Keysight Technologies E1420B User manual

Keysight E1420B Universal
Counter
Assembly-Level Service Manual
75000 Series C

Notices
© Keysight Technologies, Inc. 1990-2019
No part of this manual may be repro-
duced in any form or by any means
(including electronic storage and retrieval
or translation into a foreign language)
without prior agreement and written con-
sent from Keysight Technologies, Inc. as
governed by United States and interna-
tional copyright laws.
Manual Part Number
E1420-90026
Edition
Third Edition, October 2019
Published by
Keysight Technologies, Inc.
900 S. Taft Ave.
Loveland, CO 80537 USA
Sales and Technical Support
To contact Keysight for sales and techni-
cal support, refer to the support links on
the following Keysight websites:
www.keysight.com/find/E1420A
(product-specific information and sup-
port, software and documentation
updates)
www.keysight.com/find/assist (world-
wide contact information for repair and
service)
Declaration of Conformity
Declarations of Conformity for this prod-
uct and for other Keysight products may
be downloaded from the Web. Go to
http://keysight.com/go/conformity and
click on “Declarations of Conformity.” You
can then search by product number to
find the latest Declaration of Conformity.
Technology Licenses
The hardware and/or software described
in this document are furnished under a
license and may be used or copied only in
accordance with the terms of such
license.
Warranty
THE MATERIAL CONTAINED IN THIS
DOCUMENT IS PROVIDED “AS IS,” AND
IS SUBJECT TO BEING CHANGED,
WITHOUT NOTICE, IN FUTURE EDI-
TIONS. FURTHER, TO THE MAXIMUM
EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE
LAW, KEYSIGHT DISCLAIMS ALL WAR-
RANTIES, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED,
WITH REGARD TO THIS MANUAL AND
ANY INFORMATION CONTAINED
HEREIN, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED
TO THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MER-
CHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A
PARTICULAR PURPOSE. KEYSIGHT
SHALL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ERRORS OR
FOR INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL
DAMAGES IN CONNECTION WITH THE
FURNISHING, USE, OR PERFORMANCE
OF THIS DOCUMENT OR OF ANY INFOR-
MATION CONTAINED HEREIN. SHOULD
KEYSIGHT AND THE USER HAVE A SEP-
ARATE WRITTEN AGREEMENT WITH
WARRANTY TERMS COVERING THE
MATERIAL IN THIS DOCUMENT THAT
CONFLICT WITH THESE TERMS, THE
WARRANTY TERMS IN THE SEPARATE
AGREEMENT SHALL CONTROL.
Keysight Technologies does not warrant
third-party system-level (combination of
chassis, controllers, modules, etc.) per-
formance, safety, or regulatory compli-
ance unless specifically stated.
DFARS/Restricted Rights
Notices
If software is for use in the performance
of a U.S. Government prime contract or
subcontract, Software is delivered and
licensed as “Commercial computer soft-
ware” as defined in DFAR 252.227-7014
(June 1995), or as a “commercial item” as
defined in FAR 2.101(a) or as “Restricted
computer software” as defined in FAR
52.227-19 (June 1987) or any equivalent
agency regulation or contract clause.
Use, duplication or disclosure of Software
is subject to Keysight Technologies’ stan-
dard commercial license terms, and non-
DOD Departments and Agencies of the
U.S. Government will receive no greater
than Restricted Rights as defined in FAR
52.227-19(c)(1-2) (June 1987). U.S. Gov-
ernment users will receive no greater
than Limited Rights as defined in FAR
52.227-14 (June 1987) or DFAR 252.227-
7015 (b)(2) (November 1995), as applica-
ble in any technical data.

