Basic Source-Measure Operation; Caution - Keithley 6430 Instruction Manual

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Basic Source-Measure Operation

CAUTION

Excessive heat could damage the SourceMeter and at the very least, degrade its perfor-
mance. The SourceMeter must be operated in an environment where the ambient temperature
does not exceed 50°C.
The SourceMeter uses a heat sink to dissipate heat. The left side of the case is cut out to
expose the black, finned heat sink. To prevent damaging heat build-up and thus, ensure speci-
fied performance, adhere to the following precautions:
• Keep the heat sink free of dust, dirt, and contaminates, since its ability to dissipate
heat could become impaired.
• Keep the bottom cooling vents from becoming blocked. NEVER remove the plastic
feet and place the SourceMeter directly on a flat surface. NEVER operate the
SourceMeter when it is sitting on a conformable surface (such as a carpet). This
could block the bottom cooling vents.
• Do not position any devices adjacent to the SourceMeter that force air (heated or
unheated) into or onto its surfaces or cooling vents. This additional airflow could
compromise accuracy performance.
• When rack mounting the SourceMeter, make sure there is adequate airflow around
the bottom and sides to ensure proper cooling. Adequate airflow enables air tempera-
tures within approximately one inch of the SourceMeter surfaces to remain within
specified limits under all operating conditions.
• Rack mounting high power dissipation equipment adjacent to the SourceMeter
could cause excessive heating to occur. The specified ambient temperatures must be
maintained around the surfaces of the SourceMeter to specified accuracies.
• A good measure to ensure proper cooling in rack situations with convection cooling
only is to place the hottest equipment (i.e., power supply) at the top of the rack.
Precision equipment, such as the SourceMeter, should be placed as low as possible in
the rack where temperatures are the coolest. Adding spacer panels below the
SourceMeter will help ensure adequate airflow.