Agilent 3458A Data Sheet

Shatters

performance barriers

of speed and

accuracy!

Agilent 3458A Multimeter

Data Sheet

Performance Highlights

dc Volts

• 5 ranges: 0.1 V to 1000 V

• 8.5 to 4.5 digit resolution

• Up to 100,000 readings/sec
(4.5 digits)

• Maximum sensitivity: 10 nV

• 0.6 ppm 24 hour accuracy

• 8 ppm (4 ppm optional) / year
voltage reference stability

Ohms

• 9 ranges: 10 Ω to 1 GΩ

• Two-wire and four-wire Ohms
with offset compensation

• Up to 50,000 readings/sec
(5.5 digits)

• Maximum Sensitivity: 10 µΩ

• 2.2 ppm 24 hour accuracy

ac Volts

• 6 ranges: 10 mV to 1000 V

• 1 Hz to 10 MHz bandwidth

• Up to 50 readings/sec with all
readings to specified accuracy

• Choice of sampling or analog
true rms techniques

• 100 ppm best accuracy

dc Current

• 8 ranges: 100 nA to 1 A

• Up to 1,350 readings/sec
(5.5 digits)

• Maximum sensitivity: 1pA

• 14 ppm 24 hour accuracy

ac Current

• 5 ranges: 100 µA to 1 A

• 10Hz to 100 kHz bandwidth

• Up to 50 readings/sec

• 500 ppm 24 hour accuracy

Frequency and Period

• Voltage or current ranges

• Frequency: 1 Hz to 10 MHz

• Period: 100 ns to 1 sec

• 0.01% accuracy

• ac or dc coupled

Maximum Speeds

• 100,000 readings/sec at

4.5 digits (16 bits)

• 50,000 readings/sec at 5.5 digits

• 6,000 readings/sec at 6.5 digits

• 60 readings/sec at 7.5 digits

• 6 readings/sec at 8.5 digits

Measurement Set-Up Speed

• 100,000 readings/sec over
GPIB* or with internal memory

• 110 autoranges/sec

• 340 function or range changes/sec

• Post-processed math from
internal memory

2

Access speed and accuracy
through a powerful, convenient front panel.

Display

• Bright, easy-to-read, vacuum
flourescent display

• 16 character alpha-numeric
display to easily read data, mes­sages, and commands

Standard Function/Range Keys

• Simple to use, for bench measure­ments of dcV, acV, Ohms,
current, frequency and period

• Select autorange or manual
ranging

Menu Command Keys

• Immediate access to eight
common commands

• Shifted keys allow simple access to
complete command menu

Numeric/User Keys

• Numeric entry for constants and
measurement parameters

• Shifted keys (f0 through f9) access
up to ten user-defined setups

Volts/ Ohms /Ratio Terminals

• Gold-plated tellurium copper
for minimum thermal emf

• 2-wire or 4-wire Ohms
measurements

• dc/dc or ac/dc ratio inputs

Rear Input Terminals
for convenient
system use

External Trigger Input

Current Measurement Terminals

• Easy fuse replacement with
fuse holder built into terminal

Guard Terminal and Switch

• For maximum common mode
noise rejection

Front-Rear Terminal Switch

• Position selects front or rear
measurement terminals

External Output

• Programmable TTL output pulse with

5 modes for flexible system interface

• Defaults to a voltmeter complete pulse

GPIB
Interface
Connector

3

Finally!

A system multimeter with BOTH

high speed and high accuracy.