Safety Information
The following general safety precau-
tions must be observed during all
phases of operation of this instrument.
Failure to comply with these precau-
tions or with specific warnings or oper-
ating instructions in the product
manuals violates safety standards of
design, manufacture, and intended use
of the instrument. Keysight Technolo-
gies assumes no liability for the cus-
tomer's failure to comply with these
requirements.
General
Do not use this product in any manner not
specified by the manufacturer. The protec-
tive features of this product must not be
impaired if it is used in a manner specified in
the operation instructions.
Before Applying Power
Verify that all safety precautions are taken.
Make all connections to the unit before
applying power. Note the external markings
described under “Safety Symbols”.
Ground the Instrument
Keysight chassis’ are provided with a
grounding-type power plug. The
instrument chassis and cover must be
connected to an electrical ground to
minimize shock hazard. The ground pin
must be firmly connected to an electri-
cal ground (safety ground) terminal at
the power outlet. Any interruption of
the protective (grounding) conductor
or disconnection of the protective
earth terminal will cause a potential
shock hazard that could result in per-
sonal injury.
Do Not Operate in an Explosive
Atmosphere
Do not operate the module/chassis in
the presence of flammable gases or
fumes.
Do Not Operate Near Flammable
Liquids
Do not operate the module/chassis in
the presence of flammable liquids or
near containers of such liquids.
Cleaning
Clean the outside of the Keysight mod-
ule/chassis with a soft, lint-free,
slightly dampened cloth. Do not use
detergent or chemical solvents.
Do Not Remove Instrument Cover
Only qualified, service-trained person-
nel who are aware of the hazards
involved should remove instrument
covers. Always disconnect the power
cable and any external circuits before
removing the instrument cover.
Keep away from live circuits
Operating personnel must not remove
equipment covers or shields. Proce-
dures involving the removal of covers
and shields are for use by service-
trained personnel only. Under certain
conditions, dangerous voltages may
exist even with the equipment
switched off. To avoid dangerous elec-
trical shock, DO NOT perform proce-
dures involving cover or shield removal
unless you are qualified to do so.
DO NOT operate damaged
equipment
Whenever it is possible that the safety
protection features built into this prod-
uct have been impaired, either through
physical damage, excessive moisture,
or any other reason, REMOVE POWER
and do not use the product until safe
operation can be verified by service-
trained personnel. If necessary, return
the product to a Keysight Technologies
Sales and Service Office for service and
repair to ensure the safety features are
maintained.
DO NOT block the primary
disconnect
The primary disconnect device is the
appliance connector/power cord when
a chassis used by itself, but when
installed into a rack or system the dis-
connect may be impaired and must be
considered part of the installation.
Do Not Modify the Instrument
Do not install substitute parts or per-
form any unauthorized modification to
the product. Return the product to a
Keysight Sales and Service Office to
ensure that safety features are main-
tained.
In Case of Damage
Instruments that appear damaged or
defective should be made inoperative
and secured against unintended oper-
ation until they can be repaired by
qualified service personnel
Do NOT block vents and fan exhaust:
To ensure adequate cooling and venti-
lation, leave a gap of at least 50mm
(2") around vent holes on both sides of
the chassis.
Do NOT operate with empty slots: To
ensure proper cooling and avoid dam-
aging equipment, fill each empty slot
with an AXIe filler panel module.
Do NOT stack free-standing chassis:
Stacked chassis should be rack-
mounted.
All modules are grounded through the
chassis: During installation, tighten
each module's retaining screws to
secure the module to the chassis and
to make the ground connection.
Operator is responsible to maintain
safe operating conditions. To ensure
safe operating conditions, modules
should not be operated beyond the full
temperature range specified in the
Environmental and physical specifica-
tion. Exceeding safe operating condi-
tions can result in shorter lifespan,
improper module performance and
user safety issues. When the modules
are in use and operation within the
specified full temperature range is not
maintained, module surface tempera-
tures may exceed safe handling condi-
tions which can cause discomfort or
burns if touched. In the event of a
module exceeding the full temperature
range, always allow the module to cool
before touching or removing modules
from the chassis.
vi

Safety Symbols
A CAUTION denotes a hazard. It
calls attention to an operating pro-
cedure or practice, that, if not cor-
rectly performed or adhered to
could result in damage to the
product or loss of important data.
Do not proceed beyond a CAUTION
notice until the indicated condi-
tions are fully understood and met.
A WARNING denotes a hazard. It
calls attention to an operating pro-
cedure or practice, that, if not cor-
rectly performed or adhered to,
could result in personal injury or
death. Do not proceed beyond a
WARNING notice until the indi-
cated conditions are fully under-
stood and met.
Products display the following sym-
bols:
Warning, risk of electric
shock
Refer to manual for addi-
tional safety information.
Earth Ground.
Chassis Ground.
Alternating Current (AC).
Direct Current (DC)
vii

