TSP #151 - Teardown and Repair of an Agilent E4433B ESG-D 4.0GHz Synthesized Signal Generator (2019)
24.3K views
April 28, 2019 8:29 PM
In this episode Shahriar takes a close look at a faulty Agilent E4433B 4.0GHz signal generator and vector modulator. This instrument is equipped with many of the most useful options such as dual arbitrary waveform generator and high-power output.
The instrument does not generate any error messages, however the output signal is ~20dB below specifications. After presenting the system block diagram and observing the output power characteristics, it becomes clear that the issue is with the mechanical attenuator. The teardown of the attenuator reveals faulty o-rings on the 5dB attenuation pad which has to be repaired with some flexible epoxy.
After the repair the instrument’s functionality is verified by measuring the output power with a power meter, frequency accuracy with a Rubidium frequency counter and the modulation accuracy with a vector signal analyzer.
Hitachi/Metabo electric can be purchased here:
https://amzn.to/2We8yoP
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TSP #150 - Teardown, Repair & Experiments with an Agilent N4901B 13.5Gb/s Bit Error Rate Tester BERT
23.3K views
April 7, 2019 8:14 PM
In this episode Shahriar repairs a non-functional N4901B 13.5Gb/s BERT mainframe. This instrument is equipped with both the generator and analyzer modules which makes it fairly valuable. The instrument does not power on and does not react to the soft power button.
Teardown of the unit reveals a TD-Lambda Vega power supplies series which is a fully configurable switching power supply design. Even though the power supply in the instrument is completely custom, it is made from generic sub-blocks readily available on eBay. A replacement front-end is purchased to repair the power supply after detecting the problem.
The instrument also shows a minor problem with falsely detecting an overload condition on the delay control port which is by passed by installing an overwrite switch. The instrument performance is verified by generating and measuring various eye diagrams through a back-plane PCB board.
The Signal Path
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TSP #149 - Tektronix 5-Series 8-Channel 6.25GS/s 2GHz MSO Teardown & Spectrum View Experiments
25.1K views
March 27, 2019 12:24 AM
In this episode Shahriar continues his review of the Tektronix 5-Series 8-Channel MSO Oscilloscope following the original overview of the instrument:
https://youtu.be/TkSElXr202I
A full teardown of the instrument as well as a set of experiments showcasing the new Spectrum View capability are shown. This review is organized as follows:
00:09 – Introduction and outline
01:31 – Teardown and analysis of the acquisition board
13:38 – Experiment setup and description
16:59 – Measurement results and Spectrum View capabilities
33:12 – Concluding remarks
The Signal Path
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TSP #147 - Teardown, Repair & Experiments with an EG&G Instruments 7265 DSP-Based Lock-In Amplifier
21.5K views
March 14, 2019 11:22 PM
In this episode Shahriar takes a close look at an EG&G DSP-Based Lock-In Amplifier. This instrument provides excellent sensitivity for both voltage and current inputs and is based on a fully digital architecture. The instrument’s LCD screen is dim and unreadable. Furthermore, a few lines are missing from the LCD pointing to a failed zebra strip.
The instrument’s block diagram is examined and explained. The teardown reveals the structure of the LCD screen, front-end blocks and internal PLL. The CCFL back-light inverter is located and replaced with a low-voltage DC-DC converter for use with an LED strip. The instrument’s functionality is verified through a few experiments including measuring the 3dB bandwidth of an RC filter as well as measuring the photo-current induced in an LED using a synchronized infrared light source.
The Signal Path
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