Agilent Technologies 4285A User manual

Agilent 4285A Precision LCR Meter
Getting Started Guide
SERIAL NUMBERS
This manual applies directly to instruments with serial number prex
3009J
.
Agilent Part No. 04285-90011
Printed in JAPAN March 2001
Fourth Edition

Notice
The information contained in this document is subject to change
without notice
.
This document contains proprietary information which is protected by
copyright. All rights are reserved. No part of this document may be
photocopied, reproduced, or translated to another language without
the prior written consent of the Agilent Technologies
.
Agilent T
echnologies Japan, Ltd.
Component T
est PGU-Kobe
1-3-2, Murotani, Nishi-ku, Kobe-shi,
Hyogo
,651-2241 Japan
c
 Copyright 1990, 1996, 2000, 2001 Agilent Technologies Japan, Ltd.

Manual Printing
History
The manual printing date and part number indicate its current
edition. The printing date changes when a new edition is printed.
(Minor corrections and updates which are incorporated at reprint do
not cause the date to change.) The manual part number changes when
extensive technical changes are incorporated.
June 1990
::::: :: ::::::::::
First Edition (part number: 04285-90001)
December 1996
:::
::
::
::
Second Edition (part number: 04285-90011)
March 2000
:::::::::::::::
Third Edition (part number: 04285-90011)
March 2001
::::: ::::::::
F
ourth Edition (part number: 04285-90011)
iii

Safety Summary
The following general safety precautions must be observed during all
phases of operation, service, and repair of this instrument. F
ailure to
comply with these precautions or with specic
WARNINGS
elsewhere
in this manual may impair the protection provided by the equipment.
In addition it violates safety standards of design, manufacture
,and
intended use of the instrument.
The Agilent Technologies assumes no liability for the customer's
failure to comply with these requirements.
Note
4285A complies with INST
ALLA
TION CA
TEGORY II and POLLUTION
DEGREE 2in IEC1010-1.4285A is INDOOR USE product.
Note
LEDs in this product are Class 1in accordance with IEC825-1.
CLASS 1LED PRODUCT
Ground The
Instrument
T
oavoid electric shock hazard, the instrument chassis and cabinet
must be connected to asafety earth ground by the supplied power
cable with earth blade
.
DO NOT Operate In An
Explosive Atmosphere
Do not operate the instrument in the presence of ammable gasses or
fumes
.Operation of any electrical instrument in such an environment
constitutes adenite safety hazard.
Keep A
way From Live
Circuits
Operating personnel must not remove instrument covers
.Component
replacement and internal adjustments must be made by qualied
maintenance personnel. Do not replace components with the power
cable connected. Under certain conditions
,dangerous voltages may
exist even with the power cable removed. T
oavoid injuries
,always
disconnect power and discharge circuits before touching them.
DO NOT Service Or
A
djust Alone
Do not attempt internal service or adjustment unless another person,
capable of rendering rst aid and resuscitation, is present.
DO NOT Substitute
Parts Or Modify
Instrument
Because of the danger of introducing additional hazards
,do not
install substitute parts or perform unauthorized modications to the
instrument. Return the instrument to aAgilent T
echnologies Sales and
Service Oce for service and repair to ensure that safety features are
maintained.
Dangerous Procedure
Warnings
Warnings , such as the example below
, precede potentially dangerous
procedures throughout this manual. Instructions contained in the
warnings must be followed.
Warning
Dangerous voltages, capable of causing death, are present in this
instrument. Use extreme caution when handling, testing, and
adjusting this instrument.
iv

