Empathy List Archives

PF

Paul Fox

Mon, Oct 15, 2012 2:50 PM

hi --

i'm not a volt-nuts regular, and not even a precision measurement nut
at all, but given past discussion in the list archives, i think you
folks might be able to help.

i was recently given an HP 3458a multimeter. the donor thought it
worked when he last used it, but that was quite a long time ago, and i
think it was stored in an attic for some time, so i'm not too
surprised that it now doesn't pass self tests. :-/ he mainly wanted
it out of his house, along with a bunch of other vintage (sadly mostly
non-working) equipment he'd accumulated over the years.

the self-test error is:
ERRSTR 204, "Hardware Failure -- Flatness DAC Convergence: 198"

judging from past list traffic, repairs on these units are
expensive, and it would still need recalibration to be useful, and
there are may be other parts (eeproms?) that may not be good
any more. i'm not really interested in pursuing any of this
myself.

what's worse is that the unit doesn't have a serial number. (i assume
the s/n would normally be obvious on the rear of the unit.) it bears a
sticker on the back that says "MTG PROTO 27". i think the unit came
from a place that themselves produced reference standards, and they
may have gotten a very early model from HP to work with. that's
conjecture. i haven't opened the unit, so i don't know if there are
other clues to its age inside.

so: is this machine useful to anyone? given the error message above,
are there any measurements at all that it might still get correct, in
it's current state?

paul
=---------------------
paul fox, pgf@foxharp.boston.ma.us (arlington, ma, where it's 63.1 degrees)

hi -- i'm not a volt-nuts regular, and not even a precision measurement nut at all, but given past discussion in the list archives, i think you folks might be able to help. i was recently given an HP 3458a multimeter. the donor thought it worked when he last used it, but that was quite a long time ago, and i think it was stored in an attic for some time, so i'm not too surprised that it now doesn't pass self tests. :-/ he mainly wanted it out of his house, along with a bunch of other vintage (sadly mostly non-working) equipment he'd accumulated over the years. the self-test error is: ERRSTR 204, "Hardware Failure -- Flatness DAC Convergence: 198" judging from past list traffic, repairs on these units are expensive, and it would still need recalibration to be useful, and there are may be other parts (eeproms?) that may not be good any more. i'm not really interested in pursuing any of this myself. what's worse is that the unit doesn't have a serial number. (i assume the s/n would normally be obvious on the rear of the unit.) it bears a sticker on the back that says "MTG PROTO 27". i think the unit came from a place that themselves produced reference standards, and they may have gotten a very early model from HP to work with. that's conjecture. i haven't opened the unit, so i don't know if there are other clues to its age inside. so: is this machine useful to anyone? given the error message above, are there any measurements at all that it might still get correct, in it's current state? paul =--------------------- paul fox, pgf@foxharp.boston.ma.us (arlington, ma, where it's 63.1 degrees)

JL

J. L. Trantham

Mon, Oct 15, 2012 4:40 PM

Paul,

First, the meter is worth something if nothing other than parts. It is
quite a meter and you should at least open it up and see what it might take
to get it operational again. I am sure there are folks on this list
(including me) that would love to have the meter if you want to part with
it.

It is still in production, still supported and you can get the manuals from
the Agilent website. The assembly level repair manual should be able to
give you an idea of where the problem is. The CLIP is available and you
might be able to find the specific part (or parts) that need replacing.

I don't know of a way to get the serial number if there is no sticker on the
back. You can open it and look at the date codes on the chips, etc., and
get an idea of when it was manufactured.

You can enter some queries from the front panel to get some other
information. I can't remember what they all are but if they end in a '?',
it will return the data. Things like 'OPT?' will tell what options are
installed, '1' being extended memory and '2' being the high stability
reference. You can tell how many times it was CAL'd, what version of
firmware it has, etc. I think version 9 is the latest and version 8 is 'out
there' somewhere, IIRC. If you just start with shift A and scroll down the
list, you can see what questions you can ask.

Agilent offers a 'repair service' for about $1900 (IIRC) that will put it
back in operational condition, up to specs, and with a fresh calibration.
However, I don't know if that service requires a serial number or not.

There is a guy at the Agilent calibration center in Colorado, Gary Bierman,
and he is 'the man' when it comes to that meter. I have spoken with him in
the past about other 3458A questions and he was most helpful. I suspect he
would be more than willing to talk to you about the meter and what it might
take to get it up and running.

I think his contact information is in the archives if you would like to
pursue that.

Good luck.

Joe

-----Original Message-----
From: volt-nuts-bounces@febo.com [mailto:volt-nuts-bounces@febo.com] On
Behalf Of Paul Fox
Sent: Monday, October 15, 2012 9:50 AM
To: Discussion of precise voltage measurement
Subject: [volt-nuts] hp 3458a advice

hi --

i'm not a volt-nuts regular, and not even a precision measurement nut
at all, but given past discussion in the list archives, i think you
folks might be able to help.

i was recently given an HP 3458a multimeter. the donor thought it
worked when he last used it, but that was quite a long time ago, and i
think it was stored in an attic for some time, so i'm not too
surprised that it now doesn't pass self tests. :-/ he mainly wanted
it out of his house, along with a bunch of other vintage (sadly mostly
non-working) equipment he'd accumulated over the years.

the self-test error is:
ERRSTR 204, "Hardware Failure -- Flatness DAC Convergence: 198"

judging from past list traffic, repairs on these units are
expensive, and it would still need recalibration to be useful, and
there are may be other parts (eeproms?) that may not be good
any more. i'm not really interested in pursuing any of this
myself.

what's worse is that the unit doesn't have a serial number. (i assume
the s/n would normally be obvious on the rear of the unit.) it bears a
sticker on the back that says "MTG PROTO 27". i think the unit came
from a place that themselves produced reference standards, and they
may have gotten a very early model from HP to work with. that's
conjecture. i haven't opened the unit, so i don't know if there are
other clues to its age inside.

so: is this machine useful to anyone? given the error message above,
are there any measurements at all that it might still get correct, in
it's current state?

paul
=---------------------
paul fox, pgf@foxharp.boston.ma.us (arlington, ma, where it's 63.1 degrees)

volt-nuts mailing list -- volt-nuts@febo.com
To unsubscribe, go to
https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/volt-nuts
and follow the instructions there.

