Agilent Technologies 54610B Manual

User and
Service Guide
Publication number 54610-97018
August 2000
For Safety nformation, Warranties, and Regulatory information,
see the pages behind the index.
© Copyright Agilent Technologies 1993, 1994, 2000
All Rights Reserved
Agilent 54610B
Oscilloscope

A General-Purpose Oscilloscope
The Agilent 54610B oscilloscope offers exceptional waveform
viewing and measurements in a small, lightweight package. This dual
channel,
500 MHz bandwidth oscilloscope is designed for use in labs where
high speed analog and digital circuits are being tested. This
oscilloscope gives you:
•500 MHz bandwidth, and 1 ns/div Main and Delayed time bases
•Selectable input impedance
•Protection of the internal 50 ohm load
•Adjustable time nulling to remove the effects of cabling
•Repetitive waveform sampling at up to 10 GSa/sec
(20 MSa/sec single shot)
•Viewable external trigger input
This oscilloscope is very easy to use because of its familiar controls
and real time display. You can discard your viewing hood as this
oscilloscope has none of the viewing problems that are associated
with analog oscilloscopes. A bright, crisp display is obtained at all
sweep speeds and delayed sweep magnifications. Storage is as
simple as pressing a button. View events ahead of the trigger using
negative time. Cursors and automatic measurements greatly simplify
your analysis tasks.
You can upgrade this oscilloscope for hardcopy or remote control
with the addition of an interface module. Unattended waveform
monitoring and additional waveform math, such as FFT, can be
added with the addition of one of the Measurement/Storage modules.
Bring your scope and PC together with BenchLink software.
BenchLink, which runs under Windows, allows the easy transfer of
scope traces and waveform data to your PC for incorporation into
documents or storage.
ii

Accessories supplied
•Two 1.5 meter, 10:1 Rugged 500 MHz Probes (10073B)
•Power cord for country of destination
•This User and Service Guide
Accessories available
•34810B BenchLink Software
•54650A GP B nterface Module
•54652B /Parallel/RS-232 nterface Module
•54654A Operator’s Training Kit
•54657A and Agilent 54659B Measurement/Storage Modules
•1185A Carrying Case
•1186A Rackmount Kit
•10070B 1.5 meter, 1:1 Probe
•10020A Resistive Divider Probe Kit
iii

Options available
•Option 001 RS-03 Magnetic nterference Shielding Added to CRT
•Option 002 RE-02 Display Shield Added to CRT
•Option 005 Enhanced TV/Video Trigger
•Option 101 Accessory Pouch and Front-Panel Cover
•Option 103 Operator’s Training Kit (54654A)
•Option 104 Carrying Case (1185A)
•Option 106 BenchLink Software (34810B)
•Option 090 Deletes Probes
•Option 908 Rackmount Kit (1186A)
•Power Cords (see the table of Replaceable Parts in chapter 3,
Service)
iv

In T is Book
This book is the operating and service manual for the Agilent 54610B
oscilloscope, and contains four chapters.
First Time Users Chapter 1 is a quick start guide that gives you a brief
overview of the oscilloscope.
Advanced users Chapter 2 is a series of exercises that guide you
through the operation of the oscilloscope.
Service technicians Chapter 3 contains the service information for the
oscilloscope. There are procedures for verifying performance,
adjusting, troubleshooting, and replacing assemblies in the oscilloscope.
Reference information Chapter 4 lists the characteristics of the
oscilloscope.
v

vi

Contents
1 The Oscilloscope at a Glance
To connect a signal to the oscilloscope 1–5
To display a signal automatically 1–7
To set up the vertical window 1–8
To set up the time base 1–10
To trigger the oscilloscope 1–12
To use roll mode 1–15
2 Operating Your Oscilloscope
To use delayed sweep 2–3
To use storage oscilloscope operation 2–6
To capture a single event 2–8
To capture glitches or narrow pulses 2–10
To trigger on a comple waveform 2–12
To make frequency measurements automatically 2–14
To make time measurements automatically 2–16
To make voltage measurements automatically 2–19
To make cursor measurements 2–23
To remove cabling errors from time interval measurements 2–27
To make setup and hold time measurements 2–28
To view asynchronous noise on a signal 2–29
To reduce the random noise on a signal 2–31
To analyze video waveforms 2–34
To save or recall traces 2–38
To save or recall front-panel setups 2–39
To use the XY display mode 2–40
3Service
To return the oscilloscope to Agilent Techologies 3–4
Verifying Oscilloscope Performance 3–5
To check the output of the DC CALIBRATOR 3–6
To verify voltage measurement accuracy 3–7
Contents-1

