Electron ASA101A User manual

Copyright © 2018-2021 Electron Plus Design Limited. All Rights Reserved.
ASA101A User Manual -
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Table of contents
Notices ............................................................................................................. 3
Copyright ...................................................................................................... 3
Part Number .................................................................................................. 3
Issue ............................................................................................................ 3
Location ........................................................................................................ 3
Published by .................................................................................................. 3
Trademark acknowledgement .......................................................................... 3
Notes ............................................................................................................ 3
Purpose of manual ......................................................................................... 3
Safety Warnings ............................................................................................. 4
Getting Started .................................................................................................. 5
System requirements ...................................................................................... 6
Getting help .................................................................................................. 7
Introduction ...................................................................................................... 8
Welcome ....................................................................................................... 8
Before you Start ............................................................................................. 9
New in EPIC ................................................................................................ 10
Installation Sequence .................................................................................... 11
Installing the Software .................................................................................. 12
Installing the USB driver ............................................................................... 13
Operation ........................................................................................................ 14
Selecting Instrument ..................................................................................... 14
Connecting Instrument ................................................................................. 15
Check for Updates ........................................................................................ 16
Earthing for function and safety ..................................................................... 17

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Notices
Copyright
© Electron Plus Design Limited 2018-2021
This manual (or part thereof) may not be reproduced by any means (electronic or
photographic, including translation into a foreign language) without prior written
consent and agreement from Electron Plus Design Limited as set-out in United
Kingdom and international copyright laws.
Part Number
ASA101A User Manual
Issue
1.111 , November 2021
Location
The latest version of this document can be found on our website: www.electron.plus
Published by
Electron Plus Design Limited
Unit 8 Manor Farm Business Centre
Manor Lane
Stutton
Suffolk
IP9 2TD
UK
Trademark acknowledgement
Electron Plus fully recognises and acknowledges any trademark(s) of the respective trademark holder.
WindowsTM is a trademark of Microsoft Corporation.
Notes
 We are likely to update this manual frequently as new features and improvements become available,
please ensure that you check our website for an updated version of this document, especially if
updating your Electron Plus software.
 We make every effort to ensure the accuracy of this manual’s contents. If you find any errors, have
suggestions for expanding on a feature, or feel that we can improve it’s contents then please
contact us at [email protected]
 Copying or reproducing this document or any part of this document without written permission of
Electron Plus is strictly prohibited.
Purpose of manual
 The purpose of this manual is to enable you to safely setup, configure and operate your Electron
Plus instrument, associated software and/or accessories. Please pay particular attention to any
section with a warning symbol.

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Safety Warnings
Warnings, cautions and notes are colour coded through-out this manual. These are divided into several
categories and are described below:
WARNING - Pay special attention to anything written here - this is for
your safety and continued protection and is critical information!
CAUTION - Damage may occur to your equipment or any DUT (device
under test).
NOTE - General text, with useful information or tips.

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Getting Started

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System requirements
We recommend at least Windows 7 and a 64 bit machine (however, we know of Windows
XP and 32 bit machines working well with EPIC).
1x USB 2.0 type A (common) for connection to the instrument, at 0.5A.
Screen resolution of at least 1440(W) x 900(H), it will work with others, but you risk some of
the CONTROL RIBBON items not being visible.
EPIC uses the PC sound card for various alerts, although it will operate correctly without
sound.
Technical Note
We test EPIC builds mainly on Windows 10/64 bit machines.

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Getting help
Help is available by email (preferably) or via telephone.
email: [email protected]
from UK: 01473 327100
international telephone: [phone]
If you are experiencing an issue with EPIC, please email a copy of the following files (see
below) found in the EPIC installation folder along with a description of the problem.
log.txt
bugreport.txt
This will help us understand your problem and provide a quicker fix.

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Introduction
Welcome
Congratulations and thank you for purchasing an Electron Plus product.
Please take a few minutes to read the ‘Before You Start ’ section of this manual, especially as misusing this
product can result in damage to it, your device-under-test or potentially place you in-danger.

