N ot e: U nless otherwise in dicated, this m anual applies to all serial nu m bers.

The Agilen t Tech nologies 34970A combines precision measu remen t

capability wit h flexible sign al con nections for you r p roduction a nd
developmen t test system s. Th ree module slots are built in to t he rear
of t he inst r u men t to accep t a ny combin a tion of d at a acquisition or
switching modules. The combin a tion of da t a logging a nd dat a
acquisition fea t u res m akes t his inst r u men t a versa tile solu tion for you r
testing requiremen ts now a nd in t he fu t u re.

Co n v e n i e n t D at a Lo g g i n g F e a t u r e s

• Direct measu remen t of t her mocouples, RTD s, t her mistors, dc volt age,
ac volt age, resist a nce, dc cu r ren t, ac cu r ren t, frequency, a nd period
• In terval sca n ning wit h stor age of up to 50,000 time-st amped readings
• Independen t ch a n nel configu r a tion wit h fu nction, Mx+B scaling,
a nd ala r m limits available on a per-ch a n nel basis
• In t uitive user in terface wit h knob for quick ch a n nel selection,
men u n aviga tion, a nd da t a en t ry from t he fron t pa nel
• Por t able, r uggedized case wit h non-skid feet
• BenchLin k Data Logger Software for Microsoft ® Windows ® included

Fle x ible D a ta Acq u is it io n / Sw it c h i n g F e a t u re s

• 6 1⁄2-digit m ultimeter accu r acy, st ability, a nd noise rejection

• Up to 60 ch an nels per in st r u men t (120 single-ended ch a n nels)
• Reading r a tes up to 600 readings per second on a single ch a n nel a nd
sca n r a tes up to 250 ch a n nels per second
• Choice of m ultiplexing, m a t rix, gener al-p u rpose For m C switching,
RF switching, digit al I/O, tot alize, a nd 16-bit a n alog ou tp u t fu nctions
• GPIB (I E E E-488) in terface a nd RS-232 in terface a re st a nda rd
• SCPI (Standard Com mands for Program mable Instru ments) compatibility

Agilen t 34970A
Da t a Acquisition / Switch U nit
The F ron t P a nel a t a Gla nce

Denotes a menu key. See the next page for details on men u operation.

1 State Storage / Remote Interface Menus 8 Advanced Measurement / Utility Menus

2 Scan Start / Stop Key 9 Low-Level Module Control Keys
3 Measurement Configuration Menu 10 Single-Channel Monitor On / Off Key
4 Scaling Configuration Menu 11 View Scanned Data, Alarms, Errors Menu
5 Alarm / Alarm Output Configuration Menu 12 Shift / Local Key
6 Scan-to-Scan Interval Menu 13 Knob
7 Scan List Single Step / Read Key 14 Navigation Arrow Keys

2
 The Rea r P a nel a t a Gla nce

1 Slot Identifier (100, 200, 300) 4 Power-Line Fuse-Holder Assembly

2 Ext Trig Input / Alarm Outputs / Channel 5 Power-Line Voltage Setting
Advance Input / Channel Closed Output 6 Chassis Ground Screw
(for pinouts, see pages 83 and 128) 7 GP-IB (IEEE-488) Interface Connector
3 RS-232 Interface Connector

Use the Menu to:

• Select the GP-IB or RS-232 interface (see chapter 2).
• Set the GP-IB address (see chapter 2).
• Set the RS-232 baud rate, parity, and flow control mode (see chapter 2).

For protection from electrical shock, the power cord grou n d m ust not be
WARNING
defeated. If only a two-contact electrical ou tlet is available, con nect the
instru men t’s chassis grou n d screw (see above) to a good earth grou n d.

5
The Plug-In Modules a t a Gla nce

For com plete specifications on each plug-in mod ule, refer to the mod ule
sections in ch apter 9.

34901A 20-Ch a n n el Arm at u re Multi pl e x e r

• 20 ch a n nels of 300 V switching
• Two ch a n nels for DC or AC cu r ren t meas u remen ts (100 nA to 1A)
• Built-in t her mocouple reference ju nction
• Switching speed of up to 60 ch a n nels per second
• Con nects to t he in ter n al m ultimeter
• For detailed infor m ation an d a mod ule diagra m, see page 164.

E ach of t he 20 ch a n nels switches bot h H I a nd LO inpu ts, t h u s providing

fully isola ted inpu ts to t he in ter n al m ultimeter. The module is divided
in to two ba nks of 10 two-wire ch a n nels each. When m aking fou r-wire
resist a nce measurements, channels from Bank A a re a u tom a tically
paired wit h ch a n nels from Bank B. Two additional fused chan nels are
included on the module (22 ch a n nels tot al) for m aking calibr a ted DC or
AC cu r ren t measu remen ts wit h t he in ter n al m ultimeter (exter n al s h u n t
resistors a re not required). You ca n close m ultiple ch an nels on t his
module only if you h ave not configu red a ny ch a n nels to be pa r t of t he
sca n list. Ot herwise, all ch a n nels on t he mod ule a re break-before-m ake.

34902A 16-Ch a n n e l R e e d Multi pl e x er

• 16 ch a n nels of 300 V switching
• Built-in t her mocouple reference ju nction
• Switching speed of up to 250 ch a n nels per second
• Con nects to t he in ter n al m ultimeter
• For detailed infor m ation an d a mod ule diagra m, see page 166.

Use t his module for high-speed sca n ning a nd high-t h rough pu t

a u tom a ted test applica tion s. E ach of t he 16 ch a n nels switches bot h
H I a nd LO inpu ts, t h u s providing fully isolated in pu ts to t he in ter n al
m ultimeter. The mod ule is divided in to two ba nks of eigh t two-wire
ch a n nels each. When m aking fou r-wire resist a nce measurements,
channels from Bank A a re a u tom a tically paired wit h ch a n nels from
Bank B. You can close multiple channels on this module only if you h ave
not configured any ch annels to be par t of the scan list. Otherwise, all
channels on t he module are break-before-m ake.

7
 Chapter 1 Quick Start
To Connect Wiring to a Module

To Con nect Wiring to a Module

1 Remove t he module cover. 2 Con nect wiring to t he screw ter min als.

20 AWG Typical

6 mm

3 Rou te wiring t h rough st r ain relief. 4 Replace t he module cover.

Cable Tie Wrap

(optional)

5 In st all t he module in to m ainfr a me. Wi r i n g H i n ts...

Channel Number:
• For detailed information on each module,
refer to the section starting on page 163.
Slot Channel • To reduce wear on the internal DMM relays,
wire like functions on adjacent channels.
• For information on grounding and shielding,
see page 335.
• The diagrams on the next page show how to
connect wiring to a multiplexer module for
each measurement function.

