Agilent
U1701A Dual Display
Handheld Capacitance
Meter
Quick Start Guide
Agilent Technologies
CAUTION
WARNING
Safety Information
The Agilent U1701A is safety-certified in compliance with the
following safety and EMC requirements:
• IEC 61010-1:2001/EN 61010-1:2001 (2nd Edition)
• CISPR 11:2003+A1:2004
• IEC 61000-4-2:1995+A1:1998 +A2:2000
• IEC 61000-4-3:2006
• IEC 61000-4-4:2004
• IEC 61000-4-5:2005
• IEC 61000-4-6:2003+A1:2004+A2:2006
• IEC 61000-4-11:2004
• Canada: ICES-001:2004
• Australia/New Zealand: AS/NZS CISPR11:2004
Safety Notices
Safety Symbols
Direct current
Alternating current
Three-phase alternating current
Both direct and alternating current
Earth (ground) terminal
Equipotentiality
Caution, hot surface
A CAUTION notice denotes a hazard. It calls attention to an
operating procedure, practice, or the like that, if not correctly
performed or adhered to, could result in damage to the product or loss of important data. Do not proceed beyond a CAU-TION notice until the indicated conditions are fully
understood and met.
WARNING notice denotes a hazard. It calls attention to an
operating procedure, practice, or the like that, if not correctly performed or adhered to, could result in personal
injury or death. Do not proceed beyond a WARNING notice
until the indicated conditions are fully understood and met.
Off (supply)
On (supply)
Protective conductor terminal
Caution, risk of electric shock
Out position of a bi-stable control
In position of a bi-stable control
Frame or chassis terminal
Equipment protected throughout by
double insulation or reinforced
insulation
Caution, risk of danger (refer to this
manual for specific Warning or Caution
information
1 U1701A Quick Start Guide
CAUTION
Annunciator Display
Keypad
Input Terminals
U1701A Dual Display Handheld Capacitance Meter
Quick Start
1 Press to power- on the meter.
2 To test for capacitance, keep an open circuit on the test leads and pressto subtract the
residual capacitance of the meter and leads.
3 Insert the capacitor legs into + and – input terminals respectively. Ensure that the polarity of
the capacitor’s leg are correct.
4 Remove your hands from capacitor to allow it to be tested.
5 Read the measurement on the display.
U1701A Quick Start Guide2
Measuring tip: For measuring capacitance of more than 1000 µF, first, discharge the
capacitor then select a suitable range to measure it. This will shorten the measuring
time to achieve an accurate value.
Degradation of some product specifications can occur in the presence of ambient
electromagnetic (EM) fields and noise that couples to the product’s powerline or I/O
cables. The product self-recovers and operates to all specifications when the source of
the ambient EM field and noise are removed or the product is protected from the
ambient EM field or the product cabling is shielded from the ambient EM noise.
5
4
3
2
6
1
8
9
11
10
12
13
16
17
15
7
14
Display Annunciators
No. DescriptionsNo. Descriptions
1Low battery indicator10Relative mode
2Reading out of LO limit11Data hold to hold the displayed digital value. (DH
flashing means under trigger)
3Primary display for capacitance measurement12Secondary display
4Reading out of HI limit13Audible alert for tolerance and compare mode
5 Auto power off indicator14Unit for tolerance display
6Tolerance mode, to set 1%, 5%, 10%, and 20% for
sorting capacitance
7AUTO range16Unit for capacitance (pF, nF, µF, and mF)
8Charging period will be flashed, display as
discharging period
9Static recording mode for MAX, MIN, AVG and
Present (MAXAVGMIN)
15Unit for Beeper Frequency as setup mode
17Remote control
3 U1701A Quick Start Guide
No. KeysFunctionsNo. Te rm i n al s Functions
WARNING
8
5
4
1
2
3
9
7
6
Keypad Operations
10
12
11
Terminals
1PowerTo turn ON/OFF the instrument10+Positive terminal
2SETSet high/low limits for compare mode11 –Negative terminal
3RECStatic recording mode12GUARDGuard terminal
4Compare mode
5TOLTolerance mode
6RELRelative mode
7HOLD
SAVE
8RANGE
AUTO
9HI/LOHigh/Low limits
Data hold
To store the setting value into the
memory
Manual range
Auto range
Backlight display
To avoid damaging this instrument, do not exceed the input limit. Do not apply
voltage to input terminals. Discharge the capacitor before testing.
U1701A Quick Start Guide4
Features and Functions
ActionsSteps
To power ON or OFFPress
To enable data hold functionPress
To trigger holding next readingPress momentarily
To exit data hold modePress for more than 1 s
To enable recording function
• The beeper will beep when a new MAX or MIN value has
been recorded.
• The static recording captures stable values and updates
the memory. It will not record values that are overloaded,
OL or below 10 count value.
To cycle through maximum, minimum, average, and present
readings
•MAX, MIN, AVG or MAX AVG MIN annunciator will be
turned on respectively to indicate which value is being
displayed
To exit the recording modePress for more than 1 s
To enable relative function
• Relative function shows the difference between the
measured value and the offset reference value. The
display may show a non-zero value due to the presence
of test leads. Use the relative function to nullify the
residual.
• Relative function can operate in both auto and manual
ranging mode but the function cannot be set when an
overload value exists.
•REL annuciator will be displayed.
To renew the relative valuePress again
Press
Press momentarily
Press
To exit relative modePress for more than 1 s
To select manual range and to turn off the AUTO
annunciator
To step up a range at a timePress again
Press
5 U1701A Quick Start Guide
ActionsSteps
To select auto-range
• In auto range mode, the AUTO annunciator is displayed
and the instrument will select an appropriate range for
resolution if the reading is greater than the maximum
available range. OL will be displayed.
