Author Topic: EEVblog #576 - Advantest R6142 Current Voltage Generator  (Read 40684 times)

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Offline EEVblogTopic starter

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EEVblog #576 - Advantest R6142 Current Voltage Generator
« on: February 03, 2014, 11:17:51 pm »
A quick look at Dave's Advantest R6142 Voltage and Current Source.
Can it be used as a current reference for the uCurrent?
A look at the stability with temperature and time, and absolute calibration of the unit.
Is it an ebay score, or ebay junk?

 

Offline nathanpc

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Re: EEVblog #576 - Advantest R6142 Current Voltage Generator
« Reply #1 on: February 03, 2014, 11:40:56 pm »
Of course everyone wants to see a teardown of that beautiful piece of test gear. :)
 

Offline ion

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Re: EEVblog #576 - Advantest R6142 Current Voltage Generator
« Reply #2 on: February 04, 2014, 12:08:14 am »
+1 for the teardown!

If only the camera was a bit higher on that last shot...
 

Offline SiC

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Re: EEVblog #576 - Advantest R6142 Current Voltage Generator
« Reply #3 on: February 04, 2014, 12:52:00 am »
I love Advantest kit. :)

Snagged a 3.6GHz Spectrum Analyser with separate Tracking gen for under £500 last year off ebay. Significantly cheaper than a comparable HP, R&S, etc equivalent.

After a bit of googling and help with Google Translate - I found the manual here: http://www.adcmt.com/en/download/manual/

You'll need to create an account and accept their ToC jazz before it'll let you in. Probably could have uploaded it here, but would be no doubt against their ToC's...

Si.
 

Offline Mavro

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Re: EEVblog #576 - Advantest R6142 Current Voltage Generator
« Reply #4 on: February 04, 2014, 12:56:21 am »
How does this compare to the Rigol DP832 with precision option?
 

Offline SiC

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Re: EEVblog #576 - Advantest R6142 Current Voltage Generator
« Reply #5 on: February 04, 2014, 01:00:42 am »
Oh and btw, the TR6142 is the older model. Apart from the datasheet in the video saying so, at some point Advantest changed revisions in their test kit by removing the T at the start - usually the models internals were updated with this change too. I have no idea why the T was dropped off rather than change the model number!

I have found that the schematics of one revision often very similar to the newer model, an element of design reuse. So the schematics in the older TR6142 may line up in some respects.

Si.
 

Offline ve7xen

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Re: EEVblog #576 - Advantest R6142 Current Voltage Generator
« Reply #6 on: February 04, 2014, 01:51:59 am »
Interesting. I've been following Advantest for a while on eBay looking for stuff like this. Damn you Dave! No chance now!

While you wait for Dave's teardown of this box, you may be interested in my teardown of the Advantest R6871E-DC 6.5 digit DMM from the same era. Some interesting construction. Also a similarly weird and unintuitive button interface. https://www.eevblog.com/forum/testgear/advantest-r6871e-dc-6-5digit-dmm-overviewteardown/
« Last Edit: February 04, 2014, 01:53:36 am by ve7xen »
73 de VE7XEN
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Offline aroby

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Re: EEVblog #576 - Advantest R6142 Current Voltage Generator
« Reply #7 on: February 04, 2014, 03:48:26 am »
I recently came across the blog and I'm having a lot of fun with the videos and learning a ton.  I'm not an EE, so I'm struggling with what this stuff is used for !  It seems that everything is circular - ingenious electronics to calibrate other ingenious electronics.  What's the practical use for this generator other than calibrating other test equipment?

Anthony

PS I'm going to buy an oscilloscope ...
 

Offline Dongulus

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Re: EEVblog #576 - Advantest R6142 Current Voltage Generator
« Reply #8 on: February 04, 2014, 04:01:54 am »
 Dave, surely you could have calculated 0.05% above 1 without a calculator. ;D
 

Offline SeanB

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Re: EEVblog #576 - Advantest R6142 Current Voltage Generator
« Reply #9 on: February 04, 2014, 04:18:56 am »
+1 for the teardown!

If only the camera was a bit higher on that last shot...

He did say it was a teaser...... Any higher and he would have nothing for the teardown.
 

