Using Agilent 3458 Multimeter for precision sampling in calibration latoratory

Project Description

Agilent 3458 Multimeter is a work-horse in all modern electricity and magnetism calibration laboratories. The instrument provides a powerful future of accurate high-resolution sampling with sampling frequency up to 100 kHz. A lot of research, publications and actual measurement set-ups have already been performed worldwide using this 3458 sampling capacity, including but not limited to, highly accurate LF voltage and current measurement and mains-frequency power measurement. However, all this knowledge and experience is rather segmented and not easily accessible to calibration laboratories.

The intent of this project is to collect all available information in a single and structured Guide documente, which will provide calibration laboratories with all necessary information to set-up and use the sampling feature of the 3458 multimeter at its best. If necessary, further research will be conducted to complement available knowledge.


Final Report 2017-06-29

Although the project gained wide interest, the coordinator was not able to attract participating partners to actively contribute to the writing of the Guide document in the first years after the project was agreed. After that period, R. Lapuh proposed to write a book on the 3458A sampling capabilities alone, collecting also participating partners solutions if available. The proposal was accepted by all partners. 

The work on the book started and turned out to be the author multi-year endavour, in which he was able to collect a lot of information  being already published, but also from metrology colleagues from EURAMET and other RMOs. The work on the book also resulted in some original research co-published by the coordinator. PTB, VSL, SP, and SIQ accepted the proposal to include a more detail description of one of their 3458A applications for a special chapter of the book. These descriptions were prepared based on the published material, complemented by additional information asked for by the coordinator and provided directly by these institutes. Further, SIQ provided the coordinator an access to four 3458A and other related equipment when it was not used for calibrations. This enabled the author to perform all the measurements specifically for the book. 

As the book will be prepared solely by the coordinator of this project, he will publish this book himself under his authorship, expectedly in mid 2018. All contributions of others will be acknowledged in the book. The preparation of the book entitled "Sampling with 3458A" in now in a final stage. For that reason, the project is no more needed and is being formally closed.