Paul, First, the meter is worth something if nothing other than parts. It is quite a meter and you should at least open it up and see what it might take to get it operational again. I am sure there are folks on this list (including me) that would love to have the meter if you want to part with it. It is still in production, still supported and you can get the manuals from the Agilent website. The assembly level repair manual should be able to give you an idea of where the problem is. The CLIP is available and you might be able to find the specific part (or parts) that need replacing. I don't know of a way to get the serial number if there is no sticker on the back. You can open it and look at the date codes on the chips, etc., and get an idea of when it was manufactured. You can enter some queries from the front panel to get some other information. I can't remember what they all are but if they end in a '?', it will return the data. Things like 'OPT?' will tell what options are installed, '1' being extended memory and '2' being the high stability reference. You can tell how many times it was CAL'd, what version of firmware it has, etc. I think version 9 is the latest and version 8 is 'out there' somewhere, IIRC. If you just start with shift A and scroll down the list, you can see what questions you can ask. Agilent offers a 'repair service' for about $1900 (IIRC) that will put it back in operational condition, up to specs, and with a fresh calibration. However, I don't know if that service requires a serial number or not. There is a guy at the Agilent calibration center in Colorado, Gary Bierman, and he is 'the man' when it comes to that meter. I have spoken with him in the past about other 3458A questions and he was most helpful. I suspect he would be more than willing to talk to you about the meter and what it might take to get it up and running. I think his contact information is in the archives if you would like to pursue that. Good luck. Joe -----Original Message----- From: volt-nuts-bounces@febo.com [mailto:volt-nuts-bounces@febo.com] On Behalf Of Paul Fox Sent: Monday, October 15, 2012 9:50 AM To: Discussion of precise voltage measurement Subject: [volt-nuts] hp 3458a advice hi -- i'm not a volt-nuts regular, and not even a precision measurement nut at all, but given past discussion in the list archives, i think you folks might be able to help. i was recently given an HP 3458a multimeter. the donor thought it worked when he last used it, but that was quite a long time ago, and i think it was stored in an attic for some time, so i'm not too surprised that it now doesn't pass self tests. :-/ he mainly wanted it out of his house, along with a bunch of other vintage (sadly mostly non-working) equipment he'd accumulated over the years. the self-test error is: ERRSTR 204, "Hardware Failure -- Flatness DAC Convergence: 198" judging from past list traffic, repairs on these units are expensive, and it would still need recalibration to be useful, and there are may be other parts (eeproms?) that may not be good any more. i'm not really interested in pursuing any of this myself. what's worse is that the unit doesn't have a serial number. (i assume the s/n would normally be obvious on the rear of the unit.) it bears a sticker on the back that says "MTG PROTO 27". i think the unit came from a place that themselves produced reference standards, and they may have gotten a very early model from HP to work with. that's conjecture. i haven't opened the unit, so i don't know if there are other clues to its age inside. so: is this machine useful to anyone? given the error message above, are there any measurements at all that it might still get correct, in it's current state? paul =--------------------- paul fox, pgf@foxharp.boston.ma.us (arlington, ma, where it's 63.1 degrees) _______________________________________________ volt-nuts mailing list -- volt-nuts@febo.com To unsubscribe, go to https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/volt-nuts and follow the instructions there.

PF

Paul Fox

Tue, Oct 16, 2012 3:31 PM

thanks joe, and to the other couple of people who responded privately.
i need to figure out how much of a project i want this to be, and how
it ranks against all the other projects that i also don't have time
for. :-)

i have the full users manual (two copies!), but i don't have anything
else that speaks GPIB. i'll play with some of the front panel
commands you've suggested, while i think about what to do. thanks!

paul

j. l. trantham wrote:

Paul,

First, the meter is worth something if nothing other than parts. It is
quite a meter and you should at least open it up and see what it might take
to get it operational again. I am sure there are folks on this list
(including me) that would love to have the meter if you want to part with
it.

It is still in production, still supported and you can get the manuals from
the Agilent website. The assembly level repair manual should be able to
give you an idea of where the problem is. The CLIP is available and you
might be able to find the specific part (or parts) that need replacing.

I don't know of a way to get the serial number if there is no sticker on the
back. You can open it and look at the date codes on the chips, etc., and
get an idea of when it was manufactured.

You can enter some queries from the front panel to get some other
information. I can't remember what they all are but if they end in a '?',
it will return the data. Things like 'OPT?' will tell what options are
installed, '1' being extended memory and '2' being the high stability
reference. You can tell how many times it was CAL'd, what version of
firmware it has, etc. I think version 9 is the latest and version 8 is 'out
there' somewhere, IIRC. If you just start with shift A and scroll down the
list, you can see what questions you can ask.

Agilent offers a 'repair service' for about $1900 (IIRC) that will put it
back in operational condition, up to specs, and with a fresh calibration.
However, I don't know if that service requires a serial number or not.

There is a guy at the Agilent calibration center in Colorado, Gary Bierman,
and he is 'the man' when it comes to that meter. I have spoken with him in
the past about other 3458A questions and he was most helpful. I suspect he
would be more than willing to talk to you about the meter and what it might
take to get it up and running.

I think his contact information is in the archives if you would like to
pursue that.

Good luck.

Joe

-----Original Message-----
From: volt-nuts-bounces@febo.com [mailto:volt-nuts-bounces@febo.com] On
Behalf Of Paul Fox
Sent: Monday, October 15, 2012 9:50 AM
To: Discussion of precise voltage measurement
Subject: [volt-nuts] hp 3458a advice

hi --

i'm not a volt-nuts regular, and not even a precision measurement nut
at all, but given past discussion in the list archives, i think you
folks might be able to help.

i was recently given an HP 3458a multimeter. the donor thought it
worked when he last used it, but that was quite a long time ago, and i
think it was stored in an attic for some time, so i'm not too
surprised that it now doesn't pass self tests. :-/ he mainly wanted
it out of his house, along with a bunch of other vintage (sadly mostly
non-working) equipment he'd accumulated over the years.

the self-test error is:
ERRSTR 204, "Hardware Failure -- Flatness DAC Convergence: 198"

judging from past list traffic, repairs on these units are
expensive, and it would still need recalibration to be useful, and
there are may be other parts (eeproms?) that may not be good
any more. i'm not really interested in pursuing any of this
myself.

what's worse is that the unit doesn't have a serial number. (i assume
the s/n would normally be obvious on the rear of the unit.) it bears a
sticker on the back that says "MTG PROTO 27". i think the unit came
from a place that themselves produced reference standards, and they
may have gotten a very early model from HP to work with. that's
conjecture. i haven't opened the unit, so i don't know if there are
other clues to its age inside.

so: is this machine useful to anyone? given the error message above,
are there any measurements at all that it might still get correct, in
it's current state?

paul
=---------------------
paul fox, pgf@foxharp.boston.ma.us (arlington, ma, where it's 63.1 degrees)

volt-nuts mailing list -- volt-nuts@febo.com
To unsubscribe, go to
https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/volt-nuts
and follow the instructions there.

volt-nuts mailing list -- volt-nuts@febo.com
To unsubscribe, go to https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/volt-nuts
and follow the instructions there.

=---------------------
paul fox, pgf@foxharp.boston.ma.us (arlington, ma, where it's 48.4 degrees)