20
 Chapter 1 Quick Start
To Connect Wiring to a Module

Th erm o c o u pl e DC Volt a g e / AC Volt a g e / Fr eq u e n c y

Thermocouple Types: B, E, J, K, N, R, S, T Ranges: 100 mV, 1 V, 10 V, 100 V, 300 V

See page 351 for thermocouple color codes.

2-Wire Oh m s / RTD / Th erm ist or 4-Wire Oh m s / RTD

Ranges: 100, 1 k, 10 k, 100 k, 1 M, 10 M, 100 MΩ

RTD Types: 0.00385, 0.00391
Thermistor Types: 2.2 k, 5 k, 10 k

DC Cu rre n t / AC Cu rre n t

Channel n (source) is automatically paired with

Channel n+10 (sense) on the 34901A or
Channel n+8 (sense) on the 34902A.

Valid only on channels 21 and 22 on the 34901A. Ranges: 100, 1 k, 10 k, 100 k, 1 M, 10 M, 100 MΩ
Ranges: 10 mA, 100 mA, 1A RTD Types: 0.00385, 0.00391

21
 System Overview

This ch apter provides an overview of a compu ter-based system a nd

describes t he pa r ts of a da t a acquisition sys tem. This ch apter is divided
in to t he following sections:

• Da t a Acquisition System Overview, see below

• Sign al Rou ting a nd Switching, starting on page 57
• Measu remen t Inpu t, starting on page 60
• Con t rol Ou tpu t, starting on page 67

Da t a Acquisition System Overview

You can use the Agilent 34970A as a stand-alone instrumen t but there are
m any applications where you will want to take advantage of the built-in PC
connectivity features. A typical data acquisition system is shown below.

Transducers,
Computer Plug-in System Sensors,
and Software Interface Cable 34970A Modules Cabling and Events

50
 Chapter 3 System Overview
Data Acquisition System Overview

The system configu r ation shown on t he previous p age offers t he

following adva n t ages:
• You ca n use t he 34970A to perfor m da t a stor age, da t a reduction,
m a t hem a tical calculations, a nd conversion to engineering u nits.
You can use the PC to provide easy configuration and data presentation.
• You ca n remove t he an alog sign als a nd meas u remen t sensors from
t he noisy PC environ men t a n d elect rically isolate t hem from bot h t he
PC a n d ea r t h grou nd.
• You ca n use a single PC to monitor m ultiple ins t r u men ts a nd
measu remen t poin ts while perfor ming ot her PC-based t asks. 3
Th e Co m p ut er a n d In t erfa c e Cabl e
Since comp u ters a nd oper a ting system s are t he subject of m a ny books
a n d periodicals, t hey a re not discussed in t his ch apter. In addition to t he
com pu ter a n d oper a ting sys tem, you will need a serial por t (RS-232) or
GPIB por t (IE E E -488) a n d a n in terface cable.

Serial (RS-232) GPIB (IEEE-488)

Advantages Disadvantages Advantages Disadvantages
Often built into the computer; Cable length is limited Speed; faster data and Cable length is limited
no additional hardware is to 45 ft (15 m). * command transfers. to 60 ft (20 m). *
required.
Drivers usually included in Only one instrument or Additional system flexibility, Requires an expansion
the operating system. device can be connected multiple instruments can slot plug-in card in PC
per serial port. be connected to the and associated drivers.
same GPIB port.
Cables readily available Cabling is susceptible to Direct Memory Transfers Requires special cable.
and inexpensive. noise, causing slow or are possible.
lost communications.
The 34970A is
shipped with a serial cable Varying connector pinouts
(if internal DMM is ordered). and styles.
Data transfers up to Data transfers up to
85,000 characters/sec. 750,000 characters/sec.

* You can overcome these cable length li mitations using special com m u nications hard ware.
For exa m ple, you can use the Agilent E5810A L A N-to-GPIB Gateway interface or a serial modem.

51
Chapter 3 System Overview
Signal Routing and Switching

Mu l t i p lexer S w i t c h i n g Multiplexers allow you to con nect one of

m ultiple ch a n nels to a com mon ch a n nel, one a t a time. A simple 4-to-1
m ultiplexer is shown below. When you combine a m ultiplexer wit h a
measu remen t device, like t he in ter n al DMM , you crea te a sca n ner.
For more infor m ation on scan ning, see page 62.

Channel 1
Common Channel 2
Channel 3
Channel 4

Multiplexer s a re available in sever al types:

• One-Wire (S ingle-E n ded) M ultiplexers for com mon LO measu remen ts.
For more infor m a tion, see page 379.
• T wo-Wire M ultiplexers for floa ting measu remen ts. For more
infor m ation, see page 379.
• Four-Wire M ultiplexers for resist a nce a nd RTD measu remen ts.
For more infor m a tion, see page 380.
• Very High Frequency (VHF) M ultiplexers for switching frequencies
up to 2.8 GHz. For more infor m a tion, see p age 390.

58
 Chapter 8 Tutorial
System Cabling and Connections

S h i eldi n g Te c h n iq u e s
Shielding against noise m ust address bot h cap acitive (elect rical) a nd
in ductive (m agnetic) coupling. The addition of a grou nded shield
a rou nd t he cond uctor is highly effective against capacitive coupling.
In switching networ ks, t his shielding often t akes t he for m of coaxial
cables a nd con nectors. For frequencies above 100 MHz, double-shielded
coaxial cable is recom mended to m aximize shielding effectiveness.

Reducing loop a rea is t he most effective met hod to shield agains t

m agnetic cou pling. Below a few h u n dred kiloher tz, twisted pairs m ay be
u sed against m agnetic coupling. Use s hielded twisted pair for im m u nity
from m agnetic a nd capacitive picku p. For m axim u m protection below
1 MHz, m ake s u re t h a t t he shield is not one of t he sign al cond uctors.

Recommended Low-Frequency Cable: Recommended High-Frequency Cable:

Shielded twisted pair Double-shielded coaxial cable

HI
LO LO
HI
Center Conductor
Twisted Pair Shield Shield Foil Shield Braid PVC Jacket

S e p aratio n of Hig h-Le v el a n d Lo w-Le v el Si g n als

Signals whose levels exceed a 20-to-1 ratio should be physically separated
as m uch as possible. The en tire sign al p a t h s hould be exa mined
inclu ding cabling a nd adjacen t con nections. All u n used lines should be
grou n ded (or tied to LO) a nd placed between sen sitive sign al pa t hs.
When m a king you r wiring con nections to t he screw ter min als on t he
module, be su re to wire like fu nctions on adjacen t ch a n nels.

