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8600 Operation Manual - V1.0

Frequency Measurement - Low Frequency Input

To set the low frequency measurement input, send the following command

MEASURE:INPUT:LOWFREQ<CR>

This will set the unit to Low Frequency measurement mode.

To receive the currently displayed measurement, read the response to the following command

READ?

The response will be returned in Hz with the same resolution as on the display

For example, if 1.0456 kHz is currently being measured with a gate time of 1s the response will 

be

1045.60000

Frequency Measurement - High Frequency Input

To set the High Frequency measurement input, send the following command

MEASURE:INPUT:HIGHFREQ<CR>

This will set the unit to High Frequency measurement mode.

To receive the currently displayed measurement, read the response to the following command

READ?

The response will be returned in Hz with the same resolution as on the display

For example, if 1.0456 MHz is currently being measured with a gate time of 10s the response 

will be

1045600000

Summary of Contents for 8600

Page 1: ...www transmille com OPERATION MANUAL TRANSMILLE 8600 FREQUENCY SOURCE MEASURE GPS STANDARD ...

Page 2: ...Page 1 www transmille com 8600 Operation Manual V1 0 TRANSMILLE 8600 OPERATION MANUAL FREQUENCY SOURCE MEASURE GPS STANDARD ...

Page 3: ... repair or replace the product after return to an authorized Transmille service centre within the warranty period and is subject to Transmille s investigation determining that the fault is not caused by misuse alteration or through mishandling If failure occurs send the product via pre paid freight to the service centre as informed by Transmille with a description of the fault only after receiving...

Page 4: ...riable Output 17 A B Phase Reference Output 17 Input Functions 18 Gate Settings 18 Trigger Level 18 Sensitivity 18 High Frequency Filter 18 AC DC Coupling 19 Low Frequency Measurement 19 Period Measurement 20 High Frequency Measurement 20 Remote Commands 21 Introduction 21 Programming Overview 21 Compound Commands 21 Response Error Codes 22 Frequency Source 10 MHz Output 22 Frequency Source 1Hz 5M...

Page 5: ...mum Dimensions Width 45cm 17 7 in Length 44cm 17 3 in Height 10cm 3 9 in Weight 8 5 kg 18 8 lbs Connectors Front Panel 5 x BNC Rear Panel 3 x BNC 1 x USB Receptacle 1 x GPIB Connector 1 x Female RS232 1 x RJ45 Socket 1 x IEC Mains Inlet Line Power Line Voltage Selectable 110V 230V Line Frequency 50 to 60Hz Line Voltage Variation 6 10 Display Information Type VFD Number of Lines Main Display 1 Numb...

Page 6: ...rective 73 73EEC and the EMC Directive 89 336 EEC including 93 68 EEC and carries the CE Marking accordingly Conforms with the following product standards EMC EN 61326 1 1997 A1 1998 EN55011 1991 Group 1 Class A Standard Limit IEC 61000 4 2 1995 A1 1998 EN 61000 4 2 1995 4kV CD 8kV AD IEC 61000 4 3 1995 EN 61000 4 3 1995 3 V m 80 1000 MHz IEC 61000 4 4 1995 EN 61000 4 4 1995 0 5kV signal lines 1kV...

Page 7: ...asurement into a single integrated solution Dual VFD displays provide the user with a dedicated source measure readout with direct access to detailed settings and satellite Lock signal information Main Features Precision 10MHz output synchronised to GPS reference enabling traceable frequency output anywhere in the world with no requirement for external calibration Digitally divided frequency outpu...

Page 8: ...ndard should be placed where access to both front and rear connections is not hampered Transmille advise that at least 5cm clearance is allowed to the rear to allow the passing of power cables to the input is allowed Positioning the Antenna To operate correctly the 8600 requires a GPS antenna with full view of the sky to achieve a stable lock with GPS satellites A range of antennas with varying ca...

Page 9: ...l pins of the BNC connectors by using only undamaged male BNC cables to connect Setting and checking the line voltage The standard has been designed to work from either 110 120V or 220 240V line supply The user should confirm that the correct voltage has been set prior to connecting power to the instrument Connecting the instrument to the wrong power supply could cause damage to the instrument To ...

Page 10: ...ront panel prior to use Connecting to a computer The 8600 is fitted with USB RS232 GPIB and Ethernet interfaces for connecting to a computer For best compatibility with ProCal Transmille advise that the USB connection is used RS232 Interface Baud Rate 9600 Parity None Data Bits 8 Stop Bits 1 Cable Type Male to Female Serial Cable 9 pin D Type Straight through pin connection NOT Null Modem Software...