viii

Keysight E1420B Assembly-level Service Manual Guide ix
1 General Information
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Manual Purpose And Contents Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Manual Usage Guide. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Manual Changes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Newer Instruments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Full Performance Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
2 Performance Tests
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Important Topics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Chapter Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Equipment Required . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Calibration Cycle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Functional/Performance Test Records . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Test Procedure Considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Software Implemented Full Performance Testing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Functional Tests . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Preliminary Procedure. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Power-up Self-Test . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Auto Frequency Measurement Test . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Ratio Measurement Test . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Input Signal Conditioning Test . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Time Interval Test . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
External Arm Input Test. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Option 010 TCXO Timebase Test . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Option 030, Input 3 Test . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Full Performance Tests. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
Specifications Tested . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
Uncertainties Analysis Method . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Alternate Test Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Preliminary Procedure. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Input 1/2: Measurement Sensitivity, Range, and Accuracy Tests . . . . . . . . 44
External Arm Range, Sensitivity, and Minimum Start-to-Stop Time Tests . 49
2-26. Auto Measurement Sensitivity, Range, and Accuracy Tests . . . . . . . 51
2-27. (Option 030) Input 3: Sensitivity, Range, and Accuracy Tests . . . . . . 53
Contents

x Keysight E1420B Assembly-level Service Manual Guide
3 E1420B Adjustments
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
Where to Find Important Topics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
Chapter Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
Equipment Required . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
Adjustment Locations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
Safety Considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
Adjustment Procedures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
Input Amplifier Offset Adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
Input Amplifier Full-Scale Adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
MRC Supply Adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
MAC Bias Adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
MRC Inputs A and B. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
TXCO Adjustment (Optional Timebase). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
4 Service
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
Where To Find Important Topics. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
Chapter Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
Safety Considerations And Symbols . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
Electrostatic Discharge Precautions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
Recommended Test Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
Identification Of Assemblies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
Assembly-level Diagnostic Theory Of Operation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
A1 Motherboard PCA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
A2 Input Amplifier PCA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
How-to-repair The Keysight E1420B. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
Troubleshooting Strategy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
Diagnostic Testing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
Power-on Self-test . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
Running Power-on Self-test . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
Diagnostic Subsystem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
:CALibrate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
:ASSembly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
:BLOCk. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
READ:MRC?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
READ:INT?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
UFAil[?] . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
Running Selected Diagnostic Subroutines. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80

Keysight E1420B Assembly-level Service Manual Guide xi
Troubleshooting Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
Replacement Of Assemblies. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
A1 Motherboard PCA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
A2 Input Amplifier PCA. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
Disassembly and Reassembly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
Disassembly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
Reassembly. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
5 Replaceable Parts
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
Where To Find Important Topics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
Chapter Summary. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
Exchange Assemblies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
Abbreviations and Reference Designations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
Replaceable Parts List. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
How To Order A Part . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
Parts Identification. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
Contacting Keysight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
Reference Designators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
Replaceable Parts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
Standard Instrument Replaceable Parts. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
A E1420B Connections, Configuration, and Installation
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
Where To Find Important Topics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
Appendix Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
Connectors and Indicators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
Front Panel Signal Connectors. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
Maximum Input Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
Front Panel Indicators And Adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
VXIbus Connectors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
Internal Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
Logical Address Configuration Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
Bus Grant and Request Configuration Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
System Default Logical Addresses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102
Installation and Verification. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104
Cooling Considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104
Hardware Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104
Verifying Operation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105

xii Keysight E1420B Assembly-level Service Manual Guide
B Error Messages
C Keysight E1420B Command Summary
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111
Appendix Summary. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111
Command Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112
IEEE 488.2 Common Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113
SCPI Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114
D Using Option 040-High Throughput/Shared RAM
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119
Appendix Summary. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119
Keysight E1420B Shared Ram Description . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120
Shared Memory Programming. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122
Shared Memory Set-up Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122
Keysight BASIC Example Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123
"C" Example Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125
E Backdating
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131
Manual Changes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131
Older Instruments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131

