Keysight U1401B Quick Start Manual

Keysight U1401B
Handheld Multi-Function
Calibrator/Meter

Quick Start
Guide

Contacting Keysight

www.keysight.com/find/assist

(worldwide contact information for
repair and service)

Safety and EMC Information

This instrument is safety and EMC
certified in compliance with:

– IEC 61010-1:2001/

EN61010-1:2001 (2nd Edition)

– Canada: CAN/CSA-C22.2 No.

61010-1-04
– USA: ANSI/UL 61010-1:2004
– IEC61326-2-1:2005/

EN61326-2-1:2006
– Canada: ICES-001:2004
– Australia/New Zealand: AS/NZS

CISPR11:2004

Measurement Category II 150 V,
Pollution Degree 2. Use with
standard or compatible test probes.

Safety Notices

CAUTION

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 CAUTION notice
until the indicated conditions are
fully understood and met.

WARNING

A 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.

Safety symbols

Earth (ground) terminal

Double insulation

Caution, risk of electric
shock

Caution, risk of danger

CAT II

150V

Category II 150 V
overvoltage protection

2 Keysight U1401B Quick Start Guide

For further safety information details, refer to the

Keysight U1401B Handheld Multi-Function Calibrator/Meter User’s Guide.

Keysight U1401B Quick Start Guide 3

Table of Contents

Recharging the Batteries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Functions and Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Input/Output Terminals and Overload

Protection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Charging the battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Performing Voltage Measurements . . . . . . . . 12

Performing Current Measurements . . . . . . . . 14

Performing Resistance Measurement and

Continuity Test . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Performing Temperature Measurements . . . . 18

Frequency and Frequency Counter

Measurements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

Square Wave Output . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

Tilt Stand . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

4 Keysight U1401B Quick Start Guide

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Keysight U1401B Quick Start Guide 5

The following items are included with your
multimeter:

✔ Protective holster

✔ Rechargeable battery pack (1.2 V NiMH AA

×

8)

✔ Power cord and AC power adapter
✔ Silicone test leads, alligator clips, and a

yellow test lead for mA simulation

✔ Certificate of calibration
✔ Printed Quick Start Guide

If anything is missing or damaged, please contact
the nearest Keysight Sales Office.

NOTE

Your multimeter is capable of remote data logging.
To use this feature, you will need an IR-USB cable
(U5481A, purchased separately) and the Keysight
GUI Data Logger Software (downloadable from

www.keysight.com/find/hhTechLib).

WARNING

Ensure the terminal connections are correct for that
particular measurement selection before starting any
measurement. To avoid damage to the device, do not
exceed the input limit.

6 Keysight U1401B Quick Start Guide

Recharging the Batteries

Charge the batteries immediately when the low
battery annunciator starts flashing. It is strongly
recommended that you use only the specified
type of 24 V AC adapter to charge these
rechargeable batteries.

1 Power down the instrument and disconnect

all the test leads from the terminals.

2 Plug the AC adapter into the jack on the side

panel.

3 Set the slide switch at the CHARGE position.
4 The red light indicates that the batteries are

being recharged.

Set slide switch at the
CHARGE position

Charging indication

Green: Fully charged

Red: Charging

External AC
adapter jack

Keysight U1401B Quick Start Guide 7

5 When the batteries have been fully recharged,

the green light turns on. Remove the AC
adapter and set the slide switch at the M or
M/S position.

WARNING

Do not discharge a battery by shorting it or subjecting
it to reverse polarity. Do not mix different types of
battery. Make sure a battery is rechargeable before
charging it.

CAUTION

Do not turn the rotary switch while the instrument is
being recharged because a DC 24 V supply is
applied to the charging terminal.

8 Keysight U1401B Quick Start Guide

Functions and Features

Action Steps

Selects AC, DC, or AC+DC
measurement

Press

Toggles peak hold mode on and off

Press and hold for > 1 s

Freezes the measured value With data hold mode enabled, press

. Press and hold for > 1 s

to exit.

Enters or exits the refresh hold mode With refresh hold mode enabled, press

Enters or exits the dynamic recording
mode

Press and hold for > 1 s

Offsets the measured value

Press

Selects the measurement range

Press

Turns on autorange

Press and hold for > 1 s

Turns on dual display

Press

Turns on the frequency measurement
function

Press

Enables the shifted functions of the
keypad

Press

Toggles the backlight on or off

Press and hold for > 1 s

Keysight U1401B Quick Start Guide 9

Selects output mode and range for
voltage and current output

With rotary switch at or , and

with mode enabled, press

Selects parameter adjustments for
square wave output

With rotary switch at , and with

mode enabled, press

Selects a digit or the polarity to be
adjusted

With mode enabled, press
or

Adjusts a digit or the polarity

With mode enabled, press
or

Toggles the output state on and off

With mode enabled, press

Action Steps

10 Keysight U1401B Quick Start Guide

Input/Output Terminals and Overload
Protection

The output terminals are protected with DC 30 V
overload protection. The overload protection
limits of the input terminals are shown in the table
below

Functions Overload Protection

AC/DC voltage measurement 250 Vrms

Resistance measurement and continuity test

Temperature measurement

AC/DC current measurement 250 V/630 mA, fast-acting fuse

Keysight U1401B Quick Start Guide 11

Charging the battery

A new rechargeable battery comes in a
discharged condition and must be charged before
use (refer to the U1401B User's and Service Guide
for charging instructions). Upon initial use (or
after a prolonged storage period) the
rechargeable battery may require three to four
charge/discharge cycles before achieving
maximum capacity. To discharge, simply run the
multimeter using the rechargeable battery’s
power until it shuts down or until the low battery
warning appears.

