices for a given command string Triangle brackets indicate that you must specify a value for the enclosed parameter For example the above syntax statement shows the range parameter enclosed in triangle brackets The brackets are not...

Page 156: ...ng the following two commands TRIG DELAY 1 TRIG COUNT 10 Use a colon and a semicolon to link commands from different subsystems For example in the following command string an error is generated if you do not use both the colon and semicolon SAMP COUN 10 TRIG SOUR EXT Using the MIN and MAX Parameters You can substitute MINimum or MAXimum in place of a parameter for many commands For example conside...

Page 157: ...e first response followed by the complete second response To avoid this do not send a query command without reading the response When you cannot avoid this situation send a device clear before sending the second query command SCPI Command Terminators A command string sent to the multimeter must terminate with a new line character The IEEE 488 EOI end or identify message is interpreted as a new lin...

Page 158: ...onal signs decimal points and scientific notation Special values for numeric parameters like MINimum MAXimum and DEFault are also accepted You can also send engineering unit suffixes with numeric parameters e g M K or u If only specific numeric values are accepted the multimeter will automatically round the input numeric parameters The following command uses a numeric parameter VOLTage DC RANGe ra...

Page 159: ... or with a double quote You can include the quote delimiter as part of the string by typing it twice without any characters in between The following command uses a string parameter DISPlay TEXT quoted string Output Data Formats Output data will be in one of formats shown in the table below Type of Output Data Non reading queries Single reading IEEE 488 Multiple readings IEEE 488 Single reading RS ...

Page 160: ...e equivalent operations of the IEEE 488 device clear message The multimeter s DTR data terminal ready handshake line will be true following a device clear message See DTR DSR Handshake Protocol on page 151 for further details TALK ONLY for Printers You can set the address to 31 which is the talk only mode In this mode the multimeter can output readings directly to a printer without being addressed...

Page 161: ...1 Turn on the front panel menu A MEAS MENU 2 Move across to the I O MENU choice on this level E I O MENU 3 Move down a level to the HP IB ADDR command 1 HP IB ADDR 4 Move down to the parameter level to set the address Use the left right and down up arrow keys to change the address 22 ADDR 5 Save the change and turn off the menu The address is stored in non volatile memory and does not change when ...

Page 162: ... MENU choice on this level E I O MENU 3 Move down a level and then across to the INTERFACE command 2 INTERFACE 4 Move down to the parameter level to select the interface Use the left right arrow keys to see the interface choices Choose from the following HP IB 488 or RS 232 HP IB 488 5 Save the change and turn off the menu The interface selection is stored in non volatile memory and does not chang...

Page 163: ...evel and then across to the BAUD RATE command 3 BAUD RATE 4 Move down to the parameter level to select the baud rate Use the left right arrow keys to see the baud rate choices Choose from one of the following 300 600 1200 2400 4800 or 9600 baud 9600 BAUD 5 Save the change and exit the menu The baud rate selection is stored in non volatile memory and does not change when power has been off or after...

Page 164: ...mand 4 PARITY 4 Move down to the parameter level to select the parity Use the left right arrow keys to see the parity choices Choose from one of the following None 8 data bits Even 7 data bits or Odd 7 data bits When you set parity you are indirectly setting the number of data bits EVEN 7 BITS 5 Save the change and turn off the menu The parity selection is stored in non volatile memory and does no...

Page 165: ...e I O MENU choice on this level E I O MENU 3 Move down a level and then across to the LANGUAGE command 5 LANGUAGE 4 Move down to the parameter level to select the language Choose from one of the following SCPI HP 3478A or Fluke 8840A SCPI 5 Save the change and turn off the menu The language selection is stored in non volatile memory and does not change when power has been off or after a remote int...

Page 166: ... all of the commands available for the other two multimeters are implemented in the HP 34401A with the exception of the self test and calibration commands You must always calibrate the HP 34401A using the SCPI language setting The calibration commands from the other two multimeters will not be executed Be aware that measurement timing may be different in the alternate language compatibility modes ...

