Used Agilent Agilent Used 53181A Manual

Agilent 53181A
225 MHz Frequency Counter

Operating Guide



Manual Part Number 53181- 90001

Printed in Mala y sia

NOTES

Agilen t 53181A Operating Guide

This guide describes how to use the Agilent 53181A 225 MHz Frequency Counter.

Agilent 531 81A 225 MHz Fr equen cy
Counter

Copyri ght 1994 - 2003

W

C

W

Agilent Techn olo gies , Inc.
All Rights Reserved. Reproduction,

adaptation, or translations without
prior written permission is
prohibited, except as all owed under
the copyright laws.

Print e d: November 2003
Printed in Malaysia

Manual part number
53181-90001

Certification and Warranty

Certification

Agilent Technologies certifies that
this product met its published
specification at the time of shipment
from the factory. Agilent
Technologies further certifies that its
calibration measurements are
traceable to the United States
National Institute of Standards and
Technology (formerly National
Bureau of Standards), to the extent
allowed by the Institute’s calibration
facility, and to the calibration
facilities of other International
Standards Organizat ion members.

Warranty

Agilent warrants Agilent hardware,
accessories and supplies against
defects in materials and
workmanship for a period of one year
from date of shipment. If Agilent
receives notice of such d efects d uring
the warranty period, Agilent will, at
its option, either repair or replace
products which prove to be defective.
Replacement products may be either
new or like-new.

Agilent warrants that Agilent
software will not fail to execute its
programming instructions, for the
period specified above, due to
defects in material and workmanship
when properly installed and used. If
Agilent receives notice of such
defect s during the warran ty period,
Agilent will replace software media
which does not execute its
programming instructions due to
such defects.

Safety Con siderations
General

This product and related
documentation must be reviewed for
familiarization with this safety
markings and instructions before
operation.

Before Cleaning

Disc on ne ct t he product fr o m
operating power before cleaning.

Warning Symbols That May Be
Used In This Book

Instruction manual symbol; the
product will be marked with this
symbol when it is necessary for the
user to refer to the instruction
manual.

Indicates hazardous voltages.

Indicates earth (ground) terminal.

or

Indicates terminal is connected to
chassis when such connection is not
apparent.

Indicates Alternating current.

Indicates Direct current.

Safety Considerations (contd)

ARNING

BODILY INJUR Y OR DEATH
MAY RESULT FROM
FAILURE TO HEED A
WARNING. DO NOT
PROCEED BEYOND A
WARNING UNTIL THE
INDICATED CONDITIONS
ARE FULLY UNDERSTOOD
AND MET.

AUTION

Damage to equipment, or in correct
measurement data, may result
from failure to heed a caution. Do
not proceed beyond a CAUTION
until the indicated conditions are
fully understood and met.

Safety Earth Ground

An uninterruptible safety earth
ground must be maintained from the
mains power source to the product’s
ground circuitry.

ARNING

WHEN MEASURING POWER
LINE SIGNALS, BE
EXTREMELY CAREFUL AND
ALWAYS USE A
STEP-DOWN ISOLATION
TRANSFORMER WHICH
OUTPUT IS COMPATIBLE
WITH THE INPUT
MEASUREMENT
CAPABILITIES OF THIS
PRODUCT. THIS PRODUCT’S
FRONT AND REAR PANELS
ARE TYPCIALLY AT EARTH
GROUND. THUS, NEVER TRY

TO MEASURE AC POWER
LINE SIGNALS WITHOUT AN
ISOLATION TRANSFORMER.

Agilent Techn olo gies , Inc. 7.NC.NL.A.11.03.97.R1.P.CW6FC
900 South Taft Avenue
Loveland, Colora do 80537 U .S.A.

Warranty (contd)

Agilent does not warrant that the
operation of Agilent products will be
uninterrupted or error free. If Agilent
is unable, within a reasonable time,
to repai r or replace any product to a
condition as warranted, customer
will be entitled to a refund of the
purchase price upon prompt return of
the prod u ct .

Agilent products may contain
remanufactured parts equivalent to
new in per formance or may have
been subjected to incidental use.

