Agilent Technologies N4000A Service manual

Smart Noise Sources
SNS Series
Operating and Service Guide
N4000A, N4001A, and N4002A
Manufacturing Part Number: N4000-90001
March 2001
© Copyright 2001 Agilent Technologies
Test Equipment Depot - 800.517.8431 - 99 Washington Street Melrose, MA 02176 - TestEquipmentDepot.com

ii
Notice
Information contained in this document is subject to change without
notice. Agilent Technologies makes no warranty of any kind with regard
to this material, including, but not limited to, the implied warranties of
merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose. Agilent
Technologies shall not be liable for errors contained herein or for
incidental or consequential damages in connection with the furnishings,
performance, or use of this material. No part of this document may be
photocopied, reproduced, or translated to another language without the
prior written consent of Agilent Technologies.
Certification
Agilent Technologies certifies that this product met its published
specifications at the time of shipment from the factory. Agilent
Technologies further certifies that its calibration measurements are
traceable to the United States National Institute of Standards and
Technology, to the extent allowed by the Institute’s calibration facility,
and to the calibration facilities of other International Standards
Organization members.
Warranty
This Agilent Technologies instrument product is warranted against
defects in material and workmanship for a period of one year from date
of shipment. During the warranty period, Agilent Technologies 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 Technologies. Buyer shall prepay shipping
charges to Agilent Technologies and Agilent Technologies shall pay
shipping charges, duties, and taxes for products returned to Agilent
Technologies from another country. Agilent Technologies warrants that

iii
its software and firmware designated by Agilent Technologies for use
with an instrument will execute its programming instructions when
properly installed on that instrument. Agilent Technologies does not
warrant that the operation of the instrument, or firmware will be
uninterrupted or error free.
Limitation of Warranty
The foregoing warranty shall not apply to defects resulting from
improper or inadequate maintenance by Buyer, Buyer-supplied software
or interfacing, unauthorized modification or misuse, operation outside of
the environmental specifications for the product, or improper site
preparation or maintenance.
NO OTHER WARRANTY IS EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED. AGILENT
TECHNOLOGIES SPECIFICALLY DISCLAIMS THE IMPLIED
WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A
PARTICULAR PURPOSE.
Exclusive Remedies
THE REMEDIES PROVIDED HEREIN ARE BUYER’S SOLE AND
EXCLUSIVE REMEDIES. AGILENT TECHNOLOGIES SHALL NOT
BE LIABLE FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL,
OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES, WHETHER BASED ON
CONTRACT, TORT, OR ANY OTHER LEGAL THEORY.
Safety Notices
This guide uses warnings and cautions to denote hazards.

iv
WARNING Warning denotes a hazard. It calls attention to a procedure
which, if not correctly performed or adhered to, could result in
injury or loss of life. Do not proceed beyond a warning note until
the indicated conditions are fully understood and met.
CAUTION Caution denotes a hazard. It calls attention to a procedure that, if not
correctly performed or adhered to, could result in damage to or
destruction of the instrument. Do not proceed beyond a caution sign until
the indicated conditions are fully understood and met.
NOTE Note calls out special information for the user’s attention. It provides
operational information or additional instructions of which the user
should be aware.
Safety Symbols
The following symbols on the instrument and in the manual indicate
precautions which must be taken to maintain safe operation of the
instrument.
Table 1 Safety Symbols
The Instruction Documentation Symbol. The product is
marked with this symbol when it is necessary for the
user to refer to the instructions in the supplied
documentation.
This symbol indicates that a device, or part of a device,
may be susceptible to electrostatic discharges (ESD)
which can result in damage to the product. Observe
ESD precautions given on the product, or its user
documentation, when handling equipment bearing this
mark.

v
Electromagnetic Compatibility
This product conforms with the protection requirements of European
Council Directive 89/336/EEC for Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC).
The conformity assessment requirements have been met using the
technical Construction file route to compliance, using EMC test
specifications EN 55011:1991 (Group 1, Class A) and EN 50082-1:1992.
In order to preserve the EMC performance of the product, any cable
which becomes worn or damaged must be replaced with the same type
and specification. See the Declaration of Conformity on page vi.
Radio-Frequency Electromagnetic Field
Immunity
When a 3 Vm-1 radio-frequency electromagnetic field is applied to the
Smart Noise Source according to IEC 61000-4-3:1995, degradation of
performance may be observed. When the frequency of the incident field
falls within the bandwidth of a measured noise figure or gain, the values
displayed will deviate from those expected. This phenomenon will only
affect that specific frequency, and the SNS will continue to perform to
specification at all other frequency sample points.
The NFA may be unable to calibrate a chosen frequency sample point, if
the frequency matches that of an incident electromagnetic field.

vi
Declaration of Conformity

Contents
vii
1. General Information
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2
Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2
Specifications - Table 1-1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3
Excess Noise Ratio Expanded Uncertainty (U(Y)) - Table 1-2 . . . . . .6
Supplemental Characteristics - Table 1-3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8
Description. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9
Warranty. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9
Equipment Supplied with the NFA. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9
Equipment Available But Not Supplied . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10
Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10
Recommended Test Equipment. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10
Installation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11
Handling Precautions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11
Initial Inspection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11
Returning an SNS to Agilent for Repair. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12
Mating Connectors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12
Connectors That Can Be Mated With the Noise Sources . . . . . . . . .12
Storage and Shipping Environment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12
Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13
Operating Environment. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14
Operator’s Maintenance. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14
Operator’s Check . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14
Operator’s Check for Data Communication. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15
Operator’s Check for Tcold Communication . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18
Operator’s Check for Switching Noise Source Off and On . . . . . . . .21
Performance Tests . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24
Adjustments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24
Replaceable Parts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25

viii
Contents
Replaceable Parts List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Replaceable Parts List. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Chassis Parts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Documentation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Service. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Principles of Operation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Troubleshooting. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Repair of Defective Noise Source . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Disassembly Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Reassembly Procedure. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Returning a Noise Source for Calibration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Agilent Technologies Sales and Service Offices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
2. ENR File Format
Format Details . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Format . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Comment Records . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Header Fields . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
ENR Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Viewing the Smart Noise Source ENR Data. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
Examples . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
A. Caring for Connectors
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Connector Part Numbers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Handling and Storage. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Visual Inspection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Obvious Defects and Damage. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Mating Plane Surfaces . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Precision 7 mm Connectors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46

Contents
ix
Sexed Connectors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .47
Cleaning. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .49
Compressed Air . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .49
Cleaning Alcohol. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .49
Precision 7 mm Connectors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .50
Cleaning Interior Surfaces. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .51
Drying Connectors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .52
Mechanical Inspection: Connector Gages. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .53
Mechanical Specifications. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .54
Precision 7mm Connectors. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .54
Sexed Connectors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .55
50 Ohm Type-N Connectors. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .55
75 Ohm Type-N Connectors. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .56
Using Connector Gages. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .57
Inspecting and Cleaning the Gage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .57
Zeroing the Gage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .57
Measuring Connectors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .59
Making Connections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .60
Align Connectors Carefully . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .60
To Make a Preliminary Connection. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .61
Final Connection Using a Torque Wrench . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .62
Disconnection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .63
Adapters. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .65
Principles of Microwave Connector Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .67

x
Contents