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Chapter 8 Tutorial
System Cabling and Connections

S o urc e s of S y st e m Cabli n g Errors

R a d io Fre q u en cy In terfe re n ce Most volt age-measu ring inst r u men ts

ca n gener a te false readings in t he presence of la rge, high-frequency
sign als. Possible sou rces of high-frequency sign als include nea rby r adio
a n d television t r a ns mit ters, comp u ter monitors, a nd cellula r telephones.
High-frequency energy can also be coupled to t he in ter n al DMM on t he
system cabling. To reduce t he in terference, t ry to minimize t he expos u re
of t he system cabling to high-frequency RF sou rces.

If you r applica tion is ext remely sen sitive to RFI r adia ted from t he
in st r u men t, use a com mon mode choke in t he system cabling as shown
below to a t ten u a te inst r u men t emissions.

Torroid

To Plug-In To Transducers
Module

339
Chapter 8 Tutorial
System Cabling and Connections

T he r m a l EMF Er r o r s Ther moelect ric volt ages a re t he most com mon

sou rce of er ror in low-level dc volt age measu remen ts. Ther moelect ric
volt ages a re gener a ted when you m ake circuit con nections using
dissimila r met als a t differen t temper a t u res. Each met al-to-met al
ju nction for m s a ther mocou ple, which gener a tes a volt age propor tion al
to t he ju nction temper a tu re difference. You should t ake t he necessa ry
preca u tion s to minimize t her mocouple volt ages a nd temper a t u re
va ria tions in low-level volt age measu remen ts. The bes t con nections a re
for med using copper-to-copper crimped con nection s. The t able below
shows com mon t her moelect ric volt ages for con nections between
dissimila r met als.

Copper-to- Approx. µV / °C
Copper <0.3
Gold 0.5
Silver 0.5
Brass 3
Beryllium Copper 5
Aluminum 5
Kovar or Alloy 42 40
Silicon 500
Copper-Oxide 1000
Cadmium-Tin Solder 0.2
Tin-Lead Solder 5

Noise C a u se d by M a g n et i c Fiel d s If you a re m aking measu remen ts

nea r m agnetic fields, you s hould ta ke preca u tions to avoid inducing
volt ages in t he measu remen t con nections. Voltage can be induced by
eit her movemen t of t he inpu t con nection wiring in a fixed m agnetic field
or by a va rying m agnetic field. An u ns hielded, poorly dressed inpu t wire
moving in t he ea r t h’s m agnetic field ca n gener a te sever al millivolts.
The va rying m agnetic field a rou nd t he ac power line ca n also in duce
volt ages up to sever al h u nd red millivolts. You s hould be especially
ca reful when working nea r conductor s ca r rying la rge cu r ren ts.

Where possible, you should rou te cabling away from m agnetic fields.
Magnetic fields are commonly present around electric motors, generators,
televisions, a nd compu ter monitor s. Also m a ke su re t h a t you r inpu t
wiring h as p roper s t r ain relief a nd is tied down secu rely when oper a ting
nea r m agnetic fields. Use twisted-pair con nection s to t he inst r u men t to
reduce t he noise picku p loop a rea, or dress t he wires as close together
as possible.

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Chapter 8 Tutorial
Measurement Fundamentals

Measu remen t F u nda men t als

This section explains how t he 34970A m akes measu remen ts a n d
discusses the most common sou rces of error related to these measurements.

Th e In t ern al DMM
The in ter n al DMM provides a u nivers al inpu t fron t-end for measu ring
a va riety of t r a nsducer types wit hou t t he need for addition al exter n al
sign al conditioning. The in ter n al DMM includes sign al con ditioning,
a mplifica tion (or a t ten u a tion), a nd a high resolu tion (up to 22 bits)
a n alog-to-digit al conver ter. A simplified diagr a m of t he in ter n al DMM is
shown below. For com plete details on the operation of the internal DM M,
refer to “Measurement Input” on page 60.

To / From
Analog Analog to Earth
Input Signal Amp Digital Main
Conditioning Processor Referenced
Signal Converter Section

= Optical Isolators

The internal DMM can directly make the following types of measurements.
E ach of t hese measu remen ts is described in t he following sections of
t his ch apter.
• Tem per a t u re (t her mocouple, RTD , a n d t her mistor)
• Volt age (dc a n d ac up to 300V)
• Resist a nce (2-wire a nd 4-wire up to 100 MΩ)
• Cu r ren t (dc a nd ac up to 1A)
• F requency a n d Period (u p to 300 kHz)

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 Chapter 8 Tutorial
Measurement Fundamentals

R ejec t i n g Po w er-Li n e Noise Vo l t a ges A desir able ch a r acteristic of

a n in tegr a ting a n alog-to-digit al (A/D) conver ter is its ability to reject
spu rious sign als. In tegr a ting tech niques reject power-line rela ted noise
present with dc sign als on the input. This is called norm al mode rejection
or NMR . Nor m al mode noise rejection is achieved when t he in ter n al
DMM measu res t he aver age of t he inpu t by “in tegr a ting” it over a fixed
period. If you set t he in tegr a tion time to a whole n u mber of power line
cycles ( PLC s) of t he spu rious inpu t, t hese er rors (a nd t heir h a r monics)
will aver age ou t to app roxim a tely zero.

When you apply power to t he in ter n al DMM , it measu res t he power-line

frequency (50 Hz or 60 Hz), a nd uses t his measu remen t to deter mine
t he in tegr a tion time. The t able below s hows t he noise rejection achieved
wit h va rious configu r a tions. For bet ter resolu tion a nd increased noise
rejection, select a longer in tegr a tion time.

Integration Time
PLCs Digits Bits 60 Hz (50 Hz) NMR
0.02 41⁄2 15 400 µs (400 µs) 0 dB
0.2 51⁄2 18 3 ms (3 ms) 0 dB
1 51⁄2 20 16.7 ms (20 ms) 60 dB
2 61⁄2 21 33.3 ms (40 ms) 90 dB
10 61⁄2 24 167 ms (200 ms) 95 dB
20 61⁄2 25 333 ms (400 ms) 100 dB
100 61⁄2 26 1.67 s (2 s) 105 dB
200 61⁄2 26 3.33 s (4 s) 110 dB

The following gr aph shows t he a t ten u a tion of ac sign als measu red in
t he dc volt age fu nction for va rious A/D in tegr ation time set tings.
Note that signal frequencies at m ultiples of 1/T exhibit high attenuation.