The warranty per iod begins on the
date of delivery or on the date of
installation if installed by Agilent. If
customer schedules or delays Agilent
installation more than 30 days after
delive ry, warranty begins on the 31st
day from delivery.

Warranty does not apply to defects
resul ting from (a) improper or
inadequate maintenance or
calibration, (b) software, interfacing,
parts or supplie s not supplie d by
Agilent , (c) unauthorized
modifi cati on or misus e, (d) operation
outside of the published
environmental specifications for the
product, or (e)improper sit e
prepar at i o n or ma intenan ce.

TO THE EXTENT ALL O WED BY
LOCAL LAW, THE ABOVE
WARRANTIES ARE EXCLUSIVE
AND NO OTHER WARRANTY OR
CONDITION, WHETHER
WRITTEN OR ORAL, IS
EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED AND
AGILENT SPECIFICALLY
DISCLAIMS ANY IMPLIED
WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS
OF MERCHANTABILITY,
SATISF ACTORY QUALITY, AND
FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR
PURPOSE.

Agilent will be liable for damage to
tangible property per incident up to
the greater of $300,000 or the actual
amount paid for the product that is
the subject of the claim, and for
damages for bodily injury or death,
to the extent that all such damages
are determined by a court of
competent jurisdiction to have been
directly caused by a defective
Agile nt product.

TO THE EXTEN T AL LO WED BY
LOCAL LAW, THE REMEDIES IN
THIS WARRA N TY STAT EMEN T
ARE CUSTOMER’S SOLE AND
EXCLUSIVE REMEDIES.
EXCEPT AS I NDICATED ABOVE,
IN NO EVENT WILL AGILENT OR
ITS SUPPLIERS BE LIABLE FOR
LOSS OF DATA OR FOR DIRECT ,
SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL,
CONSEQUENTIAL (INCLUDING
LOST PROFIT OR DATA), OR
OTHER DAMAGE, WHETHER
BASED IN CONTRACT , TORT, OR
OTHERWISE.

For consumer transactions in
Australia and New Zealand: the
warranty terms contained in this
statement, except to the extent
lawfully permitted, do not exclude,
restrict or modify and are in addition
to the ma ndatory statutory rights
applicable to the sale of this product
to you.

Assistance

Product maintenance agreemen ts and
other customer assistance agreem ents
are available for Agilent Technolo­gies pro du c t s.

For any assistance, contact your
nearest Agilent Technologies Sales
and Service Office.

Safety Considerations (contd)

WARNING

INSTRUCTIONS FOR
ADJUSTMENTS WHILE
COVERS ARE REMOVED
AND FOR SERVICING ARE
FOR USE BY SERVICE­TRAINED PERSONNEL
ONLY. TO AVOID
DANGEROUS ELECTRIC
SHOCK, DO NOT PERFORM
SUCH ADJUSTMENTS OR
SERVICING UNLESS
QUALIFIED TO DO SO.

WARNING

ANY INTERRUPTION OF THE
PROTECTIVE GROUNDING
CONDUCTOR (INSIDE OR
OUTSIDE THE PRODUCT'S
CIRCUITRY) OR
DISCONNECTING THE
PROTEC TIVE EARTH
TERMINAL WILL CAUSE
A POTENTIAL SHOCK
HAZARD THAT COULD
RESULT IN PERSONAL
INJURY. (GROUNDING ONE
CONDUCTOR OF A TWO
CONDUCTOR OUTLET IS
NOT SUFFICIENT
PROTECTION.)

Whenever it is likely that the
prote ct i o n ha s be e n impa i r e d , th e
instrument must be ma de inoperative
and be secured against any
unintended operation.

If this instrument is to be energized
via an autotransformer (for voltage
reduction) make sure the common
terminal is connected to the earthed
pole terminal (neutral) of the power
source.

Instructi ons for adjustments while
covers are removed and for servicing
are for us e by tra ined- pe r sonn el only.
To avoid dangerous electric sho ck,
do not per f orm such adjustments or
servici ng unless qualified to do so.

For conti nue d pro te cti on ag ain st fire ,
replace the line fuse(s) of the same
current rating and type (for example,
normal blow , time delay). D o not use
repaired fuses or short circuited
fuseholders.

