Tektronix P6231 User manual

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TEK
INSTRUCTION
MANUAL
First Printing MAY 1986
Revised SEP 1987
P6231
PROBE
Please Check for
Part No. 070-6027-00
Product Group 60
CHANGE INFORMATION
at the Rear of This Manual

Copyright C> 1986 Tektronix, Inc. All rights reserved.
Contents of this publication may not be reproduced in any
form without the written permission of Tektronix, Inc.
Products of Tektronix, Inc. and its subsidiaries are covered
by U.S. and foreign patents and/or pending patents.
TEKTRONIX, TEK, SCOPE.MOBILE, and 8 are
registered trademarks of Tektronix, Inc. TELEQUIPMENT
is a registered trademark of Tektronix U.K. Limited.
Printed in U.S.A. Specification and price change privileges
are reserved.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS ............................................. .iii
liST OF TABlES............................................................v
OPERATORS SAFETY SUMMARY ................................ vi
SERVICING SAFETY SUMMARY ................................... vii
SECTION 1 SPECIFICATION
DESCRIPTION ............................................... 1.1
ACCESSORIES ............................................. 1-1
PERFORMANCE CONDITIONS .................... 1-2
SECTION 2 OPERATING INSTRUCTIONS
INTRODUCTION ............................................ 2·1
OPERATING CONSIDERATIONS................. 2-1
Probe Handling .. "' ...................................... 2.1
Input Dynamic Range ................................ 2-1
Probe Grounding ........................................ 2-2
CONTROLS AND CONNECTORS ................ 2-4
PROBE ACCESSORIES ................................ 2-4
OPERATION .................................................. 2-7
P6231
SECTION 3 PERFORMANCE CHECK
PURPOSE ...................................................... 3-1
TEST EQUIPMENT REQUIRED .................... 3-1
LIMITS AND TOLERANCES ......................... 3-1
PREPARATION .............................................. 3-1
PROCEDURE STEPS .................................... 3-3
DC Offset Check ........................................3-3
Bandwidth/Rise Time
High-Frequency Aberrations Check ...........3-5
WAit"'''. I
The following servicing instructions are for use by
qualified personnel only. To avoid personal injury, do
not perform any servicing other than that contained in
operating instructions unless you are qualified to do
so.

TABLE OF CONTENTS (cont)
SECTION 4 ADJUSTMENT PROCEDURE
PURPOSE ...................................................... 4-1
TEST EQUIPMENT REQUIRED ..............•...•. 4-1
ADJUSTMENT SEQUENCE .......................... 4-1
ADJUSTMENT LOCATIONS .......•................. 4-1
PREPARATION .............................................. 4-2
PROCEDURE STEPS ••.....•••....................•...•. 4-4
Check/Adjust Offset NulI.. .......•....•............. 4-4
Check/Adjust Attenuation Aoouracy
and Mid-Frequency Response ................... 4-4
SECTION 5 THEORY OF OPERATION
INTRODUCTION ............................................ 5-1
GENERAL CIRCUIT DESCRIPTION .......•..... 5-1
DETAILED CIRCUIT DESCRIPTION ............ 5-1
SECTION 6 MAINTENANCE
INTRODUCTION ............................................ 6-1
STATIC-SENSITIVE COMPONENTS ........... 6-1
PREVENTIVE MAINTENANCE .....................6-3
Cleaning......................................................6-3
Vlsuallnspection..•.......•...•...••..•...........•.•... 6-4
Semiconductor Checks .............................. 6-4
TROUBLESHOOTING ................................... 6-4
Troubleshooting Techniques ...................... 6-9
CORRECTIVE MAINTENANCE ................... 6-10
Maintenance Precautions .......................... 6-10
Obtaining Replacement Parts .................... 6-10
PROBE DISASSEMBL y................................ 6-11
Control Box. Disassembly.......................... 6-11
Cable Assembly Replacement ................... 6-12
Probe TIP Replacement ............................. 6-13
Button Replacement .................................. 6-13
READJUSTMENT AFTER REPAIR .............. 6-13
INSTRUMENT REPACKING ......................... 6-13
SECTION 7 REPLACEABLE PARTS
DIAGRAMS
REPLACEABLE ELECTRICAL PARTS
REPLACEABLE MECHANICAL PARTS
OPTIONAL ACCESSORIES
ii
P6231
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LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
Figure Page
The P6231 Probe ............................................. viii
1-1 Typical input impedance versus
frequency ..........................................................1-6
2-1 Damaging effects of ground-
lead Inductance ................................................ 2-2
2-2 Reducing the effects of
ground-lead inductance....................................2-3
2-3
Controls. connectors, and
probe accessories ............................................ 2-5
2-4 Example of reduced loading ............................ 2-7
P8231
iii