thanks joe, and to the other couple of people who responded privately. i need to figure out how much of a project i want this to be, and how it ranks against all the other projects that i also don't have time for. :-) i have the full users manual (two copies!), but i don't have anything else that speaks GPIB. i'll play with some of the front panel commands you've suggested, while i think about what to do. thanks! paul j. l. trantham wrote: > Paul, > > First, the meter is worth something if nothing other than parts. It is > quite a meter and you should at least open it up and see what it might take > to get it operational again. I am sure there are folks on this list > (including me) that would love to have the meter if you want to part with > it. > > It is still in production, still supported and you can get the manuals from > the Agilent website. The assembly level repair manual should be able to > give you an idea of where the problem is. The CLIP is available and you > might be able to find the specific part (or parts) that need replacing. > > I don't know of a way to get the serial number if there is no sticker on the > back. You can open it and look at the date codes on the chips, etc., and > get an idea of when it was manufactured. > > You can enter some queries from the front panel to get some other > information. I can't remember what they all are but if they end in a '?', > it will return the data. Things like 'OPT?' will tell what options are > installed, '1' being extended memory and '2' being the high stability > reference. You can tell how many times it was CAL'd, what version of > firmware it has, etc. I think version 9 is the latest and version 8 is 'out > there' somewhere, IIRC. If you just start with shift A and scroll down the > list, you can see what questions you can ask. > > Agilent offers a 'repair service' for about $1900 (IIRC) that will put it > back in operational condition, up to specs, and with a fresh calibration. > However, I don't know if that service requires a serial number or not. > > There is a guy at the Agilent calibration center in Colorado, Gary Bierman, > and he is 'the man' when it comes to that meter. I have spoken with him in > the past about other 3458A questions and he was most helpful. I suspect he > would be more than willing to talk to you about the meter and what it might > take to get it up and running. > > I think his contact information is in the archives if you would like to > pursue that. > > Good luck. > > Joe > > -----Original Message----- > From: volt-nuts-bounces@febo.com [mailto:volt-nuts-bounces@febo.com] On > Behalf Of Paul Fox > Sent: Monday, October 15, 2012 9:50 AM > To: Discussion of precise voltage measurement > Subject: [volt-nuts] hp 3458a advice > > hi -- > > i'm not a volt-nuts regular, and not even a precision measurement nut > at all, but given past discussion in the list archives, i think you > folks might be able to help. > > i was recently given an HP 3458a multimeter. the donor thought it > worked when he last used it, but that was quite a long time ago, and i > think it was stored in an attic for some time, so i'm not too > surprised that it now doesn't pass self tests. :-/ he mainly wanted > it out of his house, along with a bunch of other vintage (sadly mostly > non-working) equipment he'd accumulated over the years. > > the self-test error is: > ERRSTR 204, "Hardware Failure -- Flatness DAC Convergence: 198" > > judging from past list traffic, repairs on these units are > expensive, and it would still need recalibration to be useful, and > there are may be other parts (eeproms?) that may not be good > any more. i'm not really interested in pursuing any of this > myself. > > what's worse is that the unit doesn't have a serial number. (i assume > the s/n would normally be obvious on the rear of the unit.) it bears a > sticker on the back that says "MTG PROTO 27". i think the unit came > from a place that themselves produced reference standards, and they > may have gotten a very early model from HP to work with. that's > conjecture. i haven't opened the unit, so i don't know if there are > other clues to its age inside. > > so: is this machine useful to anyone? given the error message above, > are there any measurements at all that it might still get correct, in > it's current state? > > paul > =--------------------- > paul fox, pgf@foxharp.boston.ma.us (arlington, ma, where it's 63.1 degrees) > > _______________________________________________ > volt-nuts mailing list -- volt-nuts@febo.com > To unsubscribe, go to > https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/volt-nuts > and follow the instructions there. > > > _______________________________________________ > volt-nuts mailing list -- volt-nuts@febo.com > To unsubscribe, go to https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/volt-nuts > and follow the instructions there. =--------------------- paul fox, pgf@foxharp.boston.ma.us (arlington, ma, where it's 48.4 degrees)

MK

m k

Tue, Oct 16, 2012 6:30 PM

I recently bought a cheap module from Australia that converts from GPIB to USB...

To: volt-nuts@febo.com
From: pgf@foxharp.boston.ma.us
Date: Tue, 16 Oct 2012 11:31:49 -0400
Subject: Re: [volt-nuts] hp 3458a advice

thanks joe, and to the other couple of people who responded privately.
i need to figure out how much of a project i want this to be, and how
it ranks against all the other projects that i also don't have time
for. :-)

i have the full users manual (two copies!), but i don't have anything
else that speaks GPIB. i'll play with some of the front panel
commands you've suggested, while i think about what to do. thanks!

paul

j. l. trantham wrote:

Paul,

First, the meter is worth something if nothing other than parts. It is
quite a meter and you should at least open it up and see what it might take
to get it operational again. I am sure there are folks on this list
(including me) that would love to have the meter if you want to part with
it.

It is still in production, still supported and you can get the manuals from
the Agilent website. The assembly level repair manual should be able to
give you an idea of where the problem is. The CLIP is available and you
might be able to find the specific part (or parts) that need replacing.

I don't know of a way to get the serial number if there is no sticker on the
back. You can open it and look at the date codes on the chips, etc., and
get an idea of when it was manufactured.

You can enter some queries from the front panel to get some other
information. I can't remember what they all are but if they end in a '?',
it will return the data. Things like 'OPT?' will tell what options are
installed, '1' being extended memory and '2' being the high stability
reference. You can tell how many times it was CAL'd, what version of
firmware it has, etc. I think version 9 is the latest and version 8 is 'out
there' somewhere, IIRC. If you just start with shift A and scroll down the
list, you can see what questions you can ask.

Agilent offers a 'repair service' for about $1900 (IIRC) that will put it
back in operational condition, up to specs, and with a fresh calibration.
However, I don't know if that service requires a serial number or not.

There is a guy at the Agilent calibration center in Colorado, Gary Bierman,
and he is 'the man' when it comes to that meter. I have spoken with him in
the past about other 3458A questions and he was most helpful. I suspect he
would be more than willing to talk to you about the meter and what it might
take to get it up and running.

I think his contact information is in the archives if you would like to
pursue that.

Good luck.

Joe

-----Original Message-----
From: volt-nuts-bounces@febo.com [mailto:volt-nuts-bounces@febo.com] On
Behalf Of Paul Fox
Sent: Monday, October 15, 2012 9:50 AM
To: Discussion of precise voltage measurement
Subject: [volt-nuts] hp 3458a advice

hi --

i'm not a volt-nuts regular, and not even a precision measurement nut
at all, but given past discussion in the list archives, i think you
folks might be able to help.

i was recently given an HP 3458a multimeter. the donor thought it
worked when he last used it, but that was quite a long time ago, and i
think it was stored in an attic for some time, so i'm not too
surprised that it now doesn't pass self tests. :-/ he mainly wanted
it out of his house, along with a bunch of other vintage (sadly mostly
non-working) equipment he'd accumulated over the years.

the self-test error is:
ERRSTR 204, "Hardware Failure -- Flatness DAC Convergence: 198"

judging from past list traffic, repairs on these units are
expensive, and it would still need recalibration to be useful, and
there are may be other parts (eeproms?) that may not be good
any more. i'm not really interested in pursuing any of this
myself.

what's worse is that the unit doesn't have a serial number. (i assume
the s/n would normally be obvious on the rear of the unit.) it bears a
sticker on the back that says "MTG PROTO 27". i think the unit came
from a place that themselves produced reference standards, and they
may have gotten a very early model from HP to work with. that's
conjecture. i haven't opened the unit, so i don't know if there are
other clues to its age inside.

so: is this machine useful to anyone? given the error message above,
are there any measurements at all that it might still get correct, in
it's current state?

paul
=---------------------
paul fox, pgf@foxharp.boston.ma.us (arlington, ma, where it's 63.1 degrees)

volt-nuts mailing list -- volt-nuts@febo.com
To unsubscribe, go to
https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/volt-nuts
and follow the instructions there.

volt-nuts mailing list -- volt-nuts@febo.com
To unsubscribe, go to https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/volt-nuts
and follow the instructions there.

=---------------------
paul fox, pgf@foxharp.boston.ma.us (arlington, ma, where it's 48.4 degrees)

volt-nuts mailing list -- volt-nuts@febo.com
To unsubscribe, go to https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/volt-nuts
and follow the instructions there.

