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Model 2460 Interactive SourceMeter® Instrument User's Manual 

Section 3: Using a remote interface 

 

2460-900-01 Rev. A / September 2014 

3-3 

 

To avoid possible mechanical damage, stack no more than three connectors on any one instrument. 
To minimize interference caused by electromagnetic radiation, use only shielded GPIB cables. 
Contact Keithley Instruments for shielded cables. 

 

Figure 10: Model 2460 IEEE-488 connections 

 

 

 

Set the GPIB address 

The default GPIB address is 18. You can set the address to any address from 0 to 30 if it is unique in 
the system. This address cannot conflict with an address that is assigned to another instrument or to 
the GPIB controller. 

 

GPIB controllers are usually set to 0 or 21. To be safe, do not configure any instrument to have an 
address of 0 or 21. To change the controller address, see the documentation for the controller. 

 

The instrument saves the address in nonvolatile memory. It does not change when you send a reset 
command or when you turn the power off and then on again. 

 

Summary of Contents for SourceMeter 2460

Page 1: ...mber 2014 P246090001A 2460 900 01A www keithley com Model 2460 High Current Interactive SourceMeter Instrument A Greater Measure of Confidence Lock Instrument Co Ltd 764 6 TEL 02 32346000 2 295 15 7 T...

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Page 3: ...trademarks of Keithley Instruments All Keithley Instruments product names are trademarks or registered trademarks of Keithley Instruments Other brand names are trademarks or registered trademarks of...

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Page 5: ...be connected to mains These instruments will be marked as category II or higher Unless explicitly allowed in the specifications operating manual and instrument labels do not connect any instrument to...

Page 6: ...y disposed of according to federal state and local laws The WARNING heading in the user documentation explains dangers that might result in personal injury or death Always read the associated informat...

Page 7: ...mote communications interfaces 3 1 Supported remote interfaces 3 1 GPIB communications 3 2 Install the GPIB driver software 3 2 Install the GPIB cards in your computer 3 2 Connect GPIB cables to your...

Page 8: ...commands 5 6 Set up the low resistance application using TSP commands 5 7 Rechargeable battery measurements 6 1 Introduction 6 1 Equipment required 6 3 Device connections 6 4 Automated battery charge...

Page 9: ...High speed high current pulses from a remote interface 9 4 Define the pulse test parameters 9 5 Set up the source and measure functions 9 6 Set up the trigger model using TSP commands 9 6 TSP commands...

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Page 11: ...good solution for testing a wide variety of materials and devices in applications such as power semiconductors solar energy high brightness LEDs power conversion electrochemistry batteries and more I...

Page 12: ...ley com CD ROM contents The following CD ROM is shipped with each Model 2460 instrument Interactive SourceMeter SMU Instruments Product Information CD ROM Keithley Instruments part number 24GDI 950 01...

Page 13: ...s This manual provides application examples that show you how to perform tests from the front panel and over a remote interface These applications are presented after the summary information about the...

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Page 15: ...the on position To turn it off press the power switch so that it is in the off position O HOME key Returns the display to the Home screen MENU key Opens the main menu Press the icons on the main menu...

Page 16: ...s trigger related settings and operations The action of the TRIGGER key depends on the instrument state OUTPUT ON OFF switch Turns the output source on or off The key illuminates when the source outpu...

Page 17: ...th safety ground wire for use with grounded outlets When proper connections are made the instrument chassis is connected to power line ground through the ground wire in the power cord In addition a re...

Page 18: ...on Turn off the equipment from the front panel or disconnect the main power cord from the rear of the Model 2460 before handling cables Putting the equipment into an output off state does not guarant...

Page 19: ...d screen do one of the following Touch it with your finger Turn the navigation control to highlight the item and then press the navigation control to select it The following topics describe the Model...

Page 20: ...ogram the Model 2460 to show that a test is in process To set up custom text on the USER swipe screen use TSP or SCPI commands from a remote interface See the Model 2460 Reference Manual for details F...

Page 21: ...the icons in each submenu opens their interactive screens Store measurements on a USB flash drive If there is measurement data in the buffer you can copy it from the Model 2460 to a USB flash drive T...

Page 22: ...the front panel display to a graphic file The instrument saves these graphic files also known as screen captures in sequentially numbered files to the USB flash drive To save the screen capture 1 Inse...

Page 23: ...ce depending on the access mode The Model 2460 automatically detects the type of communications interface LAN GPIB or USB when you connect to the respective port on the rear panel of the instrument In...