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS (cont)
Page
Figure
3-1
Offset-check setup...........................................3-4
3-2
High-frequency check setup ............................ 3-4
4-1 P6231 adjustment locations ............................4-5
5-1 Functional block diagram.................................5-2
6-1 Disassembly of control box .............................6-12
7-1 Main circuit-board layout.
7-2 Flexible circuit-board layout.
7-2 Component layout for trouble shooting.
iv P6231

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LIST OF TABLES
Table Page
1-1 Electrical Characteristics..................................1-2
1-2 Environmental Characteristics .........................1-5
1-3 Physical Characteristics................................... 1-5
2-1 Typical Performance Effects
of Grounding COnftgurations............................2-6
3-1 Test Equipment Required ................................ 3-2
4-1 Test Equipment Required ................................4-2
6-1 Relative Susceptibility To Static
Discharge Damage ........................................... 6-2
6-2 Troubleshooting Equipment............................. 6-5
6-3 Fault Indication and Probable Cause .............. 6-5
P8231 v

OPERATORS SAFETY SUMMARY
The general safety information in this part of the summary is for both operating and servicing personnel. Specific warnings and
cautions will be found throughout the manual where they apply. but may not appear in this summary.
Terms In This Manual
WARNING statements identify conditions or practices that
could result in personal injury or loss of life.
CAUTION statements identify conditions or practices that
could result in damage to the equipment or other property.
Do Not Operate In Explosive Atmospheres
To avoid explosion, do not operate this product in any ex-
plosive atmosphere unless it has been specifically certified
for such operation.
Do Not Remove Covers
To avoid personal injury, do not remove the product cov-
ers. Do not operate the product without the covers prop.
erly installed.
vi
P8231
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SERVICE SAFETY SUMMARY
FOR QUALIFIED SERVICE PERSONNEL ONLY
Refer a/so to the preceding Operators Safety Summary.
00 Not Service Alone Use Care When Servicing With Power On
Do not perform internal service or adjustment of this pro- To aVoid personal injury, do not touch exposed connec-
duct unless another person
is present and capable of tions and components while power is on.
rendering first aid and resuscitation.
P6231
vii

6027-1
The P6231 probe.
viii
P6231
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SPECIFICATION
DESCRIPTION
The TEKTRONIX P6231 is a Iow-impedance, subminia-
ture, 10X active probe with identification capability. The
probe is designed for use with 11000 SerIes oscilloscopes
and is equipped with the new TEKPROBETM· interface
which draws power from the host instrument and provides
data communication between the 08CiI08c0pe and the
probe. Data contained within the probe informs the instru-
ment of the probe's attenuation,
model number and
identification number, and causes the Input to automatical-
ly terminate with 50 ohms. The 10 button on the probe
head activates the 10 function In the Instrument. The 10
signal can also set an SRQ (Service Request) ftag on an
IEEE...488 bus if the Instrument is programmed to do so.
The P6231 meets the requirements of UL 1244.
The P6231 offers a variable offset vottage at the probe
tip to reduce loading effects. The offset is coutrolled
through the TEKPROBETM interface by the host instru-
ment. The voltage available at the probe tip spans the
range from -5V to +5V, allowing the probe to minimize
loading effects on most logic families in use today.
The P6231 is available with a 1.5-meter signal cable.
No power cable Is necessary, as pOwer is<ft'lWlrlrOmtl'le
host instrument plug-in through the TEKPROBE™ inter-
face.
The subminiature probe head of the P6231 is fully c0m-
patible with the Tektronix family of subminiature probe ac-
cessories.
ACCESSORIES
The P6231 is shipped with the following standard ac-
cessories:
1 Instruction manual
1 Accessory Pouch
1 Hook tip
2 CircuIt-board-to-probe-tip connectors
1 Ground lead with mlcrohook/alligator clip
1 Low inductance ground-lead assembly
1 A packet of assorted cable-marker sets.
Use of theSe accessorieS is described in the "Operating
Instructions" section of this manual. Part numbers and
optional accessories are Hsted in the .. Replaceable Parts
Ust" (Section
7).
REV AUG 1986
Section.1 -P8231 1·1

