HP 54710A - Probe Calibration

Probe Calibration
Probe calibration allows the oscilloscope to establish the gain and offset of a
probe that is connected to a channel of the oscilloscope, and apply those
factors to the calibration of that channel. Probe calibration is initiated from
the "Channel/Probe/Calibrate probe" menu.
To achieve the specified accuracy (
±
2%) with a probe connected to a
channel, that channel should be calibrated to the best accuracy level. This
ensures the best measurement results.
If the best accuracy is not needed, a probe can be calibrated with a channel
that is at the normal-accuracy level. This achieves a typical vertical accuracy
of
±
4%.
For active probes that the oscilloscope can identify through the probe power
connector, like the HP 54701A, the oscilloscope automatically adjusts the
vertical scale factors for that channel even if a probe calibration is not
performed. For passive probes or nonidentified probes, the oscilloscope
adjusts the vertical scale factors only if a probe calibration is performed. If
you do not perform a probe calibration but want to use a passive probe, the
attenuation factor can be entered in the "Channel/Probe/Probe atten" menu.
You can use the probe calibration to calibrate any network, including probes
or cable assemblies. The oscilloscope calibrates the voltage at the tip of the
probe or the cable input.
If the probe being calibrated has an attenuation factor that allows the
oscilloscope to adjust the gain (in hardware) to produce even steps in the
vertical scale factors, the oscilloscope will do so. If the probe being
calibrated has an unusual attenuation, like 3.75, the oscilloscope may have to
adjust the vertical scale factors to an unusual number, like 3.75 V/div.
Typically, probes have standard attenuation factors such as divide by 10,
divide by 20, or divide by 100.
Calibration Overview
Probe Calibration
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