0 dB

-10 dB
Signal Gain

-20 dB

-30 dB

-40 dB
0.1 1 10

Signal Frequency x T

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Chapter 8 Tutorial
Measurement Fundamentals

Te m p erat ur e Me a s u re m e n t s
A tem per a t u re t r a nsducer measu remen t is typically eit her a resis t a nce
or volt age measu remen t conver ted to an equivalen t temper a t u re by
softwa re conversion rou tines inside t he ins t r u men t. The m a t hem a tical
conversion is based on specific proper ties of t he va riou s t r a nsducers.
The m a t hem a tical conversion accu r acy (not inclu ding t he t r a nsducer
accu r acy) for each t r a nsd ucer type is shown below.

Transducer Conversion Accuracy

Thermocouple 0.05 °C
RTD 0.02 °C
Thermistor 0.05 °C

E r rors associa ted with tem per a t u re measu remen ts include all of t hose
listed for dc volt age a nd resist a nce meas u remen ts elsewhere in t his
ch apter. The la rgest sou rce of er ror in temper a t u re measu remen ts is
gener ally t he t r a nsducer itself.

You r measu remen t requiremen ts will help you to deter mine which
tem per a t u re t r a n sducer type to use. E ach t r ansducer type h as a
pa r ticula r temper a t u re r a nge, accu r acy, an d cos t. The t able below
su m m a rizes some typical specifica tion s for each t r a nsducer type.
Use t his infor m a tion to help select t he t r a nsd ucer for you r applica tion.
The t r a n sducer m a n ufact u rer s ca n provide you wit h exact specifica tions
for a pa r ticula r t r a nsducer.

Parameter Thermocouple RTD Thermistor

Temperature Range -210°C to 1820°C -200°C to 850°C -80°C to 150°C

Measurement Type Voltage 2- or 4-Wire Ohms 2- or 4-Wire Ohms

Transducer Sensitivity 6 µV/°C to 60 µV/°C ≈ R0 x 0.004 °C ≈ 400 Ω /°C

Probe Accuracy 0.5 °C to 5 °C 0.01 °C to 0.1 °C 0.1 °C to 1 °C

Cost (U.S. Dollars) $1 / foot $20 to $100 each $10 to $100 each

Durability Rugged Fragile Fragile

8

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Chapter 8 Tutorial
Measurement Fundamentals

R T D Me a s u r e m e n t s An RTD is const r ucted of a met al (typically

pla tin u m) t h a t ch a nges resist a nce wit h a ch a nge in temper a t u re in a
precisely k nown way. The in ter n al DMM measu res t he resis t a nce of t he
RTD a n d t hen calcula tes t he equivalen t temper a t u re.

An RTD h as t he highest st ability of t he temper a t u re t r a nsducers.

The ou tpu t from an RTD is also very linea r. This m a kes a n RTD a good
choice for high-accu r acy, long-ter m measu remen ts. The 34970A
suppor ts RTDs wit h α = 0.00385 (DIN / IEC 751) using ITS-90 softwa re
conversion s a nd α = 0.00391 using IPTS-68 softwa re conversion s.
“PT100” is a special label t h a t is sometimes used to refer to a n RTD
wit h α = 0.00385 a n d R 0 = 100Ω.

The resis t a nce of a n RTD is nomin al a t 0 °C a nd is refer red to as R 0 .

The 34970A can measure RTD s with R 0 values from 49Ω to 2.1 k Ω.

You ca n measu re RTD s using a 2-wire or 4-wire meas u remen t met hod.
The 4-wire met hod (wit h offset com pensa tion) provides t he most
accu r a te way to measu re sm all resist a nces. Con nection lead resis t a nce
is a u tom a tically removed using t he 4-wire met hod.

T h er m i s to r Me a s u r e m en t s A t her mis tor is con st r ucted of m a terials

t h at non-linea rly ch a nges resis t a nce wit h ch a nges in temper at u re.
The in ter n al DMM measu res t he resist a nce of t he t her mis tor a nd t hen
calcula tes t he equivalen t tem per a t u re.

Ther mis tors h ave a higher sen sitivity t h a n t her mocou ples or RTD s.
This m akes a t her mistor a good choice when measu ring very s m all
ch a nges in temper at u re. Ther mistor s a re, however, very non-linea r,
especially a t high temper a t u res a nd fu nction bes t below 100 °C.

Beca u se of t heir high resis t a nce, t her mistors ca n be measu red using
a 2-wire measu remen t met hod. The in ter n al DMM su ppor ts
2.2 k Ω (44004), 5 k Ω (44007), a n d 10 k Ω (44006) t her mistor s.
The t hermistor conversion rou tines used by t he 34970A a re compa tible
wit h t he Intern ation al Tem perature Scale of 1990 (ITS-90).

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T h er m ocou p le Me a s u r e m e n t s A t her mocou ple conver ts temper a t u re

to volt age. When two wires composed of dissimila r met als a re joined,
a voltage is gener ated. The voltage is a function of the junction temperature
a n d t he types of met als in t he t her mocouple wire. Since t he temper a t u re
ch a r acteris tics of m a ny dissimila r met als a re well k nown, a conver sion
from t he volt age gener a ted to t he temper a t u re of t he ju nction ca n be
m ade. For exa mple, a volt age meas u remen t of a T-type t her mocouple
(m ade of copper and const an t a n wire) migh t look like t his:

Internal DMM

Notice, however, t h a t t he con nections m ade between t he t her mocouple

wire a nd t he in ter n al DMM m a ke a second, u nwa n ted t her mocouple
where t he const an t a n (C) lead con nects to t he in ter n al DMM’s copper
(Cu) inpu t ter min al. The volt age gener a ted by t his second thermocouple
affects the voltage measurement of the T-type thermocouple.

If t he temper at u re of t he t her mocouple crea ted a t J 2 (t he LO in pu t

ter min al) is k nown, t he tem per a t u re of t he T-type t her mocouple ca n
be calcula ted. One way to do t his is to con nect two T-type t her mocouples
toget her to create only copper-to-copper con nection s a t the in ter n al
DMM ’s inpu t ter min als, a nd to hold t he second t her mocou ple a t a
known tem per a t u re.

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Chapter 8 Tutorial
Measurement Fundamentals

An ice bath is used to crea te a k nown reference temper a t u re (0 °C).