To verify bandwidth 3–10
To verify horizontal ∆t and 1/∆t accuracy 3–14
To verify trigger sensitivity 3–17
Adjusting the Oscilloscope 3–21
To adjust the power supply 3–22
To perform the self-calibration 3–24
To adjust the high-frequency pulse response 3–26
To adjust the display 3–28
Troubleshooting the Oscilloscope 3–30
To construct your own dummy load 3–31
To check out the oscilloscope 3–32
To check the LVPS (Low Voltage Power Supply) 3–35
To run the internal self-tests 3–36
Replacing Parts in the Oscilloscope 3–39
To replace an assembly 3–40
To remove the handle 3–45
To order a replacement part 3–45
4 Performance Characteristics
Vertical System 4–2
Horizontal System 4–4
Trigger System 4–5
XY Operation 4–6
Display System 4–6
Acquisition System 4–7
Advanced Functions 4–8
Power Requirements 4–8
General 4–9
Glossary
In ex
Contents
Contents-2

1
The Oscilloscope at a Glance

The Oscilloscope at a Glance
One of the first things you will want to do with your new oscilloscope
is to become acquainted with its front panel. Therefore, we have
written the exercises in this chapter to familiarize you with the
controls you will use most often.
The front panel has knobs, grey keys, and white keys. The knobs are
used most often and are similar to the knobs on other oscilloscopes.
The grey keys bring up softkey menus on the display that allow you
access to many of the oscilloscope features. The white keys are
instant action keys and menus are not associated with them.
Throughout this book, the front-panel keys are denoted by a box
around the name of the key, and softkeys are denoted by a change in
the text type. or example, Source is the grey front-panel key
labeled Source under the trigger portion of the front panel, and
Line is a softkey. The word Line appears at the bottom of the
display directly above its corresponding softkey.
igure 1-1 is a diagram of the front panel controls and input
connectors.
igure 1-2 is a status line example. The status line, located at the top
of of the display, lets you quickly determine the setup of the
oscilloscope. In this chapter you will learn to read at a glance the
setup of the oscilloscope from the status line.
igure 1-3 is a diagram showing which grey keys to press to bring up
the various softkey menus.
1-2

Front Panel Controls
Display Status Line Indicators
Horizontal
controls
General
controls
Channel
inputs
Channel
controls
Storage
keys
Trigger
controls
External
trigger
control
External
trigger input
Figure 1-1
Channel 1 is on, ac coupled, inverted, 100 mV/div
Channel 2 is on, 4 V/div
Main sweep 500 ms/div
Autostore is on
Auto triggered,
positive slope;
trigger source is channel 1
Peak detect is on and operating
Delayed sweep is on, 500 ns/div
Figure 1-2
1-3

Softkey Menu Reference
To obtain this menu
Press this key Press this keyTo obtain this menu
Figure 1-3
1-4