I recently bought a cheap module from Australia that converts from GPIB to USB... > To: volt-nuts@febo.com > From: pgf@foxharp.boston.ma.us > Date: Tue, 16 Oct 2012 11:31:49 -0400 > Subject: Re: [volt-nuts] hp 3458a advice > > thanks joe, and to the other couple of people who responded privately. > i need to figure out how much of a project i want this to be, and how > it ranks against all the other projects that i also don't have time > for. :-) > > i have the full users manual (two copies!), but i don't have anything > else that speaks GPIB. i'll play with some of the front panel > commands you've suggested, while i think about what to do. thanks! > > paul > > j. l. trantham wrote: > > Paul, > > > > First, the meter is worth something if nothing other than parts. It is > > quite a meter and you should at least open it up and see what it might take > > to get it operational again. I am sure there are folks on this list > > (including me) that would love to have the meter if you want to part with > > it. > > > > It is still in production, still supported and you can get the manuals from > > the Agilent website. The assembly level repair manual should be able to > > give you an idea of where the problem is. The CLIP is available and you > > might be able to find the specific part (or parts) that need replacing. > > > > I don't know of a way to get the serial number if there is no sticker on the > > back. You can open it and look at the date codes on the chips, etc., and > > get an idea of when it was manufactured. > > > > You can enter some queries from the front panel to get some other > > information. I can't remember what they all are but if they end in a '?', > > it will return the data. Things like 'OPT?' will tell what options are > > installed, '1' being extended memory and '2' being the high stability > > reference. You can tell how many times it was CAL'd, what version of > > firmware it has, etc. I think version 9 is the latest and version 8 is 'out > > there' somewhere, IIRC. If you just start with shift A and scroll down the > > list, you can see what questions you can ask. > > > > Agilent offers a 'repair service' for about $1900 (IIRC) that will put it > > back in operational condition, up to specs, and with a fresh calibration. > > However, I don't know if that service requires a serial number or not. > > > > There is a guy at the Agilent calibration center in Colorado, Gary Bierman, > > and he is 'the man' when it comes to that meter. I have spoken with him in > > the past about other 3458A questions and he was most helpful. I suspect he > > would be more than willing to talk to you about the meter and what it might > > take to get it up and running. > > > > I think his contact information is in the archives if you would like to > > pursue that. > > > > Good luck. > > > > Joe > > > > -----Original Message----- > > From: volt-nuts-bounces@febo.com [mailto:volt-nuts-bounces@febo.com] On > > Behalf Of Paul Fox > > Sent: Monday, October 15, 2012 9:50 AM > > To: Discussion of precise voltage measurement > > Subject: [volt-nuts] hp 3458a advice > > > > hi -- > > > > i'm not a volt-nuts regular, and not even a precision measurement nut > > at all, but given past discussion in the list archives, i think you > > folks might be able to help. > > > > i was recently given an HP 3458a multimeter. the donor thought it > > worked when he last used it, but that was quite a long time ago, and i > > think it was stored in an attic for some time, so i'm not too > > surprised that it now doesn't pass self tests. :-/ he mainly wanted > > it out of his house, along with a bunch of other vintage (sadly mostly > > non-working) equipment he'd accumulated over the years. > > > > the self-test error is: > > ERRSTR 204, "Hardware Failure -- Flatness DAC Convergence: 198" > > > > judging from past list traffic, repairs on these units are > > expensive, and it would still need recalibration to be useful, and > > there are may be other parts (eeproms?) that may not be good > > any more. i'm not really interested in pursuing any of this > > myself. > > > > what's worse is that the unit doesn't have a serial number. (i assume > > the s/n would normally be obvious on the rear of the unit.) it bears a > > sticker on the back that says "MTG PROTO 27". i think the unit came > > from a place that themselves produced reference standards, and they > > may have gotten a very early model from HP to work with. that's > > conjecture. i haven't opened the unit, so i don't know if there are > > other clues to its age inside. > > > > so: is this machine useful to anyone? given the error message above, > > are there any measurements at all that it might still get correct, in > > it's current state? > > > > paul > > =--------------------- > > paul fox, pgf@foxharp.boston.ma.us (arlington, ma, where it's 63.1 degrees) > > > > _______________________________________________ > > volt-nuts mailing list -- volt-nuts@febo.com > > To unsubscribe, go to > > https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/volt-nuts > > and follow the instructions there. > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > volt-nuts mailing list -- volt-nuts@febo.com > > To unsubscribe, go to https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/volt-nuts > > and follow the instructions there. > > =--------------------- > paul fox, pgf@foxharp.boston.ma.us (arlington, ma, where it's 48.4 degrees) > > _______________________________________________ > volt-nuts mailing list -- volt-nuts@febo.com > To unsubscribe, go to https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/volt-nuts > and follow the instructions there.

RH

randy hunt

Tue, Oct 16, 2012 6:43 PM

Any details on this USB adapter?

From: m k m1k3k1@hotmail.com
To: volt-nuts@febo.com
Sent: Tue, October 16, 2012 11:30:58 AM
Subject: Re: [volt-nuts] hp 3458a advice

I recently bought a cheap module from Australia that converts from GPIB to
USB...

To: volt-nuts@febo.com
From: pgf@foxharp.boston.ma.us
Date: Tue, 16 Oct 2012 11:31:49 -0400
Subject: Re: [volt-nuts] hp 3458a advice

thanks joe, and to the other couple of people who responded privately.
i need to figure out how much of a project i want this to be, and how
it ranks against all the other projects that i also don't have time
for. :-)

i have the full users manual (two copies!), but i don't have anything
else that speaks GPIB. i'll play with some of the front panel
commands you've suggested, while i think about what to do. thanks!

paul

j. l. trantham wrote:

Paul,

First, the meter is worth something if nothing other than parts. It is
quite a meter and you should at least open it up and see what it might take
to get it operational again. I am sure there are folks on this list
(including me) that would love to have the meter if you want to part with
it.

It is still in production, still supported and you can get the manuals from
the Agilent website. The assembly level repair manual should be able to
give you an idea of where the problem is. The CLIP is available and you
might be able to find the specific part (or parts) that need replacing.

I don't know of a way to get the serial number if there is no sticker on

the

back. You can open it and look at the date codes on the chips, etc., and
get an idea of when it was manufactured.

You can enter some queries from the front panel to get some other
information. I can't remember what they all are but if they end in a '?',
it will return the data. Things like 'OPT?' will tell what options are
installed, '1' being extended memory and '2' being the high stability
reference. You can tell how many times it was CAL'd, what version of
firmware it has, etc. I think version 9 is the latest and version 8 is

'out

there' somewhere, IIRC. If you just start with shift A and scroll down the
list, you can see what questions you can ask.

Agilent offers a 'repair service' for about $1900 (IIRC) that will put it
back in operational condition, up to specs, and with a fresh calibration.
However, I don't know if that service requires a serial number or not.

There is a guy at the Agilent calibration center in Colorado, Gary Bierman,
and he is 'the man' when it comes to that meter. I have spoken with him in
the past about other 3458A questions and he was most helpful. I suspect he
would be more than willing to talk to you about the meter and what it might
take to get it up and running.

I think his contact information is in the archives if you would like to
pursue that.

Good luck.

Joe

-----Original Message-----
From: volt-nuts-bounces@febo.com [mailto:volt-nuts-bounces@febo.com] On
Behalf Of Paul Fox
Sent: Monday, October 15, 2012 9:50 AM
To: Discussion of precise voltage measurement
Subject: [volt-nuts] hp 3458a advice

hi --

i'm not a volt-nuts regular, and not even a precision measurement nut
at all, but given past discussion in the list archives, i think you
folks might be able to help.

i was recently given an HP 3458a multimeter. the donor thought it
worked when he last used it, but that was quite a long time ago, and i
think it was stored in an attic for some time, so i'm not too
surprised that it now doesn't pass self tests. :-/ he mainly wanted
it out of his house, along with a bunch of other vintage (sadly mostly
non-working) equipment he'd accumulated over the years.

the self-test error is:
ERRSTR 204, "Hardware Failure -- Flatness DAC Convergence: 198"

judging from past list traffic, repairs on these units are
expensive, and it would still need recalibration to be useful, and
there are may be other parts (eeproms?) that may not be good
any more. i'm not really interested in pursuing any of this
myself.

what's worse is that the unit doesn't have a serial number. (i assume
the s/n would normally be obvious on the rear of the unit.) it bears a
sticker on the back that says "MTG PROTO 27". i think the unit came
from a place that themselves produced reference standards, and they
may have gotten a very early model from HP to work with. that's
conjecture. i haven't opened the unit, so i don't know if there are
other clues to its age inside.

so: is this machine useful to anyone? given the error message above,
are there any measurements at all that it might still get correct, in
it's current state?

paul
=---------------------
paul fox, pgf@foxharp.boston.ma.us (arlington, ma, where it's 63.1

degrees)

volt-nuts mailing list -- volt-nuts@febo.com
To unsubscribe, go to
https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/volt-nuts
and follow the instructions there.

volt-nuts mailing list -- volt-nuts@febo.com
To unsubscribe, go to

https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/volt-nuts

and follow the instructions there.

