HP 8753D - Increasing Measurement Accuracy; Connector Repeatability; Temperature Drift

Where to
Look for
More Information
A
dditional
information
about
many of
the topics
discussed in
this chapter
is located
in the
following
areas:
Chapter
2,
\Making
Measurements
,"
contains
step-by-step procedures
for making
measurements
or
using
particular
functions
.
Chapter
4,
\Printing,
Plotting,
and
Saving
Measurement Results
," contains
instructions
for
saving
to
disk
or
to
the analyzer
internal memory
,and
printing
and
plotting
displayed
measurements
.
Chapter
6,
\Application
and
Operation
Concepts
," contains
explanatory-style information
about
many
applications and
analyzer operation.
Increasing
Measurement
A
ccuracy
Connector
Repeatability
Connector
repeatability
is
a
source
of
random
measurement
error
.
Measurement
error-corrections
do
not
compensate
for
these
errors
.
F
or
all
connectors
,
you
should
frequently
do
the
following:
inspect
the
connectors
clean
the
connectors
gauge
the
connectors
use
correct
connection
techniques
(See
Chapter
2,
T
able
2-1.)
Interconnecting Cables
Cables connecting
the device
under test
to
the
analyzer
can
contribute
random
errors
to
your
measurement. Y
ou should
frequently do
the
following:
inspect
for
lossy
cables
inspect
for
damaged
cable
connectors
practice
good
connector
care
techniques
minimize cable
position changes
between
error-correction
and
measurements
inspect
for
cables which
dramatically
change
magnitude
or
phase
response
when
exing
(This
may indicate an intermittent problem.)
Temperature Drift
Electrical
characteristics will change with temperature due to the thermal expansion
characteristics
of devices within the analyzer
, calibration devices
, test devices
,cables
, and
adapters.
Therefore, the operating temperature is a critical factor in their performance
. During
a measurement calibration,
the temperature of the calibration devices must be stable and
within 25 6 5

C.
use a temperature-controlled environment
ensure the temperature stability of the calibration devices
avoid handling the calibration devices unnecessarily during calibration
ensure the ambient temperature is 6 1

C of measurement error-correction temperature
5-2 Optimizing Measurement Results