3 System Overview
86 Keysight 34970A/34972A User’s Guide
Signal Routing and Switching
The switching capabilities of the plug-in modules available with the 34970A/
34972A provide test system flexibility and expandability. You can use the
switching plug-in modules to route signals to and from your test system or
multiplex signals to the internal DMM or external instruments.
Relays are electromechanical devices which are subject to wear-out failure
modes. The life of a relay, or the number of actual operations before failure, is
dependent upon how it is used – applied load, switching frequency, and
environment. The 34970A/34972A Relay Maintenance System automatically
counts the cycles of each relay in the instrument and stores the total count in
non-volatile memory on each switch module. Use this feature to track relay
failures and to predict system maintenance requirements. For more information on
using this feature, refer to “Relay cycle count” on page 177
Switching topologies
Several switching plug-in modules are available with different topologies for
various applications. The following switching topologies are available:
– Multiplexer (34901A, 34902A, 34905A, 34906A, 34908A)
– Matrix (34904A)
– Form C – Single Pole, Double Throw (34903A)
The following sections describe each of these switching topologies.
Multiplexer switching
Multiplexers allow you to connect one of multiple channels to a common channel,
one at a time. A simple 4-to-1 multiplexer is shown below. When you combine a
multiplexer with a measurement device, like the internal DMM, you create a
scanner.
For more information on scanning, see page 92.
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