PERFORMANCE CONDITIONS
The electrical characteristics listed in Table 1-1 apply
when a calibrated probe is used with a calibrated oscIllo-
scope system operating within the environmental c0ndi-
tions stated in Table 1-2.
Items listed in the "Performance Requirement" column
are verifiable qualitative or quantitative limits. Items listed
in the "Supplemental Information" column are not verified
in the "Performance Check Procedure" (SectIon 3); they
are either explanatory notes, calibration setup descrip-
tions, performance characteristics for which no absolute
limits are specified, or characteristics that are impractical
to check.
The probe's physical characteristics are listed in Table
1-3.
Table 1-1
Characteristic Performance Requirement
SuppIementaIlnfonnation
Attenuation
lOX ±1% atde. Probe attached to 11000 series
(system)
plug-in.
Input Resistance
4SOO ±1% at de.- Probe attached to 11000 series
(system)
plug-In.
Input Capacitance
Less than 1.6 pF.- Typically 1.3 pF. See figure 1-1 for
(1 kHz to 1.5 GHz)
a graph of input Impedance
versus frequency.
1-2 Specification -P8231 REV AUG 1986
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Table 1·1 (com.)
Characteristic Performance Requirement Supplemental Information
Bandwidth (-3 dB)
DC to at least 1.5 GHz. Calculated from risetime:
(Probe Only)
BW = 0.35 -+- risetime.
Risetime (Probe Only)
Less than 230 ps. Test system must have a risetime of
less than 100 ps.
Aberrations (Probe Only) < +4%, -9% for the first 1 ns In addition to system aberrations.
(referenced from 1 ns); ±3%
thereafter.
Signal Delay 8.70 ns ± 100 pS.1I
Probe tip to output BNC.
Input Dynamic Range
-5 V,,;;; (V$ignaI + V~ ,,;;; +5 V.
Offset Null Less than ± 10 mV.
DC Offset Range oto at least +5 V, ±2°/Q and -5 V,
Measured from probe tip to ground
±2%. with a high
impedance (~ 50 kON)
voltmeter.
DC Thermal Drift Less than 10 mV/oC.
Equivalent input offset.
!!Performance requirement not checked In manual.
REV SEP 1987
Specification -P6231 1·3

Table 1-1 (coni)
Characteristic Performance Requirement
Output Load 500 ± 0.5%.
Requirement
Maximum Nondestructive
10 Vde continuous. a
Input Voltage
30 V (de + peak ac) for 1 sec.
Power Supply
Power is drawn from thea
Requirements
host instrument.
10 Button Ufe
>50 Kcyclesa
• Perfonnanc:e Requkement not checked In menuIII.
1-4
Specification - P6231
Supplemental Information o
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Environmental Characteristics
Characteristic
Temperature Range
(Operating)
Temperature Range
(Nonoperating)
Humidity
Altitude
(Operating)
Transportation
Information
O°C to +50"C
(+32
QF to +122"F).
-55
QC to +75"C
(-67QF to +167°F).
Five cycles (120 hr.)
at 90% to 95% relative
humidity at 3O"C to 6O"C.
To 4,600 m (15,000 ft).
Ouatifies under
National
Safe Transit
ASSOCIation's
Pre-shipment Test
Procedures; 1A-B-1.
Tabte 1-3
Physical Characteristics
Characteristic
Net Weight (includes
accessories)
Signal Cable Length
Information
354 9 (12.5 oz).
1.5 m (60 in).
Specification -P8231