Page 11: ...figuration utility for computer Cable Type 100Bast T Ethernet Cable RJ45 Software Driver N A GPIB Interface Configuration Press MENU until GPIB Address is displayed Enter new GPIB Address Valid range 0 30 Press ENTER Cable Type GPIB Interface Cable Software Driver National Instruments VISA or equivalent ...

Page 12: ...an output present at the terminal other terminals are disconnected while not in use Low Frequency output A is used for the primary 10 MHz output Frequency Divider 1 2 5 sequence and Variable level outputs 5V Square and Variable Sine Wave Low Frequency output B is only active when in Phase Offset mode Input Connectors Input connectors are provided for both low frequency input up to 10 MHz and high ...

Page 13: ...functions the BOTTOM row of keys in the left hand section control MEASURE functions To assist the operator the currently active function is highlighted in GREEN to provide immediate feedback at a glance Main Display The main display of the 8600 is a bright single line VFD for enhanced readability This screen displays either the current OUTPUT or the current MEASUREMENT depending upon the mode At t...

Page 14: ...sired function has been selected use the numerical keyboard to enter the desired value Appropriate units are automatically added To enter a multiplier press the SHIFT key and then press the key with the appropriate multiplier above the key for example for kHz press the SHIFT key followed by 1 Clear Backspace and decimal place keys have also been included as SHIFT functions GPS Status GPS Strength ...

Page 15: ...uency The default start up state for the 8600 is for the 10 MHz reference frequency signal to be present on the Low Frequency LF A terminal The status display will indicate GPS 10MHz Reference This output is disciplined to GPS and requires no calibration to maintain specifications as long as a GPS lock is achieved In this mode the Main Display will indicate 10 MHz followed by either Int or GPS A d...

Page 16: ...le frequency i e an entry of 300 Hz will select the 500 Hz output The output for this function appears at the LF Source A Terminal Low Frequency Variable Output Square Wave Pressing the LF Mode key will set the unit to DDS Square Wave Output Mode In this mode the frequency can be varied from 10 Hz to 100 kHz in 1 Hz steps The output is a fixed square wave with a peak to peak amplitude of 5V into 1...

Page 17: ...he currently configured output impedance The output is varied using the digital control rotating clockwise to INCREASE the frequency and anti clockwise to DECREASE the frequency Direct digit entry is also possible using the numerical section of the keyboard followed by pressing the ENTER key To vary the level press the LEVEL key and then observe the current output on the smaller screen The default...

Page 18: ...n be adjusted via the digital control or via direct keyboard entry The output for this function appears at the HF Source Terminal A B Phase Reference Output Pressing the A B Ref key will set the unit to Phase Offset Mode In this mode a phase error is generated between LF Output A and LF Output B to verify phase measurement functions of timer counter instruments In this mode the Main Display will i...

Page 19: ... ignored The trigger level is set by pressing the TRIGGER LEVEL key and then adjusting via the digital control until a stable trigger is achieved Sensitivity The sensitivity mode sets the hysteresis level around the trigger level When in high sensitivity mode the hysteresis around the trigger point is widened to enable the counter to trigger off of a wider range of levels When in low sensitivity m...

Page 20: ... for AC coupled and DC for DC coupled Low Frequency Measurement Pressing the LF Range key will set the unit to Low Frequency Measurement Mode In this mode the instrument measures the frequency of the signal connected to the LF Measure Input The maximum input frequency is 10 MHz and the maximum input is 20 V The input impedance of this input is 1 Mohm with a capacitive loading of 25pF In this mode ...

Page 21: ...ent coupling mode To set measurement parameters refer to the previous sections which detail each setting High Frequency Measurement Pressing the HF Range key will set the unit to High Frequency Measurement Mode In this mode the instrument measures the frequency of the signal connected to the HF Measure Input The maximum input frequency is 1 05 GHz and the maximum input is 1 V It is advised that th...

Page 22: ...dividually or as part of a command sequence The basic structure is as follows Command Data Optional CR Where command is represented as Command required data is represented as Data and the Carriage Return is represented by CR Compound Commands To simplify remote commands multiple commands can be sent on a single line This can reduce the number of lines required in a program to configure the output ...

Page 23: ...ameter Error Frequency Source 10 MHz Output To set the GPS Frequency output fixed frequency send the following command SOURCE LF REF CR There are no data parameters to be send with this command Frequency Source 1Hz 5MHz Divided Output To set the 1 Hz 5 MHz divider output send the following command SOURCE LF DIVIDER FREQ Data CR Followed by the desired frequency Valid multipliers are k M For exampl...

