Keysight N4960A User manual

Getting Started
Guide
Keysight
N4960A
Serial BERT
17 and 32 Gb/s

2 Keysight N4960A Serial BERT 17 and 32 Gb/s Getting Started Guide
Notices
© Keysight Technologies, Inc. 2012-2019
No part of this manual may be reproduced
in any form or by any means (including
electronic storage and retrieval or
translation into a foreign language) without
prior agreement and written consent from
Keysight Technologies, Inc. as governed by
United States and international copyright
laws.
Manual Part Number
N4960-91011
Edition
Edition 6.0, April 2019
Printed in Germany
Keysight Technologies, Inc.
Keysight Technologies R&D and Marketing-
GmbH & Co. KG
Herrenberger Str. 130
71034 Böblingen, Germany
Warranty
THE MATERIAL CONTAINED IN THIS
DOCUMENT IS PROVIDED "AS IS," AND IS
SUBJECT TO BEING CHANGED, WITHOUT
NOTICE, IN FUTURE EDITIONS. FURTHER,
TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY
APPLICABLE LAW, KEYSIGHT DISCLAIMS
ALL WARRANTIES, EITHER EXPRESS OR
IMPLIED WITH REGARD TO THIS MANUAL
AND ANY INFORMATION CONTAINED
HEREIN, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO
THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES 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, USE, OR PERFORMANCE OF
THIS DOCUMENT OR ANY INFORMATION
CONTAINED HEREIN. SHOULD KEYSIGHT
AND THE USER HAVE A SEPARATE
WRITTEN AGREEMENT WITH WARRANTY
TERMS COVERING THE MATERIAL IN THIS
DOCUMENT THAT CONFLICT WITH THESE
TERMS, THE WARRANTY TERMS IN THE
SEPARATE AGREEMENT WILL CONTROL.
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.
Restricted Rights Legend
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
software” 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’ standard 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. Government 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
applicable in any technical data.
Safety Notices
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.
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 N4960A Serial BERT 17 and 32 Gb/s Getting Started Guide 3
Safety Summary
The following general safety precautions must be observed during all phases of
operation of this instrument. Failure to comply with these precautions or with
specific warnings or operating instructions in the product manuals violates
safety standards of design, manufacture, and intended use of the instrument.
Keysight Technologies assumes no liability for the customer's failure to comply
with these requirements. Product manuals are provided with your instrument
on CD-ROM and/or in printed form. Printed manuals are an option for many
products. Manuals may also be available on the Web. Go to www.keysight.com
and type in your product number in the Search field at the top of the page.
General
This product is a Safety Class 1 instrument (provided with a protective earth
terminal). The protective features of this product may be impaired if it is used in
a manner not specified in the operation instructions.
All Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs) used in this product are Class 1 LEDs as per
IEC 60825-1.
Environment Conditions
This instrument is intended for indoor use in an installation category II, pollution
degree 2 environment. It is designed to operate at a maximum relative humidity
of 15 to 85% and at altitudes of up to 2000 meters.
Refer to the specifications tables for the ac mains voltage requirements and
ambient operating temperature range.
Before Applying Power
Verify that all safety precautions are taken. The power cable inlet of the
instrument serves as a device to disconnect from the mains in case of hazard.
The instrument must be positioned so that the operator can easily access the
power cable inlet. When the instrument is rack mounted the rack must be
provided with an easily accessible mains switch.
Ground the Instrument
To minimize shock hazard, the instrument chassis and cover must be
connected to an electrical protective earth ground. The instrument must be
connected to the ac power mains through a grounded power cable, with the
ground wire firmly connected to an electrical ground (safety ground) 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 personal injury.
Do Not Operate in an
Explosive Atmosphere
Do not operate the instrument in the presence of flammable gases or fumes.
Do Not Remove the
Instrument Cover
Operating personnel must not remove instrument covers. Component
replacement and internal adjustments must be made only by qualified
personnel.
Instruments that appear damaged or defective should be made inoperative and
secured against unintended operation until they can be repaired by qualified
service personnel.