Acoustic Noise Emissions

LpA<47 dB at operator position, at
normal operation, tested per
EN 27779. All data are the results
from type test.

Geräuschemission

LpA<47 dB am Arbeits
platz, normaler Betrieb, geprüft n ach
EN 27779.
Die Angagen beruh e n auf
Ergebnissen von Typenprüfungen.

7.NL.A.11.03.97.R1.P.CW6BC

I

I

II

DECLARATION OF CONFORMITY

According to ISO/IEC Guide 22 and CEN/CENELEC EN 45014

Manufacturer’s Name:
Manufacturer’s Address:

Declares, that the product

Product Name:
Model Number:
Product Options: This declaration covers all options of the above product.

Conforms with the following European Directives:

The product herewith complies with the requirements of the Low Voltage Directive 73/23/EEC and the EMC Directive 89/336/EEC
(including 93/68/EEC) and carries the CE Marking accordingly.

EMC Standard

IEC 61326-1:1997+A1:1998 / EN 61326-1:1997+A1:1998
CISPR 11:1990 / EN 55011:1991
IEC 61000-4-2:1995+A1:1998 / EN 61000-4-2:1995
IEC 61000-4-3:1995 / EN 61000-4-3:1995
IEC 61000-4-4:1995 / EN 61000-4-4:1995
IEC 61000-4-5:1995 / EN 61000-4-5:1995
IEC 61000-4-6:1996 / EN 61000-4-6:1996
IEC 61000-4-11:1994 / EN 61000-4-11:1994

Canada: ICES-001:1998
Australia/New Zealand: AS/NZS 2064.1

Agilent Technologies, Incorporated
Santa Clara Site
5301 Stevens Creek Blvd
Santa Clara, California 95051

Universal Counter Frequency Counter
53131A, 53132A 53181A

Limit

Group 1 Class A
4kV CD, 8kV AD
3 V/m, 80-1000 MHz

0.5kV signal lines, 1kV power lines

0.5 kV line-line, 1 kV line-ground
3V, 0.15-80 MHz I cycle, 100%

[1]

Safety

Supplemental Information:

[1]

The product was tested in a typical configuration with Agilent Technologies test systems.

Authorized EU-representative: Agilent Technologies Deutschland GmbH, Herrenberger Stra

Revision: A Document No. 53131A

IEC 61010-1:1990+A1:1992+A2:1995 / EN 61010-1:1993+A2:1995
Canada: CSA C22.2 No. 1010.1:1992

July 31, 2001

Date Art Nanawa, Product Regulations Manager

For further information, please contact your local Agilent Technologies sales office, agent or distributor.

β

e 130, D 71034 Böblingen, Germany

Contents

In This Guide

Contents and Organization xii
Related Documents xiii
Types of Service Available if Your Instrument Fails xiv

Standard Repair Services (Worldwide) xiv
Express Repair/Perf ormance Calibration Service (USA Only) xiv
Repair Instrument Yourself xiv

Repackaging for Shipment xv
Description of the 225 MHz Frequency Counter xvi
Options xvii

Hardware xvii
Support xvii

Accessories Supplied and Available xviii

Accessories Supplied xviii
Accessories Available xviii

Agilent 53181A Quick Reference Guide xix

1 Getti ng S tarted

The Front Panel at a Glance 1-2
The Front Panel Indicators at a Glance 1-3
The Front Panel Indicators at a Glance (Cont.) 1-4
The Front Panel Menus at a Glance 1-5
The Front Panel Menus at a Glance (Cont.) 1-6
The Front Panel Menus at a Glance (Cont.) 1-7
The Display Annunciators at a Glance 1-8
The Display Special Characters at a Glance 1-9

The Underscore Placeholder 1-9
The Asterisk Placeholder 1-9

Ope rati ng Guide iii

Contents

The Limit Test Graph Characters at a Glance 1-10
The Rear Panel at a Glance 1-11
Making Measurements 1-12

To Measure Frequency 1-14
T o Select Input Coupling and Impedance 1-15

Selecting Input Coupling 1-15
Selecting Input Impedance 1-15

To Set Input Channel Tr igger Level/Sensitivity 1-16

Changing Trigger Mode 1-16
Modifying Input Tr igger Level 1- 17
Selecting Input Trigger Slope 1-18
Selecting Input Sensitivity 1-18
Starting the Measurement 1-19

