Wanted to buy: HP Agilent 16715-61601 logic analyzer probe cables

[keitheevblog]

Hello there!

It's recently occurred to me that while I have acquired a number of various logic analyzer modules, mostly of the 40-pin variety, like the HP 16715/716/717,16742,16750 series, that I'm drastically short on cabling to support those modules. Practically speaking, I will rarely need to have all the modules operational all at the same time, but I'd like to have a more complete collection.

I have purchased from ebay a number of HP 01650-61608 pod adapters which convert the 40-pin connector to flying leads.

I'm looking to purchase HP Agilent 16715-61601 logic analyzer probe cables, which have the single 60-pin LA connector on one side, to the two separate 4.5ft ribbon cables each with 40-pin female connectors that connect to said pod adapters.

I'm located in the US but am amenable to paying for shipping from other countries, if necessary.

Does anyone know the 60-pin connector part number or name? I do wonder if it's economically feasible to have these custom cable assemblies built. The 40-pin connector pinout is provided, but I haven't seen the 60-pin pinout yet. I'd think it might be trivial to beep it out, but who knows?

Love all the logic analyzer threads over the years here --- you guys rock!

Keith

[alm]

Economically viable to have custom made, not likely, given that they use many lossy coaxial wires in parallel. Lossy twisted pair for older 16500-era cables. Plus a few heavier gauge, non-lossy wires for power and ground.

[keitheevblog]

Economically viable to have custom made, not likely, given that they use many lossy coaxial wires in parallel. Lossy twisted pair for older 16500-era cables. Plus a few heavier gauge, non-lossy wires for power and ground.

I've seen the coax you speak of in the E5382A adapter (90-pin pod adapters to flying leads) but I simply never realized that the longer probe cables would have a similar construction.

I have tear down photos of that adapter here: https://www.techtravels.org/2021/02/hp-agilent-5382a-tear-down-with-photos/ with a pretty clear shot of the coax.

I'm guessing by surrounding every signal wire with a ground, it reduces the chance of crosstalk between the wires.

What makes using that small gauge coax expensive? Price per foot of that type of cable? Or that the termination of the coax to the connector would have to be a manual process or highly customized automation?

Thanks

[alm]

It's not just small gauge coax, but small gauge lossy coax, so the center conductor is resistance wire with a resistance in the order of 10-100 ohm/meter. This resistance dampens any ringing that might occur in these cables. Both the source (the passive pods) and logic analyzer inputs are much higher impedance than the cable, unlike most RF circuits, so there will be impedance mismatches. The lossy nature helps mitigate this. See page 14-17 of the Tektronix Oscilloscope Probe Circuit Concepts book. It talks about scope probes, but those are not all that different except that logic analyzers are lower impedance (10k LA and 100k probe instead of 1M scope and 10M probe).

I didn't price it, but I find it very unlikely you'll find any off the shelf equivalent since it has little applications outside of test equipment like logic analyzers and scope probes.

[keitheevblog]

Thanks alm for the info!

I've assembled some of this info, and performed a tear down of both the 60-pin connector, and the 40-pin connector to better understand how the cable assemblies are made. Took a bunch of high-resolution photographs including some under decent magnification.

https://www.techtravels.org/2022/11/agilent-logic-analyzer-cable-teardown-photos/

if anyone is interested.

[fpgaarcade]

Keith,

I was thinking samtec cables could be used with home made adapters.
Won't be quite the same, but maybe usable. The Tek boxes use samtec connectors but I think the cables are custom as the standard cables are not (very) lossy.
https://suddendocs.samtec.com/productspecs/eqcd.pdf



I just sent you a DM too btw