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Agilent 34401A
6 ½ Digit Multimeter
User’s Guide
Agilent Technologies
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Notices © Agilent Technologies, Inc. 1991 - 2007 Warranty Safety Notices No part of this manual may be reproduced in The material contained in this docu- any form or by any means (including elec- ment is provided “as is,” and is sub- tronic storage and retrieval or translation CAUTION ject to being changed, without notice, into a foreign language) without prior agree- in future editions. Further, to the max- ment and written consent from Agilent A CAUTION notice denotes a haz- imum extent per
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Safety Information General Safety Symbols WARNING Do not use this product in any manner not Earth Ground specified by the manufacturer. The protec- Main Power and Test Input Dis- tive features of this product may be connect: Unplug instrument from impaired if it is used in a manner not speci- fied in the operation instructions. Chassis Ground wall outlet, remove power cord, Do not install substitute parts or perform and remove all probes from all any unauthorized modification to the prod-
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LO to Ground Protection Limit. The LO WARNING input terminal can safely "float" a maxi- mum of 500 Vpk relative to ground. IEC Measurement Category II. The As is implied by the above limits, the Protec- HI and LO input terminals may be tion Limit for the HI input terminal is a maxi- connected to mains in IEC Cate- mum of 1500 Vpk relative to ground. gory II installations for line volt- Current Input Terminal. The current input ("I") terminal has a Protection Limit of 3A ages up to 300 VAC
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IEC Measurement Category II includes elec- Agilent 34138A Test Lead Set Additional Notices trical devices connected to mains at an out- The Agilent 34401A is compatible with the let on a branch circuit. Such devices include Agilent 34138A Test Lead Set described most small appliances, test equipment, and Waste Electrical and below. other devices that plug into a branch outlet Electronic Equipment (WEEE) or socket. The 34401A may be used to make Test Lead Ratings Directive 2002/96/EC measu
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DECLARATION OF CONFORMITY According to ISO/IEC Guide 22 and CEN/CENELEC EN 45014 Manufacturer’s Name: Agilent Technologies, Incorporated th Manufacturer’s Address: 815 – 14 St. SW Loveland, Colorado 80537 USA Declares, that the product Product Name: Multimeter Model Number: 34401A Product Options: This declaration covers all options of the above product(s). Conforms with the following European Directives: The product herewith complies with the requirements of the Low Voltage Directive 73/23/EEC
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Note: Unless otherwise indicated, this manual applies to all Serial Numbers. 1 The Agilent Technologies 34401A is a 6 ⁄ -digit, high-performance 2 digital multimeter. Its combination of bench-top and system features makes this multimeter a versatile solution for your measurement needs now and in the future. Convenient Bench-Top Features • Highly visible vacuum-fluorescent display • Built-in math operations • Continuity and diode test functions • Hands-free, Reading Hold feature • Po
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The Front Panel at a Glance 1 Measurement Function keys 5 Front / Rear Input Terminal Switch 2 Math Operation keys 6 Range / Number of Digits Displayed keys 3 Single Trigger / Autotrigger / Reading Hold key 7 Menu Operation keys 4 Shift / Local key 2
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The Front-Panel Menu at a Glance The menu is organized in a top-down tree structure with three levels. A: MEASurement MENU 1: AC FILTER > 2: CONTINUITY > 3: INPUT R > 4: RATIO FUNC > 5: RESOLUTION B: MATH MENU 1: MIN-MAX > 2: NULL VALUE > 3: dB REL > 4: dBm REF R > 5: LIMIT TEST > 6: HIGH LIMIT > 7: LOW LIMIT C: TRIGger MENU 1: READ HOLD > 2: TRIG DELAY > 3: N SAMPLES D: SYStem MENU 1: RDGS STORE > 2: SAVED RDGS > 3: ERROR > 4: TEST > 5: DISPLAY >
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Display Annunciators Turns on during a measurement. ∗ Multimeter is addressed to listen or talk over the GPIB interface. Adrs Multimeter is in remote mode (remote interface). Rmt Multimeter is using manual ranging (autorange is disabled). Man Multimeter is waiting for a single trigger or external trigger. Trig Reading Hold is enabled. Hold Turns on when reading memory is enabled. Mem Multimeter is in dcv:dcv ratio function. Ratio A math operation is enabled (null, min-max,
