Keysight 11878A Service manual

Keysight 11878A
50 Ohm 3.5 mm Adapter Kit
Operating and
Service Manual

2 Keysight 11878A Operating and Service Manual
Notices
Copyright Notice
© Keysight Technologies 1989 - 2019
No part of this manual may be reproduced in
any form or by any means (including electronic
storage and retrieval or translation into a for-
eign language) without prior agreement and
written consent from Keysight Technologies as
governed by United States and international
copyright laws.
Manual Part Number
11878-90001
Edition
Edition 2, February 8, 2019
Printed in:
Printed in Malaysia
Published by:
Keysight Technologies
Bayan Lepas Free Industrial Zone,
11900 Penang, Malaysia
Technology Licenses
The hardware and/or software described in
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and may be used or copied only in accordance
with the terms of such license.
Declaration of Conformity
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and for other Keysight products may be down-
loaded from the Web. Go to http://www.key-
sight.com/go/conformity. You can then search
by product number to find the latest Declara-
tion of Conformity.
U.S. Government Rights
The Software is “commercial computer soft-
ware,” as defined by Federal Acquisition Regu-
lation (“FAR”) 2.101. Pursuant to FAR 12.212
and 27.405-3 and Department of Defense FAR
Supplement (“DFARS”) 227.7202, the U.S.
government acquires commercial computer
software under the same terms by which the
software is customarily provided to the public.
Accordingly, Keysight provides the Software to
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commercial license, which is embodied in its
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which can be found at http://www.key-
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Keysight: (1) Furnish technical information
related to commercial computer software or
commercial computer software documenta-
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pursuant to FAR 12.211 and 27.404.2 and
DFARS 227.7102, the U.S. government
acquires no greater than Limited Rights as
defined in FAR 27.401 or DFAR 227.7103-5 (c),
as applicable in any technical data.
Warranty
THE MATERIAL CONTAINED IN THIS DOCU-
MENT IS PROVIDED “AS IS,” AND IS SUBJECT
TO BEING CHANGED, WITHOUT NOTICE, IN
FUTURE EDITIONS. FURTHER, TO THE MAXI-
MUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE
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REGARD TO THIS MANUAL AND ANY INFOR-
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BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE IMPLIED WARRAN-
TIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS
FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. KEYSIGHT
SHALL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ERRORS OR FOR
INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES
IN CONNECTION WITH THE FURNISHING,
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MENT OR OF ANY INFORMATION CONTAINED
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WITH WARRANTY TERMS COVERING THE
MATERIAL IN THIS DOCUMENT THAT CON-
FLICT WITH THESE TERMS, THE WARRANTY
TERMS IN THE SEPARATE AGREEMENT
SHALL CONTROL.
Safety Information
CAUTION
A CAUTION notice denotes a hazard. It calls
attention to an operating procedure, practice,
or the like that, if not correctly performed or
adhered to, could result in damage to the
product or loss of important data. Do not pro-
ceed beyond a CAUTION notice until the indi-
cated conditions are fully understood and met.
WARNING
A WARNING notice denotes a hazard. It calls
attention to an operating procedure, practice,
or the like that, if not correctly performed or
adhered to, could result in personal injury or
death. Do not proceed beyond a WARNING
notice until the indicated conditions are fully
understood and met.

Keysight 11878A Operating and Service Manual 3
Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Directive
This instrument complies with the WEEE Directive marking requirement. This affixed product label
indicates that you must not discard this electrical or electronic product in domestic household
waste.
Product category:
With reference to the equipment types in the WEEE directive Annex 1, this instrument is classified
as a “Monitoring and Control Instrument” product.
The affixed product label is as shown below.
Do not dispose in domestic household waste.
To return this unwanted instrument, contact your nearest Keysight Service Center, or visit http://
about.keysight.com/en/companyinfo/environment/takeback.shtml for more information.
Sales and Technical Support
To contact Keysight for sales and technical support, refer to the support links on the following
Keysight websites:
–www.keysight.com/find/adapters
(product-specific information and support, software and documentation updates)
–www.keysight.com/find/assist
(worldwide contact information for repair and service)

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Keysight 11878A Operating and Service Manual 5
Table of Contents
Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Directive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Product category: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Sales and Technical Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
List of Tables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
General Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Description . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Contents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
General Characteristics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Equipment and Supplies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Mating 11878A Adapters with Precision 3.5 mm Devices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Mating 11878A Adapters with SMA Devices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Cleaning Connectors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

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Keysight 11878A Operating and Service Manual 7
List of Tables
Table 1 Equipment and supplies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

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Keysight 11878A Operating and Service Manual 9
General Information
– To obtain optimum performance from this adapter kit, observe these simple precautions:
– Keep the protective plastic end-caps on the adapters when not in use.
– Make connections carefully to avoid misalignment and connector damage, which will result in
inaccurate measurements.
– Keep the connectors free of dirt and any particles.
– When you clean the connectors, try using compressed air first. Do not use abrasives. If further
cleaning is required, refer to the Connector Care for RF and Microwave Coaxial Connectors
document. It can be viewed online by searching for part number 08510-90064 at
www.keysight.com.
– Periodically gage the adapter connectors using the instructions provided in the Connector Care
for RF and Microwave Coaxial Connectors document. The mechanical tolerance for 3.5 mm
center connector recession (male and female) is 0.0 to 0.003 inch.
– Read and follow the directions provided later in this document when mating these adapters
with SMA connectors.
Description
The 11878A 50 ohm 3.5 mm adapter kit contains four type-N to precision 3.5 mm adapters. The kit
is useful for testing 3.5 mm devices on a network analyzer equipped with type-N test port
connectors.
Contents
The 11878A kit contains the following:
– Test port adapter, 3.5 mm (m) to type-N (m) (Keysight part number 1250-1743)
– Test port adapter, 3.5 mm (f) to type-N (m) (Keysight part number 1250-1744)
– Test port adapter, 3.5 mm (f) to type-N (f) (Keysight part number 1250-1745)
– Test port adapter, 3.5 mm (m) to type-N (f) (Keysight part number 1250-1750)
– Storage box, (Keysight part number 9211-1582)
– Storage box foam pad, (Keysight part number 11878-80003)
–Operating and Service Manual (Keysight part number 11878-90001)
General Characteristics
Weight
Net: 0.8 kg (1 lb. 12 oz.)
Shipping: 1.3 kg (2 lb. 12 oz.)