Once t he reference tem per a t u re a n d t her mocou ple type a re k nown,
t he temper at u re of t he measu remen t t her mocouple ca n be calculated.

Internal DMM

Ice Bath

The T-type t her mocouple is a u nique case since one of t he con ductors
(copper) is t he sa me met al as t he in ter n al DMM’s in pu t ter min als.
If a not her type of t her mocou ple is u sed, two addition al t her mocou ples
a re crea ted. For exa mple, t ake a look a t t he con nection s wit h a J-type
t her mocou ple (iron a nd const a n t a n):

Internal DMM

Ice Bath

Two addition al t her mocouples h ave been created where t he iron (Fe)
lead con nects to t he in ter n al DMM ’s copper (Cu) inpu t ter min als.
Since t hese two ju nctions will gener ate opposing volt ages, t heir effect
will be to ca ncel each ot her. However, if t he inpu t ter min als a re not a t
t he s a me temper a t u re, a n er ror will be crea ted in t he meas u remen t.

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Chapter 8 Tutorial
Measurement Fundamentals

To m a ke a more accu r a te meas u remen t, you should extend t he copper

test leads of t he in ter n al DMM closer to t he measu remen t a nd hold t he
con nections to t he t her mocouple a t t he same temper a t u re.

Internal DMM

Measurement
Thermocouple

Ice Bath

Reference Thermocouple

This circuit will give accu r a te temper a t u re meas u remen ts. However,
it is not very convenien t to m ake two t her mocouple con nections and
keep all con nection s a t a known temper a tu re. The L aw of Inter mediate
Metals elimin ates t he need for t he ext r a con nection. This em pirical law
states that a third metal (iron (Fe) in this example) inserted between two
dissimila r met als will h ave no effect upon the ou tpu t volt age, provided
t he ju nctions for med a re a t t he s a me temper a t u re. Removing t he
reference t hermocouple m akes t he con nections m uch easier.

Internal DMM

Measurement
Thermocouple

Ice Bath

(External Reference Junction)

T his circuit is the best solu tion for accurate ther mocouple con nections. 8

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Chapter 8 Tutorial
Measurement Fundamentals

In some meas u remen t sit u a tions, however, it would be nice to remove

t he need for a n ice ba t h (or a ny ot her fixed exter n al reference). To do
t his, an isother m al block is used to m ake t he con nections. An isot her m al
block is an electrical insulator, but a good heat conductor. The addition al
thermocouples created at J1 and J2 are now held at the same temperature
by t he isot her m al block.

Once t he temper a t u re of t he isot her m al block is k nown, accu r a te

tem per a t u re measu remen ts ca n be m ade. A tem per at u re sensor is
mou n ted to t he isot her m al block to measu re its temper a t u re.

Internal DMM Reference Reference

Temperature Sensor

Measurement
Thermocouple

Isothermal Block
(Internal or External Reference)

Ther mocouples a re available in a va riety of types. The type is specified

by a single let ter. The t able on t he following p age shows t he most
com monly used t her mocouple types a nd some key ch a r acteristics of each.

N o t e: T he thermocouple conversion routines used by the 34970A are

com patible with the I nternational Tem perature Scale of 1990 (IT S-90).

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Chapter 8 Tutorial
Measurement Fundamentals

Lo a d i n g E r r or s D ue to In p u t R es is t a n ce Measu remen t loading

er ror s occu r when t he resis t a nce of t he device-u nder-test ( DUT) is a n
appreciable percen t age of t he inst r u men t’s own inpu t resist a nce.
The diagr a m below shows t his er ror sou rce.

RS
HI

VS Ri DMM

LO

Where:
Vs = Ideal DUT voltage
Rs = DUT source resistance
Ri = Input resistance (10 MΩ or >10 GΩ)

−100 x Rs
Error (%) =
Rs + Ri

To minimize loading er rors, set t he DMM ’s dc inp u t resist a nce to

grea ter t h a n 10 GΩ when needed (for more infor m ation on dc in pu t
resistance, see page 113).

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Chapter 8 Tutorial
Measurement Fundamentals

Lo a d i n g E r r or s D ue to In p u t Bi a s C u r re n t The semiconductor
devices used in t he inpu t circuits of t he in ter n al DMM h ave sligh t
leak age cu r ren ts called bias currents. The effect of t he inpu t bias
cu r ren t is a loading er ror a t t he in ter n al DMM ’s inpu t ter min als.
The leak age cu r ren t will app roxim a tely double for every 10 °C
tem per a t u re rise, t h us m aking t he problem m uch more appa ren t a t
higher tem per a t u res.

RS
HI

Ci
VS Ib Ri DMM

LO

Where:
I b = DMM bias current
Rs = DUT source resistance
Ri = Input resistance (10 MΩ or >10 GΩ)
Ci = DMM input capacitance

Error (V) = Ib x Rs

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Chapter 8 Tutorial
Measurement Fundamentals

R e s is t a n c e Me a s ur e m e n t s
An oh m meter measu res t he dc resist a nce of a device or circuit con nected
to its inpu t. Resist a nce meas u remen ts a re perfor med by s upplying a
known dc cu r ren t to a n u nk nown resist a nce a nd meas u ring t he
dc volt age drop.

HI To Amplifier and
Analog-to-Digital
Converter
Runknown Itest I

LO

The in ter n al DMM offer s two met hods for measu ring resist a nce:
2-wire a nd 4-wire oh m s. For bot h met hods, t he test cu r ren t flows from
t he in pu t HI termin al t h rough t he resistor being measu red. For 2-wire
oh m s, t he volt age drop across t he resistor being measu red is sen sed
in ter n al to t he DMM . Therefore, test lead resis t a nce is also meas u red.
For 4-wire oh ms, sep a r a te “sense” con nections a re required. Since no
cu r ren t flows in t he sense leads, t he resist a nce in t hese leads does not
give a measu remen t er ror.

4-Wi r e O h m s Me a s u r e m en ts The 4-wire oh m s met hod provides t he

most accu r a te way to measu re sm all resist a nces. Test lead, m ultiplexer,
a n d con t act resist a nces are a u tom a tically red uced using t his met hod.
The 4-wire oh ms met hod is often used in a u tom a ted test applica tions
where long cable lengt hs, inp u t con nections, a nd a m ultiplexer exist
between t he in ter n al DMM a n d t he device-u nder-test.