To Select Scale an d Offset 1-19

Entering th e Scale Value 1-19
Entering the Offset Value 1-20
Displaying the Math Results 1-21
Disabling Math 1-22

To Set Limits of Measurements 1-23

Setting the Upper Limit 1-24
Setting the Lower Limit 1-25
Setting the Count er to Flag and Stop Measuring On Out-of-Limit

Measurements 1-27
Setting the Counter to Flag On Limits But Continue
Measuring 1-28
Disabling Limit Testing 1-28
Disabling Math 1-29

T o Perform Statistics on Measurements 1-29

Selecting the Type of Sta tistics (Stats) 1-29
Computing Stats on Filtered Data Only 1-31
Displaying Stats After Filtering Data of Input Signal 1-33
Disabling Stats and Math 1-34

To Control Measurement 1-35

iv Operating Guide

Contents

2 Operat i n g Your F reque nc y C o unter

Introduction 2-2

Chapter Sum mary 2-2
Where to Find Some Key W orking Examples 2-3

How this Cou nt er Works for You 2-4
Summary of the Measurement Sequence 2-5
Using the Measurement Control K eys (Run and Stop/Single) 2-6

Overview of the Measurement Control Keys 2-6
To Use the Measu re men t Co n tro l Key s 2-7

Using Entry/Select (Arrow) Keys 2-9

To Use During Numeric Entry 2-9
T o Use When Sequencing Through the Other Meas and Recall

Menus 2-9
To Use During State Ch a ngi ng (O N/OFF, LO/MED/ HI, et c. ) 2-10
To Use on Prompted Help Messages (MATH HELP: NO/YES, PRT

HELP: NO/YES) 2-10

Using the MEASURE Menu Keys 2-11

Overview of the MEASURE Menus 2-11
To Measure Frequency 2-12
To Measure Frequency Ratio (Optional) 2-13
To Measure Period 2-13
To Measure Pos i tive/ Negative Vol t Pe aks 2-14

Using the Gate & External Arm M enu Key 2-15

Overview of Gate/External Ar ming Functions 2-15

TIME Arming 2-15
AUTO Arming 2-15
EXTERNAL Arming 2-15
DIGITS Arming 2-16

To Use the Gate and External Arm 2-17

Example Procedure for Gate and External Arm 2-17

Ope rati ng Guide v

Contents

Example Procedure for Changing the Number of
Digits of Resolution Displayed for More
Precise Measurements 2-19

Using the MATH Menu Keys 2-21

Overview of Scale/Offset Math Menu 2-21
To Use the Scale/ O ffset Ma t h Men u 2-22

Example Procedure for Scale Function 2-22
Example Procedure for Of fset Function 2-23
Example Procedure for Turning Off Math Mode 2-25
Example Procedure for Set Reference Function —Offset From the
Last Measurement Value (Seeing Digits Not Visible on the 12-
Digit Display) 2-25

Overview of Stati stics (Stats) Menu 2-26
To Use the Stats Menu for Automatic and Continuous Statistical

Analysis 2-27

Example Procedure for Computing S tats 2-27
Example Procedure for Easy Viewing of Stats 2-28
Example Procedure for Filt ering Da ta (Using Limits)
During Stats 2-29
Example Procedure for Configur ing SINGLE to Initiate N
Measurements 2-30
Example Procedure for Turning Off Stats Mode 2-30

Using the LIMITS Menu Keys 2-31

Overview of Limits Menus 2-31
To Set and Use Au t o m atic L imit Testin g 2-32

Limits Testing Example 1—Flag and Stop Measuring
On Limits 2-32

Limits Testing Example 2—Flag On Limits but
Continue Measuring 2-34
Limits Testing Example 3—Use Analog Gra ph Display While
Adjusting/Alig ning Input Signal 2-34

Limits Testing Example 4—Selecting Filtering Conditions of
Stats Computation 2-36

vi Operating Guide

Contents

Limits Testing Example 5—Sending the Limit-Detect Output to
the RS-232 Serial Port 2-38

