G E T T I N G S T A R T E D
1
Introduction to the
HP34401A Digital Multimeter
The following is a brief overview of the DMM.
his manual was written to instruct ECE 3041 students on the operation and uses of
the HP34401A Digital Mulitmeter. The HP34401A is a very versatile instrument
capable of measuring numerous circuit characteristics. It is capable of measuring
electric characteristics such as: voltage, current, frequency and resistance with very
high accuracy. These functions will be the focus of this manual. The following guide is for
course-specific applications and not intended to be used as a complete user’s manual. To find
more information beyond the scope of this manual, check the “Where to Find More Help”
section.
Features
he HP34401A is setup for bench-top use with AC power supply. It performs at 1000
readings/sec and has a 6½-digit display. The HP34401A will automatically adjust the
range to the characteristic being measured. It is also extremely accurate: 0.0015%
error for DC, 0.06% for AC.
Specifications
Function
Range
(For accuracy specifications, consult the full manual)
DC Characteristics:
DC Voltage Range and input Resistances:
0.1V, 1V, 10V: input resistance selectable 10MW or > 10GW
100mV to 1000V: Rin = 10MW
DC Current range and shunt resistance:
10mA, 100mA: Rshunt= 5 W
1A and 3A: 0.1 W
AC Characteristics: true RMS:
AC Voltage: from 3 Hz to 300 kHz
AC Current from 3 Hz to 5 kHz
Resistance range: 2-wire and 4-wire
method:
100 W, 1 kW, 10 kW, 100 kW, 1 MW and 100 MW
Input protection: 1000V
Frequency and Period measurement:
Frequency range: 3 Hz - 300 kHz
Input voltage range: 100 mV to 750 V
T
T
Table 1
. Table of Function Ranges [1]