The recom men ded con nections for 4-wire oh m s meas u remen ts a re
shown in t he diagr a m on t he following page. A const an t cu r ren t sou rce,
forcing cu r ren t I t h rough u n known resist a nce R, develops a volt age
measu red by a dc volt age fron t end. The u n k nown resis t a nce is t hen
calcula ted using Oh m’s Law.

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Chapter 8 Tutorial
Measurement Fundamentals

The 4-wire oh ms method is used in sys tems where lead resist a nces ca n
become quite la rge a nd va riable a n d in a u tom a ted tes t applications
where cable lengt hs ca n be quite long. The 4-wire oh ms met hod h as t he
obvious disadva n t age of requiring twice as m a ny switches a nd twice as
m a ny wires as t he 2-wire met hod. The 4-wire oh m s met hod is used
almost exclusively for measu ring lower resis t a nce values in a ny
applica tion, especially for values less t h a n 10Ω a n d for high-accu r acy
requiremen ts s uch as RTD tem per a t u re t r a nsducers.

HI-Source

HI-Sense

I test
Vmeter
R= Vmeter
Itest

LO-Sense

LO-Source

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Chapter 8 Tutorial
Low-Level Signal Multiplexing and Switching

Low-Level Sign al Multiplexing a nd Switching

Low-level m ultiplexers a re available in t he following types: one-wire,
2-wire, a nd 4-wire. The following sections in t his ch ap ter describe each
type of m ultiplexer. The following low-level m ultiplexer modules a re
available wit h t he 34970A.
• 34901A 20-Ch a n nel Ar m a t u re Multiplexer
• 34902A 16-Ch a n nel Reed Multiplexer
• 34908A 40-Ch a n nel Single-E nded Multiplexer

An impor t a n t fea t u re of a m ultiplexer u sed as a DMM in pu t ch an nel is

t h at only one ch a n nel is con nected at a time. For exa mple, using a
m ultiplexer module a n d t he in ter n al DMM , you could configu re a
volt age measu remen t on ch a n nel 1 a nd a temper a t u re meas u remen t
on ch a n nel 2. The in st r u men t first closes t he ch an nel 1 relay, m akes t he
volt age measu remen t, and t hen opens t he relay before moving on to
ch a n nel 2 (called break-before-m ake switching).

Ot her low-level switching modules available wit h t he 34970A include

t he following:
• 34903A 20-Ch a n nel Act u a tor
• 34904A 4x8 Two-Wire Ma t rix

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Chapter 8 Tutorial
Low-Level Signal Multiplexing and Switching

On e-Wire (Si n gl e-E n d e d) Multi ple x e rs

On t he 34908A m ultiplexer, all of t he 40 ch a n nels switch t he H I inpu t
only, wit h a com mon LO for the module. The module also provides a
thermocouple reference junction for m aking thermocouple measurements
(for more information on the purpose of an isothermal block, see page 350).

To DMM Channel 1

Channel 2

Channel 3

Channel 4

Note: Only one channel can be closed at a time; closing one channel will open the
previously closed channel.

T w o-Wire Multi pl e x ers

The 34901A a nd 34902A m ultiplexers switch bot h H I a nd LO inpu ts,
t h us providing fully isola ted inp u ts to t he in ter n al DMM or a n exter n al

Module Reference
in st r u men t. These mod ules also provide a t her mocouple reference
ju nction for m aking t her mocouple measu remen ts (for more infor m ation
on the purpose of an isother m al block, see page 350).

To DMM Channel 1

Channel 2

Channel 3

Channel 4
8
Note: If any channels are configured to be part of the scan list, you cannot close
multiple channels; closing one channel will open the previously closed channel.

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Chapter 8 Tutorial
Low-Level Signal Multiplexing and Switching

F o u r-Wire Multi ple x ers

You ca n m ake 4-wire oh ms measu remen ts using t he 34901A a nd
34902A m ultiplexers. For a 4-wire oh m s measu remen t, t he ch a n nels a re
divided in to two indepen den t ba n ks by opening t he ba nk relay.

For 4-wire measu remen ts, t he inst r u men t a u tom a tically pair s ch a n nel n
wit h ch a n nel n+10 (34901A) or n+8 (34902A) to p rovide t he sou rce a n d
sen se con nections. For exam ple, m a ke t he source con nections to t he H I
a n d LO ter min als on ch a n nel 2 a nd t he sense con nections to t he H I a nd
LO ter min als on ch a n nel 12.

To DMM Source Channel 1 Source

Bank Relay Channel 2 Source

To DMM Sense Channel 11 Sense

Channel 12 Sense

Note: If any channels are configured to be part of the scan list, you cannot close
multiple channels; closing one channel will open the previously closed channel.

When m a king a 4-wire measu remen t, t he test cu r ren t flows t h rough t he

source con nections from t he HI ter min al t h rough t he resistor being
measu red. To elimin ate t he tes t lead resist a nce, a sepa r a te set of sense
con nections are used as shown below.

HI +

Source R Sense

_
LO

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Chapter 8 Tutorial
Low-Level Signal Multiplexing and Switching

Si g n al Ro u tin g a n d Multipl e xi n g
When u sed st a nd-alone for sign al rou ting (not sca n ning or con nected to
the intern al DMM), multiple channels on the 34901A and 34902A
m ultiplexers ca n be closed a t t he sa me time. You m ust be ca reful t h a t
t his does not crea te a h aza rdou s con dition (for exa mple, con necting two
power sou rces toget her).

Note t h a t a m ultiplexer is not direction al. For exam ple, you ca n u se a

m ultiplexer wit h a sou rce (such as a DAC) to con nect a single sou rce to
m ultiple test poin ts as s hown below.

