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  • Author Author: Jan Cumps
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Specifying Parts - You can't have Enough Meters

Jan Cumps

I've put in my candidature for the Keysight 34470A and Texas Instruments DAC8734EVM roadtest here on element14.

My application is themed around using the DMM to specify the attributes of parts - just like the manufactures do in their datasheets.

The last time that I performed such an exercise was somewhere mid-80's (learned it at school with the RadioShack meter that can be spotted in the picture below - how things have changed).

So, for my own entertainment, I pulled out my meters to refresh those skills.

As you can see, I don't exactly have precision gear in my lab (the most precise device must be a µCurrent that's not shown in the pictures) .

But to get the hang of it again, I don't need better.

The exercise that I plan to do is to make a set up to test a particular parameter of a device, track that parameter over some range (time, frequency, temperature, ...) and compare with the specs.

 

image

 

As test devices, I'm going to use the components of the Digilent/TI Analog Shield.

It's a Genuino compatible board designed in collaboration with Stanford University.

Although it's called Analog Shield, it's not purely in the analog domain. It's got some decent ADC and DACs. Not your average ones - decent material.

Next to these mixed domain chips, it also has some pure analog goodies: several good to very good opamps, a voltage inverter and two DC-to-DC converters.

And a schoolbook voltage reference design that's worth probing.

 

image

 

This will be a random blog, based on my interests of the day. The personal goal is to regain the measurement skills that I once had (you can't imagine how much you forget as time passes*).

I'll most likely start to measure the opamp attributes using the precision voltage reference.

 

Secondary goal is to use only humble tools.

I deliberately don't want to use anything better than what I have in-house today. Dealing with the precision of the tools at hand is part of the skill.

 

 

 

*  I have just subscribed to the Coursera Calculus One course for the 3rd time. It's pathetic to see how my (humble!) calculus skills have virtually evaporated.