Section 2: General operation
2606B System SourceMeter® Instrument Reference Manual
2-72
2606B-901-01 Rev. B / May 2018
Ranging limitations
If the source and measure functions are different (such as source V and measure I, or source I and
measure V), you can set source and measure ranges separately. If both source and measure
functions are the same, the measure range is locked to the source range.
With the 20 V range selected for the voltage source, the highest current measurement range is 1 A.
With the 3 A range selected for the current source, the highest voltage measurement range is 6 V.
Refer to
(on page 4-3) for power derating information.
Manual ranging
To select a range from the virtual front panel, use the range keys,
and
:
•
To set the source range, press the
SRC
key, and then use the
RANGE
keys to set the range.
•
To set the measure range, select the single-channel display mode, and then use the
RANGE
keys to set the range.
If the instrument displays the overflow message on a particular range, select a higher range until an
on-range reading is displayed. To ensure the best accuracy and resolution, use the lowest range
possible that does not cause an overflow.
Autoranging
To use automatic source ranging from the virtual front panel, press
SRC
then the
AUTO
range key.
To use automatic measure ranging, press the
MEAS
key followed by the
AUTO
range key. The
AUTO indicator turns on when source or measure autoranging is selected.
When autorange is selected, the instrument automatically sets the best range to source or measure
the applied signal. The instrument will uprange at 100 percent of the present range.
When you change a source value, source autoranging is automatically turned off and remains off
until you re-enable it.
Low range limits
The low range limit sets the lowest range that the 2606B will use when autoranging is enabled. This
feature is useful for minimizing autorange settling times when numerous range changes are involved.