[volt-nuts] Calibration of 34401A

[Andrea Baldoni]

On Wed, Oct 12, 2016 at 09:54:01AM +0100, Dr. David Kirkby (Kirkby Microwave Ltd) wrote:

> He sold a Agilent 34401A multimeter which the customer said is out of
> specification and can not be adjusted.
> 
> Quickly scanning the measurent results,  the  meter is not showing results
> with any huge errors  (say 1%), but which (if any) range it is out of
> specification I don't know. Unlike the Keysight calibration certificates I
> have seen, the measurement results doesn't show the upper and lower limits
> for the specification of the meter,  so one can not tell from a quick
> glance if the meter is out of specification. One would need to study the
> detailed specification.

In the service guide (document 34401-90013) you will find the full list of
performance verification tests with upper and lower limits. You will need a
calibrator to verify them (except zero).
The DC 10V range accepted error after 1 year from calibration is +- 400uV
(+-190uV after 24 hours, +-250uV after 90 days), so -910uV are
in effect not inside limits and the instrument needs calibration.

Best regards,
 Andrea Baldoni