Thanks Dick for your insights. Yes, so far I've the same experience,
except my springs are holding up. I've made sure the front panel of
the items I bought didn't look as battered [ one of the few things
noticeable from eBay photos], such as if it was salvaged from an
automated data acquisition set up, so its functions were accessed as
much via the GPIB bus than front switches alone.
2 of 4 models I've acquired haven't been calibrated in almost a
decade, based on stickers left on the devices sealing the calibration
panel; compared against a formally calibrated 3456a, it had drifted
to + 40 & 80uV respectively in ~10 years. Comparing their linearity
up to 500Vdc, they track spot on to at most within the error
introduced by their + drift as an offset.
The 3456a sans many automation features, has the same basic accuracy
as the 34401a, still in production. A low cost way to get the same
accuracy and precision in a home lab, and given its older technology,
a bit easier to maintain should it go senile.
At 02:25 PM 11/23/2010, Dick Moore wrote:
Thanks, Marv, for putting this together. RE personal experiences,
I've owned two 3456As and never had a probelm except one of them had
front panel tactile swittches that kept losing their springs down
into the bottom of the chassis. I've also owned 2 3457As and in my
opinion, the 3456 was a FAR better meter in regards to stability of
calibration and ease of use, not to mention clarity of readouts.
Dick Moore
Thanks Dick for your insights. Yes, so far I've the same experience,
except my springs are holding up. I've made sure the front panel of
the items I bought didn't look as battered [ one of the few things
noticeable from eBay photos], such as if it was salvaged from an
automated data acquisition set up, so its functions were accessed as
much via the GPIB bus than front switches alone.
2 of 4 models I've acquired haven't been calibrated in almost a
decade, based on stickers left on the devices sealing the calibration
panel; compared against a formally calibrated 3456a, it had drifted
to + 40 & 80uV respectively in ~10 years. Comparing their linearity
up to 500Vdc, they track spot on to at most within the error
introduced by their + drift as an offset.
The 3456a sans many automation features, has the same basic accuracy
as the 34401a, still in production. A low cost way to get the same
accuracy and precision in a home lab, and given its older technology,
a bit easier to maintain should it go senile.
At 02:25 PM 11/23/2010, Dick Moore wrote:
>Thanks, Marv, for putting this together. RE personal experiences,
>I've owned two 3456As and never had a probelm except one of them had
>front panel tactile swittches that kept losing their springs down
>into the bottom of the chassis. I've also owned 2 3457As and in my
>opinion, the 3456 was a FAR better meter in regards to stability of
>calibration and ease of use, not to mention clarity of readouts.
>
>Dick Moore
Marv Gozum
Philadelphia
