Section 5: Source-measure considerations
2470 High Voltage SourceMeter Instrument Reference Manual
5-4
2470-901-01 Rev. A /
May
2019
Operating boundaries
Operating boundaries define the current and voltage limits of the instrument. The general operating
boundaries of the 2470 are shown in the following figure.
Figure 90: Model 2470 operating boundaries
If the voltage or current exceeds the limits, the instrument limits the source voltage to keep operating
currents and voltages in these boundaries. You can set operating limits to restrict current or voltage
more tightly than the operating boundary limits. In this drawing, the magnitudes are nominal values.
The specific maximum output magnitudes of the instrument are defined in the specifications. Also
note that the boundaries are not drawn to scale.
These operating boundaries are valid only if the instrument is being operated in an environment
where the ambient temperature is 23 °C or less. Above 23 °C, high power operation could overheat
the instrument, causing the output to turn off.
The four quadrants of the operating boundaries are defined as I, II, III, and IV. The 2470 can operate
in any of the four quadrants.
When the instrument is operating in quadrant I or III, the instrument is a source, which means that
voltage and current have the same polarity. As a source, the instrument is delivering power to a load.