The Agilent Technologies 3458A
Multimeter
performance barriers of speed
and accuracy on the production
test floor, in R&D, and in the cali­bration lab. The 3458A is simply
the fastest, most flexible, and
most accurate multimeter ever
offered by Agilent Technologies.
In your system or on the bench,
the 3458A saves you time and
money with unprecedented test
system throughput and accuracy,
seven function measurement flex­ibility, and low cost of ownership.

shatters long-standing

Contents

Test System Throughput / 6

Calibration Lab Precision / 9

High Resolution Digitizing / 10

Technical Specifications / 12

Specs Overview / 12

Section 1: DC Voltage / 13

Section 2: Resistance / 14

Section 3: DC Current / 16

Section 4: AC Voltage / 17

Section 5: AC Current / 22

Section 6: Frequency/ Period / 23

Section 7: Digitizing / 24

Section 8: System Specs / 26

Section 9: Ratio / 27

Section 10: Math Functions / 27

Section 11: General Specs / 28

Select a reading rate of 100,000
readings per second for maximal
test throughput. Or achieve
highest levels of precision with
up to 8.5 digits of measurement
resolution and 0.1 part per million
transfer accuracy. Add to this,
programming compatibility
through the Agilent Multimeter
Language (ML) and the 3458A’s
simplicity of operation and you
have the ideal multimeter for your
most demanding applications.

Section 12: Ordering Information / 29

Accessories / 29

Other Meters / 30

The 3458A
Multimeter
for:

High test system
throughput

Calibration lab
precision

Faster testing

• Up to 100,000 readings/sec

• Internal test setups >340/sec

• Programmable integration times from 500 ns to 1 sec

Greater test yield

• More accuracy for tighter test margins

• Up to 8.5 digits resolution

Longer up-time

• Two-source (10 V, 10 kΩ) calibration, including ac

• Self-adjusting, self-verifying auto-calibration for
all functions and ranges, including ac

Superb transfer measurements

• 8.5 digits resolution

• 0.1 ppm dc Volts linearity

• 0.1 ppm dc Volts transfer capability

• 0.01 ppm rms internal noise

Extraordinary accuracy

• 0.6 ppm for 24 hours in dc Volts

• 2.2 ppm for 24 hours in Ohms

• 100 ppm mid-band ac Volts

• 8 ppm (4 ppm optional) per year voltage
reference stability

High resolution
digitizing

Greater waveform resolution and accuracy

• 16 to 24 bits resolution

• 100,000 to 0.2 samples/sec

• 12 MHz bandwidth

• Timing resolution to 10 ns

• Less than 100 ps time jitter

• Over 75,000 reading internal memory

10

5

• Faster system start-up

Multimeter Language (ML) compatible

• Faster measurements and setups

100,000 readings/sec in 4.5 digits
50,000 readings/sec in 5.5 digits
340 function or range changes/sec

• Longer system up-time

For High Test System Throughput

The Agilent 3458A System Multime­ter heightens test performance in
three phases of your production
test: faster test system start-up,
faster test throughput, and lower
cost of ownership through longer
system uptime, designed-in reliabil­ity, and fast and easy calibration.

Faster system start-up

The value of a fast system multime­ter in production test is clear. But it
is also important that the dmm pro­grams easily to reduce the learning
time for new system applications.
The Agilent Multimeter Language
(ML) offers a standard set of com­mands for the multimeter user that
consists of easily understood, read­able commands. Easier program­ming and clearer documentation
reduce system development time.

Faster measurements
and setups

Now you can have a system dmm
with both fast and accurate mea­surements. The 3458A optimizes
your measurements for the right
combination of accuracy, resolu­tion, and speed. The 3458A
Multimeter fits your needs from

4.5 digit dc Volts measurements
at 100,000 per second, to 8.5 digit
dc Volts measurements at 6 per
second, or anywhere in between
in 100 ns steps.

Even the traditionally slower
measurement functions, such as
ac Volts, are quicker with the
3458A. For example, you can mea­sure true rms acV at up to
50 readings per second with full
accuracy for input frequencies
greater than 10 kHz.

Besides high reading rates, the
3458A’s design was tuned for the
many function and level changes
required in testing your device. The
3458A can change function and
range, take a measurement, and
output the result at 340 per second.
This is at least 5 times faster than
other dmms. In addition, the 3458A
transfers high speed measurement
data over GPIB or into and out of
its 75,000 reading memory at
100,000 readings per second.

