Electronics > Repair
Rohde & Schwarz Signal Gerator SML-01, (FIXED)
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IconicPCB:
Need to use the sig genny again.
It's been sitting on the shelf gathering dust and aging the back up battery.
I got a replacement cell ( RENATA  CR2477N ) in preparation for the replacement effort.
R&S were helpful with their instructions  and so the deed is done.

It took four screws at the back of the casing to remove the four retaining feet at the very back of the enclosure.
The outside skin slides off the back of the box and a very clean almost spartan interior is exposed to the gaze.
The battery sits in a holder on the main  motherboard.
The usual careful prying with a plastic tool and the battery was out.
The unit was purchased sometime prior to 2007 and this is the first time I have had to open it.
First ( original ) battery measured 3.02volts. Probably still OK for some time to come.

A new battery ( @3.27V ) was inserted , box reconstituted and unit switched on.
After some . to me new and unfamiliar blinking of the screen it woke up and announced itself as having some errors.
It invited me to reinitialise the RAM by pressing a button which was duly done and then it told me it had a bunch of errors.

OK ... I was ready for that; the good people at R&S told me to be ready to recal it.

Recalibration is part of Utilities sub menu and it is clearly explained in the user manual. 

Relevant pages from manual attached.

I am waiting for the unit to warm up so that the autocal can commence.

I hope I don't come back gushing tears and gnashing teeth.

Replacement of battery causes loss of time date information all other calibration constants are retained according to R&S advice.
I suspect auto call is there to account for possible module level repairs where the autocal tells the SML01 a bit about the options.




IconicPCB:
Read this page first and follow instructions on SIG GEN PAGE 4_31 to enable changes made during autocal routune
IconicPCB:
Auto call completed. Specan and Sig Genny doing well.

EDIT just checked the original purchase date   February 11, 2003. Original battery guaranteed for five years...replaced today fifteen years later
HighVoltage:
IconicPCB

Good to know!
Thanks for sharing your experience.

This seems to be a very good and stable signal generator, very well built by R&S.
Highly recommended for anyone, looking for such an instrument.
BravoV:

--- Quote from: IconicPCB on July 03, 2018, 04:12:55 am ---Auto call completed. Specan and Sig Genny doing well.

EDIT just checked the original purchase date   February 11, 2003. Original battery guaranteed for five years...replaced today fifteen years later

--- End quote ---

Just found this valuable thread, thanks to HighVoltage and IconicPCB on sharing the process of replacing the internal RAM backup battery.  :-+

Just scored few days ago an used SML03, and so far from the preliminary status screens looks it should be fine, am I right ? (Photo attached below) Also briefly tested it on my scope, the signal looks pretty good up to near my scope limit (analog 400MHz).  ::)


Questions for IconicPCB :

1. Just want to be sure, so by replacing the button cell battery as you did, popping out the old one, then static RAM will be cut off from power and loose of it's content  :o, then install the new one, and do the internal calibration on ALL items as photo below, then I'm done ?

Reason I ask this is, as I'm just an enthusiast, loosing the cal and sending it to calibration service is out of question, as it might be far more expensive than my purchase price.  :'(

Cal screen on "ALL" items :


Also did you get similar error message (highlighted) below right after you replaced the battery ? This quote is from the instruction document for upgrading the firmware to 2.51.15.



2. Did anyone upgrade the firmware to the latest 2.51.15 downloaded from the R&S ? Any notes & precautions maybe ? As mine is still on version 2.50.6, dated back Feb 23 2006. (attached status screen below)


Few shots of the diagnostic results and the unit, came without the rear blue feet and also without the 4 bottom feet as it was installed in a tightly cramped 19" rack full of equipments. Put 6 neoprene pads at the bottom as emergency feet while searching for better alternative, any one got spare R&S SML feet ?  :P

Diagnostic screens :




Physical unit :



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