Using the DISPLAY Digits Keys 2-39

Overview of the DISPLAY Digits Keys 2-39
To Use the DISPLAY Digits Keys 2-40

Using CHANNEL 1 Input Conditioning Keys 2-41

Overview of Trigger/Sensitivity Menu 2-41
To Use the Trigger/Sensitivity Key to Adjust Counter’s Trigger

Voltage and Sensitivity Level s 2-44
Overview of Input Conditioni ng Toggle Keys 2-47

Using the Save and Recall Menus 2-48

Overview of Save and Recall Functions 2-48
To Use the Save Function 2-49
To Use the Recall Function 2-50
To Unsave a Mea s urement Setup 2-51

Using the Pri nt Menu 2-52

Overview of the Print Menu 2-52
To Use the Print Men u 2-52

Using the Utility Menu 2-53

Overview of the Utility Menu 2-53
To Set the GPIB Ad d ress 2-54

Selecting Operating Mode (Talk/Listen, Talk-Only) 2-54

Setting the GPIB Address 2-54
To Choose the Timebase Source 2-55
To Run the Self-Test Routines 2-56

Overview of the Self-Test Routines 2-56

Example Procedure for Running the Self Test 2-57
To Configure the RS-232 Serial Port for Printing 2-58

Setting the Hardware Pacing 2-58

Setting the Baud Rate 2-59

Setting the Parity 2-59

Setting the Software Pace 2-59

Ope rati ng Guide vii

Contents

To Configure the RS-232 Serial Port for Sending Limit-Detect
Output 2-60

T o Select the Numerical Convention for the Display 2-61
T o Connect the Counter to a Serial Print er via the RS-232 Port 2-61
T o Connect the Counter to a Printer via GPIB 2-62
T o Select the GPIB Talk-Only Mode for Printing 2-62

Front Panel Display Message s 2- 63

Measurement Result Displa ys 2-63
Power-Up/Self Test Messages 2-64
Menu Messages 2-65
GPIB Messages 2-67

Preset Values After Power-up and *RST 2-68

Preset Values for Functions Accessibl e Via Front Panel or
GPIB 2-68

Preset Values for Functions Accessibl e Via GPIB Only 2-72

Common Qu es ti ons 2-74

Why is Stats result not avai lable yet? 2-74
Why won’t printer work? 2-74
Why did Counter stop measuring? 2-74
Why did Counter go to its default state aft er I set up my RS-232

port? 2-74
Counter’s numeric display does not follow the numerical conven tion

for my country. 2-74

3 Specifications

Introduction 3-2

Instrument Inputs 3-2
Instrument Inputs (Continued) 3-3
Time Base 3-4
Measurement Specifications 3-5
Measurement Specific ations (Continued) 3-6
Measurement Specific ations (Continued) 3-12
Measurement Definitions 3-15

viii Operating Guide

Index

Contents

Measurement Arming and Processi ng 3-16
General Information 3-17

Ope rati ng Guide ix

Contents

x Operating Guide

In This Guide

This book is the operating guide for the Agilent 53181A 225 MHz Frequency
Counter. It consists of a table of contents, this preface, a quick reference guide, three
chapters, and an index.

This preface contains the following information:

• Contents and Or ganization

• Related Documents

• Types of Service Available if Your Instrument Fails

• Repackaging for Shipment

• Description of the 225 MHz Frequency Counter

•Options

• Accessories Supplied and Available

page xii
page xiii
page xiv
page xv
page xvi
page xvii
page xviii

Ope rati ng Guide xi

In This Guide

Cont en t s and Organization

The Table of Contents lists the beg inning of each chapter in the gui de, helping you
locate information.

The Preface introduces you to the operating guide, the Frequency Counter , and
provides general information about the Counter.

The Quick Reference Guide consists of a Menu Tree (tear-out sheet) that serves as a
tool to trigger your memory or get you quickly reacquain ted with the instrument, and
Menu Roadmaps that illustrate how to navigate through the menus. It is located after
this preface.

