To Calculate Total Measurement Error - Agilent Technologies Agilent E1412A User Manual

To Calculate Total Measurement Error

Each specification includes correction factors which account for errors present due to operational limitations of
the multimeter. This section explains these errors and shows how to apply them to your measurements. Refer to
the section titled "Interpreting Multimeter Specifications" beginning on page 182 to get a better understanding
of the terminology used and to help you interpret the multimeter's specifications.
The multimeter's accuracy specifications are expressed in the form: ( % of reading + % of range ). In addition
to the reading error and range error, you may need to add additional errors for certain operating conditions. Check
the list below to make sure you include all measurement errors for a given function. Also, make sure you apply
the conditions as described in the footnotes on the specification pages.
•
If you are operating the multimeter outside the 23°C5°C temperature range specified, apply an additional
temperature coefficient error.
•
For dc voltage, dc current, and resistance measurements, you may need to apply an additional reading
speed error or autozero OFF error.
•
For ac voltage and ac current measurements, you may need to apply an additional low frequency error or
crest factor error.
Understanding the "% of reading" Error
The reading error compensates for inaccuracies that result from the function and range you select, as well as the
input signal level. The reading error varies according to the input level on the selected range. This error is
expressed in percent of reading. The following table shows the reading error applied to the multimeter's 24-hour
dc voltage specification.
Understanding the "% of range" Error
The range error compensates for inaccuracies that result from the function and range you select. The range error
contributes a constant error, expressed as a percent of range, independent of the input signal level. The following
table shows the range error applied to the multimeter's 24-hour dc voltage specification.
180 E1412A Multimeter Specifications
Range Input Level
10Vdc 10Vdc
10Vdc 1Vdc
10Vdc 0.1Vdc
Range Input Level
10Vdc 10Vdc
10Vdc 1Vdc
10Vdc 0.1Vdc
Range Error Range Error
(% of range) Voltage

0.0015
150

0.0015

0.0015
1.5
Range Error Range Error
(% of range) Voltage

0.0004

0.0004

0.0004

V

15 V

V

40 V

40 V

40 V
Appendix A