Re: [volt-nuts] 3458A Zero reading

2015-07-27 Thread Richard Moore

Randy — My 3458A manual specs 12 or 14 gauge solid copper wire for the short, 
bunt in to a U shape. I use 14 gauge. Poul-Henning’s comments about thermals 
are well-taken — even a simple folded up carboard shield helps. But I think 
you’re near the limit.
___
volt-nuts mailing list -- volt-nuts@febo.com
To unsubscribe, go to https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/volt-nuts
and follow the instructions there.


Re: [volt-nuts] 3458A Zero reading

2015-07-27 Thread J M via volt-nuts
I use a 8 oz styrofoam cup to isolate air currents around the 3458A terminals 
when zeroing with shorting bar


Sent from my 20 Texas sized 
iPhone


 On Jul 27, 2015, at 2:57 PM, Richard Moore richiem5...@gmail.com wrote:
 
 
 Randy — My 3458A manual specs 12 or 14 gauge solid copper wire for the short, 
 bunt in to a U shape. I use 14 gauge. Poul-Henning’s comments about thermals 
 are well-taken — even a simple folded up carboard shield helps. But I think 
 you’re near the limit.
 ___
 volt-nuts mailing list -- volt-nuts@febo.com
 To unsubscribe, go to https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/volt-nuts
 and follow the instructions there.
___
volt-nuts mailing list -- volt-nuts@febo.com
To unsubscribe, go to https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/volt-nuts
and follow the instructions there.


Re: [volt-nuts] 3458A Zero reading

2015-07-27 Thread Randy Evans
I used a 12 AWG wire formed into a U shape for the short and the zero
voltage measured less than 0.2 uV after a good 2+ hour warmup.  However, I
am seeing drifts of several uV for the 752 calibration.  I was using TV
twin lead to connect the 732 to 752 and 752 to 3458A since that's really
all I have for now.  I suspect thermals are killing me so I need to find
some low thermal shielded differential cable to connect from the 752 to the
3458A.  I did not see anything like that in Pomona's arsenal.  I was
thinking about Bill Gold's idea of making my own but I think it would end
up being \very stiff.  Any other ideas for a good source of shielded copper
wire twinax?

Randy AE6YG

On Mon, Jul 27, 2015 at 4:10 PM, J M via volt-nuts volt-nuts@febo.com
wrote:

 I use a 8 oz styrofoam cup to isolate air currents around the 3458A
 terminals when zeroing with shorting bar


 Sent from my 20 Texas sized
 iPhone


  On Jul 27, 2015, at 2:57 PM, Richard Moore richiem5...@gmail.com
 wrote:
 
 
  Randy — My 3458A manual specs 12 or 14 gauge solid copper wire for the
 short, bunt in to a U shape. I use 14 gauge. Poul-Henning’s comments about
 thermals are well-taken — even a simple folded up carboard shield helps.
 But I think you’re near the limit.
  ___
  volt-nuts mailing list -- volt-nuts@febo.com
  To unsubscribe, go to
 https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/volt-nuts
  and follow the instructions there.
 ___
 volt-nuts mailing list -- volt-nuts@febo.com
 To unsubscribe, go to
 https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/volt-nuts
 and follow the instructions there.

___
volt-nuts mailing list -- volt-nuts@febo.com
To unsubscribe, go to https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/volt-nuts
and follow the instructions there.


Re: [volt-nuts] HP-3458A Zero Reading

2015-07-27 Thread John Allen
Bill wrote -

There is an application note from Fluke, I think, on using DVMs for null
meters.

Fluke_-_Using_a_DMM_to_balance_752A_Divider.pdf   is the name if it.
I think it came from the Fluke Calibration Website.

It is available at
http://www.ko4bb.com/manuals/download.php?file=Fluke/Fluke_-_Using_a_DMM_to_balance_752A_Divider.pdf

John K1AE

-Original Message-
From: volt-nuts [mailto:volt-nuts-boun...@febo.com] On Behalf Of Bill Gold
Sent: Monday, July 27, 2015 7:54 PM
To: Discussion of precise voltage measurement
Subject: Re: [volt-nuts] HP-3458A Zero Reading

Randy:

I sure hope you are not trying to use 26 ga. telephone wire for the zero
shorting wire.  The manual recommends either 14 ga. or 12 ga. solid copper
wire, this is the kind you can get for basic electrical wiring in conduit in
homes, at least in the US.  Generically called TW in electrician's
language.

