Agilent 8494/95/96G/H Attenuators Operating and Service Manual Agilent Technologies
Notices © Agilent Technologies, Inc. 2011-2012 Warranty No part of this manual may be reproduced in any form or by any means (including electronic storage and retrieval or translation into a foreign language) without prior agreement and written consent from Agilent Technologies, Inc. as governed by United States and international copyright laws. The material contained in this document is provided “as is,” and is subject to being changed, without notice, in future editions.
Certification Agilent Technologies certifies that this product met its published specifications at the time of shipment from the factory. Agilent Technologies further certifies that its calibration measurements are traceable to the United States National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST, formerly NBS), to the extend allowed by the Institute’s calibration facility, and to the calibration facilities of the other International Standards Organization members.
Regulatory Markings The CE mark is a registered trademark of the European Community. If it is accompanied by a year, it indicates the year the design was proven. The CSA mark is a registered trademark of the Canadian Standards Association. This text indicates that this ISM device complies with Canadian ICES-001. Cet appareill ISM est conforme a la norme NMB-001 du Canada. This text indicates that the instrument is an Industrial Scientific and Medical Group 1 Class A product (CISPER 11, Clause 4).
Contacting Agilent For more information, please contact your nearest Agilent office.
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Contents 1 Introduction 9 Product Overview 10 Instrument Options 14 Specifications 15 Frequency Range and Attenuation 15 Attenuation Accuracy 16 Maximum SWR 17 Maximum Residual Attenuation 17 Attenuation Repeatability 17 RF Power Handling Capability 18 Solenoid Drive 18 Solenoid Cable Connector 19 Operating Life 20 Switching Speed 20 2 Environmental Specifications & Physical Dimensions Environmental Specifications Physical Dimensions 3 Operating Guides 21 22 23 25 Installation 26 Initial Inspect
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Agilent 8494/95/96G/H Attenuators Operating and Service Manual 1 Introduction Product Overview 10 Instrument Options 14 Specifications 15 Frequency Range and Attenuation 15 Attenuation Accuracy 16 Maximum SWR 17 Maximum Residual Attenuation 17 Attenuation Repeatability 17 RF Power Handling Capability 18 Solenoid Drive 18 Solenoid Cable Connector 19 Operating Life 20 Switching Speed 20 This manual contains operating instructions for the Agilent 8494/95/96G/H Attenuators.
1 Introduction Product Overview The 8494G/H, 8495G/H, and 8496G/H are 50- ohm coaxial programmable step- attenuators. Each attenuator is composed of three or four attenuator sections connected in cascade. Each section consists of a precision, thin- film attenuator card, a lossless thru- line, and a ganged pair of solenoid- actuated slab line transmission lines. The slab lines are flexed by the solenoid plungers to make contact with either the attenuator card or the thru- line.
Introduction 1 Table 1 on page 11, Table 2 on page 12, and Table 3 on page 12 show the typical switching arrangement to increase the amount of attenuation in an 8494G/H, 8495G/H, or 8496G/H in a linear manner. To ensure specified performance, it is recommended that the attenuator sections that are shown in the following tables be used. With the attenuator programmed for 0 dB attenuation, the resultant attenuation is the insertion loss (residual attenuation).
1 Introduction Table 2 8495G/H Attenuator Switching Order 8494G/H Attenuator Sections Atten (dB) 1 10 dB 2 20 dB 3 40 dB 0 × 10 × 20 × 30 × × 40 × 50 × 60 × 70 Table 3 × × × × 8496G/H Attenuator Switching Order 8496G/H Attenuator Sections Atten (dB) 1 10 dB 2 20 dB 3 40 dB 4 40 dB 0 10 × × 20 30 × × × 40 50 × 60 70 × × × × × × × × × × × × × × × × 80 90 × 100 110 12 × Agilent 8494/95/96G/H Attenuators Operating and Service Manual
Introduction 1 Each solenoid requires a drive of 20 V to 30 V with a switching current of approximately 125 mA[1] at 24 Vdc per section. The solenoid switching time is less than 20 milliseconds including settling time. Once switched, the solenoid plungers are held in place by permanent magnets and the solenoid plungers automatically disconnect the selected coil drive and connect the opposite coil drive (see Figure 1 and Figure 2).