1-8
R
(0)
9
(0)
800
450
100
10
+50
o
-50
100kHz
1 MHz
~~
PROBE BANDWIDTH
10 MHz
FREQUENCY (Hz)
100 MHz
Figure 1·1. Typical Input Impedance v.sus frequency.
SpecIftcatIon - P8231
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OPERATING INSTRUCTIONS
This section of the manual is intended to familiarize the operator with the use of the P6231 Probe. Included are operat.
ing consideratiQns, descriptions of the controls and connectors, instructions for the use of the accessories, and a descrip.-
tion of the use and operation of the probe.
NOTE
The P6231 is shipped along with its standard acces·
sories. At installation, save the shipping and pack-
aging materials for reuse should reshipment becOme
necessary. Refer to "Maintenance" (Section 6) for
further information.
OPERATING CONSIDERATIONS
Probe Handling
The P6231 's subminiature body has been designed for
ease of use when probing small circuitry. Both the probe
itself and its accessories should be handled carefully at all
times. Avoid dropping the probe body, since damage to
its tip
may result. Exercise care to prevent crushing the
cable or placing excessive strain on it by pulling.
Input Dynamic Range
The input dynamic range of the P6231 is limited by the
ability of the internal amplifier to drive the 500 termination.
This limitation exists whether the input signal originates at
the probe tip (test signal) or as internal offset voltage.
Therefore. the limitation on the
signal that can be applied
to the probe tip is dependent on the amount of offset volt-
age being used. To maintain signal fidelity, the test signal
should not exceed the limits imposed
by the following for-
mula:
-5.0 V "..; (Vllignal + Votfset Yoitage) "'" +5.0 V
REV AUG 1986
Section 2 - P6231

Probe Grounding
Inductance caused by either a long signal lead or
ground lead will form a series-resonant circuit that can dis-
tort tI18 tlVe waveform or degrade the bandwidth. Ground
AA
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4500 >
ell! 1.8 pF
QRouNDLEAD
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lead and signal input connections should be kept as short
as possible to maintain the best waveform fidelity. (Refer
to FIgures 2-1 and 2-2.)
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"231 • Probe with. ground"'" Tr == 4 na.
Ground lead Inductance can significantly reduce the performance of a probe. As shown in the model above, the
ground lead inserts a series inductance into the signal path forming a series-resonant circuit between Cin of the probe
and ground lead L, with only Rsouroe as damping. This forms a resonant circuit with an fo ... 1 + (211' y'[C). A six-
inch ground lead has -150 nH of self inductance causing an fo of 325 MHz, which is within the frequency response of
the instrument. This greatly degrades risetime, bandwidth, and transient accuracy (see illustration). For best results,
make sure that ground lead inductance is minimized. Three methodS for doing so are described on the following page.
6027-2
figure 2·1. Damaging effects of ~ Inductance.
2-2 OperatIng Instructions -
P8231 REV AUG 1986
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ECB to Probe-Tip Adapters pro-
vide high-quaHty connection test
points when installed on circuit
boards. The ribbed-plastic tip cov-
er on the probe must be removed.
The probe witl then plug into the
test point directly. Adapters are
available in bags of 100 (see "Re_
placeable Parts.")
The Iow..inductance lead provided
with all Tek subminiature probes
allows
for a substantial reduction
of ground-lead L (-32 nH instead
of 150 nH). To use, unscrew the
ribbed-tip cover
and sfide off the
ground collar with ground lead.
Slip on the low-inductance lead
ground collar (1) and reinstall the
ribbed41p cover. InstaB the Iow-
inductance lead (2)
from the acces-
sory pack.
The Tektronix Klipldt (optional, see
"Replaceable Parts.") provides a
hands-off connection of signal and
ground to an IC (up to 16 pins).
Klipkit ground is acquired by insert-
ing a connecting pin (included) into
the Kfipkit at the proper pin. The
probe body will then make ground
connection when inserted into the
other contact locations.
Figure 2-2. Reducing the damaging effects of ground-lead Inductance.
Operatinglnskuctions - P8231
2·3