To connect a signal to the oscilloscope
The Agilent 54610B is a two-channel, 500 MHz bandwidth oscilloscope with
an external trigger input. The input impedance of this oscilloscope is
selectable--either 50Ω or 1 MΩ. The 50Ω mode matches 50Ω cables
commonly used in making high frequency measurements. This impedance
matching gives you the most accurate measurements since reflections are
minimized along the signal path. The 1 MΩ mode is for use with probes and
for general purpose measurements. The higher impedance minimizes the
loading effect of the oscilloscope on the circuit under test. In this exercise
you connect a signal to the channel 1 input.
To avoid damage to your new oscilloscope, make sure that the voltage level of
the signal you are using is less than or equal to 250 V (dc plus the peak ac).
or a complete list of the characteristics see chapter 4, "Performance
Characteristics."
CAUTION Do not exceed 5 Vrms in 50Ω mode. When input protection is enabled in
50Ω mode, the 50Ω load will disconnect i greater than 5 Vrms is detected.
However the inputs could still be damaged, depending on the time constant
o the signal.
CAUTION The 50Ω input protection mode only unctions when the oscilloscope
is powered on.
•Use a cable or a probe to connect a signal to channel 1.
•The oscilloscope has automatic probe sensing . I you are using the
probes supplied with the oscilloscope, or other probes with probe
sensing, then the input impedance and probe attenuation actors will
be automatically set up by the oscilloscope when automatic probe
sensing is turned on. The de ault setting is to have automatic probe
sensing on. This is indicated by the selection o Auto n under the Probe
so tkey, where n is 1, 10 or 100.
The Oscilloscope at a Glance
To connect a signal to the oscilloscope
1-5

•I you are not using automatic probe sensing, then ollow these next
two steps.
•To set the input impedance, press 1 . Select the desired Input
impedance o 50Ω or 1MΩ.
•To set the probe attenuation actor press 1 . Select the Next
Menu so tkey. Next toggle the Probe so tkey to change the
attenuation actor to match the probe you are using.
You should compensate 10:1 probes to match their characteristics to the
oscilloscope. A poorly compensated probe can introduce measurement
errors. To compensate a probe, follow these steps.
1Connect the 10:1 probe rom channel 1 to the ront-panel probe adjust
signal on the oscilloscope.
2Press Autoscale .
3Use a nonmetallic tool to adjust the trimmer capacitor on the probe
or the lattest pulse possible as displayed on the oscilloscope.
Overcompensation
causes pulse peaking.
Figure 1-4
Correct compensation
with a flat pulse top
Figure 1-5
Undercompensation
causes pulse rolloff
Figure 1-6
The Oscilloscope at a Glance
To connect a signal to the oscilloscope
1-6

To display a signal automatically
The oscilloscope has an Autoscale feature that automatically sets up the
oscilloscope to best display the input signal. Using Autoscale requires signals
with a frequency greater than or equal to 50 Hz and a duty cycle greater than
1%.
When you press the Autoscale key, the oscilloscope turns on and scales all
channels that have signals applied, and it selects a time base range based on
the trigger source. The trigger source selected is the highest numbered input
that has a signal applied. If a signal is connected to the external trigger input
on the Agilent 54610B, then it is selected as the trigger source. Autoscale
will, in both 50Ω and 1MΩ impedance modes, reset the Coupling to DC, the
Bandwidth Limit (BW Lim) to Off, all Verniers to Off,and Signal Inversion
(Invert) to Off.Input protection in 50Ω mode is not affected by Autoscale.
1Connect a signal to the oscilloscope.
2Press Autoscale .
When you press the Autoscale key, the oscilloscope changes the front-panel
setup to display the signal. However, if you pressed the Autoscale key
unintentionally, you can use the Undo Autoscale feature. To use this feature,
perform the following step.
•Press Setup . Next, press the Undo Autoscale softkey.
The oscilloscope returns to the configuration in effect before you
pressed the Autoscale key.
The Oscilloscope at a Glance
To display a signal automatically
1-7

To set up the vertical window
The following exercise guides you through the vertical keys, knobs, and
status line.
1Center the signal on the display with the Position knob.
The Position knob moves the signal vertically, and it is calibrated. Notice
that as you turn the Position knob, a voltage value is displayed for a short
time indicating how far the ground reference is located from the center of the
screen. Also notice that the ground symbol on the right side of the display
moves in conjunction with the Position knob.
Measurement hints
If the channel is dc coupled, you can quickly measure the dc component of the
signal by simply noting its distance from the ground symbol.
If the channel is ac coupled, the dc component of the signal is removed allowing
you to use greater sensitivity to display the ac component of the signal.
The Oscilloscope at a Glance
To set up the vertical window
1-8