Page 167: ...ariable calibration value PUT user defined message Perform self test Store input as calibration value Begin A D calibration Begin high frequency AC calibration Enter ERASE mode HP 34401A Action Generates Error 51 in 8840A 8842A Returns 1000 Returns HEWLETT PACKARD 34401A 0 X X X Generates Error 51 in 8840A 8842A Generates Error 51 in 8840A 8842A Self test is not executed and no errors are recorded...

Page 168: ...imum FREQuency VOLTage RANGe AUTO OFF ON FREQuency VOLTage RANGe AUTO PERiod VOLTage RANGe range MINimum MAXimum PERiod VOLTage RANGe MINimum MAXimum PERiod VOLTage RANGe AUTO OFF ON PERiod VOLTage RANGe AUTO ZERO AUTO SYSTem LOCal REMote RWLock CALCulate AVERage MINimum AVERage MAXimum AVERage AVERage AVERage COUNt DB REFerence value MINimum MAXimum DB REFerence MINimum MAXimum DBM REFerence valu...

Page 169: ...ines Addressed Commands ATN IFC REN SRQ Attention Interface Clear Remote Enable Service Request Interrupt DCL EOI GET GTL LLO SDC SPD SPE Device Clear End or Identify Message Terminator Group Execute Trigger Go to Local Local Lock Out Selected Device Clear Serial Poll Disable Serial Poll Enable 4 Chapter 4 Remote Interface Reference IEEE 488 Compliance Information 169 ...

Page 170: ...5 Error Messages 5 ...

Page 171: ... error queue the multimeter responds with 0 No error The error queue is cleared when power has been off or after a CLS clear status command has been executed The RST reset command does not clear the error queue Front Panel Operation 3 ERROR SYS MENU If the ERROR annunciator is on press Shift Recall Menu to read the errors stored in the queue The errors are listed horizontally on the parameter leve...

Page 172: ...k space instead of a comma Example TRIG COUN 1 or CONF FREQ 1000 0 1 104 Data type error The wrong parameter type was found in the command string You may have specified a number where a string was expected or vice versa Example DISP TEXT 5 0 105 GET not allowed A Group Execute Trigger GET is not allowed within a command string 108 Parameter not allowed More parameters were received than expected f...

Page 173: ... A numeric parameter was found whose exponent was larger than 32 000 Example TRIG COUN 1E34000 124 Too many digits A numeric parameter was found whose mantissa contained more than 255 digits excluding leading zeros 131 Invalid suffix A suffix was incorrectly specified for a numeric parameter You may have misspelled the suffix Example TRIG DEL 0 5 SECS 138 Suffix not allowed A suffix was received f...

Page 174: ...t block data 170 to 178 Expression errors The multimeter does not accept mathematical expressions 211 Trigger ignored A Group Execute Trigger GET or TRG was received but the trigger was ignored Make sure the multimeter is in the wait for trigger state before issuing a trigger and make sure the correct trigger source is selected 213 Init ignored An INITiate command was received but could not be exe...

Page 175: ... character string was received but could not be executed because the string length was more than 12 characters This error can be generated by the CALibration STRing and DISPlay TEXT commands 224 Illegal parameter value A discrete parameter was received which was not a valid choice for the command You may have used an invalid parameter choice Example CALC FUNC SCALE SCALE is not a valid choice 230 ...

Page 176: ...nd has been executed 420 Query UNTERMINATED The multimeter was addressed to talk i e to send data over the interface but a command has not been received which sends data to the output buffer For example you may have executed a CONFigure command which does not generate data and then attempted an ENTER statement to read data from the remote interface 430 Query DEADLOCKED A command was received which...

Page 177: ... and the trigger count TRIGger COUNt must not exceed 512 readings 532 Cannot achieve requested resolution The multimeter cannot achieve the requested measurement resolution You may have specified an invalid resolution in the CONFigure or MEASure command 540 Cannot use overload as math reference The multimeter cannot store an overload reading 9 90000000E 37 as the math reference for null or dB meas...

Page 178: ...A D sync stuck 604 A D slope convergence failed 605 Cannot calibrate rundown gain 606 Rundown gain out of range 607 Rundown too noisy 608 Serial configuration readback failed 609 DC gain x1 failed 610 DC gain x10 failed 611 DC gain x100 failed 612 Ohms 500 nA source failed 613 Ohms 5 uA source failed 614 DC 1000V zero failed 615 Ohms 10 uA source failed 5 Chapter 5 Error Messages Self Test Errors ...