1 Introduction CAUTION Do not exceed the RF power rating of 1 W average or 100 W peak with a maximum pulse width of 10 μs. Do not connect an attenuator RF input or output connector to greater than ±7 Vdc. If the attenuator must be connected to a device with a potential greater than ±7 Vdc, use a blocking capacitor. Instrument Options Each instrument is specified with an option number which denotes the configuration of the input and output connectors.
Introduction 1 Specifications Frequency Range and Attenuation Table 5 Frequency Range and Attenuation Instrument Frequency Range Attenuation 8494G dc to 4 GHz 0 dB to 11 dB in 1 dB steps 8494H dc to 18 GHz 0 dB to 11 dB in 1 dB steps 8495G dc to 4 GHz 0 dB to 70 dB in 10 dB steps 8495H dc to 18 GHz 0 dB to 70 dB in 10 dB steps 8496G dc to 4 GHz 0 dB to 110 dB in 10 dB steps 8496H dc to 18 GHz 0 dB to 110 dB in 10 dB steps Agilent 8494/95/96G/H Attenuators Operating and Service Manua
1 Introduction Attenuation Accuracy (±dB): (Referenced from 0 dB) Table 6 Attenuation Accuracy 8494G/H 8495G/H 8496G/H 8494G Attenuation Selection (dB) dc–4 GHz dc–12.4 GHz 12.4–18 GHz dc–4 GHz dc–12.4 GHz 12.4–18 GHz dc–4 GHz dc–12.4 GHz 12.4–18 GHz 16 8494H 8495G 8495H 8496G 8496H 1 10 0.2 0.3 0.7 0.2 0.5 0.6 0.2 0.5 0.6 2 20 0.2 0.3 0.7 0.4 0.7 0.8 0.4 0.7 0.8 3 30 0.3 0.4 0.7 0.5 0.9 1.2 0.5 0.9 1.2 4 40 0.3 0.4 0.7 0.7 1.2 1.6 0.7 1.2 1.
Introduction 1 Maximum SWR Table 7 Maximum SWR Instrument Frequency Range (GHz) Maximum SWR 8495G dc to 4 1.35 8495H dc to 8 8 to 12.4 12.4 to 18 1.35 1.5 1.7 8494G, 8496G dc to 4 1.5 8494H, 8496H dc to 8 8 to 12.4 12.4 to 18 1.5 1.6 1.9 Maximum Residual Attenuation Table 8 Maximum Residual Attenuation Instrument Maximum Residual Attenuation 8494G, 8494H 0.6 dB + 0.09 dB/GHz 8495G, 8495H 0.4 dB + 0.07 dB/GHz 8496G, 8496H 0.6 dB + 0.09 dB/GHz Attenuation Repeatability ±0.
1 Introduction RF Power Handling Capability 1 W average, 100 W peak with maximum pulse width of 10 microseconds (all models). Solenoid Drive Table 9 18 Solenoid Drive Solenoid Coil Voltage Switching Current Nominal Coil Impedance Option 024 24 V (20 to 30 V) 125 mA (at 24 V) 190 Ω Option 011 5 V (4.
Introduction 1 Solenoid Cable Connector Refer also to Figure 3.
1 Introduction Operating Life 5 million cycles per section. Switching Speed Maximum 20 milliseconds including settling time.
Agilent 8494/95/96G/H Attenuators Operating and Service Manual 2 Environmental Specifications & Physical Dimensions Environmental Specifications 22 Physical Dimensions 23 This chapter contains the environmental tests on the Agilent 8494/95/96G/H Attenuators that fully comply with Agilent Technologies’ product operating environmental specifications. The physical dimensions are illustrated in the later section.
2 Environmental Specifications & Physical Dimensions Environmental Specifications The Agilent 8494/95/96G/H Attenuators are designed to fully comply with Agilent Technologies’ product operating environmental specifications as shown in Table 11.
