Precision Digital Multimeters Step Up to Meet Modern Electronic Design Challenges

In today's electronic designs, from low-power IoT products to automotive electronics, low power consumption and high efficiency are key competitive advantages for manufacturers. Achieving these goals means that designers must now measure lower currents more than ever before and be able to capture more complex load current waveforms generated by wireless devices . A key challenge is finding powerful, easy-to-use instruments with sufficient sensitivity at very low power levels.

The challenges continue when it comes to audit, environmental, and manufacturing test. Manufacturers want to keep projects on schedule, increase test speeds to improve throughput, minimize the number of test stations, and reduce the number of instruments per test system. Given ever-shortening development schedules and competitive market pressure to be first to innovate, few design and test engineers have the time to learn the ins and outs of test instrumentation, so intuitive operation is highly valued.

Keithley, an industry leader, has a popular line of digital multimeters (DMMs). The Precision Series is a high-end digital multimeter that features a touchscreen interface that simplifies the transition from data collection to analysis. The series combines high accuracy with speed, and the DMM6500 and DMM7510 provide powerful tools for researchers and engineers with their superior performance and wide range of applications.

DMM6500: A cost-effective choice

The DMM6500 is a versatile 6½-digit digital multimeter that combines high accuracy, wide dynamic range, and an intuitive touchscreen interface. The DMM6500 has many industry-leading features that make the work of designers and test engineers easier. 15 different measurement functions provide a wide range of capabilities and flexibility; the waveform capture function with 1 Ms/s digitization is an industry-leading feature that helps designers capture low current waveforms. It provides a very wide dynamic current and resistance range (10pA-10A DC current; 1μΩ-100MΩ resistance). The instrument's 5-inch touchscreen features waveform drawing, movable cursors, pinch and zoom, and statistics for immediate understanding of measurement results. Features include:

• High Resolution: Provides 0.002% DC voltage accuracy and can measure down to 1μV.

• Large touch screen display: 5-inch capacitive touch screen, supports multi-touch, convenient for users to view and analyze data.

• Data logging capability: Built-in 32GB memory can store millions of data points and support long-term data logging.

• Multi-function measurement: supports multiple measurement modes such as voltage, current, resistance, capacitance, temperature, frequency, etc.

The DMM6500 is ideal for the following applications:

• Education and Laboratory: Its easy-to-use interface and high cost-performance make it an ideal choice for teaching and basic research.

• Industrial Automation: Extensive measurement functions and data logging capabilities make it suitable for quality control and maintenance of production lines.

• Electronics Testing: High precision and versatility for comprehensive testing of electronic components and circuits.

Application Case: DMM6500 in Battery Cell Testing

As the smallest unit of a power battery and also an energy storage unit, the battery cell must have a high energy density to store as much energy as possible so that electric vehicles have a longer range. In addition, the life of the battery cell is also the most critical factor. Any damage to a battery cell will cause damage to the entire battery pack. Therefore, relevant tests must be carried out during the battery cell production process to better ensure the quality of the power battery.

Cell formation and capacity grading equipment is generally a system equipment with more than 100CH for cells. During the production process, the voltage and current of the equipment charging and discharging need to be calibrated regularly. The calibration standard instrument must be at least a 6½ digital multimeter. The DMM6500 multi-channel measurement diagram is as follows.

The DMM6500 is a 6½-inch DMM with a voltage accuracy of 1mV and a current accuracy of 0.5mA, which is suitable for battery cell calibration. In addition, you can also choose the DMM7510 (0.1mV) with a higher voltage accuracy.

DMM7510: A powerful tool for high-end precision measurement

The DMM7510 model is one of the most accurate 7.5-digit digital multimeters on the market. It is suitable for applications that require precise and fast measurements and is the preferred choice for advanced scientific and engineering applications. The DMM7510 is Tektronix Keithley's flagship product, with higher accuracy and richer features, designed for demanding measurement tasks. Its main features include:

• High-precision measurement: The DMM7510 uses a 32-bit A/D converter with extremely low noise level and high resolution, which can accurately measure the weak current and voltage signals sent from the sensor to ensure the accuracy and reliability of the data.

  
  

• Intuitive Graphical Interface: The graphical user interface equipped with a touch screen makes the monitoring and analysis of complex data intuitive and easy. Engineers can view and analyze measurement data in real time, making adjustments and optimizations quickly and accurately.

  
  

• Flexible measurement functions: DMM7510 supports a wide range of measurement functions, including voltage, current, resistance and more, to meet changing test needs. The automatic calibration function ensures measurement accuracy in long-term use.

The DMM7510 excels in the following high-precision measurement areas:

• Scientific research: Its ultra-high accuracy and advanced data processing capabilities meet the precision measurement needs in cutting-edge scientific research.

• Semiconductor testing: Applicable to detailed characteristic analysis of semiconductor devices to ensure that product performance meets design requirements.

• High-reliability testing: The DMM7510 is a reliable choice in applications that require long-term stability and high accuracy, such as aerospace and medical device testing.

Application Case: Application of DMM7510 in Distance Measurement Sensor

In the autonomous driving technology of electric vehicles, the accuracy of ranging sensors is crucial for the safe operation and efficient performance of the vehicle. Sensors must provide accurate and reliable data in a variety of environments and conditions. However, one of the biggest challenges in developing and testing autonomous driving sensors is how to accurately measure tiny current and voltage changes. These changes directly affect the performance of the sensor, thereby affecting the response speed and accuracy of the entire vehicle system. Traditional measurement tools often have difficulty meeting high-precision measurement requirements, or are not intuitive enough in data processing and display. Tektronix's Keithley DMM7510 multimeter has shown its unique advantages in practice with its excellent measurement accuracy, low noise and high-resolution data output.

The application of DMM7510 is crucial in the range sensor test of electric vehicles. It is not only used for basic current and voltage measurements, but also capable of complex waveform analysis and signal integrity testing. Advanced trigger options and analysis tools can help engineers capture key data and identify potential problem points, thereby optimizing sensor design and functionality. The following figure shows the use of Keithley's DMM7510 multimeter's high precision and high sampling rate characteristics to test the sensor's current to calculate and debug the signal fed back to the ADAS system.

The comprehensive performance and advanced test functions of the DMM7510 high-precision multimeter make it a powerful tool for the development and testing of distance sensors in the electric vehicle industry. By providing accurate measurement results and efficient problem solving, it accelerates the development and application of new technologies.

Whether it is DMM6500 or DMM7510, Tektronix Keithley's digital multimeters have demonstrated excellent measurement performance and a wide range of applications. With its high cost-effectiveness and ease of use, DMM6500 has become an ideal tool for education, industry and general electronic testing. And DMM7510 has become a must-have equipment for scientific research, high-end electronics and reliability testing with its unparalleled accuracy and powerful functions. Choosing the right multimeter can significantly improve measurement efficiency and data accuracy, thereby promoting scientific and technological innovation and industrial progress. Tektronix Keithley continues to lead the development of digital multimeters to meet the ever-changing measurement needs.