Keysight Technologies 11904S User's And Service Manual

Keysight Technologies 11904S User's And Service Manual Manual pdf 26 page image

3 Use, Maintenance, and Care of the Devices26 Keysight 11904S User’s and Service GuideSlotted connectors (2.92 mm)When using slotted connectors, inspect the contact fingers in the female center conductorcarefully. These can be bent or broken, and damage to them is not always easy to see. A connectorwith damaged contact fingers will not make good electrical contact and must be replaced.Precision slotless connectors (2.4 mm)The female 2.4 mm connectors in this set are metrology-grade, precision slotless connectors(PSC). Precision slotless connectors are used to improve accuracy. A characteristic of metrology-grade connectors is directly traceability to national measurement standards through their well-defined mechanical dimensions. With PSCs on test ports and standards, the accuracy achievedwhen measuring at 50 dB return loss levels is comparable to using conventional slotted connectorsmeasuring devices having only 30 dB return loss. This represents an accuracy improvement ofabout 10 times.The female 2.92 mm connectors have slotted contacts and, therefore, cannot be consideredmetrology-grade. Due to the extremely thin wall of the 2.92 mm female connector, a slotlessmetrology-grade 2.92 mm connector pair does not currently exist.Conventional female center conductors are slotted and, when mated, are flared by the male pin.Because physical dimensions determine connector impedance, this change in physical dimensionaffects electrical performance, making it very difficult to perform precision measurements withconventional slotted connectors.The precision slotless connector was developed to eliminate this problem. The PSC has a centerconductor with a solid cylindrical shell, the outside diameter of which does not change whenmated. Instead, the center conductor has an internal contact that flexes to accept the male pin.NOTE This is particularly important when mating non-precision to precision devices.