Page 179: ...d 626 I O processor failed self test Calibration Errors The following errors indicate failures that may occur during a calibration Refer to the Service Guide for more information 701 Cal security disabled by jumper The calibration security feature has been disabled with a jumper inside the multimeter When applicable this error will occur at power on to warn you that the multimeter is unsecured 702...

Page 180: ...ue out of range The specified calibration value CALibration VALue is invalid for the present function and range 707 Cal signal measurement out of range The specified calibration value CALibration VALue does not match the signal applied to the multimeter 708 Cal signal frequency out of range The input signal frequency for an ac calibration does not match the required input frequency for calibration...

Page 181: ...ction out of range 736 AC rms 100th scale linearity correction out of range 740 Cal checksum failed secure state 741 Cal checksum failed string data 742 Cal checksum failed DCV corrections 743 Cal checksum failed DCI corrections 744 Cal checksum failed RES corrections 745 Cal checksum failed FRES corrections 746 Cal checksum failed AC corrections 747 Cal checksum failed HP IB address 748 Cal check...

Page 182: ...6 Application Programs 6 ...

Page 183: ...ckBASIC example programs are written for the HP 82335A HP IB Interface Card and command library for IBM PC compatibles The HP IB IEEE 488 address is set to 22 when the multimeter is shipped from the factory The examples in this chapter assume an HP IB address of 22 When sending a remote interface command you append this address to the HP IB interface s select code normally 7 Therefore with an addr...

Page 184: ...mm 50 OUTPUT Dmm CLS Clear dmm status registers 60 OUTPUT Dmm MEASURE CURRENT AC 1A 0 001MA Set to 1 amp ac range 70 ENTER Dmm Rdg 80 PRINT Rdg 90 END HP IB Operation Using HP BASIC REM Include QBSetup DEV 722 INFO1 RST LENGTH1 LEN INFO1 INFO2 CLS LENGTH2 LEN INFO2 INFO3 MEASURE CURRENT AC 1A 0 001MA LENGTH3 LEN INFO3 Call IOCLEAR DEV Call IOOUTPUTS DEV INFO1 LENGTH1 Call IOOUTPUTS DEV INFO2 LENGT...

Page 185: ...50 OUTPUT Dmm CLS Clear dmm status registers 60 OUTPUT Dmm CALC DBM REF 50 50 ohm reference resistance 70 OUTPUT Dmm CONF VOLT AC 1 0 001 Set dmm to 1 amp ac range 80 OUTPUT Dmm DET BAND 200 Select 200 Hz fast ac filter 90 OUTPUT Dmm TRIG COUN 5 Dmm will accept 5 triggers 100 OUTPUT Dmm TRIG SOUR IMM Trigger source is IMMediate 110 OUTPUT Dmm CALC FUNC DBM Select dBm function 120 OUTPUT Dmm CALC S...

Page 186: ...AD LENGTH10 LEN INFO10 DIM A 1 5 Actual 0 Call IOCLEAR DEV Call IOOUTPUTS DEV INFO1 LENGTH1 Call IOOUTPUTS DEV INFO2 LENGTH2 Call IOOUTPUTS DEV INFO3 LENGTH3 Call IOOUTPUTS DEV INFO4 LENGTH4 Call IOOUTPUTS DEV INFO5 LENGTH5 Call IOOUTPUTS DEV INFO6 LENGTH6 Call IOOUTPUTS DEV INFO7 LENGTH7 Call IOOUTPUTS DEV INFO8 LENGTH8 Call IOOUTPUTS DEV INFO9 LENGTH9 Call IOOUTPUTS DEV INFO10 LENGTH10 Call IOEN...