• The instrument will select a lower range when the
reading is less than 9% of full scale.
To enable the tolerance mode and to set the display value
as a standard reference
•TOL annunciator will be displayed.
• The tolerance will be displayed on the secondary display.
• The instrument range will be locked.
To cycle through 1%, 5%, 10% and 20% tolerance
•will be indicated.
• Beeper will beep once if the test value is within the
selected tolerance. If the test value is out of the
tolerance, the beeper will beep three times.
• This mode cannot be enabled under the following
conditions:
• After setting the recording mode
• After setting the compare mode
• Display showing either OL or below 10 counts
To exit tolerance modePress and hold for more than 1 s
Press for more than 1 s
Press
Press momentarily
To enable compare mode
• Measuring range will be locked
• will be displayed and the secondary display will
indicate C # #, meaning which set has been used for
compare mode. The two right digits indicate current
compare set. The # # range from 01 to 25.
• The primary display shows the present measurement. In
this state, it is ready for testing.
• If the reading is beyond the high limit, will be
indicated. will be indicated if the reading is out of the
low limit. The beeper will beep three times and the
secondary display will indicate nGo.
• If the reading is within the high and low limits, the beeper
will beep once, and the secondary display will indicate
Go. After three seconds or when the reading is lower
than 10 counts, the instrument will return to its ready
state.
• The secondary display will indicate C01 to C25 according
to the comparison record that has been selected.
Press
U1701A Quick Start Guide6
ActionsSteps
To save comparison set for next entryPress and hold for more than 1 s
To exit compare modePress
To view the High/Low limit value to be used as compare
mode
To cycle through HI limit, LO limit, and present values on
the primary display
• The secondary display showed as H # #, L # # and C #
# respectively.
• After three seconds without pressing this button again, it
will return to the present value display.
To toggle HI and LO limits for adjustmentPress momentarily
To enter HI/LO limits setting mode
• The secondary display will flash H01 and the primary
display will indicate the value of HI limit.
• The following buttons will be used for this setting mode:
a To select which digit to be adjusted
b To increase or decrease the current digit’s value
c To select High or Low limit to be set.
d To store the setting value in the memory. The beeper will
beep twice if the selected value has been stored. If the
current setting do not meet the rule that the high limit
must be equal or greater than the low limit, the beeper
will beep three times.
e To select next compare setting. To cycle through L01 (or
H01) to L25 (or H25), then return to L01 (H01) setting.
Press momentarily
Press
Press for more than 1 s
Press (Left) or (Right)
Press (Up) or (Down)
Press
Press for more than 1 s
Press momentarily
To exit the HI/LO limit setting modePress for more than 1 s
To toggle backlight ON/OFF
• Backlight turns off automatically after setting period by
setup mode.
Press and hold for more than 1 s
7 U1701A Quick Start Guide
Power-On Options
To select power- on options, press and holdwhile turning the ON/OFF switch to ON
position. The power- on options are listed in Table 1- 1:
Tab l e 1 - 1 Power-On Options
KeyDescription
HOLDDemonstrate Annunciators
RANGEFast power off test for factory’s purpose
RELTo view the firmware revision
SETSetup Mode
To demonstrate the annunciators, the entire annunciators will
be displayed. Press any button to exit demonstration mode.
Reset the high and low limits to factory’s default values.
To configure related parameter, please refer to “How To Enter
Setup Mode”.
How to Enter Setup Mode
Press and hold and power on the instrument from OFF status. Release when
you hear a beep, the instrument will then enter setup mode. These parameters will be
remained in the non- volatile memory even after the instrument is turned off. To
configure the related parameters on setup mode, ensure that the following procedures are
followed:
1 Press (Left) or (Right) to select the menu item to be set.
2 Press (Up) or (Down) to change the parameter.
3 Press
4 Press and hold for more than 1 s to save your setting.
5 Press
U1701A Quick Start Guide8
to select the digit to be adjusted, the selected digit will flash.
for more than 1 s to exit setup mode.
Factory Default Settings
The following table below lists out the setup menu item and factory default settings.
Tab l e 1 - 2 Outline of Setup Menu Items
Menu ItemDefaultSelectable Parameters
bAUd9600Baud rate: 2400, 4800, 9600, 19200
PArtnoneParity: Odd, Even or None
Data8-b8 bits or 7 bits (Stop bit is always 1 bit)
EchooFFEcho: on or oFF
PrntoFFPrint: on or oFF
beep4800Driving frequency: 4800, 2400, 1200, 600 Hz.
LbUtoFFLock buttons
AoFF151~99 minutes, oFF: To disable auto power-off
blit301~99 seconds, oFF: To disable turning off backlight
oFF: To disable beep.
oFF: Enable keypad
on: Disable keypad
automatically
boFFoFFBacklight level of brightness at OFF state: oFF~09
bon09Backlight level of brightness at ON state: oFF~09
dEFArStReset the above items to factory’s default setting.
9 U1701A Quick Start Guide
General Specifications
ParameterU1701A
Power SupplySingle standard 9 V battery (Alkaline)
(Power adaptor is available as optional accessories)
Display4 ½-digit liquid crystal display (LCD) with maximum reading of 11,000
counts and automatic polarity indication
Function• Capacitance measurement by DC charge and discharge method
• Visible and audible Tolerance mode assists you to sort the capacitor
• Min/Max/Average, Data Hold with Manual or Auto Trigger and
Relative modes
• Comparison mode with 25 sets of HI/LO limits can be selected
• Backlit display for easy reading in the dark
• Bi-directional optic computer interface with SCPI commands
• One-year calibration cycle suggested
Measuring rate~5 times/s for capacitance <100 µF (Typical)