=---------------------
paul fox, pgf@foxharp.boston.ma.us (arlington, ma, where it's 48.4 degrees)

volt-nuts mailing list -- volt-nuts@febo.com
To unsubscribe, go to https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/volt-nuts
and follow the instructions there.

Any details on this USB adapter? ________________________________ From: m k <m1k3k1@hotmail.com> To: volt-nuts@febo.com Sent: Tue, October 16, 2012 11:30:58 AM Subject: Re: [volt-nuts] hp 3458a advice I recently bought a cheap module from Australia that converts from GPIB to USB... > To: volt-nuts@febo.com > From: pgf@foxharp.boston.ma.us > Date: Tue, 16 Oct 2012 11:31:49 -0400 > Subject: Re: [volt-nuts] hp 3458a advice > > thanks joe, and to the other couple of people who responded privately. > i need to figure out how much of a project i want this to be, and how > it ranks against all the other projects that i also don't have time > for. :-) > > i have the full users manual (two copies!), but i don't have anything > else that speaks GPIB. i'll play with some of the front panel > commands you've suggested, while i think about what to do. thanks! > > paul > > j. l. trantham wrote: > > Paul, > > > > First, the meter is worth something if nothing other than parts. It is > > quite a meter and you should at least open it up and see what it might take > > to get it operational again. I am sure there are folks on this list > > (including me) that would love to have the meter if you want to part with > > it. > > > > It is still in production, still supported and you can get the manuals from > > the Agilent website. The assembly level repair manual should be able to > > give you an idea of where the problem is. The CLIP is available and you > > might be able to find the specific part (or parts) that need replacing. > > > > I don't know of a way to get the serial number if there is no sticker on the > > back. You can open it and look at the date codes on the chips, etc., and > > get an idea of when it was manufactured. > > > > You can enter some queries from the front panel to get some other > > information. I can't remember what they all are but if they end in a '?', > > it will return the data. Things like 'OPT?' will tell what options are > > installed, '1' being extended memory and '2' being the high stability > > reference. You can tell how many times it was CAL'd, what version of > > firmware it has, etc. I think version 9 is the latest and version 8 is 'out > > there' somewhere, IIRC. If you just start with shift A and scroll down the > > list, you can see what questions you can ask. > > > > Agilent offers a 'repair service' for about $1900 (IIRC) that will put it > > back in operational condition, up to specs, and with a fresh calibration. > > However, I don't know if that service requires a serial number or not. > > > > There is a guy at the Agilent calibration center in Colorado, Gary Bierman, > > and he is 'the man' when it comes to that meter. I have spoken with him in > > the past about other 3458A questions and he was most helpful. I suspect he > > would be more than willing to talk to you about the meter and what it might > > take to get it up and running. > > > > I think his contact information is in the archives if you would like to > > pursue that. > > > > Good luck. > > > > Joe > > > > -----Original Message----- > > From: volt-nuts-bounces@febo.com [mailto:volt-nuts-bounces@febo.com] On > > Behalf Of Paul Fox > > Sent: Monday, October 15, 2012 9:50 AM > > To: Discussion of precise voltage measurement > > Subject: [volt-nuts] hp 3458a advice > > > > hi -- > > > > i'm not a volt-nuts regular, and not even a precision measurement nut > > at all, but given past discussion in the list archives, i think you > > folks might be able to help. > > > > i was recently given an HP 3458a multimeter. the donor thought it > > worked when he last used it, but that was quite a long time ago, and i > > think it was stored in an attic for some time, so i'm not too > > surprised that it now doesn't pass self tests. :-/ he mainly wanted > > it out of his house, along with a bunch of other vintage (sadly mostly > > non-working) equipment he'd accumulated over the years. > > > > the self-test error is: > > ERRSTR 204, "Hardware Failure -- Flatness DAC Convergence: 198" > > > > judging from past list traffic, repairs on these units are > > expensive, and it would still need recalibration to be useful, and > > there are may be other parts (eeproms?) that may not be good > > any more. i'm not really interested in pursuing any of this > > myself. > > > > what's worse is that the unit doesn't have a serial number. (i assume > > the s/n would normally be obvious on the rear of the unit.) it bears a > > sticker on the back that says "MTG PROTO 27". i think the unit came > > from a place that themselves produced reference standards, and they > > may have gotten a very early model from HP to work with. that's > > conjecture. i haven't opened the unit, so i don't know if there are > > other clues to its age inside. > > > > so: is this machine useful to anyone? given the error message above, > > are there any measurements at all that it might still get correct, in > > it's current state? > > > > paul > > =--------------------- > > paul fox, pgf@foxharp.boston.ma.us (arlington, ma, where it's 63.1 degrees) > > > > _______________________________________________ > > volt-nuts mailing list -- volt-nuts@febo.com > > To unsubscribe, go to > > https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/volt-nuts > > and follow the instructions there. > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > volt-nuts mailing list -- volt-nuts@febo.com > > To unsubscribe, go to >https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/volt-nuts > > and follow the instructions there. > > =--------------------- > paul fox, pgf@foxharp.boston.ma.us (arlington, ma, where it's 48.4 degrees) > > _______________________________________________ > volt-nuts mailing list -- volt-nuts@febo.com > To unsubscribe, go to https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/volt-nuts > and follow the instructions there. _______________________________________________ volt-nuts mailing list -- volt-nuts@febo.com To unsubscribe, go to https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/volt-nuts and follow the instructions there.

MK

m k

Tue, Oct 16, 2012 6:56 PM

I will have to look it up, I have not used it yet, but I need to talk to some old kit, it had some respectable write up on another forum somewhere, and it was fairly cheap. below the VAT limit for an import at least from memory. I will wake up the children to look at the moment, but a google for GPIB to USB and australia ought to narrow it down somewhat.

Date: Tue, 16 Oct 2012 11:43:23 -0700
From: randy_hunt960@yahoo.com
To: volt-nuts@febo.com
Subject: Re: [volt-nuts] hp 3458a advice

Any details on this USB adapter?

From: m k m1k3k1@hotmail.com
To: volt-nuts@febo.com
Sent: Tue, October 16, 2012 11:30:58 AM
Subject: Re: [volt-nuts] hp 3458a advice

I recently bought a cheap module from Australia that converts from GPIB to
USB...

To: volt-nuts@febo.com
From: pgf@foxharp.boston.ma.us
Date: Tue, 16 Oct 2012 11:31:49 -0400
Subject: Re: [volt-nuts] hp 3458a advice

thanks joe, and to the other couple of people who responded privately.
i need to figure out how much of a project i want this to be, and how
it ranks against all the other projects that i also don't have time
for. :-)

i have the full users manual (two copies!), but i don't have anything
else that speaks GPIB. i'll play with some of the front panel
commands you've suggested, while i think about what to do. thanks!

paul

j. l. trantham wrote:

Paul,

First, the meter is worth something if nothing other than parts. It is
quite a meter and you should at least open it up and see what it might take
to get it operational again. I am sure there are folks on this list
(including me) that would love to have the meter if you want to part with
it.

It is still in production, still supported and you can get the manuals from
the Agilent website. The assembly level repair manual should be able to
give you an idea of where the problem is. The CLIP is available and you
might be able to find the specific part (or parts) that need replacing.

I don't know of a way to get the serial number if there is no sticker on

the

back. You can open it and look at the date codes on the chips, etc., and
get an idea of when it was manufactured.