Page 187: ... SRQ line 90 OUTPUT Dmm OPC Assure synchronization 100 ENTER Dmm Val 110 120 Configure the multimeter to make measurements 130 140 OUTPUT Dmm CONF VOLT DC 10 Set dmm to 10 volt dc range 150 OUTPUT Dmm VOLT DC NPLC 10 Set the integration time to 10 PLCs 160 OUTPUT Dmm TRIG COUN 100 Dmm will accept 100 triggers 170 OUTPUT Dmm CALC FUNC AVER STAT ON Select min max and enable math 180 OUTPUT Dmm INIT ...

Page 188: ... 340 END WHILE 350 DISP AVE Aver MIN Min_rdg MAX Max_rdg 360 STOP 370 380 Read_data 390 OUTPUT Dmm CALC AVER AVER MIN MAX Read the average min and max 400 ENTER Dmm Aver Min_rdg Max_rdg 410 OUTPUT Dmm CLS Clear dmm status registers 420 Task 0 430 RETURN 440 END 6 Chapter 6 Application Programs Using the Status Registers 189 ...

Page 189: ...6 CONF VOLT DC 10 LENGTH6 LEN INFO6 INFO7 VOLT DC NPLC 10 LENGTH7 LEN INFO7 INFO8 TRIG COUN 100 LENGTH8 LEN INFO8 INFO9 CALC FUNC AVER STAT ON LENGTH9 LEN INFO9 INFO10 INIT LENGTH10 LEN INFO10 INFO11 OPC LENGTH11 LEN INFO11 INFO12 CALC AVER AVER MIN MAX LENGTH12 LEN INFO12 INFO13 CLS LENGTH13 LEN INFO13 DIM A 1 3 Actual 0 Reading 0 Continued on next page Chapter 6 Application Programs Using the St...

Page 190: ...UTPUTS DEV INFO6 LENGTH6 Call IOOUTPUTS DEV INFO7 LENGTH7 Call IOOUTPUTS DEV INFO8 LENGTH8 Call IOOUTPUTS DEV INFO9 LENGTH9 BACK GOTO BACK RESULTS Call IOOUTPUTS DEV INFO10 LENGTH10 Call IOOUTPUTS DEV INFO11 LENGTH11 Call IOOUTPUTS DEV INFO12 LENGTH12 Call IOENTERA DEV Seg A 1 3 Actual For I 1 to 3 Print A I Next I Call IOOUTPUTS DEV INFO13 LENGTH13 END HP IB Operation Using QuickBASIC continued 6...

Page 191: ...ation mode PRINT 1 SYST REM Query the multimeter s id string PRINT 1 IDN LINE INPUT 1 resp PRINT IDN returned resp Ask what revision of SCPI the multimeter conforms to PRINT 1 SYST VERS LINE INPUT 1 resp PRINT SYST VERS returned resp Send a message to the multimeter s display and generate a beep PRINT 1 SYST BEEP DISP TEXT HP 34401A Configure the multimeter for dc voltage readings 10 V range 0 1 V...

Page 192: ...efine ODD_7 0x08 0x02 0x04 Odd parity 7 data 2 stop define NONE_8 0x00 0x03 0x04 None parity 8 data 2 stop define BAUD300 0x40 define BAUD600 0x60 define BAUD1200 0x80 define BAUD2400 0xA0 define BAUD4800 0xC0 define BAUD9600 0xE0 8250 UART Registers define COM 0x3F8 COM1 base port address define THR COM 0 LCR bit 7 0 define RDR COM 0 LCR bit 7 0 define IER COM 1 LCR bit 7 0 define IIR COM 2 The r...

Page 193: ...r argv void interrupt oldvect char command 80 c int i oldvect getvect IRQ4_int Save old interrupt vector setvect IRQ4_int int_char_in Set up new interrupt handler bioscom 0 BAUD9600 EVEN_7 0 Initialize settings for COM1 outportb MCR 0x9 Enable IRQ buffer DTR 1 outportb IER 0x1 Enable UART data receive interrupt Enable IRQ4 in 8259 interrupt controller register outportb INT_controller 1 inportb INT...

Page 194: ... int_buf_count if int_buf_out int_buf INT_BUF_size int_buf_out int_buf if kbhit if getch 0x19 send_ctlc if Y then send C c 0xa Terminate loop while c 0xa End if while command 0 q q to quit program outportb IER inportb IER 0xfe Disable UART interrupt outportb MCR 0x1 Disable IRQ buffer DTR 1 Disable IRQ4 in 8259 interrupt controller register outportb INT_controller 1 inportb INT_controller 1 IRQ4_e...