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The Rear Panel at a Glance 1 Chassis Ground 5 Voltmeter Complete Output Terminal 2 Power-Line Fuse-Holder Assembly 6 External Trigger Input Terminal 3 Power-Line Voltage Setting 7 GPIB (IEEE-488) Interface connector 4 Front and Rear Current Input Fuse 8 RS-232 interface connector Use the front-panel Input / Output Menu to: • Select the GPIB or RS-232 interface (see chapter 4). • Set the GPIB bus address (see chapter 4). • Set the RS-232 baud rate and
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In This Book Quick Start Chapter 1 prepares the multimeter for use and helps you get familiar with a few of its front-panel features. Front-Panel Menu Operation Chapter 2 introduces you to the front-panel menu and describes some of the multimeter’s menu features. Features and Functions Chapter 3 gives a detailed description of the multimeter’s capabilities and operation. You will find this chapter useful whether you are operating the multimeter from the front panel or over the remote interfa
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Contents Contents Chapter 1 Quick Start To Prepare the Multimeter for Use 13 If the Multimeter Does Not Turn On 14 To Adjust the Carrying Handle 16 To Measure Voltage 17 To Measure Resistance 17 To Measure Current 18 To Measure Frequency (or Period) 18 To Test Continuity 19 To Check Diodes 19 To Select a Range 20 To Set the Resolution 21 Front-Panel Display Formats 22 To Rack Mount the Multimeter 23 Chapter 2 Front-Panel Menu Operation Front-Panel Menu Reference 27 A Front-Panel Menu Tutorial
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Contents Chapter 3 Features and Functions (continued) Math Operations Min-Max Operation 64 Null (Relative) Operation 65 dB Measurements 67 dBm Measurements 68 Limit Testing 69 Triggering Trigger Source Choices 73 The Wait-for-Trigger State 76 Halting a Measurement in Progress 76 Number of Samples 77 Number of Triggers 78 Trigger Delay 79 Automatic Trigger Delays 81 Reading Hold 82 Voltmeter Complete Terminal 83 External Trigger Terminal 83 System-Related Operations Reading Me
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Contents Contents Chapter 4 Remote Interface Reference Command Summary 105 Simplified Programming Overview 112 The MEASure? and CONFigure Commands 117 Measurement Configuration Commands 121 Math Operation Commands 124 Triggering 127 Triggering Commands 130 System-Related Commands 132 The SCPI Status Model 134 Status Reporting Commands 144 Calibration Commands 146 RS-232 Interface Configuration 148 RS-232 Interface Commands 153 An Introduction to the SCPI Language 154 Output Data Formats 159
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Contents Chapter 7 Measurement Tutorial Thermal EMF Errors 199 Loading Errors (dc volts) 199 Leakage Current Errors 199 Rejecting Power-Line Noise Voltages 200 Common Mode Rejection (CMR) 201 Noise Caused by Magnetic Loops 201 Noise Caused by Ground Loops 202 Resistance Measurements 203 4-Wire Ohms Measurements 203 Removing Test Lead Resistance Errors 204 Power Dissipation Effects 204 Settling Time Effects 204 Errors in High Resistance Measurements 205 DC Current Measurement Errors 205 True RM
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1 1 Quick Start
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Quick Start One of the first things you will want to do with your multimeter is to become acquainted with its front panel. We have written the exercises in this chapter to prepare the multimeter for use and help you get familiar with some of its front-panel operations. The front panel has two rows of keys to select various functions and operations. Most keys have a shifted function printed in blue above the key. To perform a shifted function, press Shift (the Shift annunciator will turn on).
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Chapter 1 Quick Start To Prepare the Multimeter for Use 1 To Prepare the Multimeter for Use The following steps help you verify that the multimeter is ready for use. 1 Check the list of supplied items. Verify that you have received the following items with your multimeter. If anything is missing, contact your nearest Agilent Sales Office. One test lead kit. One power cord. This User’s Guide. One Service Guide. One folded Quick Reference card. Certificate of Calibration. 2 Connect th
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Chapter 1 Quick Start If the Multimeter Does Not Turn On 1 If the Multimeter Does Not Turn On Use the following steps to help solve problems you might encounter when turning on the multimeter. If you need more help, see the Service Guide for instructions on returning the multimeter to Agilent for service. 1 Verify that there is ac power to the multimeter. First, verify that the multimeter’s Power switch is in the “On” position. Also, make sure that the power cord is firmly plugged into th