Offline nadona

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Re: EEVblog #576 - Advantest R6142 Current Voltage Generator
« Reply #10 on: February 04, 2014, 04:53:56 am »
Advantest R6871E-DC 6.5 digit DMM
Why you call 7.5 digit DMM as 6.5 digit DMM, may I ask?
Ha-ha-ha. That's good, too!
 

Offline EEVblogTopic starter

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Re: EEVblog #576 - Advantest R6142 Current Voltage Generator
« Reply #11 on: February 04, 2014, 04:55:41 am »
Dave, surely you could have calculated 0.05% above 1 without a calculator. ;D

Of course, but I'm going through the motions for those playing along at home.
 

Offline EEVblogTopic starter

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Re: EEVblog #576 - Advantest R6142 Current Voltage Generator
« Reply #12 on: February 04, 2014, 05:03:56 am »
He did say it was a teaser...... Any higher and he would have nothing for the teardown.

I may have tweaked the camera height somewhat...
 

Offline EEVblogTopic starter

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Re: EEVblog #576 - Advantest R6142 Current Voltage Generator
« Reply #13 on: February 04, 2014, 05:06:31 am »
It seems that everything is circular - ingenious electronics to calibrate other ingenious electronics.  What's the practical use for this generator other than calibrating other test equipment?

At this sort of resolution accuracy, yeah, that's pretty much the case.
Something like the constant generator is handy for testing LED's for example, but of course the need for this precision is quite niche.
Many of us on here are obsess... err... I mean, interested in high precision gear. It can be a sickness, you have been warned!
 

Online AlfBaz

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Re: EEVblog #576 - Advantest R6142 Current Voltage Generator
« Reply #14 on: February 04, 2014, 05:35:54 am »
Many of us on here are obsess... err... I mean, interested in high precision gear. It can be a sickness, you have been warned!
I could stare at an LCD with a digit, followed by a decimal, followed by string of zero's all day ^-^
 

Offline Jebnor

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Re: EEVblog #576 - Advantest R6142 Current Voltage Generator
« Reply #15 on: February 04, 2014, 05:41:55 am »
I for one would love to have a teardown of this device.  The theory of making one seems simple, but I'm sure it's not quite.  I think this would be a good candidate for a Teardown/Theory of operation hybrid video. 

Keep up the good work.
Before this, there was a typo.
 

Offline OrangeJacketGuy

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Re: EEVblog #576 - Advantest R6142 Current Voltage Generator
« Reply #16 on: February 04, 2014, 05:53:39 am »
4 wire not working properly? Do a teardown and find out. What's this turn-it-on-before-taking-it-apart rubbish? ;)
 

Offline ve7xen

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Re: EEVblog #576 - Advantest R6142 Current Voltage Generator
« Reply #17 on: February 04, 2014, 06:00:52 am »
Advantest R6871E-DC 6.5 digit DMM
Why you call 7.5 digit DMM as 6.5 digit DMM, may I ask?
The meter and most of its documentation seems to think it's a 6.5 digit. 7.5 digit mode is referred to as 'overrange' and I think its absolute accuracy specs aren't quite there for 8.5 digit mode. It does appear to be quite stable out to 7.5 digits, though I don't have the equipment to test it rigorously.
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Offline speffex

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Re: EEVblog #576 - Advantest R6142 Current Voltage Generator
« Reply #18 on: February 04, 2014, 07:31:41 am »
The 4-wire probably has some relatively high value resistors inside that are shunted by the external wiring. Same as the "sense" wires on some power supplies.
 

Offline Dr. Frank

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Re: EEVblog #576 - Advantest R6142 Current Voltage Generator
« Reply #19 on: February 04, 2014, 08:04:09 am »
It seems that everything is circular - ingenious electronics to calibrate other ingenious electronics.  What's the practical use for this generator other than calibrating other test equipment?

At this sort of resolution accuracy, yeah, that's pretty much the case.
Something like the constant generator is handy for testing LED's for example, but of course the need for this precision is quite niche.
Many of us on here are obsess... err... I mean, interested in high precision gear. It can be a sickness, you have been warned!

Precision current sources (0.02% uncertainty/stability) are needed for thermometry, i.e. precise measurement of temperatures, especially in physics experiments at very low temperatures down to liquid He4 @ 4.2K and below.