Page 195: ...d_of_interrupt Non specific EOI void send_ctlc void outportb MCR 0x8 De assert DTR delay 10 Wait 10 mS for stray characters while inportb LSR 0x20 Wait on transmitter register outportb THR 0x3 Send C while inportb LSR 0x40 Wait for C to be sent int_buf_in int_buf_out int_buf Clear int_char_in buffer int_buf_count int_buf_ovfl 0 delay 20 20mS for HP 34401 to clean up outportb MCR 0x9 Assert DTR RS ...

Page 196: ...7 Measurement Tutorial 7 ...

Page 197: ...ing dissimilar metals at different temperatures Each metal to metal junction forms a thermocouple which generates a voltage proportional to the junction temperature You should take the necessary precautions to minimize thermocouple voltages and temperature variations in low level voltage measurements The best connections are formed using copper to copper crimped connections The table below shows c...

Page 198: ...uring circuitry exhibits approximately 30 pA of input bias current for ambient temperatures from 0 C to 30 C Bias current will double 2 for every 8 C change in ambient temperature above 30 C This current generates small voltage offsets dependent upon the source resistance of the device under test This effect becomes evident for a source resistance of greater than 100 kΩ or when the multimeter s op...

Page 199: ...verage out to approximately zero The HP 34401A provides three A D integration times to reject power line frequency noise and power line frequency harmonics When you apply power to the multimeter it measures the power line frequency 50 Hz or 60 Hz and then determines the proper integration time The table below shows the noise rejection achieved with various configurations For better resolution and ...

Page 200: ...when working near conductors carrying large currents Use twisted pair connections to the multimeter to reduce the noise pickup loop area or dress the test leads as close together as possible Loose or vibrating test leads will also induce error voltages Make sure your test leads are tied down securely when operating near magnetic fields Whenever possible use magnetic shielding materials or physical...

Page 201: ...e best way to eliminate ground loops is to maintain the multimeter s isolation from earth do not connect the input terminals to ground If the multimeter must be earth referenced be sure to connect it and the device under test to the same common ground point This will reduce or eliminate any voltage difference between the devices Also make sure the multimeter and device under test are connected to ...

Page 202: ...apter for dc voltage measurements also apply to resistance measurements Additional error sources unique to resistance measurements are discussed on the following pages 4 Wire Ohms Measurements The 4 wire ohms method provides the most accurate way to measure small resistances Test lead resistances and contact resistances are automatically reduced using this method Four wire ohms is often used in au...

Page 203: ...1A has the ability to insert automatic measurement settling delays These delays are adequate for resistance measurements with less than 200 pF of combined cable and device capacitance This is particularly important if you are measuring resistances above 100 kΩ Settling due to RC time constant effects can be quite long Some precision resistors and multi function calibrators use large parallel capac...

Page 204: ... insulators can easily contribute a 0 1 error when measuring a 1 MΩ resistance in humid conditions DC Current Measurement Errors When you connect the multimeter in series with a test circuit to measure current a measurement error is introduced The error is caused by the multimeter s series burden voltage A voltage is developed across the wiring resistance and current shunt resistance of the multim...

Page 205: ...y For other waveform shapes an average responding meter will exhibit substantial errors as shown below The multimeter s ac voltage and ac current functions measure the ac coupled true RMS value This is in contrast to the ac dc true RMS value shown above Only the heating value of the ac components of the input waveform are measured dc is rejected For sinewaves triangle waves and square waves the ac...

Page 206: ...ations apply to all waveforms Actually the shape of the input signal can dramatically affect measurement accuracy A common way to describe signal waveshapes is crest factor Crest factor is the ratio of the peak value to RMS value of a waveform For a pulse train for example the crest factor is approximately equal to the square root of the inverse of the duty cycle as shown in the table on the previ...