You can reduce your data transfer
overhead by using the unique non­volatile Program Memory of the
3458A to store complete measure­ment sequences. These test sequen­ces can be programmed and initiat­ed from the front panel for
stand-alone operation without
a controller.

Finally, the 3458A Multimeter
makes fast and accurate measure­ments. Consider the 3458A’s

0.6 ppm 24 hour dc Volts accuracy,
100 ppm ac Volts accuracy and its
standard functions of dcV, acV, dcI,
acI, Ohms, frequency and period.
Greater measurement accuracy
from your dmm means higher
confidence and higher test yields.
More functions mean greater versa­tility and lower-cost test systems.

Longer system up-time

The 3458A Multimeter performs a
complete self-calibration of all func­tions, including ac, using high stabil­ity internal standards. This self- or
auto-calibration eliminates mea­surement errors due to time drift
and temperature changes in your
rack or on your bench for superior
accuracy. When it’s time for periodic
calibration to external standards,
simply connect a precision 10 Vdc
source and a precision 10 kΩ resis­tor. All ranges and functions,
including ac, are automatically
calibrated using precision internal
ratio transfer measurements rela­tive to the external standards.

The 3458A’s reliability is a product
of Agilent’s “10 X” program of
defect reduction. Through exten­sive environmental, abuse, and
stress testing during the design
stages of product development,
has reduced the number of defects
and early failures in its instruments
by a factor of ten over the past ten
years. Our confidence in the
3458A’s reliability is reflected in the
low cost of the option for two addi­tional years of return-to-repair.
This option (W30), when combined
with the standard one-year warran­ty, will give you three years of
worry-free operation.

678

• 8.5 digits resolution

• 0.1 ppm dcV linearity

• 100 ppm acV absolute accuracy

• 4 ppm/year optional stability

For Calibration Lab Precision

In the calibration lab, you’ll find
the 3458A’s 8.5digits to have extra­ordinary linearity, low internal
noise, and excellent short term
stability. The linearity of the
3458A’s Multislope A to D convert­er has been characterized with
state-of-the-art precision. Using
Josephsen Junction Array intrinsic
standards, linearity has been mea­sured within ±0.05 ppm of 10Volts.
The 3458A’s transfer accuracy for
10 Volts dc is 0.1 ppm over
1 hour ±0.5°C. Internal noise has
been reduced to less than 0.01 ppm
rms yielding 8.5 digits of usable
resolution. So, the right choice for
your calibration standard dmm is
the 3458A.

dcV stability

The long term accuracy of the
3458A is a remarkable 8 ppm per
year— more accurate than many
system dmms are after only a day.
Option 002 gives you a higher
stability voltage reference
specified to 4 ppm/year for
the ultimate performance.

Reduced-error resistance

The 3458A doesn’t stop with accu­rate dcV. Similar measurement
accuracy is achieved for resis­tance, acV, and current. You can
measure resistance from
10 µ Ω to 1GΩ with midrange
accuracy of 2.2 ppm.

Finally, the 3458A, like its
dmm predecessors, offers
offset-compensated Ohms on the
10 Ω to 100 kΩ ranges to eliminate
the errors introduced by small

series voltage offsets. Usable for
both two- and four-wire ohms, the
3458A supplies a current through
the unknown resistance, measures
the voltage drop, sets the current
to zero, and measures the voltage
drop again. The result is reduced
error for resistance measure­ments.

