Keysight U1401B User manual

Keysight U1401B
Handheld Multi-Function
Calibrator/Meter
Quick Start
Guide

Contacting Keysight
www.keysight.com/find/assist
(worldwide contact information for
repair and service)
Safety and EMC Information
This instrument is safety and EMC
certified in compliance with:
– IEC 61010-1:2001/
EN61010-1:2001 (2nd Edition)
– Canada: CAN/CSA-C22.2 No.
61010-1-04
– USA: ANSI/UL 61010-1:2004
– IEC61326-2-1:2005/
EN61326-2-1:2006
– Canada: ICES-001:2004
– Australia/New Zealand: AS/NZS
CISPR11:2004
Measurement Category II 150 V,
Pollution Degree 2. Use with
standard or compatible test probes.
Safety Notices
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
proceed beyond a CAUTION notice
until the indicated 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.
Safety symbols
Earth (ground) terminal
Double insulation
Caution, risk of electric
shock
Caution, risk of danger
CAT II
150V
Category II 150 V
overvoltage protection
2 Keysight U1401B Quick Start Guide
For further safety information details, refer to the
Keysight U1401B Handheld Multi-Function Calibrator/Meter User’s Guide.

Keysight U1401B Quick Start Guide 3
Table of Contents
Recharging the Batteries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Functions and Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Input/Output Terminals and Overload
Protection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Charging the battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Performing Voltage Measurements . . . . . . . . 12
Performing Current Measurements . . . . . . . . 14
Performing Resistance Measurement and
Continuity Test . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Performing Temperature Measurements . . . . 18
Frequency and Frequency Counter
Measurements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Square Wave Output . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Tilt Stand . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

4 Keysight U1401B Quick Start Guide
THIS PAGE HAS BEEN INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK.

Keysight U1401B Quick Start Guide 5
The following items are included with your
multimeter:
✔Protective holster
✔Rechargeable battery pack (1.2 V NiMH AA
× 8)
✔Power cord and AC power adapter
✔Silicone test leads, alligator clips, and a
yellow test lead for mA simulation
✔Certificate of calibration
✔Printed Quick Start Guide
If anything is missing or damaged, please contact
the nearest Keysight Sales Office.
NOTE
Your multimeter is capable of remote data logging.
To use this feature, you will need an IR-USB cable
(U5481A, purchased separately) and the Keysight
GUI Data Logger Software (downloadable from
www.keysight.com/find/hhTechLib).
WARNING
Ensure the terminal connections are correct for that
particular measurement selection before starting any
measurement. To avoid damage to the device, do not
exceed the input limit.

6 Keysight U1401B Quick Start Guide
Recharging the Batteries
Charge the batteries immediately when the low
battery annunciator starts flashing. It is strongly
recommended that you use only the specified
type of 24 V AC adapter to charge these
rechargeable batteries.
1Power down the instrument and disconnect
all the test leads from the terminals.
2Plug the AC adapter into the jack on the side
panel.
3Set the slide switch at the CHARGE position.
4The red light indicates that the batteries are
being recharged.
Set slide switch at the
CHARGE position
Charging indication
Green: Fully charged
Red: Charging
External AC
adapter jack

Keysight U1401B Quick Start Guide 7
5When the batteries have been fully recharged,
the green light turns on. Remove the AC
adapter and set the slide switch at the Mor
M/S position.
WARNING
Do not discharge a battery by shorting it or subjecting
it to reverse polarity. Do not mix different types of
battery. Make sure a battery is rechargeable before
charging it.
CAUTION
Do not turn the rotary switch while the instrument is
being recharged because a DC 24 V supply is
applied to the charging terminal.

8 Keysight U1401B Quick Start Guide
Functions and Features
Action Steps
Selects AC, DC, or AC+DC
measurement Press
Toggles peak hold mode on and off Press and hold for > 1 s
Freezes the measured value With data hold mode enabled, press
. Press and hold for > 1 s
to exit.
Enters or exits the refresh hold mode With refresh hold mode enabled, press
Enters or exits the dynamic recording
mode Press and hold for > 1 s
Offsets the measured value Press
Selects the measurement range Press
Turns on autorange Press and hold for > 1 s
Turns on dual display Press
Turns on the frequency measurement
function Press
Enables the shifted functions of the
keypad
Press
Toggles the backlight on or off Press and hold for > 1 s

Keysight U1401B Quick Start Guide 9
Selects output mode and range for
voltage and current output With rotary switch at or , and
with mode enabled, press
Selects parameter adjustments for
square wave output
With rotary switch at , and with
mode enabled, press
Selects a digit or the polarity to be
adjusted With mode enabled, press
or
Adjusts a digit or the polarity With mode enabled, press
or
Toggles the output state on and off With mode enabled, press
Action Steps