Page 207: ...ated bandwidth error as shown below Example Calculate the approximate measurement error for a pulse train input with a crest factor of 3 and a fundamental frequency of 20 kHz For this example assume the multimeter s 90 day accuracy specifications 0 05 0 03 Total Error 0 08 0 15 1 4 1 6 Bandwidth Error C F 2 x F 4 π x BW C F signal crest factor F input fundamental frequency BW multimeter s 3 dB ban...

Page 208: ...ding The table below shows the multimeter s approximate input resistance at various frequencies For low frequencies Error 100 x Rs Rs 1 MΩ Additional error for high frequencies Input Frequency 100 Hz 1 kHz 10 kHz 100 kHz Input Resistance 1 MΩ 850 kΩ 160 kΩ 16 kΩ Error 100 x 1 1 2 π x F x Rs x Cin 2 1 Rs source resistance F input frequency Cin input capacitance 100 pF plus cable capacitance 7 Chapt...

Page 209: ... ranges The additional error will be less than 0 02 and will dissipate in a few minutes Temperature Coefficient and Overload Errors The HP 34401A uses an ac measurement technique that measures and removes internal offset voltages when you select a different function or range If you leave the multimeter in the same range for an extended period of time and the ambient temperature changes significant...

Page 210: ...are connected to the same electrical outlet whenever possible You should also minimize the area of any ground loops that cannot be avoided A high impedance source is more susceptible to noise pickup than a low impedance source You can reduce the high frequency impedance of a source by placing a capacitor in parallel with the multimeter s input terminals You may have to experiment to determine the ...

Page 211: ...cuitry while extensively shielded responds differently in the backward input case due to slight differences in stray capacitance to earth The multimeter s errors are greatest for high voltage high frequency inputs Typically the multimeter will exhibit about 0 06 additional error for a 100 V 100 kHz reverse input You can use the grounding techniques described for dc common mode problems to minimize...

Page 212: ...ge change You must allow the multimeter s input dc blocking capacitor to fully settle before making frequency measurements Making High Speed DC and Resistance Measurements The multimeter incorporates an automatic zero measurement procedure autozero to eliminate internal thermal EMF and bias current errors Each measurement actually consists of a measurement of the input terminals followed by a meas...

Page 213: ...s where sample to sample levels vary widely the medium filter will settle at 1 reading per second and the fast filter will settle at 10 readings per second If the sample to sample levels are similar little settling time is required for each new reading Under this specialized condition the medium filter will provide reduced accuracy results at 5 readings per second and the fast filter will provide ...

Page 214: ...8 Specifications 8 ...

Page 215: ... 001 0 010 0 001 0 010 0 001 0 040 0 001 0 800 0 010 0 0006 0 0005 0 0006 0 0001 0 0006 0 0001 0 0006 0 0001 0 0010 0 0002 0 0030 0 0004 0 1500 0 0002 DC Current 10 00000 mA 100 0000 mA 1 000000 A 3 000000 A 0 1 V 0 6 V 1 V 2 V 0 005 0 010 0 01 0 004 0 05 0 006 0 10 0 020 0 030 0 020 0 030 0 005 0 080 0 010 0 120 0 020 0 050 0 020 0 050 0 005 0 100 0 010 0 120 0 020 0 002 0 0020 0 002 0 0005 0 005...

Page 216: ...kΩ per lead on all other ranges 1000 V on all ranges 0 1Ω for 1A 3A 5Ω for 10 mA 100 mA Externally accessible 3A 250 V fuse Internal 7A 250 V fuse 300 samples sec with audible tone Adjustable from 1 Ω to 1000 Ω Input HI LO Reference HI LO 100 mV to 1000 V ranges 100 mV to 10 V ranges autoranged Reference LO to Input LO voltage 2 V Reference HI to Input LO voltage 12V Measuring Characteristics Tefl...

Page 217: ... 20 0 02 True RMS AC Current 4 1 000000 A 3 00000 A 3 Hz 5 Hz 5 Hz 10 Hz 10 Hz 5 kHz 3 Hz 5 Hz 5 Hz 10 Hz 10 Hz 5 kHz 1 00 0 04 0 30 0 04 0 10 0 04 1 10 0 06 0 35 0 06 0 15 0 06 1 00 0 04 0 30 0 04 0 10 0 04 1 10 0 06 0 35 0 06 0 15 0 06 1 00 0 04 0 30 0 04 0 10 0 04 1 10 0 06 0 35 0 06 0 15 0 06 0 100 0 006 0 035 0 006 0 015 0 006 0 100 0 006 0 035 0 006 0 015 0 006 Additional Low Frequency Error...

