TNP #49 – Keysight 34420A 7.5 Digit Nano Volt / Micro Ohm Meter Teardown, Repair & Verification

July 25, 2024 No comments

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

July 24, 2024 No comments

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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TSP #247 – World’s Largest Microwave Industry Exhibition – IEEE Microwave Symposium, Washington 2024

June 28, 2024 No comments

In this episode Shahriar visits the Industry Trade Show at IMS Microwave Week held in Washington DC this year. Although it is impossible to capture everything at this amazing event, here is a look at some of new products and components from 25 of the vendors at the show.

00:00 – Introductions
00:53 – R&S: https://rohde-schwarz.com
09:55 – Keysight: https://keysight.com
15:23 – Signal Hound: https://signalhound.com
18:24 – Millibox: https://millibox.org
19:46 – MPI Corp: https://mpi-corporation.com
21:56 – Junkosha: https://junkosha.com
23:38 – AARONIA: https://aaronia.com
26:17 – Focus Microwave: https://focus-microwaves.com
28:54 – VDI: https://vadiodes.com
31:56 – MI-Wave: https://miwv.com
34:32 – Flann: https://flann.com
36:06 – Eravant: https://eravant.com
37:28 – Tabor Electronics: https://taborelec.com
38:39 – Swiss-to-12: https://swissto12.com
40:25 – Maury Microwave: https://maurymw.com
43:58 – Copper Mountain: https://coppermountaintech.com
45:21 – Microsanj: https://microsanj.com
47:05 – eV Technologies: https://ev-technologies.com
48:35 – Siglent: https://siglentna.com
50:29 – Tektronix: https://tek.com
52:54 – UNI-T: https://uni-trend.com
54:02 – GGB PicoProbe: https://ggb.com
54:44 – Presidio: https://presidiocomponents.com
56:14 – RF-Lambda: https://rflambda.com
57:41 – IronWood: https://ironwoodelectronics.com
58:51 – Closing remarks

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TNP #48 – Multi-Stage Turbomolecular Pump (Turbo-Pump) Theory of Operation, Assembly & Experiment

June 21, 2024 No comments

-= Description coming soon! =-

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TSP #246 – High-Voltage Amplification, Signal Generation, Power Supply Design Tutorial & Experiments

May 25, 2024 No comments

In this episode Shahriar dives into the world of high-voltage circuit design. In order to appreciate the engineering involved in the design of a 40kV amplifier, various design techniques for power supplies and their applications are presented. This tutorial is organized as follows:

00:00 – Introductions
00:29 – Amplifier design specifications and challenges
03:18 – Typical high-voltage generation using transformers and its limitations
06:41 – Open-loop transformer high-voltage power supply for discharge tube use-cases
10:18 – Inaccurate HV power supply making precision isolation measurements with Fluke 1587 FC
12:39 – Stanford Research PS350 high-voltage DC power supply design and measurements
21:44 – Vitrek V74 HiPot safety tester design, applications and example breakdown measurement
27:01 – Architecture of a high-voltage amplifier circuit, circuit diagram and theory of operation
32:43 – Teardown & analysis of the Trek Model 20/20B +/- 20kV amplifier instrument
42:02 – Linearity and waveform measurements of the high-voltage amplifier instrument
46:26 – Making ultra-high voltage time-domain measurements using a capacitive divider
48:45 – Discharge tube response as a function of AC frequency & high-power sparks
50:12 – Concluding remarks

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