Safety Symbols
General denitions of safety symbols used on equipment or in manuals
are listed below
.
Instruction manual symbol: the product is marked
with this symbol when it is necessary for the user to
refer to the instruction manual.
Alternating current.
Direct current.
On (Supply).
O (Supply).
In position of push-button switch.
Out position of push-button switch.
Frame (or chassis) terminal. Aconnection to the
frame (chassis) of the equipment which normally
include all exposed metal structures
.
This
W
arning sign denotes a hazard. It calls attention
to aprocedure, practice, condition or the like
,which,
if not correctly performed or adhered to,could result
in injury or death to personnel.
This
Caution
sign denotes ahazard. It calls attention
to aprocedure
,practice
,condition or the like
,which,
if not correctly performed or adhered to
,could result
in damage to or destruction of part or all of the
product.
Note
denotes important information. It calls
attention to aprocedure
,practice
,condition or the
like
,which is essential to highlight.
Axed to product containing static sensitive devices
use anti-static handling procedures to prevent
electrostatic discharge damage to component.
v

4285A Precision
LCR Meter
Documentation
Map
The documentation for the 4285A has been separated into several
manuals
.F
ollowing is a brief description of each manual and its
purpose
.
The
4285A Getting Started Guide
walks you through
system setup and initial power-up
,shows how to make
basic measurements and explains commonly used features
.
The
4285A OPERA
TION MANU
AL
(Agilent P
art Number
04285-90020) provides general information, specications
,
GPIB programming information, and in depth reference
information.
The
4285A MAINTENANCE MANU
AL
(Agilent P
art
Number 04285-90030) explains how to verify conformance
to published specications
.
The 4285A SERVICE MANUAL (Agilent Part Number
04285-90031) explains how to adjust, troubleshoot, and
repair the instrument. (Furnished Option 915 only.)
vi

Typeface
Conventions
Bold
Boldface type is used when a term is dened.
F
or example:
icons are symbols.
Italics
Italic type is used for emphasis and for titles
of manuals and other publications
.
Italic type is also used for keyboard entries
when anameor a variable must be typed in
place of the words in italics. For example:
copy
lename means to type the word
copy
,
to type a space, and then to type the name of
ale such as
file1
.
Computer
Computer font is used for on-screen prompts
and messages.
4
HARDKEYS
5
Labeled keys on the instrument front panel
are enclosed in
45
.
NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN
SOFTKEYS
Softkeys located to the right of the Liquid
Crystal Display (LCD) are enclosed in
NNNNN
.
Certication
Agilent T
echnologies certies that this product met its published
specications at the time of shipment from the factory
.Agilent
T
echnologies further certies that its calibration measurements are
traceable to the United States National Institute of Standards and
T
echnology (
nist
), to the extent allowed by the Institute's calibration
facility
,or to the calibration facilities of other International Standards
Organization members
.
W
arranty
This Agilent T
echnologies instrument product is warranted against
defects in material and workmanship for a period of one year from
the date of shipment, except that in the case of certain components
listed in \Components not Covered by W
arranty" in Chapter 1of this
manual, the warranty shall be for the specied period. During the
warranty period, Agilent T
echnologies will, at its option, either repair
or replace products which prove to be defective
.
For warranty service or repair
, this product must be returned to a
service facility designated by Agilent T
echnologies. Buyer shall prepay
shipping charges to Agilent T
echnologies and Agilent T
echnologies
shall pay shipping charges to return the product to Buyer
. However
,
Buyer shall pay all shipping charges
,duties
, and taxes for products
returned to Agilent Technologies from another country.
Agilent Technologies warrants that its software and rmware
designated by Agilent Technologies for use with an instrument will
execute its programming instruction when property installed on that
instrument. Agilent Technologies does not warrant that the operation
vii

of the instrument, or software
,or
rmware will be uninterrupted or
error free.
Limitation of
W
arranty
The foregoing warranty shall not apply to defects resulting from
improper or inadequate maintenance by Buyer
,Buyer-supplied
software or interfacing, unauthorized modication or misuse
,
operation outside of the environmental specications for the product,
or improper site preparation or maintenance
.
No other warranty is expressed or implied. Agilent Technologies
specically disclaims the implied warranties of merchantability and
tness for aparticular purpose
.
Exclusive
Remedies
The remedies provided herein are buyer's sole and exclusive
remedies
.A
gilent T
echnologies shall not be liable for any direct,
indirect, special, incidental, or consequential damages
,whether based
on contract, tort, or any other legal theory
.
Assistance
Product maintenance agreements and other customer assistance
agreements are available for Agilent T
echnologies products
.
F
or any assistance
,contact your nearest Agilent T
echnologies Sales
and Service Oce
.A
ddresses are provided at the back of this manual.
viii