Page 218: ... ACV ACI 61 2 61 2 61 2 61 2 61 2 7 sec reading 1 1 6 10 10 50 11 AC Filter Slow Medium Fast Fast Fast System Speeds 11 12 Function or Range Change Autorange Time ASCII readings to RS 232 ASCII readings to HP IB Max Internal Trigger Rate Max External Trigger Rate to Memory Max ExternalTrigger Rate to HP IB RS 232 5 sec 0 8 sec 50 sec 50 sec 50 sec 50 sec 50 sec Operating Characteristics 9 Reading ...

Page 219: ...05 0 001 0 001 Additional Low Frequency Errors of reading 4 Frequency Resolution 61 2 51 2 41 2 0 0 12 0 12 0 0 17 0 17 0 0 2 0 2 0 0 06 0 21 0 0 03 0 21 0 0 01 0 07 0 0 0 02 3 Hz 5 Hz 5 Hz 10 Hz 10 Hz 40 Hz 40 Hz 100 Hz 100 Hz 300 Hz 300 Hz 1 kHz 1 kHz Transfer Accuracy typical 0 0005 of reading Conditions Within 10 minutes and 0 5 C Within 10 of initial value Following a 2 hour warm up For input...

Page 220: ...ror when measuring low voltage low frequency signals Shielding inputs from external noise pickup is critical for minimizing measurement errors Measuring Characteristics Function Frequency Period 61 2 51 2 41 2 1 9 8 80 System Speeds 5 Configuration Rates Autorange Time ASCII readings to RS 232 ASCII readings to HP IB Max Internal Trigger Rate Max External Trigger Rate to Memory Max ExternalTrigger...

Page 221: ... and RS 232C General Specifications Power Supply Power Line Frequency Power Consumption Operating Environment Storage Environment Operating Altitude Rack Dimensions HxWxD Weight Safety EMI 1 Vibration and Shock Warranty 100 V 120 V 220 V 240 V 10 45 Hzto66 Hzand 360Hz to 440Hz Automatically sensed at power on 25 VA peak 10 W average Full accuracy for 0 C to 55 C Full accuracy to 80 R H at 40 C 40 ...

Page 222: ...Product Dimensions TOP Product Dimensions All dimensions are shown in millimeters 8 Chapter 8 Specifications 223 ...

Page 223: ...ification pages If you are operating the multimeter outside the 23 C 5 C temperature range specified apply an additional temperature coefficient error For dc voltage dc current and resistance measurements you may need to apply an additional reading speed error or autozero OFF error For ac voltage and ac current measurements you may need to apply an additional low frequency error or crest factor er...

Page 224: ...or a ppm part per million of input error as shown below of input error Total Measurement Error Input Signal Level 100 ppm of input error Total Measurement Error Input Signal Level 1 000 000 Error Example Assume that a 5 Vdc signal is input to the multimeter on the 10 Vdc range Compute the total measurement error using the 90 day accuracy specifications 0 0020 of reading 0 0005 of range Range 10 Vd...

Page 225: ...to a 61 2 digit measurement with 20 overrange capability Sensitivity Sensitivity is the minimum level that the multimeter can detect for a given measurement Sensitivity defines the ability of the multimeter to respond to small changes in the input level For example suppose you are monitoring a 1 mVdc signal and you want to adjust the level to within 1 µV To be able to respond to an adjustment this...

Page 226: ...S National Institute of Standards and Technology To be meaningful the accuracy specifications must be accompanied with the conditions under which they are valid These conditions should include temperature humidity and time There is no standard convention among multimeter manufacturers for the confidence limits at which specifications are set The table below shows the probability of non conformance...