Page 24: ...re drivers Keithley Instruments also recommends that you check the website of the GPIB controller for the latest version of drivers or software It is important that you install the drivers before you...

Page 25: ...nnections Set the GPIB address The default GPIB address is 18 You can set the address to any address from 0 to 30 if it is unique in the system This address cannot conflict with an address that is ass...

Page 26: ...10 Mbps or 100 Mbps network The Model 2460 automatically detects the speed The Model 2460 also supports Multicast DNS mDNS and DNS Service Discovery DNS SD which are useful on a LAN with no central a...

Page 27: ...e 6 For Gateway enter the gateway address 7 For Subnet enter the subnet mask 8 Select Apply Settings to save your settings Set up LAN communications on the computer This section describes how to set u...

Page 28: ...Discovery Browser 3 Click LXI Discovery Browser The Keithley LXI Discovery Browser window is displayed The LXI Discovery Browser displays the instruments that it finds on the network and their associa...

Page 29: ...ect to Windows Update to search for software dialog box opens click No and then click Next 5 On the USB Test and Measurement device dialog box click Next and then click Finish Communicate with the ins...

Page 30: ...ual 3 8 2460 900 01 Rev A September 2014 To use the Keithley Configuration Panel to determine the VISA resource string 1 Click Start All Programs Keithley Instruments Keithley Configuration Panel The...

Page 31: ...ection 3 Using a remote interface 2460 900 01 Rev A September 2014 3 9 3 Click Next The Select Communication Bus dialog box is displayed Figure 12 Select Communication Bus dialog box 4 Select USB 5 Cl...

Page 32: ...00 01 Rev A September 2014 Figure 13 Select Instrument Driver dialog box 6 Select Auto detect Instrument Driver Model 7 Click Next The Configure USB Instrument dialog box is displayed with the detecte...

Page 33: ...01 Rev A September 2014 3 11 Figure 14 Name Virtual Instrument dialog box 9 In the Virtual Instrument Name box enter a name that you want to use to refer to the instrument 10 Click Finish 11 Click Can...

Page 34: ...system you can run Agilent Connection Expert to check your USB instruments See the Agilent documentation for information Using the web interface The Model 2460 web interface allows you to review basic...

Page 35: ...hat the setup procedure used the configuration information for the correct ethernet card Verify that the network card of the computer is enabled Verify that the IP address of the instrument is compati...

Page 36: ...TCP Raw Socket number and Telnet Port number The last LXI message The history link opens the LXI Home page The ID button which allows you to identify the instrument Refer to Identify the instrument o...

Page 37: ...cludes the following information The EventID column shows the event identifier that generated the event The System Timestamp column displays the seconds and nanoseconds when the event occurred The Dat...

Page 38: ...0 900 01 Rev A September 2014 To change to the SCPI command set from a remote interface Send the command LANG SCPI Reboot the instrument To change to the TSP command set from a remote interface Send t...

Page 39: ...ke measurements on a 10 k resistor by sourcing voltage and measuring current You can make similar measurements on any two terminal device under test DUT if appropriate source values are used Some of t...

Page 40: ...s Turn the power to the instrument off before attaching connections to the Model 2460 Connect the Model 2460 to the resistor in a 2 wire local sense configuration In this configuration the device is c...

Page 41: ...RCE VOLTAGE select the button next to Range 5 Select 20 V 6 Select the source voltage Under SOURCE VOLTAGE select the button next to Source 7 Enter 10 V and select OK 8 Set the limits for the source U...

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Page 43: ...ired One Model 2460 Interactive SourceMeter instrument For front panel connections use four insulated banana cables such as the Keithley Instruments Model 8608 High Performance Clip Lead Set one set i...

Page 44: ...measurement method for this test This method eliminates the effects of lead resistance on the measurement accuracy It is the preferred method when measuring low resistances To use the 4 wire connectio...

Page 45: ...nductors There is no internal connection between protective earth safety ground and the LO terminals of the Model 2460 Therefore hazardous voltages more than 30 Vrms can appear on LO terminals This ca...

Page 46: ...other lead Connect the sense connections as close to the resistor under test as possible This 4 wire measurement eliminates the resistance of the test leads in the measurement The figure below shows t...

Page 47: ...rt making measurements Generate readings from the front panel or the remote interface Turn the source output off Set up the measurement from the front panel To set up the application from the front pa...