You can enter some queries from the front panel to get some other
information. I can't remember what they all are but if they end in a '?',
it will return the data. Things like 'OPT?' will tell what options are
installed, '1' being extended memory and '2' being the high stability
reference. You can tell how many times it was CAL'd, what version of
firmware it has, etc. I think version 9 is the latest and version 8 is

'out

there' somewhere, IIRC. If you just start with shift A and scroll down the
list, you can see what questions you can ask.

Agilent offers a 'repair service' for about $1900 (IIRC) that will put it
back in operational condition, up to specs, and with a fresh calibration.
However, I don't know if that service requires a serial number or not.

There is a guy at the Agilent calibration center in Colorado, Gary Bierman,
and he is 'the man' when it comes to that meter. I have spoken with him in
the past about other 3458A questions and he was most helpful. I suspect he
would be more than willing to talk to you about the meter and what it might
take to get it up and running.

I think his contact information is in the archives if you would like to
pursue that.

Good luck.

Joe

-----Original Message-----
From: volt-nuts-bounces@febo.com [mailto:volt-nuts-bounces@febo.com] On
Behalf Of Paul Fox
Sent: Monday, October 15, 2012 9:50 AM
To: Discussion of precise voltage measurement
Subject: [volt-nuts] hp 3458a advice

hi --

i'm not a volt-nuts regular, and not even a precision measurement nut
at all, but given past discussion in the list archives, i think you
folks might be able to help.

i was recently given an HP 3458a multimeter. the donor thought it
worked when he last used it, but that was quite a long time ago, and i
think it was stored in an attic for some time, so i'm not too
surprised that it now doesn't pass self tests. :-/ he mainly wanted
it out of his house, along with a bunch of other vintage (sadly mostly
non-working) equipment he'd accumulated over the years.

the self-test error is:
ERRSTR 204, "Hardware Failure -- Flatness DAC Convergence: 198"

judging from past list traffic, repairs on these units are
expensive, and it would still need recalibration to be useful, and
there are may be other parts (eeproms?) that may not be good
any more. i'm not really interested in pursuing any of this
myself.

what's worse is that the unit doesn't have a serial number. (i assume
the s/n would normally be obvious on the rear of the unit.) it bears a
sticker on the back that says "MTG PROTO 27". i think the unit came
from a place that themselves produced reference standards, and they
may have gotten a very early model from HP to work with. that's
conjecture. i haven't opened the unit, so i don't know if there are
other clues to its age inside.

so: is this machine useful to anyone? given the error message above,
are there any measurements at all that it might still get correct, in
it's current state?

paul
=---------------------
paul fox, pgf@foxharp.boston.ma.us (arlington, ma, where it's 63.1

degrees)

volt-nuts mailing list -- volt-nuts@febo.com
To unsubscribe, go to
https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/volt-nuts
and follow the instructions there.

volt-nuts mailing list -- volt-nuts@febo.com
To unsubscribe, go to

https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/volt-nuts

and follow the instructions there.

=---------------------
paul fox, pgf@foxharp.boston.ma.us (arlington, ma, where it's 48.4 degrees)

volt-nuts mailing list -- volt-nuts@febo.com
To unsubscribe, go to https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/volt-nuts
and follow the instructions there.

I will have to look it up, I have not used it yet, but I need to talk to some old kit, it had some respectable write up on another forum somewhere, and it was fairly cheap. below the VAT limit for an import at least from memory. I will wake up the children to look at the moment, but a google for GPIB to USB and australia ought to narrow it down somewhat. > Date: Tue, 16 Oct 2012 11:43:23 -0700 > From: randy_hunt960@yahoo.com > To: volt-nuts@febo.com > Subject: Re: [volt-nuts] hp 3458a advice > > Any details on this USB adapter? > > > > > ________________________________ > From: m k <m1k3k1@hotmail.com> > To: volt-nuts@febo.com > Sent: Tue, October 16, 2012 11:30:58 AM > Subject: Re: [volt-nuts] hp 3458a advice > > > I recently bought a cheap module from Australia that converts from GPIB to > USB... > > > To: volt-nuts@febo.com > > From: pgf@foxharp.boston.ma.us > > Date: Tue, 16 Oct 2012 11:31:49 -0400 > > Subject: Re: [volt-nuts] hp 3458a advice > > > > thanks joe, and to the other couple of people who responded privately. > > i need to figure out how much of a project i want this to be, and how > > it ranks against all the other projects that i also don't have time > > for. :-) > > > > i have the full users manual (two copies!), but i don't have anything > > else that speaks GPIB. i'll play with some of the front panel > > commands you've suggested, while i think about what to do. thanks! > > > > paul > > > > j. l. trantham wrote: > > > Paul, > > > > > > First, the meter is worth something if nothing other than parts. It is > > > quite a meter and you should at least open it up and see what it might take > > > to get it operational again. I am sure there are folks on this list > > > (including me) that would love to have the meter if you want to part with > > > it. > > > > > > It is still in production, still supported and you can get the manuals from > > > the Agilent website. The assembly level repair manual should be able to > > > give you an idea of where the problem is. The CLIP is available and you > > > might be able to find the specific part (or parts) that need replacing. > > > > > > I don't know of a way to get the serial number if there is no sticker on > the > > > back. You can open it and look at the date codes on the chips, etc., and > > > get an idea of when it was manufactured. > > > > > > You can enter some queries from the front panel to get some other > > > information. I can't remember what they all are but if they end in a '?', > > > it will return the data. Things like 'OPT?' will tell what options are > > > installed, '1' being extended memory and '2' being the high stability > > > reference. You can tell how many times it was CAL'd, what version of > > > firmware it has, etc. I think version 9 is the latest and version 8 is > 'out > > > there' somewhere, IIRC. If you just start with shift A and scroll down the > > > list, you can see what questions you can ask. > > > > > > Agilent offers a 'repair service' for about $1900 (IIRC) that will put it > > > back in operational condition, up to specs, and with a fresh calibration. > > > However, I don't know if that service requires a serial number or not. > > > > > > There is a guy at the Agilent calibration center in Colorado, Gary Bierman, > > > and he is 'the man' when it comes to that meter. I have spoken with him in > > > the past about other 3458A questions and he was most helpful. I suspect he > > > would be more than willing to talk to you about the meter and what it might > > > take to get it up and running. > > > > > > I think his contact information is in the archives if you would like to > > > pursue that. > > > > > > Good luck. > > > > > > Joe > > > > > > -----Original Message----- > > > From: volt-nuts-bounces@febo.com [mailto:volt-nuts-bounces@febo.com] On > > > Behalf Of Paul Fox > > > Sent: Monday, October 15, 2012 9:50 AM > > > To: Discussion of precise voltage measurement > > > Subject: [volt-nuts] hp 3458a advice > > > > > > hi -- > > > > > > i'm not a volt-nuts regular, and not even a precision measurement nut > > > at all, but given past discussion in the list archives, i think you > > > folks might be able to help. > > > > > > i was recently given an HP 3458a multimeter. the donor thought it > > > worked when he last used it, but that was quite a long time ago, and i > > > think it was stored in an attic for some time, so i'm not too > > > surprised that it now doesn't pass self tests. :-/ he mainly wanted > > > it out of his house, along with a bunch of other vintage (sadly mostly > > > non-working) equipment he'd accumulated over the years. > > > > > > the self-test error is: > > > ERRSTR 204, "Hardware Failure -- Flatness DAC Convergence: 198" > > > > > > judging from past list traffic, repairs on these units are > > > expensive, and it would still need recalibration to be useful, and > > > there are may be other parts (eeproms?) that may not be good > > > any more. i'm not really interested in pursuing any of this > > > myself. > > > > > > what's worse is that the unit doesn't have a serial number. (i assume > > > the s/n would normally be obvious on the rear of the unit.) it bears a > > > sticker on the back that says "MTG PROTO 27". i think the unit came > > > from a place that themselves produced reference standards, and they > > > may have gotten a very early model from HP to work with. that's > > > conjecture. i haven't opened the unit, so i don't know if there are > > > other clues to its age inside. > > > > > > so: is this machine useful to anyone? given the error message above, > > > are there any measurements at all that it might still get correct, in > > > it's current state? > > > > > > paul > > > =--------------------- > > > paul fox, pgf@foxharp.boston.ma.us (arlington, ma, where it's 63.1 > degrees) > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > > volt-nuts mailing list -- volt-nuts@febo.com > > > To unsubscribe, go to > > > https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/volt-nuts > > > and follow the instructions there. > > > > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > > volt-nuts mailing list -- volt-nuts@febo.com > > > To unsubscribe, go to > >https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/volt-nuts > > > and follow the instructions there. > > > > =--------------------- > > paul fox, pgf@foxharp.boston.ma.us (arlington, ma, where it's 48.4 degrees) > > > > _______________________________________________ > > volt-nuts mailing list -- volt-nuts@febo.com > > To unsubscribe, go to https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/volt-nuts > > and follow the instructions there. > > _______________________________________________ > volt-nuts mailing list -- volt-nuts@febo.com > To unsubscribe, go to https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/volt-nuts > and follow the instructions there. > _______________________________________________ > volt-nuts mailing list -- volt-nuts@febo.com > To unsubscribe, go to https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/volt-nuts > and follow the instructions there.