Page 227: ...pecified for a 24 hour period and for a 1 C temperature range 90 Day and 1 Year Accuracy These long term accuracy specifications are valid for a 23 C 5 C temperature range These specifications include the initial calibration errors plus the multimeter s long term drift errors Temperature Coefficients Accuracy is usually specified for a 23 C 5 C temperature range This is a common temperature range ...

Page 228: ...rther noise reduction Set the input resistance to greater than 10 GΩ for the 100 mV 1 V and 10 V ranges for the best dc voltage accuracy Use 4 wire ohms for the best resistance accuracy Use Math Null to null the test lead resistance for 2 wire ohms and to remove interconnection offset for dc voltage measurements AC Voltage and AC Current Measurements Set the resolution to 6 digits Select the slow ...

Page 229: ...75 127 C cables RS 232 150 CALCulate FUNCtion 63 124 CALCulate STATe 63 124 CALibration COUNt 98 146 CALibration SECure 97 146 CALibration STRing 99 147 calibration changing security code 98 commands 146 count 98 errors 180 message 99 secure procedure 97 security code factory setting 95 unsecure procedure 96 carrying handle adjusting 16 removing 23 chassis ground 5 CLEAR 76 comma separator 37 89 c...

Page 230: ... 141 143 definition 134 error messages calibration errors 180 error queue 85 172 error string length 85 172 execution errors 173 self test errors 179 errors bandwidth 208 burden voltage 212 common mode 212 crest factor 207 224 leakage current 199 service request generation 69 137 temperature coefficient 224 test lead resistance 204 thermal EMF 198 EOI end or identify 157 even parity 93 event regis...

Page 231: ...reading memory functions allowed 46 84 number of readings stored 84 retrieving readings 46 storing readings 46 internal triggering 75 L L1 L2 L3 94 166 language command summary 105 111 compatibility 166 compliance SCPI 168 restrictions 92 94 selecting 94 162 lead resistance 38 65 204 leakage current errors 199 limit test beeper control 88 description 69 functions allowed 63 124 RS 232 pass fail ou...

Page 232: ...ut buffer 139 overload 61 142 OVLD 61 142 P parameter types 158 parity 93 164 parts per million 227 pass fail limit test beeper control 88 description 69 functions allowed 63 124 RS 232 pass fail outputs 70 service request 69 142 PERiod APERture 58 122 period aperture time 58 connections 18 math functions allowed 63 124 measurement band 18 power cord 15 power dissipation effects 204 power line cyc...

Page 233: ...re 89 ROUTe TERMinals 58 123 RS 232 interface baud rate selection 93 148 163 cables recommended 150 commands 153 connector location 5 150 connector pinout 150 data format 159 handshake protocol DTR DSR 151 parity selection 93 164 pass fail outputs 70 150 pin definitions 150 selecting interface 92 162 TALK ONLY mode 91 160 rubber bumpers removing 23 S SAMPle COUNt 77 131 samples number of 77 SCPI c...

Page 234: ...ELay AUTO 80 131 TRIGger SOURce 73 130 triggering abort measurements 76 auto trigger 42 73 commands 130 delay 79 external trigger 42 74 83 flowchart 72 front panel 42 idle trigger state 76 129 internal 75 multiple readings samples 77 multiple triggers 78 single trigger 42 73 software bus trigger 75 127 sources 73 wait for trigger state 76 129 TST 86 tutorial front panel menu 29 measurement 197 twi...

Page 235: ...011 1991 Group 1 Class A IEC 801 2 1991 EN50082 1 1992 4 kV CD 8 kV AD IEC 801 3 1984 EN50082 1 1992 3 V m IEC 801 4 1988 EN50082 1 1992 1 kV Power Lines 0 5 kV Signal Lines Supplementary Information The product herewith complies with the requirements of the Low Voltage Directive 73 23 EEC and the EMC Directive 89 336 EEC inclusive 93 68 EEC and carries the CE mark accordingly Loveland Colorado Ju...

Page 236: ...condition of merchant ability fitness for a particular purpose or satisfactory quality For transactions in Australia and New Zealand The war ranty terms contained in this statement except to the extent lawfully permit ted do not exclude restrict or modify and are in addition to the mandatory statutory rights applicable to the sale of this product Exclusive Remedies To the extent allowed by local l...

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