3M 900AST Series User manual

Advanced Systems Tester
900AST Series
Instruction Manual
March 2005
78-8135-2559-5-E

Table of Contents
Out of the Box .......................................................... 4
Front Panel ............................................................... 5
Screen ................................................................. 5
Keypad ................................................................ 6
Control Keys ....................................................... 7
Function Keys ..................................................... 8
Welcome Screen ....................................................... 9
System Setup (Units, Clock Format, Set Clock, Set
Beep, Power Down Timeout, Edit Custom Cable) .. 9
Controls
Contrast/Backlight ............................................ 15
Help ................................................................... 15
High Voltage ................................................. 16
Functions
Voltage .............................................................. 17
Load Test ........................................................... 18
Resistance ......................................................... 19
Soak Test ....................................................... 20
Contact Resistance ....................................... 21
Toolbox ............................................................. 22
Self Calibration ............................................. 23
Stored Results ............................................... 24
Special Resistance ........................................ 27
Ohms/Distance ............................................. 28
Capacitance ....................................................... 29
Tone ................................................................... 30
Resistance Fault Locate (RFL) ......................... 32
TDR .................................................................. 37
Auto TDR ......................................................... 51
Care and Maintenance ............................................ 56
Specifications ......................................................... 59
Warranty Information ............................................. 60

3M™ Advanced Systems Tester 900AST Series
4
Out of the Box
What you will find when you unpack the shipping box:
• 3M™ Advanced Systems Tester 900AST Series
• Carrying case
• Battery holder and batteries
• Multimeter test leads (red/black pair, blue/yellow
pair, green)
• TDR test leads (two each, coaxial with adapters-not
assembled)
• Instruction manual
• Warranty card
The 900AST tester comes in a sturdy nylon carrying
case and should be used in the case to provide extra
protection from shock and the environment.
The battery holder holds six “AA” standard alkaline
batteries and should be installed prior to using the
unit. Please see the Care and Maintenance section
for battery installation instructions. Always initiate
a self-calibration (see Toolbox – Self Calibrate for
instructions) after installing new batteries.
The 900AST tester comes with two types of test
leads – five single-conductor test leads (red, black,
green, yellow, and blue) for most DMM (digital multi
meter) functions and two special coaxial test leads for
precision TDR measurements.
For operational information, refer to this manual or
the 900AST tester “Help” screens. For Technical
Service, Warranty or Repair questions call 800 426
8688 (US and Canada) or contact your local 3M
Representative.

3M™ Advanced Systems Tester 900AST Series
5
Front Panel
Screen
The 900AST tester screen is a high resolution
graphical LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) for viewing
text and graphics. The screen format is similar to the
following for most functions.
Test Leads
The test lead icons are shown on each of the
measurement screens. Each lead points to a color
dot on the front label that corresponds to the
actual test lead and test jack to be used. For TDR
applications using the special coaxial TDR test
lead(s), the test lead icons indicate which test jacks
(also denoted by colors) to use.

3M™ Advanced Systems Tester 900AST Series
6
Keypad
The 900AST tester keypad has twelve yellow and
red “Control Keys” and nine blue “Function Keys”.
Additional blue keys on the keypad are reserved for
future expansion and have no designation or current
function.

3M™ Advanced Systems Tester 900AST Series
7
Control Keys
Use the red and yellow keys to control the setup and
control of the 900AST tester and its functions. The
active control keys for each function are shown at the
bottom of the corresponding 900AST screen.
Use the [Return] key to return to a
previous step in a function.
Use the [Contrast] key to adjust the
contrast or to turn the backlight on or off.
Use the [Save] key for storing TDR traces.
Use the [On/Off] key to turn the 900AST
power on or off (also see “Power Down
Timeout”).
Use the [Tab] key to select between
different options.
Use the [Setup] key to change the setup of
a function.
Use the [Help] key to get context sensitive
help with any screen or function.
Use the [Enter] key to accept changes or
move to the next step in a function.
Use the [Up] and [Down] keys to
scroll to different menu options or
insert/delete characters when
editing.
Use the [Left] and [Right] keys to
move between different options or
move the TDR cursor.
Use to insert a space to the left of the cursor.
Use to delete the character above the cursor.
Use to add a ‘dash’ in a record name or a minus
sign when entering sub-zero temperature.
Edit
Use the following keys when creating record ID’s for
stored TDR traces:

3M™ Advanced Systems Tester 900AST Series
8
Function Keys
Use the blue keys to select the different tests in the
900AST tester. The blue keys become number or
letter keys when editing.
Use the [Voltage] key to measure DC or
AC voltage.
Use the [Load] key to measure the current
through a simulated load lamp.
Use the [Resistance] key to measure resistance
and access the ‘Soak Test’ and ‘Contact
Resistance’ functions.
Use the [Toolbox] key to access: Self
Calibration, Stored Results, Special
Resistance, and the Ohms to Distance
Calculator.
Use the [Capacitance] key to measure the
capacitance of a component or circuit.
Use the [Tone] key to send interrupted tone
for circuit identification.
Use the [RFL] key to find the distance to
a resistance fault between two conductors
or a conductor and ground.
This key is used for editing only.
Use the [TDR] key to activate the Time
Domain Reflectometer.
Use the [Auto] key to activate automatic TDR
trace analysis.

3M™ Advanced Systems Tester 900AST Series
9
Welcome Screen
This is the screen that you see when you first turn
on the 900AST tester. It shows the model name and
series, unit serial number, software version, and the
selected country. The battery symbol in the upper
right-hand corner of the display gives an indication
of the approximate battery capacity. Each bar
represents one-quarter of the full capacity.
Press to go to the general Setup screen from the
Welcome screen.
System Setup
Use the and keys to highlight a menu item:
units, clock format, set clock, set beep, power down
timeout, or edit/create custom cables. Press the
key to select the highlighted item.
Use to return to Welcome Screen without
making changes.

3M™ Advanced Systems Tester 900AST Series
10
Units
Use the Units setup to change the units of
measurement for the 900AST tester.
Use the and keys to highlight the desired
option. Use the key to select the parameter for
each unit of measurement.
Distance: Inches or Centimeters. This affects all
distances displayed in the 900AST tester.
Degrees: Fahrenheit or Centigrade. This affects all
temperatures used or displayed in the tester.
TDR: Vp (Velocity of Propagation) or m/µs (Meters
per Microsecond). This affects the conductor
velocity factor used by the TDR function. Vp is
normally represented as a fraction of the speed of
light and has a value less than one.
Use the key to accept any changes and return.
Use the key to return to the Welcome Screen
without making changes.