Page 48: ...to open the Graph screen View the buffer statistics on the front panel You can view the measurement statistics on the Model 2460 front panel STATISTICS swipe screen including Buffer name Minimum maxim...

Page 49: ...a software tool that is available from the Keithley Instruments website You can install and use TSB to write code and develop scripts for TSP enabled instruments Information about how to use TSB is in...

Page 50: ...l to the TREND swipe screen display changescreen display SCREEN_PLOT_SWIPE Set to measure resistance use 4 wire sense and offset compensation smu measure func smu FUNC_RESISTANCE smu measure sense smu...

Page 51: ...If you are working with a battery type that is not listed here please contact your local Keithley office sales partner or distributor or call one of our Applications Engineers to get technical assist...

Page 52: ...st the battery voltage is less than the voltage output setting of the Model 2460 As a result this voltage difference drives a current that is immediately limited to the user defined current limit When...

Page 53: ...liver energy Devices that can deliver energy include voltage sources batteries capacitors and solar cells Configure instrument settings before making connections to the device Failure to consider the...

Page 54: ...ernal connection between protective earth safety ground and the LO terminals of the Model 2460 Therefore hazardous voltages more than 30 Vrms can appear on LO terminals This can occur when the instrum...

Page 55: ...te to high impedance 1 Press the MENU key 2 In the Source column select Settings 3 Select the button next to Output Off and select High Impedance 4 Press the HOME key to return to the Home screen The...

Page 56: ...current of the test Even though the Model 2460 is sourcing voltage it operates in constant current mode because it is in current limit until it reaches the desired voltage Turn on the source readback...

Page 57: ...Model 2460 remote interface connections Set up the battery application using SCPI commands The SCPI code in this example is configured to discharge a fully charged 1 2 V 2500 mAh battery to 0 9 V The...

Page 58: ...riable called voltLimit and initialize to 0 9001 Create an empty array for current measurements Create an empty array for voltage measurements Create an empty array for the time values Start a while l...

Page 59: ...e Model 2460 to the source voltage function and measure current function To discharge a fully charged 1 2 V battery the voltage source is set to 0 9 V and the source limit is set to 2 5 A The voltage...

Page 60: ...the number of iterations voltLimit 0 9001 iteration 1 Turn on the source output smu source output smu ON Change the display to the USER swipe screen display changescreen display SCREEN_USER_SWIPE Kee...

Page 61: ...Iteration tCurrent tVoltage tTime n for i 1 defbuffer1 n do print i defbuffer1 i defbuffer1 sourcevalues i defbuffer1 relativetimestamps i file write FileNumber string format g g g r n defbuffer1 read...

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Page 63: ...rightness LED You will then run the test and graph the data in KickStart Equipment and software required One Model 2460 High Current Interactive SourceMeter instrument Keithley KickStart Startup Softw...

Page 64: ...al information about how to set up remote communications see Remote communications interfaces on page 3 1 Figure 31 Model 2460 remote interface connections Device connections For best measurement accu...

Page 65: ...mix connections The figure below shows the front panel connections You can make these connections with four insulated banana cables that are rated to the maximum current 7 A such as two sets of the Ke...

Page 66: ...igure the test parameters Configure and view the graph screen Run the test View and save the test data Configure the Model 2460 to use the KickStart software The Model 2460 must be set to use the Test...

Page 67: ...r test projects you do not need to create a folder KickStart does that for you You can also use the default location for KickStart projects which is C Users My Documents Keithley Instruments KickStart...

Page 68: ...ourceMeter Instrument User s Manual 7 6 2460 900 01 Rev A September 2014 Figure 36 Select instrument in the Instrument Configuration panel 7 At the bottom of the screen click Select Test Type The Test...

Page 69: ...ng an I V sweep on an LED with KickStart 2460 900 01 Rev A September 2014 7 7 Figure 37 Selecting the test type 8 Right click the IV Characterizer test type and select Add Test Type The Source Measure...

Page 70: ...rammed Value 10 In the lower part of the Measure Settings column select the button next to Advanced Configuration and set the parameters listed in the following table Advanced settings Parameter Value...

Page 71: ...ck Graph Image in the Export Data Graph area of the ribbon at the top of the screen View and save the test data in tabular form You can also view the results of the test in tabular form by selecting t...

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Page 73: ...t circuit current Isc Because the Model 2460 has four quadrant source capability it can sink up to 7 A of cell current as a function of the applied voltage Equipment required One Model 2460 Interactiv...