JN

Jean-Louis Noel

Tue, Oct 16, 2012 7:11 PM

Hi,

From: "randy hunt" randy_hunt960@yahoo.com

Any details on this USB adapter?

Not really compatible I think.
But, a cheap too and working with the Agilent suite.
180989528233 on *bay!

Bye,
Jean-Louis

Hi, From: "randy hunt" <randy_hunt960@yahoo.com> > Any details on this USB adapter? Not really compatible I think. But, a cheap too and working with the Agilent suite. 180989528233 on *bay! Bye, Jean-Louis

EG

Eric Garner

Tue, Oct 16, 2012 7:36 PM

pretty much the standard USB-GPIB adapter for people that don't use
National Instruments stuff is the Prologix one:

http://prologix.biz/

there's great support for this adapter in the Python instrument
control libraries that are around.

Eric

On Tue, Oct 16, 2012 at 12:11 PM, Jean-Louis Noel jln@stben.net wrote:

Hi,

From: "randy hunt" randy_hunt960@yahoo.com

Any details on this USB adapter?

Not really compatible I think.
But, a cheap too and working with the Agilent suite.
180989528233 on *bay!

Bye,
Jean-Louis

volt-nuts mailing list -- volt-nuts@febo.com
To unsubscribe, go to
https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/volt-nuts
and follow the instructions there.

--
--Eric

Eric Garner

pretty much the standard USB-GPIB adapter for people that don't use National Instruments stuff is the Prologix one: http://prologix.biz/ there's great support for this adapter in the Python instrument control libraries that are around. Eric On Tue, Oct 16, 2012 at 12:11 PM, Jean-Louis Noel <jln@stben.net> wrote: > Hi, > > From: "randy hunt" <randy_hunt960@yahoo.com> > > >> Any details on this USB adapter? > > > Not really compatible I think. > But, a cheap too and working with the Agilent suite. > 180989528233 on *bay! > > Bye, > Jean-Louis > > > _______________________________________________ > volt-nuts mailing list -- volt-nuts@febo.com > To unsubscribe, go to > https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/volt-nuts > and follow the instructions there. -- --Eric _________________________________________ Eric Garner

RD

Randy D. Hunt

Tue, Oct 16, 2012 9:40 PM

On 10/16/2012 12:11 PM, Jean-Louis Noel wrote:

Hi,

From: "randy hunt" randy_hunt960@yahoo.com

Any details on this USB adapter?

Not really compatible I think.
But, a cheap too and working with the Agilent suite.
180989528233 on *bay!

Bye,
Jean-Louis

volt-nuts mailing list -- volt-nuts@febo.com
To unsubscribe, go to
https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/volt-nuts
and follow the instructions there.

Thanks for the info. . .

Randy

On 10/16/2012 12:11 PM, Jean-Louis Noel wrote: > Hi, > > From: "randy hunt" <randy_hunt960@yahoo.com> > >> Any details on this USB adapter? > > Not really compatible I think. > But, a cheap too and working with the Agilent suite. > 180989528233 on *bay! > > Bye, > Jean-Louis > > _______________________________________________ > volt-nuts mailing list -- volt-nuts@febo.com > To unsubscribe, go to > https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/volt-nuts > and follow the instructions there. > Thanks for the info. . . Randy

JL

J. L. Trantham

Wed, Oct 17, 2012 4:18 AM

Paul,

The first thing I would recommend is to figure out how 'old' the device is.
Then I would take a look at the Agilent website for their Service Notes
(there are 17 of them) to see what might apply to your meter and get an idea
of what modifications might be needed to get the 'best' performance
possible.

I would also take a look at the Assembly Level Repair Manual (available on
the Agilent website) to see what assemblies are in question based on your
error messages.

You can look at the parts prices on the Agilent website since parts are
still available. You can also find parts on theBay from time to time.
Teletek had some boards listed in recent weeks and might still.

Unless the Dallas chips have been changed on the A5 board, they are probably
dead and replacing them (about $15 each for 3, IIRC) would be the first
step.

It is a great meter and worthy of your best efforts.

The HPIB option is helpful but the calibration can be done from the front
panel.

ProLogix has a nice, easy to use, USB to GPIB adapter and there are some
programs out there to help you learn how to 'communicate' with it if you
want.

Good luck.

Joe

-----Original Message-----
From: volt-nuts-bounces@febo.com [mailto:volt-nuts-bounces@febo.com] On
Behalf Of Paul Fox
Sent: Tuesday, October 16, 2012 10:32 AM
To: Discussion of precise voltage measurement
Subject: Re: [volt-nuts] hp 3458a advice

thanks joe, and to the other couple of people who responded privately.
i need to figure out how much of a project i want this to be, and how it
ranks against all the other projects that i also don't have time for. :-)

i have the full users manual (two copies!), but i don't have anything else
that speaks GPIB. i'll play with some of the front panel commands you've
suggested, while i think about what to do. thanks!

paul

j. l. trantham wrote:

Paul,

First, the meter is worth something if nothing other than parts. It is
quite a meter and you should at least open it up and see what it might

take > to get it operational again. I am sure there are folks on this list

(including me) that would love to have the meter if you want to part with
it. >
It is still in production, still supported and you can get the manuals

from > the Agilent website. The assembly level repair manual should be
able to > give you an idea of where the problem is. The CLIP is available
and you > might be able to find the specific part (or parts) that need
replacing. >

I don't know of a way to get the serial number if there is no sticker on

the > back. You can open it and look at the date codes on the chips, etc.,
and > get an idea of when it was manufactured. >

You can enter some queries from the front panel to get some other >

information. I can't remember what they all are but if they end in a '?',

it will return the data. Things like 'OPT?' will tell what options are >

installed, '1' being extended memory and '2' being the high stability >
reference. You can tell how many times it was CAL'd, what version of >
firmware it has, etc. I think version 9 is the latest and version 8 is 'out

there' somewhere, IIRC. If you just start with shift A and scroll down

the > list, you can see what questions you can ask. >

Agilent offers a 'repair service' for about $1900 (IIRC) that will put it
back in operational condition, up to specs, and with a fresh calibration.
However, I don't know if that service requires a serial number or not. >
There is a guy at the Agilent calibration center in Colorado, Gary

Bierman, > and he is 'the man' when it comes to that meter. I have spoken
with him in > the past about other 3458A questions and he was most helpful.
I suspect he > would be more than willing to talk to you about the meter
and what it might > take to get it up and running. >

I think his contact information is in the archives if you would like to
pursue that. >
Good luck.

