TSP #254 - X-Ray Florescence CMI900 Oxford Instruments Teardown, Repair & Experiments (Part 1)
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In this episode Shahriar takes a look at an X-Ray florescence machine. The CMI900 Oxford Instruments unit is not only capable of elemental analysis and identification, it can also measure the thickness of various coatings which is particularly interesting for electronics.
Unfortunately the already-non-functional unit has been further damaged in transit due to poor packaging. In this first video we dive into the repair of the unit and accompanying PC. The unit has several problems both mechanical & electrical and the damage to the PC hosting the unique interface software is also extensive. The teardown and repair procedures are covered in this video.
Stay tuned for the next episode where Shahriar will cover the theory of operation as well as range of measurement experiments.
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TNP #53 - Ω-Source Electronically Controlled Resistance Decade Box Repair, Teardown & Experiments
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In this episode Shahriar takes a look at an interesting electrically controlled resistance decade box. The unit uses a large grid of latching relays to synthesize a wide range of resistance values from fixed surface mount resistors.
The unit has a faulty LCD screen which can be easily replaced. The repaired unit is calibrated using a Keithley 2002 8.5-Digit multimeter and meets is specifications. The resistance box is combined with an adjustable voltage regulator to realize a tunable voltage source with ease.
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TSP #253 - Keysight 256GS/s, 80GHz Bandwidth M8199B 2-Channel AWG Overview, Teardown & Experiments
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In this episode Shahriar takes a look at another world's first instrument: Keysight M8199B 256 GSa/s Arbitrary Waveform Generator. With over 80GHz of analog bandwidth, this high performance ARB is intended for design development at 160GBaud and above:
https://www.keysight.com/zz/en/product/M8199B/m8199b-256-gsa-s-arbitrary-waveform-generator.html
This video is organized as follows:
00:00 - Introductions
00:54 - ARB comparison, performance metrics, key parameters
03:59 - DAC design, chip layout, system level considerations, overall instrument architecture
14:42 - M8199B interfaces, detailed teardown, sub-block overview, output module analysis
30:14 - Demonstration setup, M8199B, DCA-X, 120GHz remote sampling use-case
33:29 - Software interfaces, I/Q tools, signal generation & calibration
36:29 - DCA-X eye-diagram captures, 64GBaud to 200GBaud, NRZ, PAM4, PAM8
44:09 - Keysight captured eye diagram & ultimate system performance
45:50 - Concluding remarks
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TSP #252 - Mini-Circuits 37dBm 1GHz Power Amplifier Repair, Teardown & RF Characterization Tutorial
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In this episode Shahriar takes a look at benchtop power amplifier unit from Mini-Circuits. The amplifier operates from 0.5 - 1000MHz and can provide over 4W of saturated output power. The amplifier is not functional and provides no gain or output power.
The teardown reveals the "hand-made" nature of the multi-stage RF amplifier inside. Although the internal power supply is functional, none of the five internal RF stages have any supply voltage. The problem is traced to a broken small fuse soldered to the main PCB. A new fuse holder is installed.
The amplifier is extensively characterized for frequency response, Psat, P1dB, OIP3, NF as well as efficiency. Details of measurements techniques for each parameter is discussed in details.
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TSP #251 - Agilent 50GHz PSA (E4448A) Spectrum Analyzer Teardown, Repair & Experiments (Part 1)
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In this episode Shahriar takes a look at the faulty Agilent 50GHz spectrum analyzer which does not power on. After tracing the issue and restoring the bootting sequence, it is clear that the instrument has several other issues. The attenuator step calibration failure is addressed which clears all startup errors. However, the instrument still does not measure some frequency bands correctly which points to a failure in the band-selection & mixer assembly. We will have to return to this instrument again in Part 2!
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TNP #52 - A Faxitron MX-20 TruFocus X-Ray Tube Teardown & Analysis
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In this episode Shahriar tales a close look at a defective X-Ray tube from a Faxitron MX-20 x-ray machine. The tube overloads the high-voltage power supply and does not produce any x-ray. The protective mold is removed from the tube to reveal its inner design. The glow of the heating element is also shown.