Page 74: ...e measurement To use the 4 wire connection method Connect the FORCE LO and SENSE LO leads to the cathode terminal Connect the FORCE HI and SENSE HI leads to the anode terminal Make the connections as...

Page 75: ...cannot mix connections The figure below shows the front panel connections You can make these connections with four insulated banana cables that are rated to the maximum current 7 A such as two sets of...

Page 76: ...complete turn off the output Retrieve the measurements View the data on the front panel graph You must control the light source for this application you will run the test with the light source on and...

Page 77: ...OK 18 Select the button next to Delay and select Specify Delay Manually 19 Enter 50 ms and select OK 20 Select Generate This sets up a trigger model for the sweep 21 Press the MENU key 22 Under Measur...

Page 78: ...it to 4 A Set to sweep voltage from 0 to 20 V in 115 steps with a 0 05 s delay Initiate the sweep Wait until the sweep is finished Read the source and measure values from defbuffer1 Set up the solar p...

Page 79: ...smu source highc smu OFF smu source ilimit level 4 smu source sweeplinear SolarCell 0 20 num 0 05 Start the trigger model and wait for it to complete trigger model initiate waitcomplete Define initial...

Page 80: ...ure below Figure 46 Solar panel I V sweep results on the USER swipe screen After the code is executed five values are returned in the Instrument Console of Test Script Builder TSB and the measured cur...

Page 81: ...If you pulse low current less than 1 A you may need to use a longer pulse width to get a settled voltage measurement We recommend that you use an oscilloscope to verify the timing accuracy when you t...

Page 82: ...e communications see Remote communications interfaces on page 3 1 Figure 48 Model 2460 remote interface connections Device connections For best measurement accuracy and to eliminate the effects of tes...

Page 83: ...The figure below shows the front panel connections You can use four insulated banana cables that are rated to a maximum current of at least 7 A such as two sets of the Keithley Instruments Model 8608...

Page 84: ...lses from a remote interface In this application the Model 2460 is configured from a remote interface to generate a high current pulse train using Test Script Processor TSP commands A voltage reading...

Page 85: ...6 A Sets the amplitude current of each pulse from zero not from bias level biaswidth 3e 3 s Sets the time at the bias level pulsewidth 1e 3 s Sets the time at the amplitude level for each pulse perio...

Page 86: ...un autozero once to perform a one time autozero operation before the start of the trigger model For more precise source times Turn off the source readback feature If you want to use source readback yo...

Page 87: ...r 2 controls the pulse width For the most precise timing it is important that the Model 2460 is waiting at the Wait blocks when the timer events are generated To guarantee that the actual pulse width...

Page 88: ...ct Yes This following example code generates 10 pulses with a magnitude of 6 A and a pulse width of 1 ms The pulse period is 4 ms and the load is 1 The voltage readings are stored in the default buffe...

Page 89: ...e trigger model trigger model setblock 1 trigger BLOCK_BUFFER_CLEAR trigger model setblock 2 trigger BLOCK_SOURCE_OUTPUT smu ON trigger model setblock 3 trigger BLOCK_WAIT trigger EVENT_TIMER1 trigger...

Page 90: ...d in the buffer You can send this data to a remote interface using an appropriate print or printbuffer command or it can be viewed from the front panel Data Sheet press the MENU key and select Sheet T...

Page 91: ...questions encountered with the Model 2460 For additional FAQs please see the Frequently Asked Questions FAQs section of the Model 2460 Reference Manual Where can I find updated drivers For the latest...

Page 92: ...panel press the MENU key 7 Under System select Manage 8 To upgrade to a newer version of firmware select Upgrade to New 9 To return to a previous version of firmware select Downgrade to Older 10 If t...

Page 93: ...strument provides an interlock circuit on the rear panel You must enable this circuit in order for the instrument to set source voltages greater than 42 V DC If you try to assign a high voltage output...

Page 94: ...instrument to the settings that you want to save To save the setup send the command SAV n Where n is an integer from 0 to 4 In the front panel script menus the setups saved with the SAV command have t...

Page 95: ...e The Performance slider allows you to adjust speed and resolution As you increase speed you lower the amount of resolution As you increase resolution you decrease the reading speed These settings tak...

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Page 97: ...so see the Keithley Instruments website www keithley com http www keithley com support for support and additional information about the instrument From the website you can access The Knowledge Center...

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