In some instances, the multimeter may indicate
that the charging is complete after ten minutes or
so when charging a new rechargeable battery.
This is a normal phenomenon with rechargeable
batteries. Remove the rechargeable battery from
the device, re-insert it and repeat the charging
procedure.

12 Keysight U1401B Quick Start Guide

Performing Voltage Measurements

Measuring AC voltage

1 Set the rotary switch to V or mV. Press

to select .

2 Connect the red (+) and black (–) test leads to

the INPUT terminals.

3 Probe the test points and read the display.

4 Press to display dual measurements.

Keysight U1401B Quick Start Guide 13

Measuring DC voltage

1 Set the rotary switch to V or mV. Press

to select .

2 Connect the red (+) and black (–) test leads to

the INPUT terminals.

3 Probe the test points and read the display.

4 Press to display dual measurements.

14 Keysight U1401B Quick Start Guide

Performing Current Measurements

Measuring AC current

1 Set the rotary switch to mA. Press to

select .

2 Connect the red (+) and black (–) test leads to

the INPUT terminals.

3 Probe the test points in series with the circuit

and read the display.

Measuring DC current

1 Set the rotary switch to mA. Press to

select .

2 Connect the red (+) and black (–) test leads to

the INPUT terminals.

Keysight U1401B Quick Start Guide 15

3 Probe the test points in series with the circuit

and read the display.

Percentage scale of DC mA measurement

With the rotary switch at mA, another option
selectable with the key is the percentage

scale of DC mA measurement.

Frequency measurement

During AC/DC voltage or AC/DC current
measurement, you can measure the signal

frequency by pressing at any time.

16 Keysight U1401B Quick Start Guide

Performing Resistance Measurement and
Continuity Test

1 Set the rotary switch to .
2 Connect the red (+) and black (–) test leads to

the INPUT terminals.

3 Probe the resistor (or shunt) leads and read

the display.

4 To perform continuity test, press to

toggle the audible continuity function on or off.

CAUTION

Disconnect circuit power and discharge all
high-voltage capacitors before measuring
resistance to prevent possible damage to the
instrument or the device under test.

Keysight U1401B Quick Start Guide 17

For continuity test, the instrument will beep if the
resistance is less than the values indicated below:

Measurement range Resistance threshold

500.00 Ω 10 Ω

5.0000 kΩ 100 Ω

50.000 kΩ 1 kΩ

500.00 kΩ 10 kΩ

5.0000 MΩ 100 kΩ

50.000 MΩ 1 MΩ

18 Keysight U1401B Quick Start Guide

Performing Temperature Measurements

1 Set the slide switch to the M position to

disable the output.

2 Set the rotary switch to mV.

3 Press and hold for more than 1 second.

WARNING

– Before measuring the temperature of a circuit or

device, disconnect its power.

– The bead type thermocouple probe is suitable for

measuring temperature from –40 °C to 204 °C in
PTFE compatible environments. The probes may
emit toxic gas above this temperature range.

Keysight U1401B Quick Start Guide 19

4 Plug the thermocouple probe (with adapter)

into the INPUT terminals.

5 Touch the surface to be measured with the

thermocouple probe and read the display.

Best practices:

– Do not bend the thermocouple leads at sharp

angles. Repeated bending may break the
leads.

– Do not immerse the thermocouple probe in

any liquid.

– Clean the surface to be measured and make

sure that the probe is securely touching the
surface.

NOTE

The U1401A can generate and measure signals
simultaneously.

While the mode is enabled, pressing

disables the U1401A output by placing it
in the standby mode ( ). Pressing OUTPUT again
toggles the output on ( ).

20 Keysight U1401B Quick Start Guide

Frequency and Frequency Counter
Measurements

Constant voltage output

1 Set the rotary switch to any one of the

positions.

2 Press . The annunciator appears.

3 Press to cycle through ±1.5 V, ±15 V,

±1.5 V, ±15 V, ±1.5 V, and

±15 V output modes.

4 Select ±1.5 V or ±15 V.
5 Press to output the signal.

Keysight U1401B Quick Start Guide 21

Constant current output

1 Set the rotary switch to any one of the

positions.

2 Press . The annunciator appears.

3 Press to cycle through ±25 mA,

±25 mA, and ±25 mA output

modes.

4 Select ±25 mA.
5 Press to output the signal.

Autoscan and autoramp outputs

The voltage and current outputs can also be
generated in predefined steps or ramp. Refer to
the User's and Service Guide for the detailed
procedures.

22 Keysight U1401B Quick Start Guide

Square Wave Output

1 Set the rotary switch to .

2 Press . The annunciator appears.

3 Press to cycle through the adjustment

modes for frequency ( ), duty cycle ( ),

pulse width ( ), and amplitude ( ).
Select a parameter to adjust.

4 Press or to adjust the parameter value.
5 Press to output the square wave

signal.

Keysight U1401B Quick Start Guide 23

Tilt Stand

The instrument can be raised to a standing
position by means of a tilt stand.

CAUTION

Degradation of some product specifications can
occur in the presence of ambient electromagnetic
(EM) fields and noise that are coupled to the
powerline or I/O cables of the instrument. The
instrument will self-recover and operate to all
specifications when the source of ambient EM field
and noise are removed or when the instrument is
protected from the ambient EM field or when the
instrument cabling is shielded from the ambient EM
noise.

24 Keysight U1401B Quick Start Guide

THIS PAGE HAS BEEN INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK.

This information is subject to change
without notice. Always refer to the
Keysight website for the latest revision.

© Keysight Technologies 2006-2017
Edition 5, June 1, 2017

Printed in Malaysia

*U1401-90047*

U1401-90047

www.keysight.com