2Change the vertical setup and notice that each change a ects the
status line di erently.
You can quickly determine the vertical setup from the status line in the
display.
•Change the vertical sensitivity with the Volts/Div knob and notice that it
causes the status line to change.
•Press 1 .
A softkey menu appears on the display, and the channel turns on (or
remains on if it was already turned on).
•Toggle each of the softkeys and notice which keys cause the status line to
change.
Channels 1 and 2 have a vernier softkey that allows the Volt/Div knob
to change the vertical step size in smaller increments. These smaller
increments are calibrated, which results in accurate measurements
even with the vernier turned on.
•To turn the channel off, either press 1 a second time or press the
left-most softkey.
Invert operating hint
When you are triggered on the signal you are inverting, the inversion also
applies to the trigger signal (what was a rising edge now is a falling edge). If the
signal has a 50% duty cycle (square wave or sine wave), the displayed
waveform appears not to invert. However, for signals with a duty cycle other
than 50%, the displayed waveform does invert as you would expect.
The Oscilloscope at a Glance
To set up the vertical window
1-9

To set up the time base
The following exercise guides you through the time base keys, knobs, and
status line.
1Turn the Time/Div knob and notice the change it makes to the status
line.
The Time/Div knob changes the sweep speed from 1 ns to 5 s in a 1-2-5 step
sequence, and the value is displayed in the status line.
2Change the horizontal setup and notice that each change a ects the
status line di erently.
•Press Main/Delayed .
A so tkey menu appears on the display with six so tkey choices.
•Toggle each of the softkeys and notice which keys cause the status line to
change.
The Oscilloscope at a Glance
To set up the time base
1-10

There is also a horizontal vernier softkey that allows the Time/Div
knob to change the sweep speed in smaller increments. These smaller
increments are calibrated, which results in accurate measurements
even with the vernier turned on.
•Turn the Delay knob and notice that its value is displayed in the status line.
The Delay knob moves the main sweep horizontally, and it pauses at
0.00 s, mimicking a mechanical detent. At the top of the graticule is a
solid triangle ( ▼ ) symbol and an open triangle ( ∇ ) symbol. The ▼
symbol indicates the trigger point and it moves in conjunction with the
Delay knob. The ∇ symbol indicates the time reference point. If the
time reference softkey is set to left, the ∇ is located one graticule in
from the left side of the display. If the time reference softkey is set to
center, the ∇ is located at the center of the display. The delay number
tells you how far the reference point ∇ is located from the trigger
point ▼.
All events displayed left of the trigger point ▼ happened before the
trigger occurred, and these events are called pretrigger information or
negative time. You will find this feature very useful because you can
now see the events that led up to the trigger point. Everything to the
right of the trigger point ▼ is called posttrigger information. The
amount of delay range (pretrigger and posttrigger information)
available is dependent on the sweep speed selected. See "Horizontal
System" in chapter 4, for more details.
The Oscilloscope at a Glance
To set up the time base
1-11

To trigger the oscilloscope
The following exercise guides you through the trigger keys, knobs, and status
line.
1Turn the trigger Level knob and notice the changes it makes to the
display.
As you turn the Level knob or press a trigger menu key, for a short time two
things happen on the display. irst, the trigger level is displayed in inverse
video. If the trigger is dc coupled, it is displayed as a voltage. If the trigger is
ac coupled or if L reject was selected, it is displayed as a percentage of the
trigger range. Second, if the trigger source is turned on, a line is displayed
showing the location of the trigger level (as long as ac coupling or low
frequency reject are not selected).
2Change the trigger setup and notice that each change a ects the
status line di erently.
•Press Source .
A so tkey menu appears on the display showing the trigger source
choices.
•Toggle each of the softkeys and notice that each key causes the status line
to change.
3The Agilent 54610B has a viewable external trigger, which is use ul
or making timing measurements. It is also use ul or ensuring that
the trigger level is not set to a value that results in trigger instability
which causes display to appear unstable. One example o this
measurement challenge is the ringing on a ast signal.
•Press External Trigger .
A softkey menu appears on the display showing the external trigger
choices.
Toggle each of the softkeys, turn the knob, and notice how the display
changes.
The Oscilloscope at a Glance
To trigger the oscilloscope
1-12