10 Keysight U1401B Quick Start Guide
Input/Output Terminals and Overload
Protection
The output terminals are protected with DC 30 V
overload protection. The overload protection
limits of the input terminals are shown in the table
below
Functions Overload Protection
AC/DC voltage measurement 250 Vrms
Resistance measurement and continuity test
Temperature measurement
AC/DC current measurement 250 V/630 mA, fast-acting fuse

Keysight U1401B Quick Start Guide 11
Charging the battery
A new rechargeable battery comes in a
discharged condition and must be charged before
use (refer to the U1401B User's and Service Guide
for charging instructions). Upon initial use (or
after a prolonged storage period) the
rechargeable battery may require three to four
charge/discharge cycles before achieving
maximum capacity. To discharge, simply run the
multimeter using the rechargeable battery’s
power until it shuts down or until the low battery
warning appears.
In some instances, the multimeter may indicate
that the charging is complete after ten minutes or
so when charging a new rechargeable battery.
This is a normal phenomenon with rechargeable
batteries. Remove the rechargeable battery from
the device, re-insert it and repeat the charging
procedure.

12 Keysight U1401B Quick Start Guide
Performing Voltage Measurements
Measuring AC voltage
1Set the rotary switch to Vor mV. Press
to select .
2Connect the red (+) and black (–) test leads to
the INPUT terminals.
3Probe the test points and read the display.
4Press to display dual measurements.

Keysight U1401B Quick Start Guide 13
Measuring DC voltage
1Set the rotary switch to Vor mV. Press
to select .
2Connect the red (+) and black (–) test leads to
the INPUT terminals.
3Probe the test points and read the display.
4Press to display dual measurements.

14 Keysight U1401B Quick Start Guide
Performing Current Measurements
Measuring AC current
1Set the rotary switch to mA. Press to
select .
2Connect the red (+) and black (–) test leads to
the INPUT terminals.
3Probe the test points in series with the circuit
and read the display.
Measuring DC current
1Set the rotary switch to mA. Press to
select .
2Connect the red (+) and black (–) test leads to
the INPUT terminals.

Keysight U1401B Quick Start Guide 15
3Probe the test points in series with the circuit
and read the display.
Percentage scale of DC mA measurement
With the rotary switch at mA, another option
selectable with the key is the percentage
scale of DC mA measurement.
Frequency measurement
During AC/DC voltage or AC/DC current
measurement, you can measure the signal
frequency by pressing at any time.

16 Keysight U1401B Quick Start Guide
Performing Resistance Measurement and
Continuity Test
1Set the rotary switch to .
2Connect the red (+) and black (–) test leads to
the INPUT terminals.
3Probe the resistor (or shunt) leads and read
the display.
4To perform continuity test, press to
toggle the audible continuity function on or off.
CAUTION
Disconnect circuit power and discharge all
high-voltage capacitors before measuring
resistance to prevent possible damage to the
instrument or the device under test.

Keysight U1401B Quick Start Guide 17
For continuity test, the instrument will beep if the
resistance is less than the values indicated below:
Measurement range Resistance threshold
500.00 Ω10 Ω
5.0000 kΩ100 Ω
50.000 kΩ1 kΩ
500.00 kΩ10 kΩ
5.0000 MΩ100 kΩ
50.000 MΩ1 MΩ

18 Keysight U1401B Quick Start Guide
Performing Temperature Measurements
1Set the slide switch to the Mposition to
disable the output.
2Set the rotary switch to mV.
3Press and hold for more than 1 second.
WARNING
– Before measuring the temperature of a circuit or
device, disconnect its power.
– The bead type thermocouple probe is suitable for
measuring temperature from –40 °C to 204 °C in
PTFE compatible environments. The probes may
emit toxic gas above this temperature range.

Keysight U1401B Quick Start Guide 19
4Plug the thermocouple probe (with adapter)
into the INPUT terminals.
5Touch the surface to be measured with the
thermocouple probe and read the display.
Best practices:
– Do not bend the thermocouple leads at sharp
angles. Repeated bending may break the
leads.
– Do not immerse the thermocouple probe in
any liquid.
– Clean the surface to be measured and make
sure that the probe is securely touching the
surface.
NOTE
The U1401A can generate and measure signals
simultaneously.
While the mode is enabled, pressing
disables the U1401A output by placing it
in the standby mode ( ). Pressing OUTPUT again
toggles the output on ( ).

20 Keysight U1401B Quick Start Guide
Frequency and Frequency Counter
Measurements
Constant voltage output
1Set the rotary switch to any one of the
positions.
2Press . The annunciator appears.
3Press to cycle through ±1.5 V, ±15 V,
±1.5 V, ±15 V, ±1.5 V, and
±15 V output modes.
4Select ±1.5 V or ±15 V.
5Press to output the signal.