Agilent Technologies U3401A User Manual download pdf (Page 1)

The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology

Department of Electronic and Computer Engineering

ELEC2400 ELECTRONIC CIRCUITS SPRING 2014/15

LAB 1(a,b) –Instrumentation and Measurement

1. Objective

The objective of this lab session is to get you familiarized with the operation of various pieces of

electronic instrument that will be used in future lab sessions.

2. Component and Instrumentation

a. Digital Multimeter (AGILENT Technologies U3401A)

b. Oscilloscope (TEKTRONIX TDS1002 / TDS1012)

c. Synthesized Function Generator (SRS DS345)

d. DC Power Supply (TEKTRONIX PS280 / GWINSTEK GPS-3303)

3. Background Information

3.1 Digital Multimeter (AGILENT Technologies U3401A)

A Digital MultiMeter (DMM) is a handy tool for measurement. It can measure voltage, current, and

resistance. Some meters can even measure capacitance. The measured signal should be either dc

(direct current) or low-frequency ac (alternating current).

1) How does a DMM measure voltage, current and resistance?

The DMM converts the quantity to be measured into a voltage, which is then converted to a

digital number and shown displayed on the display. To measure voltage, the DMM scales the

voltage and converts the output to a digital number. To measure resistance, a known constant

current is injected into the measured device, and the voltage across the device is measured.

To measure current, the measured current is allowed to flow through a small fixed resistance

and the DMM measures the voltage across the resistance.

2) How accurate is the measurement?

It is not true that the least digit in the display represents the accuracy that can be achieved.

Always refer to the instruction manual for the accuracy specification. Generally speaking,

accuracy is increased as the smaller range is selected.

3) What value does a DMM display when measuring an AC signal?

When measuring the voltage or current of an AC signal, the DMM shows the rms value of

the quantity measured. Some good-quality DMM can measure true rms values by measuring

the power of the signal, while other DMMs just calculate the rms value by scaling the peak

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The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology Department of Electronic and Computer Engineering ELEC2400 ELECTRONIC CIRCUITS SPRING 2014/15

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amplitude with a factor that applies only correctly to a sine wave, but the reading is inaccurate if the signal is not a pure sine wave. 4) Can

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triggering point is set to −1V and the triggering slope is set to be negative, then the waveform displayed is as shown in the right figure below.

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4) What is a ×10 probe used for? It is a good practice to use a ×10 probe to measure signals. The ×

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2) What is the current-limit knob used for? The current-limit knob on the panel is used to set the maximum current that can be drawn from the output

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The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology Department of Electronic and Computer Engineering ELEC2400 ELECTRONIC CIRCUITS SPRING 2014/15

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8. Press [DISPLAY] button in the scope to change the appearance of the entire display. 9. Press the 3rd option button to select the ‘Format’ option,

Agilent Technologies U3401A User Manual Page 1

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Agilent Technologies U3401A User Manual Page 1

Browse online or download User Manual for Multimeters Agilent Technologies U3401A. Lab 1(a) manual - Hong Kong University of Science and Technology

Summary of Contents

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