Chapter 1, “Getting Started,” is a quick start guide that giv es you a brief overvi ew of
the Counter’s keys, indicators, menus, displa y, and connectors. Last, a graphical
procedure for perfor ming a complete measurement is provide d.

Chapter 2, “Operating Your Frequency Counter,” is an operator’s reference. You
are given an overview of each group of front-panel keys, operating functions, and
menus followed by a series of exe r cises that guide you through the operation of the
Counter.

Chapter 3, “Specifications,” list s the specif ications and characteristics of the Counter.

The Inde x helps you find items easily by arrangi ng information in a sequenc e
different from that found in the Table of Contents, disclosing relationships among
items.

xii Operating Gui de

In This Guide

Related Docum ents

For more information on counters refer to the following S eries 200 Application
Notes:

• Fundamentals of Ele ctronic Frequency Co unte rs Applica tion Note 200—Agilent
part number 02-5952-7506.

• Understanding Frequency Counter Specifications Application Note200-4—
Agilent part number 02-5952-7522.

Operating Guide xiii

In This Guide

Types of Service Av ai la bl e if Your Instrument Fai ls

If your Counter fails wit hin one y ear of origina l purch ase, Agilen t will repai r it free of
charge. If your instrument fails after your 1-year warranty expires, Agi lent will repai r
it, or you can repair it yourself by ordering the se rvice guide.

There are three type s of repair services:

• Standard repair service—if downtime is not critical.

• Express Re pair/Performance Calibration Ser vice—if downtim e is critical.

• Use the Assembly-Level Service Guide and repair the unit yourself.

Standard Repair Services (Worldwide)

Contact your nearest Agilent Technologies Service Center. They will arrange to have
your Counter repaired.

Express Repair/Performance Calibr ation Serv ice (USA O nl y)

If downtime i s crit ical , you c an receiv e yo ur repai red Counter via ove rnig ht shi pment.
Just call 1-800-4 03-0801 and ask for Express Repair/Perform ance Calibration
Service. When your Counter is r epa ired, it will be returned via overnight shipment.

Repair Instrument Yoursel f

If your Counter 1-year warranty has expired and you choose to repai r the instrument
yourself or would like more details on self-test and calibration, use the procedu r es in
the Asse mbly-Lev el Service G u ide.

xiv Operating Guide

In This Guide

Repackaging for Shipment

For the Express Repa ir/ Performance Calibr ation Ser vic e descri bed above , retu rn your
failed Counter to the designated Agil ent Service Center, using the shipping carton of
the instr u ment. Agilen t will notify you when your failed instrument has bee n
received.

If the instrument is to be shipped to Agilent for service or repair, be sure you do the
following:

• Attach a tag to the ins trument identifyi ng the owner and indicatin g the re quired
service or repair. Include the instrument model number and full serial number.

• Place the instrument in its original container (if availa ble) with appropriate
packaging mate rial.

• Secure the container with strong tape or metal bands.

If the original ship ping contain er is not availa ble, place your unit in a cont ainer which
will ensure at least 4 inches of compressible packaging material around all sides of
the unit. Use static free packaging materials to avoid additional damage to your unit.

Agilent Technologies suggests that you always insure shipments.

Ope rati ng Guide xv

In This Guide

Description of the 225 MHz Frequency Counter

The Agilent 53181A is a frequency counter capable of meas uring frequencies to 225
MHz on Channel 1. Depending on which optional Channel 2 the counter contains,
this capability is extended to 1.5 GHz (Option 015), 3.0 GHz (Option 030), 5.0 GHz
(Option 050) or 12.5 GHz (Option 124). T he Agilent 53181A has a freque ncy
resolution of 10 digits in one second.

The Agilent 53181A provides users with a GPIB measuring spee d of up to
200 measurements per second, and is suitable for bench-top and ATE operation.

The Agilent 53181A basic measurement functions include Frequency, Period, Peak
Voltage, and Frequency Ratio (if Channel 2 is ins talled).

The Agilent 53181A includes additio nal measurement functions and features that are
designed specifically for manufacturing and service applications:

• 1, 5, 10 MHz external reference capability—to match cust om er’s house standard,

• optional ultra high, high, or mediu m stability oven osci llators for high accuracy
needs and le ng t h en ed ca li b r at io n cy cles,

• external gating,

• full math and statistics,

• automatic limit testing,

• analog displ ay m ode limit testing, and

• SCPI programming capability.