Joe

-----Original Message-----
From: volt-nuts-bounces@febo.com [mailto:volt-nuts-bounces@febo.com] On
Behalf Of Paul Fox > Sent: Monday, October 15, 2012 9:50 AM > To:

Discussion of precise voltage measurement > Subject: [volt-nuts] hp 3458a
advice >

hi --

i'm not a volt-nuts regular, and not even a precision measurement nut >

at all, but given past discussion in the list archives, i think you > folks
might be able to help. >

i was recently given an HP 3458a multimeter. the donor thought it >

worked when he last used it, but that was quite a long time ago, and i >
think it was stored in an attic for some time, so i'm not too > surprised
that it now doesn't pass self tests. :-/ he mainly wanted > it out of his
house, along with a bunch of other vintage (sadly mostly > non-working)
equipment he'd accumulated over the years. >

the self-test error is:
ERRSTR 204, "Hardware Failure -- Flatness DAC Convergence: 198"

judging from past list traffic, repairs on these units are
expensive, and it would still need recalibration to be useful, and >

there are may be other parts (eeproms?) that may not be good > any more.
i'm not really interested in pursuing any of this > myself. >

what's worse is that the unit doesn't have a serial number. (i assume >

the s/n would normally be obvious on the rear of the unit.) it bears a >
sticker on the back that says "MTG PROTO 27". i think the unit came > from
a place that themselves produced reference standards, and they > may have
gotten a very early model from HP to work with. that's > conjecture. i
haven't opened the unit, so i don't know if there are > other clues to its
age inside. >

so: is this machine useful to anyone? given the error message above, >

are there any measurements at all that it might still get correct, in >
it's current state? >

paul
=---------------------
paul fox, pgf@foxharp.boston.ma.us (arlington, ma, where it's 63.1

degrees) >

volt-nuts mailing list -- volt-nuts@febo.com
To unsubscribe, go to
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and follow the instructions there.

=---------------------
paul fox, pgf@foxharp.boston.ma.us (arlington, ma, where it's 48.4 degrees)

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and follow the instructions there.

Paul, The first thing I would recommend is to figure out how 'old' the device is. Then I would take a look at the Agilent website for their Service Notes (there are 17 of them) to see what might apply to your meter and get an idea of what modifications might be needed to get the 'best' performance possible. I would also take a look at the Assembly Level Repair Manual (available on the Agilent website) to see what assemblies are in question based on your error messages. You can look at the parts prices on the Agilent website since parts are still available. You can also find parts on theBay from time to time. Teletek had some boards listed in recent weeks and might still. Unless the Dallas chips have been changed on the A5 board, they are probably dead and replacing them (about $15 each for 3, IIRC) would be the first step. It is a great meter and worthy of your best efforts. The HPIB option is helpful but the calibration can be done from the front panel. ProLogix has a nice, easy to use, USB to GPIB adapter and there are some programs out there to help you learn how to 'communicate' with it if you want. Good luck. Joe -----Original Message----- From: volt-nuts-bounces@febo.com [mailto:volt-nuts-bounces@febo.com] On Behalf Of Paul Fox Sent: Tuesday, October 16, 2012 10:32 AM To: Discussion of precise voltage measurement Subject: Re: [volt-nuts] hp 3458a advice thanks joe, and to the other couple of people who responded privately. i need to figure out how much of a project i want this to be, and how it ranks against all the other projects that i also don't have time for. :-) i have the full users manual (two copies!), but i don't have anything else that speaks GPIB. i'll play with some of the front panel commands you've suggested, while i think about what to do. thanks! paul j. l. trantham wrote: > Paul, > > First, the meter is worth something if nothing other than parts. It is > quite a meter and you should at least open it up and see what it might take > to get it operational again. I am sure there are folks on this list > (including me) that would love to have the meter if you want to part with > it. > > It is still in production, still supported and you can get the manuals from > the Agilent website. The assembly level repair manual should be able to > give you an idea of where the problem is. The CLIP is available and you > might be able to find the specific part (or parts) that need replacing. > > I don't know of a way to get the serial number if there is no sticker on the > back. You can open it and look at the date codes on the chips, etc., and > get an idea of when it was manufactured. > > You can enter some queries from the front panel to get some other > information. I can't remember what they all are but if they end in a '?', > it will return the data. Things like 'OPT?' will tell what options are > installed, '1' being extended memory and '2' being the high stability > reference. You can tell how many times it was CAL'd, what version of > firmware it has, etc. I think version 9 is the latest and version 8 is 'out > there' somewhere, IIRC. If you just start with shift A and scroll down the > list, you can see what questions you can ask. > > Agilent offers a 'repair service' for about $1900 (IIRC) that will put it > back in operational condition, up to specs, and with a fresh calibration. > However, I don't know if that service requires a serial number or not. > > There is a guy at the Agilent calibration center in Colorado, Gary Bierman, > and he is 'the man' when it comes to that meter. I have spoken with him in > the past about other 3458A questions and he was most helpful. I suspect he > would be more than willing to talk to you about the meter and what it might > take to get it up and running. > > I think his contact information is in the archives if you would like to > pursue that. > > Good luck. > > Joe > > -----Original Message----- > From: volt-nuts-bounces@febo.com [mailto:volt-nuts-bounces@febo.com] On > Behalf Of Paul Fox > Sent: Monday, October 15, 2012 9:50 AM > To: Discussion of precise voltage measurement > Subject: [volt-nuts] hp 3458a advice > > hi -- > > i'm not a volt-nuts regular, and not even a precision measurement nut > at all, but given past discussion in the list archives, i think you > folks might be able to help. > > i was recently given an HP 3458a multimeter. the donor thought it > worked when he last used it, but that was quite a long time ago, and i > think it was stored in an attic for some time, so i'm not too > surprised that it now doesn't pass self tests. :-/ he mainly wanted > it out of his house, along with a bunch of other vintage (sadly mostly > non-working) equipment he'd accumulated over the years. > > the self-test error is: > ERRSTR 204, "Hardware Failure -- Flatness DAC Convergence: 198" > > judging from past list traffic, repairs on these units are > expensive, and it would still need recalibration to be useful, and > there are may be other parts (eeproms?) that may not be good > any more. i'm not really interested in pursuing any of this > myself. > > what's worse is that the unit doesn't have a serial number. (i assume > the s/n would normally be obvious on the rear of the unit.) it bears a > sticker on the back that says "MTG PROTO 27". i think the unit came > from a place that themselves produced reference standards, and they > may have gotten a very early model from HP to work with. that's > conjecture. i haven't opened the unit, so i don't know if there are > other clues to its age inside. > > so: is this machine useful to anyone? given the error message above, > are there any measurements at all that it might still get correct, in > it's current state? > > paul > =--------------------- > paul fox, pgf@foxharp.boston.ma.us (arlington, ma, where it's 63.1 degrees) > > _______________________________________________ > volt-nuts mailing list -- volt-nuts@febo.com > To unsubscribe, go to > https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/volt-nuts > and follow the instructions there. > > > _______________________________________________ > volt-nuts mailing list -- volt-nuts@febo.com > To unsubscribe, go to https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/volt-nuts > and follow the instructions there. =--------------------- paul fox, pgf@foxharp.boston.ma.us (arlington, ma, where it's 48.4 degrees) _______________________________________________ volt-nuts mailing list -- volt-nuts@febo.com To unsubscribe, go to https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/volt-nuts and follow the instructions there.

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hp 3458a advice