Keysight E1420B Assembly-Level Service Manual
Service Guide
11
1General Information
Introduction
This manual contains information required for testing, adjusting, and servicing
the Keysight E1420B VXIbus Universal Counter. This introduction summarizes
the chapter contents and gives you a usage guide followed by full performance
specifications.
Manual Purpose And Contents Summary
The primary purpose of this manual is to provide assembly-level service
instructions for rapid isolation and replacement of either the Al or A2 printed
circuit assembly.The Keysight E1420B Assembly-Level service manual contents
summary appears below followed by a brief guide to the usual maintenance
tasks and corresponding chapters:•
– Chapter 1: General Information - Manual purpose, chapter contents summary,
suggested manual chapter usage, and full performance specifications.•
– Chapter 2: Performance Tests - User procedures for verifying typical
operation. Complete performance tests, operation verification test record,
and full performance test record.
– Chapter 3: Adjustments - Complete Keysight E1420B adjustment
procedures.
– Chapter 4: Service - Safety considerations, and ESD precautions.
Recommended test equipment and identification of assemblies.
Assembly-level diagnostic theory of operation. Diagnostic testing and
troubleshooting procedures. Replacement of assemblies, exploded view,
disassembly, and reassembly.
– Chapter 5: Replaceable Parts - Replaceable parts lists for all Keysight E1420B
and E1420A assemblies. Exchange assembly information, ordering
information, and special parts replacement considerations.
– Appendix A: Connections, Configuration, and Installation - Input signal
connections and internal configuration jumper and switch settings. System
addressing, interrupt priorities and defaults.•
– Appendix B: Error Messages - Error message codes, messages, and causes.
– Appendix C: Command Summary - Quick reference Common and SCPI
operating command summaries.
– Appendix D: High Throughput/Shared Ram - Information for Option 040.

12 Keysight E1420B Assembly-Level Service Manual
General Information Introduction
Manual Usage Guide
The organization of information in this manual follows the sequence of tasks
needed to test, adjust, and if necessary repair the El420B Universal Counter to
the assembly level (PCA - printed circuit assembly).
When the optional component-level information package (CLIP) is purchased,
component-level repair can be carried out by properly trained service personnel.
Choose the task you need to perform, then go to the appropriate chapter:
The maintenance tasks and their associated chapters are as follows:
–Service Manual Guide I E1420B Specifications:............................ Chapter 1
–Procedures to test the counter:.......................................................Chapter 2
–Procedures to adjust the counter:................................................. Chapter 3
–Procedures to repair the counter:.................................................. Chapter 4
–How to obtain assembly-level repair parts:................................... Chapter 5
–Procedures for counter configuration/installation:......................Appendix A
–Error code information:............................................................... Appendix B
–Summary of counter operating commands:.............................. Appendix C
–Information for using Option 040,
High Throughput I Shared RAM:.................................................Appendix D
Manual Changes
This manual applies directly to Model El420B Universal Counters with serial
number prefix 3401A and firmware revision number El420B,0,3401(*OPT? query
response is "040" for Option 040). This section provides the information needed
to adapt this manual to older versions of the Keysight El420B Universal Counter.
The manual changes needed for a particular instrument configuration are
determined by the serial prefix or complete serial number. The serial number for
the Keysight El420B is located on the instrument's right-side cover-shield.
This manual also applies to the Keysight El420A Universal Counter with the
exception of all information pertaining to the Attenuation (x1/x10), Option 040 -
High Throughput/Shared RAM, the MEMory Subsystem, and any El420B
PCAs.1-5.
Newer Instruments
As product changes occur, newer instruments may have a serial number prefix
higher than 3401A. Manuals for the instruments may be supplied with an Update
Supplement Package containing new/ replacement pages with the required new
information. Replace/add affected pages as directed in the Update Supplement
Pa.Ckage. Contact the nearest Hewlett-Packard Sales and Support Office (listed
in the back of this manual) if the change information is missing.

Keysight E1420B Assembly-Level Service Manual 13
Introduction General Information
Full Performance Specifications
The specifications for the El420B are described on the following pages.These
specifications are the performance standards or limits against which the
instrument can be tested. Performance test procedures for testable
specifications are described in Chapter 2. Some performance parameters are
called “typical” or noted as “characteristic(s)”. These values have no
corresponding performance tests contained in Chapter 2.

14 Keysight E1420B Assembly-Level Service Manual
General Information Introduction
Table 1-1 E1420B Specifications

Keysight E1420B Assembly-Level Service Manual 15
Introduction General Information
Table 1-1 E1420B Specifications (continued)

16 Keysight E1420B Assembly-Level Service Manual
General Information Introduction
Table 1-1 E1420B Specifications (continued)

Keysight E1420B Assembly-Level Service Manual 17
Introduction General Information
Table 1-1 E1420B Specifications (continued)

18 Keysight E1420B Assembly-Level Service Manual
General Information Introduction
Table 1-1 E1420B Specifications (continued)