DAC Multiplexer
OUT COM H

Channel 1

GND COM L Channel 2

Channel 3

Channel 4

Module Reference

381
 Chapter 9 Specifications
DC, Resistance, and Temperature Accuracy Specifications

DC, Resist a nce, a nd Temper a t u re Accu r acy Specifica tions

± ( % of reading + % of range ) [1]
Includes measurement error, switching error, and transducer conversion error
Temperature
Function Range [3] Test Current or 24 Hour [2] 90 Day 1 Year Coefficient /°C
Burden Voltage 23 °C ± 1 °C 23 °C ± 5 °C 23 °C ± 5 °C 0 °C – 18 °C
28 °C – 55 °C
DC Voltage 100.0000 mV 0.0030 + 0.0035 0.0040 + 0.0040 0.0050 + 0.0040 0.0005 + 0.0005
1.000000 V 0.0020 + 0.0006 0.0030 + 0.0007 0.0040 + 0.0007 0.0005 + 0.0001
10.00000 V 0.0015 + 0.0004 0.0020 + 0.0005 0.0035 + 0.0005 0.0005 + 0.0001
100.0000 V 0.0020 + 0.0006 0.0035 + 0.0006 0.0045 + 0.0006 0.0005 + 0.0001
300.000 V 0.0020 + 0.0020 0.0035 + 0.0030 0.0045 + 0.0030 0.0005 + 0.0003
Resistance [4] 100.0000 Ω 1 mA current source 0.0030 + 0.0035 0.008 + 0.004 0.010 + 0.004 0.0006 + 0.0005
1.000000 kΩ 1 mA 0.0020 + 0.0006 0.008 + 0.001 0.010 + 0.001 0.0006 + 0.0001
10.00000 kΩ 100 µA 0.0020 + 0.0005 0.008 + 0.001 0.010 + 0.001 0.0006 + 0.0001
100.0000 kΩ 10 µA 0.0020 + 0.0005 0.008 + 0.001 0.010 + 0.001 0.0006 + 0.0001
1.000000 MΩ 5 µA 0.002 + 0.001 0.008 + 0.001 0.010 + 0.001 0.0010 + 0.0002
10.00000 MΩ 500 nA 0.015 + 0.001 0.020 + 0.001 0.040 + 0.001 0.0030 + 0.0004
100.0000 MΩ 500 nA || 10 MΩ 0.300 + 0.010 0.800 + 0.010 0.800 + 0.010 0.1500 + 0.0002
DC Current 10.00000 mA < 0.1 V burden 0.005 + 0.010 0.030 + 0.020 0.050 + 0.020 0.002 + 0.0020
34901A Only 100.0000 mA < 0.6 V 0.010 + 0.004 0.030 + 0.005 0.050 + 0.005 0.002 + 0.0005
1.000000 A <2V 0.050 + 0.006 0.080 + 0.010 0.100 + 0.010 0.005 + 0.0010
Temperature Type Best Range Accuracy [5] Extended Range Accuracy [5]
[6]
Thermocouple B 1100°C to 1820°C 1.2°C 400°C to 1100°C 1.8°C 0.03°C
E -150°C to 1000°C 1.0°C -200°C to -150°C 1.5°C 0.03°C
J -150°C to 1200°C 1.0°C -210°C to -150°C 1.2°C 0.03°C
K -100°C to 1200°C 1.0°C -200°C to -100°C 1.5°C 0.03°C
N -100°C to 1300°C 1.0°C -200°C to -100°C 1.5°C 0.03°C
R 300°C to 1760°C 1.2°C -50°C to 300°C 1.8°C 0.03°C
S 400°C to 1760°C 1.2°C -50°C to 400°C 1.8°C 0.03°C
T -100°C to 400°C 1.0°C -200°C to -100°C 1.5°C 0.03°C
RTD R0 from 49Ω -200°C to 600°C 0.06°C 0.003°C
to 2.1 kΩ
Thermistor 2.2 k, 5 k, 10 k -80°C to 150°C 0.08°C 0.002°C

[1] Specifications are for 1 hour warm up and 61⁄2 digits

[2] Relative to calibration standards
[3] 20% over range on all ranges except 300 Vdc and 1 Adc ranges
[4] Specifications are for 4-wire ohms function or 2-wire ohms using Scaling to remove the offset.
Without Scaling, add 4Ω additional error in 2-wire ohms function.
[5] 1 year accuracy. For total measurement accuracy, add temperature probe error.
[6] Thermocouple specifications not guaranteed when 34907A module is present

404
Chapter 9 Specifications
To Calculate Total Measurement Error

To Calcula te Tot al Measu remen t E r ror

E ach specifica tion inclu des cor rection factors which accou n t for er rors
presen t due to oper a tion al limit a tions of t he in ter n al DMM . This section
explains these er rors and shows how to apply them to your measuremen ts.
Refer to “Interpreting Internal DMM Specifications,” starting on page 416,
to get a bet ter u nderst an ding of t he ter minology used a nd to help you
in ter pret t he in ter n al DMM ’s specifica tion s.

The in ter n al DMM’s accu r acy specifica tions a re expressed in t he for m:

(% of reading + % of range). In addition to t he reading er ror a nd r a nge
er ror, you m ay need to add addition al er rors for cer t ain oper a ting
conditions. Check the list below to make sure you include all measurement
er rors for a given fu nction. Also, m ake su re you apply t he conditions as
described in t he foot notes on t he specifica tion pages.
• If you a re oper a ting t he in ter n al DMM ou tside t he 23 °C ± 5 °C
temper a t u re r a nge specified, apply a n addition al tem perature
coefficien t error.
• For dc volt age, dc cu r ren t, a nd resis t a nce measu remen ts, you m ay
need to apply a n addition al reading speed error.
• For ac volt age a n d ac cu r ren t measu remen ts, you m ay need to apply
a n addition al low frequency error or crest factor error.

U n d er s t a n d i n g t h e “ % of r e a d i n g ” Er r o r The reading error

com pensa tes for in accu r acies t h a t res ult from t he fu nction a nd r a nge
you select, as well as t he inp u t sign al level. The reading er ror va ries
according to t he inpu t level on t he selected r a nge. This er ror is
expressed in percen t of reading. The following t able shows t he reading
er ror applied to t he in ter n al DMM ’s 24-hou r dc volt age specifica tion.

Reading Error Reading

Range Input Level (% of reading) Error Voltage
10 Vdc 10 Vdc 0.0015 ≤ 150 µV
10 Vdc 1 Vdc 0.0015 ≤ 15 µV
10 Vdc 0.1 Vdc 0.0015 ≤ 1.5 µV

414
Chapter 9 Specifications
To Calculate Total Measurement Error

U n d erst a n d i ng t he “ % of r a n ge ” Er ror The range error com pen sa tes

for in accu r acies t h a t result from t he fu nction a nd r a nge you select.
The r a nge er ror con t ribu tes a cons t a n t er ror, expressed as a percen t of
r a nge, in depen dent of t he inpu t sign al level. The following t able shows
t he r a nge er ror applied to t he DMM ’s 24-hou r dc volt age specifica tion.

Range Error Range

Range Input Level (% of range) Error Voltage
10 Vdc 10 Vdc 0.0004 ≤ 40 µV
10 Vdc 1 Vdc 0.0004 ≤ 40 µV
10 Vdc 0.1 Vdc 0.0004 ≤ 40 µV

To t a l Me a s u r e m en t Er r o r To com pu te t he tot al measu remen t er ror,

add t he reading er ror a n d r a nge er ror. You ca n then conver t t he tot al
measu remen t er ror to a “percen t of inp u t” er ror or a “pp m (pa r t-per-
million) of inpu t” er ror as shown below.