Precision acV

The 3458A introduces new heights
of true rms ac volts performance
with a choice of traditional analog
or a new sampling technique for
higher accuracy. For calibration
sources and periodic waveforms
from 1Hz to 10 MHz, the 3458A’s
precision sampling technique
offers extraordinary accuracy.
With 100 ppm absolute accuracy
for 45 Hz to 1 kHz or 170 ppm
absolute accuracy to 20 kHz, the
3458A will enhance your measure­ment capabilities. Accuracy is
maintained for up to 2 years with
only a single 10 Volt dc precision
standard. No ac standards are nec­essary. For higher speed and less
accuracy, the analog true rms ac
technique has a midband absolute
measurement accuracy of 300 ppm
using the same simple calibration
procedure. With a bandwidth of
10 Hz to 2 MHz and reading rates
to 50 /second, the analog technique
is an excellent choice for high
throughput computer-aided testing.

Easy calibration

The 3458A gives you low cost of
ownership with a simple, two­source electronic calibration. With
its superior linearity, the 3458A is
fully calibrated, including ac, from
a precision 10 V dc source and a
precision 10 kΩ resistor. All ranges
and functions are automatically
calibrated using precise internal
ratio transfer measurements rela­tive to these external standards. In
addition, the 3458A’s internal volt­age standard and resistance stan­dard are calibrated. Now you can
perform a self-verifying, self- or
auto-calibration relative to the
3458A’s low drift internal stan­dards at any time with the ACAL
command. So, if your dmm’s envi­ronment changes, auto-calibration
optimizes your measurement
accuracy.

Calibration security

Unlike other dmms, the 3458A
goes to great lengths to assure
calibration security. First, a pass­word security code “locks” calibra­tion values and the self-calibration
function. Next, you can easily
store and recall a secured message
for noting items, such as calibra­tion date and due date. Plus, the
3458A automatically increments a
calibration counter each time you
“unlock” the dmm— another safe­guard against calibration tamper­ing. If you have a unique situation
or desire ultimate security, use the
internal dmm hardwired switch to
force removal of the instrument
covers to perform calibration.

9

• 16 bits at 100,000 samples/sec

• Effective rates to 100 Msamples/sec

• Signal bandwidth of 12 MHz

• 10 ns timing with <100 ps jitter

For High Resolution Digitizing

Easily acquire waveforms

Simple, application-oriented com­mands in the Agilent Multimeter
Language (ML) make the task of
waveform digitizing as easy as
measuring dcV. Simply specify the
sweep rate and number of samples.

Integration or
track-and-hold paths

The 3458A gives you the choice of
two configurations for high speed
measurements: a 150kHz band­width integrating path with a vari­able aperture from 500ns to 1 sec­ond or a 12 MHz bandwidth path
with a fixed 2 ns aperture and
16-bit track-and-hold. Use the
integration path for lower noise,
but use the track-and-hold path
to precisely capture the voltage
at a single point on a waveform.

Direct sampling function

The 3458A has two sampling func­tions for digitizing wave-forms:
direct sampling and sequential or
sub-sampling. With direct sam­pling, the 3458A samples through
the 12 MHz path followed by the
2 ns track-and-hold providing
16 bits of resolution. The maximum
sample rate is 50,000 samples/
second or 20 µs between samples.
Samples can be internally paced
by a 0.01% accurate timebase with
time increments in 100 ns steps.
Data transfers directly to your
computer at full speed or into the
dmm’s internal reading memory.
Waveform reconstruction consists
of simply plotting the digitized
voltage readings versus the sam­pling interval of the timebase.

Sequential sampling function

Sequential or sub-sampling uses
the same measurement path as
direct sampling; however sequen­tial sampling requires a periodic
input signal. The 3458A will
synchronize to a trigger point on
the waveform set by a level thresh­old or external trigger. Once syn­chronized, the dmm automatically
acquires the waveform through
digitizing successive periods with
time increment steps as small as
10 ns, effectively digitizing at rates
up to 100 Msamples/second. All
you specify is the effective time­base and the number of samples
desired, the 3458A automatically
optimizes its sampling to acquire
the waveform in the least amount
of time. Then, for your ease of use,
the 3458A automatically re-orders
the data in internal memory to
reconstruct the waveform.

10

Digitizing Configurations