Environmental Specifications & Physical Dimensions 2 Physical Dimensions Table 12 shows the physical dimensions of the Agilent 8494/95/96G/H Attenuators. Table 12 Physical Dimensions Instrument Dimensions[1] Weight[2] 8494G/H 8496G/H Per Figure 4 16 oz 454 g 8495G/H Per Figure 4 12 oz 340 g [1] Dimensions are for general information only. If dimensions are required for building special enclosures, contact your Agilent field engineer.
2 Environmental Specifications & Physical Dimensions Figure 4 24 Dimensions of Agilent 8494/95/96G/H Attenuators Agilent 8494/95/96G/H Attenuators Operating and Service Manual
Agilent 8494/95/96G/H Attenuators Operating and Service Manual 3 Operating Guides Installation 26 Initial Inspection 26 Mating Connectors 27 Installation Instructions 27 Operating Instructions 28 Operator’s Check 28 Performance Tests 31 Service Instructions 31 This chapter describes the installation of the Agilent 8494/95/96G/H Attenuators. The operating instruction quick- check procedure is included for verification test prior to usage.
3 Operating Guides Installation Initial Inspection 1 Inspect the shipping container for damage. If the shipping container or cushioning material is damaged, it should be kept until the contents of the shipment have been checked for completeness and the instrument has been checked both mechanically and electrically. • Check for mechanical damage such as scratches or dents. • Procedures for checking electrical performance are given under “Operator’s Check” on page 28 or “Performance Tests” on page 31.
Operating Guides 3 Mating Connectors Mating RF connectors used with the Option 001 must be type- N male connectors, which comply with U.S. military standard MIL- C- 39012. For Option 002, male SMA connectors must be used. For Option 003, 7 mm mating connectors must be used. CAUTION When installing the instrument, make sure that the connectors do not support weight or bear torque. The preferred procedure is to set up all equipment in position before connecting the instrument.
3 Operating Guides Operating Instructions CAUTION Do not apply RF power greater than 1 W average, or 100 W peak with a maximum pulse width of 10 microseconds. If these limits are exceeded, the attenuators may be damaged. CAUTION Do not ground both solenoid drive pins at the same time. This causes rapid cycling of the solenoid and could reduce the operating life of the attenuator. The rapid cycling may produce a buzzing sound from the attenuator.
Operating Guides Test oscillator Solenoid driver circuits Adapter Attenuator SWR meter Adapter 50 Ω Figure 5 3 Input Operator’s Check Setup Procedure 1 Connect equipment as shown in Figure 5 on page 29 with the attenuator set to 0 dB attenuation. 2 Set the test oscillator to 0.3 Vrms at 1 kHz. 3 Set SWR meter range to 2 dB (expanded) [or for the 8494G/H to 10 dB (expanded)] and adjust its bandwidth to the center of the adjustment range.
3 Operating Guides Table 13 Attenuator and SWR Settings SWR Meter Range (dB) Attenuation (dB) Meter Indication (dB) Minimum Actual Maximum 8494G/H 8495G/H 8494G/H 8495G/H 8496G/H 8494G/H 8495G/H 8494G/H 8495G/H 8494G/H 8495G/H 8496G/H 8496G/H 8496G/H 8496G/H 10 2 0 0 0 – – Set to 0.0 Set to 0.5 – – 10 6 1 10 10 0.40 1.40 – – 0.60 1.60 10 12 2 20 20 0.90 0.30 – – 1.10 0.70 10 16 3 30 30 1.35 1.25 – – 1.65 1.75 10[1] 22 4 40 40 1.85 0.15 – – 2.
Operating Guides 3 Performance Tests The Agilent 8494/95/96G/H Attenuators can be tested to the accuracy of the specifications with a network analyzer or equivalent equipment of suitable accuracy. If a network analyzer is available, test instrument using the procedure in the analyzer's operating manual. Service Instructions Adjustment The Agilent 8494/95/96G/H Attenuators do not have internal adjustments and should not be opened.
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