Page 24: ...ency 5V Pk pk To set the square wave low frequency output Variable frequency send the following command SOURCE LF SQUARE FREQ Data CR Followed by the desired frequency in Hz For example to set the square wave output at 500 Hz send the following command SOURCE LF SQUARE FREQ 500 CR ...

Page 25: ... SOURCE LF SINE IMPEDANCE Data CR Where data is HIGH or LOW to set the correct impedance To set the frequency send the following command SOURCE LF SINE FREQ Data CR Where data is the desired frequency in Hz To set the Level send the following command SOURCE LF SINE LEVEL Data CR Where data is the desired level in volts For Example to set the output to High Input impedance at 5 kHz with an output o...

Page 26: ...and will enter the sine wave output mode To set the frequency send the following command SOURCE HF SINE FREQ Data CR Where data is the desired frequency in Hz To set the Level send the following command SOURCE HF SINE LEVEL Data CR Where data is the desired level in of output For Example to set the output to 750 MHz with a VCO level of 70 SOURCE HF SINE SOURCE HF SINE FREQ 750000000 SOURCE HF SINE...

Page 27: ...ut mode To set the frequency send the following command SOURCE LF PHASE FREQ Data CR Where data is the desired frequency in Hz To set the phase error between the two outputs send the following command SOURCE LF PHASE ANGLE Data CR Where data is the desired level in degrees For Example to set Phase Output 2 kHz with a phase angle of 90 between output A and B SOURCE LF PHASE SOURCE LF PHASE FREQ 200...

Page 28: ...asurement Trigger Level To set the Trigger Level parameter send the following command MEASURE CONFIGURE TRIGGER LEVEL Data CR Where the trigger level is specified in volts For example to set the trigger level to 700mV MEASURE CONFIGURE TRIGGER LEVEL 0 7 CR Frequency Measurement Sensitivity To set the measurement sensitivity parameter send the following command MEASURE CONFIGURE SENSITIVITY LEVEL D...

Page 29: ...SURE CONFIGURE FILTER Data CR Where the filter is set to ON or OFF For example to turn the filter OFF send MEASURE CONFIGURE FILTER OFF CR Frequency Measurement AC DC Coupling To set the coupling mode for the measurement inputs send the following command MEASURE CONFIGURE COUPLING Data CR Where the coupling mode is specified as AC or DC For example to set AC Coupling MEASURE CONFIGURE COUPLING AC ...

Page 30: ...s on the display For example if 1 0456 kHz is currently being measured with a gate time of 1s the response will be 1045 60000 Frequency Measurement High Frequency Input To set the High Frequency measurement input send the following command MEASURE INPUT HIGHFREQ CR This will set the unit to High Frequency measurement mode To receive the currently displayed measurement read the response to the foll...

Page 31: ... the same resolution as on the display For example if 1 01ms is currently being measured with a gate time of 0 1s the response will be 0 001010000 Query Current Function To query the current function of the 8600 send the following command FUNCTION CR The table below lists the responses and the corresponding function Return Code Function 1 10MHz Reference Output 2 1 Hz 5 MHz Divider Output 3 Low Fr...

Page 32: ...that he 8600 is currently tracking send the following command STATUS GPS TRACKING CR The current number of tracked satellites will be returned followed by CR LF Query Latitude and Longitude To query the current latitude and longitude send the following command STATUS GPS LOCATION CR The current latitude and longitude will be reported by the 8600 in degrees followed by minutes and the hemisphere Qu...

Page 33: ...32 www transmille com 8600 Operation Manual V1 0 Query Time To query the current time as received by GPS send the following command STATUS GPS TIME CR The tome will be returned in 24 hour formatt as HH MM SS ...

Page 34: ...on to a National Metrology Institute NMI or accredited calibration laboratory prior to installation to confirm that the GPS receiver is disciplining the oscillator correctly as well to confirm the stability of the output over time The long term performance of the 8600 is dependant upon the local environment including antenna installation and temperature fluctuations To evaluate these effects it is...

Page 35: ...bration laboratories and manufacturers across the globe Ever since releasing the very first products Transmille have continued to innovate and develop new products for the metrology community from world first products such as the 2100 Electrical Test Equipment calibrator through to the worlds lowest cost multi product calibrator the 1000 series Transmille now produce over 600 calibration instrumen...

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