Category: Test Gear
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Agilent 6632B Teardown & Transient Response
The HP/Agilent 6632B is a remarkable power supply. There are some similarities with the mobile communication DC source 66309D I “repaired” recently: The 6632B is optimized for a fast transient response and it has a low current range too. But the circuit and its properties differ significantly. One important aspect: Where the 66309D only has…
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Agilent 66309D: Repair
A few days ago I got my hands on a faulty Agilent 66309D Mobile Communication DC Source. To be honest, I don’t think I need it, but it was pretty cheap and I was looking for something to either repair or potentially salvage the case of. The Mobile Communication DC Source is a specialized power…
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HP 6060B System DC Electronic Load: Adjustment
Currently, the unit’s setpoint accuracy isn’t all that great (readback resolution is limited as well, but shows the offset): Regardless of the range it has an offset of about +20 mA. Sure, for a unit capable of 60 A that seems reasonable, and well within its specs of ±0.1% ±75 mA. But since I’ll use…
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HP 6060B System DC Electronic Load: Teardown, Service
I recently got my hands on a HP 6060B System DC Electronic Load (later also sold as Agilent 6060B). My unit has option 020 installed: Comically large binding posts also on the front panel. This option certainly is not unheard of, but not too common either. Retrofitting is possible, but can be quite some work.…
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Breakout box for Agilent 6611B AC Power Source
I got my Agilent 6611B AC power source/analyzer a few weeks back, but hadn’t used it as much as I wanted. The reason was simple: The connections are made with rear mounted screw terminals – hence it was just a bit inconvenient to interface with products and circuits. The solution was really simple: A Hammond…
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HP Instrument feet
Many older HP/Agilent instrument share a similar feet design. There are at least two different types though: One with a metal part to prop up the instrument and one without it that can be used on all four corners. The feet can be detached from the instrument, e. g. for use in 19″ racks. This…
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Brymen BM789: Not a Review
Almost two years ago I bought a Brymen BM789 Multimeter. And there is a lot to like about it. It has great specs, is feature-packed, feels high-quality and yet it’s well priced. But there are also some mostly minor aspects I don’t like: My main issue though and this is not limited to Brymen (hello…
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Agilent 34401A: Repair
The other day I noticed an issue with one of my Agilent 34401A’s: I measured a constant DC voltage and after a few minutes the measured value would start dropping and become unstable. Then I got curious and checked the two-wire resistance mode. Same story, maybe worse. A word of caution: High voltages found inside…
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Tektronix 465B: Repair
For engineers analog oscilloscopes are a bit like vinyls and tube amplifiers: Most don’t use them anymore, but if they see one, they think: Nice! And are happy that they don’t have to deal with them on a daily basis 😉 However, I bought a Tektronix 465B with a faulty second channel, just to repair…