Total Measurement Error

% of input error = × 100
Input Signal Level

Total Measurement Error

pp m of input error = × 1,000,000
Input Signal Level

Example: Computing Total Measurement Error

Assu me t h a t a 5 Vdc sign al is inpu t to t he DMM on t he 10 Vdc r a nge.

Compu te t he tot al meas u remen t er ror using t he 90-day accu r acy
specifica tion of ±(0.0020% of reading + 0.0005% of r a nge).

Reading Error = 0.0020% x 5 Vdc = 100 µV

Range Error = 0.0005% x 10 Vdc = 50 µV

Total Error = 100 µV + 50 µV = ± 150 µV

= ± 0.0030% of 5 Vdc
= ± 30 ppm of 5 Vdc

415
9
Chapter 9 Specifications
Interpreting Internal DMM Specifications

In terpreting In ter n al DMM Specifica tions

This section is provided to give you a bet ter u nderst a nding of t he
ter minology used a nd will help you in terpret t he in ter n al DMM ’s
specifica tions.

N u m b er of Di git s a n d Ov erra n g e
The “n u mber of digits” specifica tion is t he mos t fu nda men t al, a nd
sometimes, t he most confusing ch a r acteristic of a m ultimeter.
The n u mber of digits is equ al to t he m axim u m n u mber of “9’s” t he
m ultimeter ca n measu re or display. This in dica tes t he n u mber of
full digits. Most m ultimeters h ave t he ability to over r a nge a nd add
a pa r tial or “1⁄2” digit.

For example, the inter nal DMM can measure 9.99999 Vdc on the 10 V
range. This rep resen ts six full digits of resolu tion. The in ter n al DMM
ca n also over r a nge on t he 10 V r a nge a nd measu re up to a m axim u m of
12.00000 Vdc. This cor responds to a 6 1⁄2-digit measu remen t wit h 20%
over r a nge capability.

S e n s iti vit y
Sen sitivity is t he minim u m level t h a t t he in ter n al DMM ca n detect for a
given measu remen t. Sensitivity defines t he ability of t he in ter n al DMM
to respond to sm all ch a nges in t he inp u t level. For exa mple, suppose you
a re monitoring a 1 mVdc sign al a nd you wa n t to adjus t t he level to
wit hin ±1 µV. To be able to respond to a n adjust men t t his s m all, t his
measu remen t would require a m ultimeter wit h a sen sitivity of a t least
1 µV. You could u se a 6 1⁄2-digit m ultimeter if it h as a 1 Vdc or sm aller
r a nge. You could also use a 4 1⁄2-digit m ultimeter wit h a 10 mVdc r a nge.

For ac volt age a n d ac cu r ren t meas u remen ts, note t h a t t he sm allest

value t h at ca n be meas u red is differen t from the sensitivity. For the
in ter n al DMM , t hese fu nction s a re specified to measu re down to 1% of
t he selected r a nge. For exam ple, t he in ter n al DMM ca n measu re down
to 1 mV on t he 100 mV r a nge.

416
Chapter 9 Specifications
Interpreting Internal DMM Specifications

R e s ol uti o n
Resolu tion is t he n u meric r a tio of t he m axim u m displayed value divided
by t he minim u m displayed value on a selected r a nge. Resolu tion is
often exp ressed in percen t, pa r ts-per-million (pp m), cou n ts, or bits.
For exa m ple, a 6 1⁄2-digit m ultimeter wit h 20% over r a nge cap ability ca n
display a measu remen t wit h up to 1,200,000 cou n ts of resolu tion.
This cor responds to abou t 0.0001% (1 ppm) of full scale, or 21 bits
inclu ding t he sign bit. All fou r specifica tion s a re equivalen t.

Ac c ura c y
Accu r acy is a meas u re of t he “exact ness” to which t he in ter n al DMM’s
measu remen t u ncer t ain ty can be deter mined relative to t he calibr a tion
reference used. Absolu te accu r acy includes t he in ter n al DMM’s rela tive
accu r acy specifica tion plus t he k nown er ror of t he calibr a tion reference
rela tive to n a tion al s t a nd a rds (such as t he U.S. N a tion al In stit u te of
Standards and Technology). To be meaningful, the accuracy specifications
m ust be accomp a nied wit h t he con ditions u nder which t hey a re valid.
These conditions s hould include temper a t u re, h u midity, a nd time.

There is no s t a nd a rd conven tion a mong instr u men t m a n ufact u rers for

t he confidence limits a t which specifica tions a re set. The t able below
shows t he probability of non-confor m a nce for each specification wit h t he
given assu m ptions.

Specification Probability
Criteria of Failure

Mean ± 2 sigma 4.5%

Mean ± 3 sigma 0.3%

Va ria tion s in perfor m a nce from reading to reading, a nd inst r u men t

to ins t r u men t, decrease for increasing n u mber of sigm a for a given
specifica tion. This mea n s t h a t you ca n achieve grea ter act u al
measu remen t precision for a specific accu r acy specifica tion n u mber.
The 34970A is designed a nd tes ted to meet perfor m a nce bet ter t h a n
mea n ±3 sigm a of t he p ublis hed accu r acy specifica tions.

417
9
Chapter 9 Specifications
Interpreting Internal DMM Specifications

24-Ho ur Ac c ura c y
The 24-hou r accu r acy specifica tion indica tes t he in ter n al DMM’s rela tive
accu r acy over its full measu remen t r a nge for shor t time in tervals and
wit hin a st able environ men t. Shor t-ter m accu r acy is us u ally specified
for a 24-hou r period a nd for a ±1 °C tem per a t u re r a nge.

90-D a y a n d 1-Ye ar Ac c ura c y

These long-ter m accu r acy specifica tions a re valid for a 23 °C ± 5 °C
temper a t u re r a nge. These specifica tions include t he initial calibr a tion
er rors plus t he in ter n al DMM’s long-ter m drift er rors.

Te m p erat ure Co effi cie n t s

Accu r acy is us u ally specified for a 23 °C ± 5 °C temper a tu re r a nge.
This is a com mon temper a t u re r a nge for m a ny oper a ting environ men ts.
You m ust add addition al temper a t u re coefficien t er rors to t he accu r acy
specification if you are operating the internal DMM outside a 23 °C ± 5 °C
tem per at u re r ange (t he specifica tion is per °C).

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