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TSP #250 - Tektronix TriMode Active 10GHz (TDP7000) Probe/Tips Review, Teardown & Experiments
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In this episode Shahriar takes a close look at the TDP7000 Series TriMode Probe and accompanying active probe tips.
https://www.tek.com/en/datasheet/trimode(tm)-probe-family-1
The review is organized as follows:
00:00 - Introductions
01:23 - TriMode principle of operation
02:37 - Using the 2.92mm/SMA 50-Ohm probe tip adapter, single-ended, differential, common-mode measurements
10:39 - Solder-in flexible probe tip, measurements of a PCI-E 2.5Gbps data stream, eye diagrams, jitter analysis
20:22 - Differential browser use-case, in-circuit synthesizer measurements, frequency domain analysis
25:47 - Detailed look at the flexible, solder-in probe tip, front-end design, integrated circuit reverse engineering
35:58 - Concluding remarks
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TNP #51 - Thorlabs PM320E Dual Channel Optical Power & Energy Meter Teardown, Repair & Experiments
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In this episode Shahriar takes a look at faulty Thorlabs optical power meter which has been scored from eBay at a very low price. The listing shows the screen with a white background without any text. Upon close inspection however, it is clear that the screen contrast is the problem. The fault is traced to a basic voltage setting problem (230V versus 115V) which was causing the +/-15V supplies to be significantly under biased.
With the screen issue resolved, the unit is paired with two C-series optical detectors. Various laser power measurements & experiments demonstrate the full functionality of the unit.
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TSP #249 - Rohde & Schwarz MXO-5, 2-GHz, 8-Channel, 12-Bit Oscilloscope Teardown & Trigger Zone Exp.
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In this episode Shahriar takes a look at the Rohde & Schwarz MXO-5 Series, their first 8-Channel oscilloscope:
https://www.rohde-schwarz.com/us/products/test-and-measurement/oscilloscopes/rs-mxo-5-oscilloscope_334228.html
The instrument sports some of the best noise, linearity and acquisition speeds in the industry. With R&S custom ASICs, the instrument provides hardware accelerated time & frequency domain measurements (FFTs) as well as a unique Zone Triggering mechanic. This video focuses on the teardown of the acquisition board as well as several demos of the Zone Triggering feature.
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TNP #50 - Associated Research 5000VAC/6000VDC HypotUltra 7854 Dielectric Analyzer Teardown & Repair
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-= Description coming soon! =-
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TNP #49 - Keysight 34420A 7.5 Digit Nano Volt / Micro Ohm Meter Teardown, Repair & Verification
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In this quick episode Shahriar repairs an HP 34420A. This 7.5 Digit meter is specialized for making low voltage & low resistance measurements. In 4W mode, it can provide excellent resistance measurements in the micro-Ohm range.
This unit does not make any measurements on Channel 1 while Channel 2 reports the correct readings. An overview of the front-end schematics points to the likely culprit: the solid-state relays responsible for channel switching. After replacing the components the instruments returns to normal. Despite its age and the this repair, voltage and resistance measurements are remarkably close to their ideal values as compared with voltage & resistance calibrator instruments.
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TSP #248 - Zurich Instruments MFIA Impedance Analyzer (Z = 1mΩ - 1TΩ) Review, Teardown & Experiments
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In this episode Shahriar reviews the Zurich Instruments MFIA Impedance analyzer. The unit is capable of measuring impedances from 1mΩ to 1TΩ and across a frequency range of 1mHz to 5MHz while providing a basic accuracy of 0.05%. However, this instrument is much more than just an Impedance Analyzer, it is build on a lock-in amplifier architecture with sophisticated capabilities and features:
https://www.zhinst.com/americas/en/products/mfia-impedance-analyzer
The review is organized as follows:
00:00:00 - Introductions
00:00:39 - Digital lock-in fundamental theory of operation
00:06:00 - Block diagrams, LCR capabilities, performance metrics
00:14:29 - MFIA I/O and interface overview
00:15:48 - Detailed teardown, circuit components, design architecture
00:21:57 - GUI introduction, software flow, API capabilities
00:24:51 - MFITF Impedance Fixture details
00:25:38 - Calibration & initial measurement setup, numeric display
00:30:41 - Frequency sweep, self-resonance, plotting functions
00:34:07 - High-Q filter measurements, phase & impedance analysis
00:36:07 - Varactor CV characteristic measurements, bias & signal sweep
00:39:32 - Trend sweeps, temperature measurements, statistical plots
00:43:52 - Threshold Unit, generating waveforms, AUX IOs, DAQ capabilities
00:49:18 - Lock-in amplifier overview & signal flow diagrams
00:51:23 - Ultra-sound radar, spectrum view, digitizer, AUX routing
01:00:48 - Zurich Instruments product ecosystem overview
01:01:48 - Concluding remarks
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