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Before you Start
The metal spike is SHARP. When you have finished using the ASA101A, unscrew the spike, turn it round
and screw it lightly back into the ASA101A.
Ensure that all DUT* capacitors and energy storage devices are fully discharged before using the ASA101A.
The SIGNAL connection is protected by a large 'Transzorb' style device, but damage WILL occur if the
ASA101A is placed across a fully charged DCLINK capacitor.
Before connecting your device, please ensure you have installed the USB driver.
DUT* - device under test

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New in EPIC
EPIC covers most Electron Plus instruments and not all instruments are updated between versions.
V1.11
Bug fixes
CTL503 - Vgs vs Id (at fixed Vds) mode
V1.10
Bug fixes
Addition of version compiled for 32 bit systems
Addition of CTL503 to EPIC
ASA200/240 - addition of SIGNAL/COMMON to EDIT page
V1.09
Bug fixes
Addition of SPA100 to EPIC
Addition of REF50X to EPIC
V1.08
Bug fixes

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Installation Sequence
Please install the EPIC software and the associated USB driver software BEFORE connecting your device
to a computer.
You do not need to remove a previous copy of EPIC, the new copy will overwrite the necessary existing
file(s). The "settings.txt" file will only be created if it is not present.
When EPIC is first started, it will build a number of files (unless they are already there from a previous
installation) in the installation directory.
If upgrading from EPIC V1.09 or earlier please be aware that the new
program EXE is called either EPIC32.EXE or EPIC64.EXE and that
previous shortcuts might not work or will link to previous EPIC.EXE

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Installing the Software
Electron Plus products require a USB connection to a PC running EPIC (our proprietary software) in order to
function.
EPIC now comes in two compiled versions (since version 21.010):
EPIC64 - for 64 bit Windows installations & PC's (we recommend this).
EPIC32 - for 32 bit legacy Windows machines.
You can download the latest copy of EPIC for free from our website (www.electron.plus/software ), EPIC is
being constantly revised with new features, updates and bug fixes.
1. Select which variant you wish to use go ahead and download it (typically by double-clicking on the ZIP file
named something like: Install_EPIC21010_64.ZIP)
2. Open the downloaded file (typically Windows will recognise the ZIP format and open the file and display
the contents like a folder), double click the EXE file - typically called Install_EPIC21010_64.exe)
3. Follow the on screen instructions to complete the installation.
Before starting EPIC, we recommend installing any USB drivers, see next section for details.
This manual MAY NOT represent the most up-to-date features and screen-shots, if something is unclear,
please contact [email protected] and we will promptly try to assist you.

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Installing the USB driver
The product covered in this document communicates with the host PC via USB using an FTDI FT230X
bridge IC.
A copy of the official FTDI device driver is available from the SOFTWARE section of our website
(www.electron.plus/software), device drivers can also be downloaded directly from FTDI’s website
( www.ftdichip.com/drivers ).
Download the FTDI driver (CDM21228_Setup), open the ZIP file and run CDM21228_Setup.EXE, this will
install the D2XX drivers necessary.
It is possible that you already have this FTDI device driver installed, however we still recommend following
this procedure.

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Operation
Selecting Instrument
When EPIC is first installed it will initially start in ASA100 mode.
To change this:
INSTRUMENT > CHANGE INSTRUMENT and select the actual instrument you wish to use, you will then
have to close and reopen EPIC for this to take effect.
Technical Note
Variable used in settings.txt: ActiveInstrument=ASA100

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Connecting Instrument
To connect to the instrument you can use the options in the MENU or the button on the CONTROL
RIBBON.
INSTRUMENT > CONNECT to connect, or DISCONNECT to disconnect.
or
Before the instrument connects it will check the identification in the FTDI USB bridge IC, an error message
will be shown if the instrument selected is not the same as the instrument connected.
Technical Note
Upon successful connection, EPIC will download the calibration
coefficients file from the USB bridge IC. These are then stored in the
EPIC folder as "ASA_cal.txt"

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Check for Updates
Once per day EPIC will check if there is a newer version available. This feature maybe disabled or re-
enabled here:
UTILITIES > DAILY UPDATE CHECK
Tick will enable EPIC to perform the daily update check, unticking will prevent EPIC from performing the
daily update check.
Technical Note
In "settings.txt": CheckWebsiteForUpdate=1 or 0 determines if this
function is enabled/disabled. DateOfLastUpdateCheck=04/11/2021 is
self-explanatory.
If function is enabled and date <> today a small file called
"version.txt" is downloaded from "http://www.electron.plus/wp-
content/". This contains the current revision of EPIC also the current
revision for each product where a change/update has been made.

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Earthing for function and safety
For functional and/or safety reasons you may wish to EARTH the casing of your Electron Plus instrument.
This is not necessary under most normal operating conditions.
In this case, we recommend loosening (and re-tightening) the M3 stainless steel chassis screw (2mm HEX
drive) and fitting an earthing wire using either ring terminal or spade terminal.
If in doubt please contact Electron Plus for further details.
Note
USB 0V, rear panel, front panel, casing and any external power supply
are all the same potential and connected via low impedances. Avoid
creating 'ground loops' with your setup.