Programmable control is performed via an GPIB. The GPIB and a talk-onl y RS-232C
serial port are sta ndard for the Agilent 53181A. The serial port is for printing
measured and ana lyzed data on serial printers, or for outputting an out-of-limit signal.

xvi Operating Guide

In This Guide

Options

The options available for th e Agilent 53181A 225 MHz Fr equency Counter a re listed
following this paragraph. Specif ications for the options are listed in Chap ter 3,
“Specifications.” If you’ve purchased an option with the initial order, it will be
installed a t the factory and ready for operation at delivery. Refer to the “Retrofitting
Optio ns” chapte r in th e A s sembly- L ev el S er v ice Guide f o r ins t r u ct io n s on f ield
installa tion of the options.

NOTE The “0s” an d “1s ” in the fo l lo w i n g opt i on numbers ar e numeric char a ct er s (th at is,

they are not lett ers).

Hardware

• Medium Stabi lity Oven Timebase, Option 001

• DC Power Input, Option 002

• High Stabi lity Oven Time bas e, Option 010

• Ultra High Stability Oven Timebase, Option 012

• 1.5 GHz RF Input Channel (Channel 2), Option 015

• 3.0 GHz RF Input Channel (Channel 2), Option 030

• 5.0 GHz RF Input Channel (Channel 2), Option 050

• 12.4 GHz RF Input Channel (Channel 2), Option 124

*

• Rear Terminal s

, Option 060

• Rack Mount Kit, Option 1CM

Support

• 5-year Return to Agilent for Repair, Option W50

• 5-year Return to Agilent for Calibra tion, Option W52

*

Channel 1 will have both front and rear terminals. Option 015 and Option 030 Channel 2 will have a rear

terminal only. Option 050 and Option 124 Channel 2 will have a front terminal only.

Ope rati ng Guide xvii

In This Guide

Accessori es Supplied and Availabl e

Accessories Supplied

• Power co r d , 2. 3 meters

Accessories Available

• Agilent 34161A Accessory Pouch

• Agilent 34131A Transit Case

• Printer RS-232 Interface cables, Agilent 24542G or Agilent 24542H

• GPIB cables, Agilent 10833A/B/ C/D

xviii Operating Guide

Agilent 531 81A Quick Re ference Guide

The Quick Reference Guide is designed for exp erienced users of the Agilent 53181A
Frequency Counter. It is intended to be used as a tool to trigge r your m emory. If you
are using the Agilent 53181A for the first time, Agilent recommends that you at le as t
read Chapter 1, “Getting Started,” in the Operating Guide first.

The Quick Reference Guide f ollows this page, and consi sts of the following items:

• A Menu Tree which may be torn out of the guide for external use (pages 1 and 2).

• Menu Roadmaps which illustrate via key -press sequences how to navigate
through the menus under the menu keys (pages 3 through 10). Key-press
sequences are provided for the following menu keys:

– Freq Ch1
– Freq Ch2
–Other Meas
–Gate & ExtArm
– Uppr & Lower
– Limit Mo de s
– Scale & Offset
–Stats
– Trigger/Sensitivity

Operating Guide xix

Preface

xx Operating Guide

Agilent 53181A

Frequency Counter

Freq
Ch 1

FREQUENCY 1

Freq
Ch 2

FREQUENCY 2

Uppr &
Lower

UPPR: 0.000000
LOWR: 0.000000

Other
Meas

PERIOD

1
RATIO 1 TO 2
RATIO 2 TO 1
VOLT PEAKS 1

Limit
Modes

LIM TEST: OFF

LIM TEST: ON

ON FAIL:GO ON

ON FAIL:

STOP

SHOW: NUMBER

GRAPH

SHOW:

GATE:

TIME

GATE: AUTO

TIME: .100 s

Scale &
Offset

SCALE:1.000000
OFFS: 0.000000
SET REF: NO

SET REF: YES
SET REF: HELP

MATH: OFF

MATH: ON

MATH HELP : NO

MATH HELP: YES

Gate &
ExtArm

GATE: EXTERNL

START: POS

START: NEG

STOP: AUTO

STOP: NEG
STOP: POS
STOP: TIME

TIME: .100 s

Stats

SHOW: MEAS

SHOW: STD DEV
SHOW:

MEAN

SHOW:

MAX

SHOW:

MIN
N: 100
STATS: OFF

STATS: ON

USE: ALL MEAS

USE: IN

LIMIT
ON SINGLE: 1

ON SINGLE: N

GATE: DIGITS

DIGITS: 4

1

Agilent 53181A

Frequency Counter

Recall

NO REGISTERS
RECALL 0
RECALL 1
RECALL 2
RECALL 3
RECALL 4
RECALL 5

RECALL 20

50Ω
1MΩ

CH 1: 50 OHM

CH 1: 1M OHM

Save &
Print

SAVE:
UNSAVE:
PRINT: OFF

PRINT: ON

PRT HELP: NO

PRT HELP: YES

DC
AC

CH 1: DC

CH 1: AC

AUTO TRG: ON
LEVEL: 50 PCT

SLOPE: POS

SLOPE: NEG

SENSTVTY: HI

SENSTVTY: LO
SENSTVTY:MED

X10
Attenuate

CH 1: X10 ATT

CH 1: X1 ATT

Trigger
Sensitivity

AUTO TRG: OFF

LEVEL: 0.000V

CH 1:

CH 1:

100kHz
Filter

LP FILT
NO FILT

2

Agilent 53181A
Frequency Counter

Freq
Ch 1

MEASURE

Freq
Ch 2

Other
Meas

Freq
Ch 1

Freq
Ch 1

FREQUENCY 1

Freq
Ch 2

Freq
Ch 2

FREQUENCY 2

Other
Meas

Other
Meas

Other
Meas

Other
Meas

Other
Meas

PERIOD 1

RATIO 1 TO 2

RATIO 2 TO 1

VOLT PEAKS 1

3

Agilent 53181A
Frequency Counter

Freq
Ch 1

FREQUENCY 1

MEASURE

– – – – – – – – – – – –

Gate &
ExtArm

Gate &
ExtArm

GATE: TIME

GATE: AUTO

GATE

: EXTERNL

Gate &
ExtArm

Gate &
ExtArm

GATE: DIGITS

STOP:

TIME: .100

Gate &

TIME: .100

ExtArm

TIME: .200

Gate &

START:

ExtArm

START: POS
START: NEG

STOP: AUTO
STOP: NEG
STOP: POS
STOP: TIME

TIME: .200

Gate &

DIGITS: 4

ExtArm

Enter

Enter

Gate &
ExtArm

Gate &
ExtArm

Gate &
ExtArm

RUN

RUN

RUN

DIGITS: 5

4

Enter

RUN

Agilent 53181A
Frequency Counter

Uppr &
Lower

LIMITS

Uppr &
Lower

Limit
Modes

Uppr &
Lower

Limit
Modes

Limit
Modes

UPPR: 0.000000

Uppr &

LOWR: 0.000000

Lower

LIM TEST:

Limit

ON FAIL:GO ON

Modes

Limit

SHOW: NUMBER

Modes

UPPR: 5.100000

LOWR: 4.900000

LIM TEST: OFF
LIM TEST: ON

ON FAIL:GO ON
ON FAIL: STOP

SHOW: NUMBER
SHOW: GRAPH

Enter

Enter

RUN

RUN

RUN

RUN

RUN

5

Agilent 53181A
Frequency Counter

Scale &
Offset

Scale &
Offset

MATH

Scale &
Offset

Scale &
Offset

Scale &
Offset

Scale &
Offset

Scale &
Offset

SCAL:

1.000000

OFFS:

0.000000

SET REF:

SET REF: NO
SET REF: YES
SET REF: HELP

MATH:

MATH HELP: YES

MATH HELP: NO

SCAL:

OFFS:

2.000000

0.500000

Enter

OFFS:-

Enter

Enter

nnnnnnn

MATH: OFF
MATH: ON

Enter

(MEAS X SCALE) + OFFS = RESULT

RUN

RUN

RUN

RUN

6