For PT100 sensors, precise 1mA or 100µA are needed, 10µA and 1µA for Diode based thermometers (e.g. from Lake Shore) and for NTC types as carbon resistors. All that requires 4 point Kelvin measurement, and offset compensation, i.e. a setup with an external current source and a DCV multimeter.

The programming feature of the current source can be used to switch the current off, measuring the thermal offset, which would then be substracted from the measurement with current applied. Very few DMM have this feature, called Ohm Offset Compensation.

As such programmable current sources were very expensive, (Time Electronics, Keithley) and only decade values were needed, I've designed many budget high precision current sources (< 0.01%), which cost below 50 bucks only.

Frank

PS: Yes, I definitely want to see a teardown of this nice unit, please!
« Last Edit: February 04, 2014, 09:46:10 am by Dr. Frank »
 

Offline Rubi

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Re: EEVblog #576 - Advantest R6142 Current Voltage Generator
« Reply #20 on: February 04, 2014, 09:04:27 am »
I've designed many budget high precision current sources (< 0.01%), which cost below 50 bucks only.

Frank


Hallo Dr.Frank

Would you share your designs ?

Grüße aus Wien
Rubi
 

Offline JoannaK

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Re: EEVblog #576 - Advantest R6142 Current Voltage Generator
« Reply #21 on: February 04, 2014, 09:04:39 am »
Nice to see quick 20min video.. Definitely needs proper teardown. 
 

Offline Fraser

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Re: EEVblog #576 - Advantest R6142 Current Voltage Generator
« Reply #22 on: February 04, 2014, 03:35:40 pm »
I am a total Advantest 'Fanboy' as I used their equipment in my day job and loved it. Advantest is not the most common of brands to be found on the secondary market but you can sometimes be lucky. My inventory of Advantest test equipmet includes several spectrum analysers, optical power meter, two bench frequency counters and several bench multimeters. All of them work fine and are of various ages. Quality is evident in all of teh units taht I have worked on. The greatest problem with buying Advantest equipment is the lack of availabe documentation and servicing information. My R4131 manual cme with service information and schematics but none of my otehr manual have such and even finding a user manual can be very challenging and expensive. I resorted to downloading the Japanese user manuals for some of my multimeters ! Pictures can speak a thousand words.

Advantest equipmet has, IMHO, always had a very good reputation and so tends to hold its value. The Voltage and Current source is usually a very expensive piece of equiment on the secondary market.

If I were to be asked whether I would recommend Advantest over certain other well known brands, I would have a problem. The poor availability of documentation and spares can make them a poor choice when compared to say HP or Tektronix. I still love Advantest kit though and I am prepared to repair it if things go wrong. That is my position but I realise that HP and Tektronix may be more appealing to others. I own plenty of Tektronix kit but only a single piece of HP kit....  The Logic Dart (well 4 of them to be precise). Prices on HP kit can be eye watering due to the known high quality and the repuatation that goes with the name Hewlett Packard.

Anritsu kit is also good, but suffers the same chronic lack of documentation and servicing information as Advantest. I once had to import a service manual from the USA at very high cost as it was only available from one supplier and it was only in paper format.
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Offline Nuno_pt

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Re: EEVblog #576 - Advantest R6142 Current Voltage Generator
« Reply #23 on: February 04, 2014, 03:41:28 pm »
I've designed many budget high precision current sources (< 0.01%), which cost below 50 bucks only.

Frank


Hallo Dr.Frank

Would you share your designs ?

Grüße aus Wien
Rubi

+ 1 here, I would be interested in see the designs, if they can be public available.

Nuno
CT2IRY
 

Offline Dr. Frank

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Re: EEVblog #576 - Advantest R6142 Current Voltage Generator
« Reply #24 on: February 04, 2014, 04:02:42 pm »
I've designed many budget high precision current sources (< 0.01%), which cost below 50 bucks only.

Frank


Hallo Dr.Frank

Would you share your designs ?

Grüße aus Wien
Rubi

+ 1 here, I would be interested in see the designs, if they can be public available.


Well ok, I'm already collecting some photos.
Will be in the Projects, Designs, and Technical Stuff thread the next days.
Frank
« Last Edit: February 04, 2014, 04:05:05 pm by Dr. Frank »
 


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