4 Keysight N4960A Serial BERT 17 and 32 Gb/s Getting Started Guide
Safety Symbols
Table 1. Safety Symbol
Symbol
Description
Indicates warning or caution. If you see this symbol on a product, you
must refer to the manuals for specific Warning or Caution
information to avoid personal injury or damage to the product.
Frame or chassis ground terminal. Typically connects to the
equipment’s metal frame.
Indicates hazardous voltages and potential for electrical shock.
Indicates that antistatic precautions should be taken.
Indicates hot surface. Please do not touch.
CSA is the Canadian certification mark to demonstrate compliance
with the Safety requirements.
CE compliance marking to the EU Safety and EMC Directives.
ISM GRP-1A classification according to the international EMC
standard. ICES/NMB-001 compliance marking to the Canadian EMC
standard.
The RCM mark indicates that this product meets EMS/Product Safety
Requirements and may be imported to Australia and New Zealand.
This mark indicates compliance with the Canadian EMC regulations.
ISM 1-A
This text denotes the instrument is an Industrial Scientific and
Medical Group 1 Class A product.
China RoHS regulations include requirements related to packaging,
and require compliance to China standard GB18455-2001. This
symbol indicates compliance with the China RoHS regulations for
paper/fiberboard packaging.
Indicates the time period during which no hazardous or toxic
substance elements are expected to leak or deteriorate during
normal use. Forty years is the expected useful life of the product.
The South Korean Class A EMC declaration (KC) mark indicates that
this product is Class A suitable for professional use and is for use in
electromagnetic environments outside of the home.
The KC mark includes the marking’s identifier code that has up to 26
digits and follows this format: KCC-VWX-YYY-ZZZZZZZZZZZZZ.

Keysight N4960A Serial BERT 17 and 32 Gb/s Getting Started Guide 5
Compliance and Environmental Information
Table 2. Compliance and Environmental Information
Safety Symbol
Description
This product complies with WEEE Directive (2002/96/EC) marking
requirements. The affixed label indicates that you must not discard
this electrical/electronic product in domestic household waste.
Product Category: With reference to the equipment types in WEEE
Directive Annex I, this product is classed as a “Monitoring and
Control instrumentation” product.
Do not dispose in domestic household waste.
To return unwanted products, contact your local Keysight office for
more information.

6 Keysight N4960A Serial BERT 17 and 32 Gb/s Getting Started Guide

Keysight N4960A Serial BERT 17 and 32 Gb/s Getting Started Guide 7
Contents
1N4960A Getting Started Guide...............................................................9
1.1 Introduction................................................................................... 9
1.2 Support ....................................................................................... 10
1.3 General Specifications................................................................ 10
1.4 Safety and Regulatory ................................................................ 12
1.5 Unpacking ................................................................................... 13
1.6 Important Notes.......................................................................... 13
1.7 Installation................................................................................... 13
1.8 Connector Care........................................................................... 15
1.9 Returning the N4960A to Keysight Technologies...................... 16

N4960A Getting Started Guide
8 Keysight N4960A Serial BERT 17 and 32 Gb/s Getting Started Guide

N4960A Getting Started Guide
Keysight N4960A Serial BERT 17 and 32 Gb/s Getting Started Guide 9
1N4960A Getting Started Guide
1.1 Introduction
Welcome to the Keysight Technologies N4960A serial BERT 17 and
32 Gb/s getting started guide. This guide will help you identify the
contents of the shipping package, perform a quick functional check of
the product, and guide you on where to find more information and
support for the N4960A serial BERT 17 and 32 Gb/s.
The N4960A serial BERT controller 17 and 32 Gb/s is shipped in a
protective box. Each shipping box contains:
N4960A-CJ0 or N4960A-CJ1 serial BERT controller.
AC power cord.
CD-ROM, which includes:
oN4960A Serial BERT 17 and 32 Gb/s user guide
oN4960A Serial BERT 17 and 32 Gb/s getting started guide
oN4960A Serial BERT 17 and 32 Gb/s datasheet
Figure 1. N4960A Serial BERT

N4960A Getting Started Guide
10 Keysight N4960A Serial BERT 17 and 32 Gb/s Getting Started Guide
The N4951A, N4951B, and N4952A are shipped with all the accessories
required for operation. Each package contains:
N4951A, N4951B, or N4952A with remote head controller cable.
CD-ROM, which includes:
oN4960A Serial BERT 17 and 32 Gb/s user guide
oN4960A Serial BERT 17 and 32 Gb/s getting started guide
oN4960A Serial BERT 17 and 32 Gb/s datasheet
1.2 Support
For more information on the operation and features of the N4960A
Serial BERT 17 and 32 Gb/s, please refer to N4960A Serial BERT 17 and
32 Gb/s User Guide on the CD or the product webpage at
http://www.Keysight.com/find/N4960A.
Technical Support information:
http://www.Keysight.com/find/techsupport
1.3 General Specifications
Before installing the N4960A serial BERT, review the specifications in
Table 3.
Table 3. Specification considerations before installation
Parameter
Specification
Connector Type
Controller
All signals except 10 MHz In/Out
10 MHz In/Out
N4951A and N4952A
N4951B
SMA
BNC
2.92 mm female
2.4 mm female (data connectors), SMA female (auxiliary
connectors)
Remote Control Interface
USB2.0 and IEEE-488 (GPIB)
Operating Temperature
+10 ºC to +40 ºC
Storage Temperature
–40 ºC to +70 ºC