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Section 2: General operation
Model 2461 Interactive SourceMeter® Instrument Reference Manual
2-100
2461-901-01 A/November 2015
Make sure you select functions before you make changes to other instrument settings. The options
that you have for settings depend on the functions that are active when you make the changes. If
you make a change that is not compatible with the active functions, you may get unexpected results
or you may receive an event message. Also note that when you select a different function, the
instrument clears the buffer.
When you are making measurements, you can set the measurement range to a specific range or to
automatic ranging. If you select a specific range, for the best accuracy, use the lowest possible range.
When Auto is selected, the instrument selects the most sensitive range to make a measurement or
will change automatically as the measured value of the device changes.
The operating boundaries for the source-measure operations are provided in
(on page 4-4).
Hazardous voltages may be present on all output and guard terminals. To prevent electrical
shock that could cause injury or death, never make or break connections to the Model 2461
while the instrument is powered on. Turn off the equipment from the front panel or
disconnect the main power cord from the rear of the Model 2461 before handling cables.
Putting the equipment into an output-off state does not guarantee that the outputs are
powered off if a hardware or software fault occurs.
Source and measure order
When you are using a remote interface, you should set the measure function first, then set the source
function, because setting the measure function may change the source function. This is not
necessary when you use the front-panel FUNCTION key to set the source and measure functions.
Once you have set the source and measure functions, you can change other measure and source
settings as needed.
When setting range, you should first set the limit (compliance) to a value higher than the measure
range you intend to set.
Source and measure through the front panel
You can source, digitize, and measure through the options available on the front panel.