Contents
1. Before Y
ou Begin
Initial Considerations .................1-1
Preparation for Use .................. 1-2
Power Requirements ................1-2
Line V
oltage and Fuse Selection ...........1-2
Line V
oltage Selection ..............1-2
Fuse Selection . ...............1-2
Setting Up the High Current DC Biased Measurement
System .......
..............1-3
Equipment Required .......... .. ...1-3
Installing the T
est Fixture ....... .. ....1-3
Interconnecting the Units ......... .. .. 1-4
Setting Up the Precision QMeasurement System ...1-4
Equipment Required ............ ...1-4
Interconnecting the Units ........... ..1-4
Connecting 4285A, 42841A, and 42851A . ......1-5
Equipment Required ...............1-5
Interconnecting Cables ..............1-5
2. Getting A
cquainted with the 4285A
Front P
anel Description ................2-1
LCD P
anel and Softkey ...............2-1
MENU keys and Display P
ages ............2-2
CURSOR and CURSOR Keys .............2-3
ENTRY Keys .. ..................2-4
GPIB Status Indicator and
4
LCL
5
Key .........2-4
4
TRIGGER
5
Key ...............
..
.. 2-4
Memory Card Slot ................ .2-5
4
DC-BIAS
5 Key ............... .. .. .2-5
Contrast Control Knob ...........
....2-5
Front P
anel Operation .... .. .. .. . .. .. . 2-6
3. Basic Measurement Examples
Introduction ......
............... 3-1
Capacitor Measurement . . . . . . .. .. .. .. .. 3-1
Measurement Conditions ......
........ 3-1
Equipment Required ................ 3-1
Operation Procedure .... .. .. .. .. .. .. 3-1
Inductance Measurements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-5
Measurement Conditions .............. 3-5
Equipment Required ................ 3-5
Operation Procedure .... .. .. .. .. .. .. 3-5
DC Voltage Biased Measurement . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-10
Measurement Conditions .............. 3-10
Equipment Required ................ 3-10
Contents-1

Preparation Before Measurement ..
..
......3-10
Checking the Option Installed ........... 3-10
Operation Procedure . ............... 3-10
Measurements Using 1m/2m T
est Leads ........3-14
Equipment Required . ............... 3-14
Operation Procedure . ............... 3-14
DC Current Biased Measurement ........... 3-20
Measurement Conditions .............. 3-20
Equipment Required ................ 3-20
Preparation Before Measurement ..........3-20
Checking the Option Installed ...........3-20
Conguring the High Current Biased Measurement
System ............... .. .. .3-20
Operation Procedure .............. .. 3-23
Precision QMeasurement ...........
..
.. 3-27
Measurement Conditions ............
.. 3-27
Equipment Required ............
..
.. 3-27
Preparation Before Measurement ..........3-27
Checking the Option Installed ...........3-27
Congure the Precision Qmeasurement System ...3-27
Operation Procedure ...........
..
..
.3-28
4. Instrument F
eature Tutorial
Memory Function .....
..
............4-1
System Memory .....
..
...........4-1
Internal Non-V
olatile Memory/External Memory Card .4-2
A
utomatic Level Control Function ....
.......4-3
ALC Theory of Operation ..............4-3
ALC Measurement Time ..............4-4
ALC Voltage/Current Setting Range .........4-4
Operation Procedure of the ALC Function ......4-4
List Sweep Function ..
...............4-5
Structure of LIST SWEEP function .........4-5
LIST SWEEP DISPLA
Ypage ............ 4-5
LIST SWEEP SETUP page .............4-5
LIST SWEEP Measurement Procedure ........4-6
Print Function ..................
.. 4-9
Print Mode ..................
..
. 4-9
Printer Requirements .......... .. ..
.. 4-10
Printer Troubleshooting ...............4-10
5. What's Next?
Index
Contents-2