My 3458A reads about -0.20 uv before AutoCal and less than +0.20 uv
after,  with the short as described in the manual.  You will observe that
the HP/Agilent/Keysight manual for the 3458A does not give any zero
stability specs, at least that I can find.

I have been using the 3458A for nulling my 752A and have had no problems
with my homemade low thermal leads as I described them to you.
Belden/Pomona components.  I use 100PLC.

There is an application note from Fluke, I think, on using DVMs for null
meters.

Fluke_-_Using_a_DMM_to_balance_752A_Divider.pdf   is the name if it.
I think it came from the Fluke
Calibration Website.

Bill



- Original Message - 
From: Randy Evans randyevans2...@gmail.com
To: volt-nuts@febo.com
Sent: Sunday, July 26, 2015 6:19 PM
Subject: [volt-nuts] HP-3458A Zero Reading


 I shorted the input terminals of my HP-3458A with a short lead of copper
 wire, Bell telephone wire as recommended in the manual.  The reading I get
 is around 000.00070 mV, or 0.7 uV with NLPC set to 100.  I was trying to
 evaluate it's use as a null meter for my Fluke 752A divider.  This seems a
 little higher than I would expect but no amount of running AUTOCAL or ZERO
 changes this amount.  Is this considered acceptable?

 Randy AE6YG
 ___
 volt-nuts mailing list -- volt-nuts@febo.com
 To unsubscribe, go to
https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/volt-nuts
 and follow the instructions there.

___
volt-nuts mailing list -- volt-nuts@febo.com
To unsubscribe, go to https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/volt-nuts
and follow the instructions there.


---
This email has been checked for viruses by Avast antivirus software.
https://www.avast.com/antivirus

___
volt-nuts mailing list -- volt-nuts@febo.com
To unsubscribe, go to https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/volt-nuts
and follow the instructions there.


Re: [volt-nuts] HP-3458A Zero Reading

2015-07-27 Thread John Phillips
​You talked about after an hour of warm up... I never turn mine off unless
I have to... Like to move it, ship it or power outage.
That said do not do anything like this until it has been on for 4 hours
Then run auto cal
Do not take any reading for 5 minutes after you change wiring or switches.
Consider 1000 plc and or stats mode.
​
Hope that helps


On Sun, Jul 26, 2015 at 7:15 PM, Randy Evans randyevans2...@gmail.com
wrote:

 A bit of a false lead.  I took the readings after an hour of warmup.
 However, after about two hours, the zero reading went to less thatn 0.2 uV,
 which seems just fine to me.  I guess i just needed to get a really good
 warmup time.

 However, the 752 readings are varying over several uV when doing the CAL
 procedure.  I am currently using unshielded leads so I suspect I am getting
 a lot of noise.  Time to invest in some really good cables I guess.  I was
 hoping to build my own cables as Bill Gold had suggested in a previous
 thread.

 Randy AE6YG
 ___
 volt-nuts mailing list -- volt-nuts@febo.com
 To unsubscribe, go to
 https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/volt-nuts
 and follow the instructions there.




-- 

*John Phillips*
___
volt-nuts mailing list -- volt-nuts@febo.com
To unsubscribe, go to https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/volt-nuts
and follow the instructions there.


Re: [volt-nuts] HP-3458A Zero Reading

2015-07-27 Thread Poul-Henning Kamp

In message canwu9jzp8mb-pfs8qr7kfobyjlgoeuc_0tqjbsvfw1xrnzc...@mail.gmail.com
, Randy Evans writes:

A bit of a false lead.  I took the readings after an hour of warmup.
However, after about two hours, the zero reading went to less thatn 0.2 uV,
which seems just fine to me.  I guess i just needed to get a really good
warmup time.

You may want to try to shade the terminals from air-movement when you
work in that range, thermal sensitivity is not negligble.

I had better luck using relatively thick (1.5mm^2) copper wire.


-- 
Poul-Henning Kamp   | UNIX since Zilog Zeus 3.20
p...@freebsd.org | TCP/IP since RFC 956
FreeBSD committer   | BSD since 4.3-tahoe
Never attribute to malice what can adequately be explained by incompetence.
___
volt-nuts mailing list -- volt-nuts@febo.com
To unsubscribe, go to https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/volt-nuts
and follow the instructions there.