10 Keysight 11878A Operating and Service Manual
Equipment and Supplies
The following equipment and supplies are required for the maintenance and use of, but are not
supplied with, your 11878A adapter kit.
Mating 11878A Adapters with Precision 3.5 mm Devices
The adapters in this kit are precision 3.5 mm connectors, and are best used with other precision 3.5
mm devices. When mating connectors, observe the following precautions:
– Push them straight together.
– Make sure the male contact pin is precisely aligned with the female.
– Do not overtighten the connectors.
– NEVER rotate either center conductor (by turning the device body).
– Only turn the outer nut of the male connector.
– Torque to 8 in-lb (96 N-cm) for the final connection.
An 8 in-lb torque wrench is available from Keysight Technologies. Refer to “Equipment and
Supplies” on page 10 for the part number.
Table 1 Equipment and supplies
Item Part number Recommended use
3.5 mm gage sets (part of the 85052B calibration
kits)
11752-60105 (f)
11752-60106 (m)
Periodic gaging of connectors. Gage every SMA
connector before use.
Torque wrench, 5/16”, 96 N-cm (8 in-lb) (part of the
85052B calibration kit) 8710-1765 Mating two precision 3.5 mm connectors.
Torque wrench, open-end, 5/16”, 60 N-cm (5 in-lb) 8710-1582 Mating a precision 3.5 mm connector to an SMA.
connector.
Document: Connector Care for RF and Microwave
Coaxial Connectors 08510-90064 Following instructions on using and maintaining coaxial connectors.

Keysight 11878A Operating and Service Manual 11
Mating 11878A Adapters with SMA Devices
Each adapter in this kit has a type-N connector on one end and a precision 3.5 mm connector on
the other. SMA connectors will mate with precision 3.5 mm connectors. However, caution is
necessary to prevent accidental damage due to worn or out-of-tolerance SMA connectors. Such
connectors can destroy a precision 3.5 mm connector even on the first connection. Keysight
Technologies recommends that you remember the following important information:
– SMA connectors are not precision mechanical devices.
– They are not designed for repeated connections.
– They are very susceptible to mechanical wear.
– SMA connectors are often out of mechanical tolerances when new.
Before mating an SMA connector (even a new one) to a precision 3.5 mm connector, inspect the
SMA connector carefully both visually and mechanically. To measure the mechanical tolerances,
use a precision connector gage. A male SMA connector pin which is too long can smash or break
the delicate fingers on the precision 3.5 mm female connector, damaging it beyond possibility of
repair. Gaging SMA connectors is the most important step in preventing damage to your
equipment, and it takes very little time. Gaging instructions and gage part numbers are provided in
the Connector Care for RF and Microwave Coaxial Connectors document. It can be viewed online
by searching for part number 08510-90064 at www.keysight.com.
Use the following precautions when mating SMA and precision 3.5 mm connectors:
– Push them straight together.
– Make sure the male contact pin is precisely aligned with the female.
– Do not overtighten the connectors.
– NEVER rotate either center conductor (by turning the device body).
– Only turn the outer nut of the male connector.
– Torque to 5 in-lb (50 N-cm) for the final connection.
Note that the torque listed above is less than when mating two precision 3.5 mm connectors. A
5 in-lb torque wrench is available from Keysight. For the part number, refer to “Equipment and
Supplies” on page 10.
Significant structural and dimensional differences exist between these two type of connectors.
Precision 3.5 mm connectors use an air dielectric. Only air exists between the center and outer
conductors. The male or female center conductor is supported by a plastic bead, deep within the
body of the connector. In SMA connectors, a plastic dielectric supports the entire length of the
center conductor. In addition, the diameters of both the inner and outer conductors differ between
SMA and precision 3.5 connectors.
Using only precision 3.5 mm connectors will provide superior SWR and insertion loss. It will also
extend the life of your adapters (and other test equipment connectors) by reducing mechanical
wear.
CAUTION
SMA connectors are not precision devices, and are often out of mechanical tolerances even when
new. Out of tolerance SMA connectors will likely ruin a precision 3.5 mm connector on the first
mating. Gage SMA connectors before use.

12 Keysight 11878A Operating and Service Manual
Cleaning Connectors
For information on cleaning connectors, refer to the Connector Care for RF and Microwave Coaxial
Connectors document. It can be viewed online by searching for part number 08510-90064 at
www.keysight.com.

This information is subject to change
without notice. Always refer to the
Keysight website for the latest
revision.
© Keysight Technologies 1989 - 2019
Edition 2, February 8, 2019
Printed in Malaysia
*11878-90001*
11878-90001
www.keysight.com