Anyone have an original Fluke 5200A extender card - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: Tony_G
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 21, 2024, 04:21:24 am
content: Hey All,I know this isn't strictly Metrology related but out of all the groups, I thought this would have the best chance of finding someone who actually has the original Fluke 5200A Extender Card and if so, would you be willing to post a front and back image of it (maybe sitting on a ruler for sizing if possible)?I have an eBay extender card but it doesn't fit into the power supply area due to width so I thought I'd just design my own one and thus, I'm really interested in how Fluke laid it out.Thanks,TonyG

author: Bill158
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: July 21, 2024, 04:14:15 pm
content: Tony:Here are a few pictures of my original FLUKE 5200A extender board.2715 shows one side of the extender board. The male end goes into the socket in the 5200A where the board to be elevated was located. The female connector end is where the board to be serviced is placed above the card cage. This extender board has blank pc board material on each side for safety isolating you from the high voltage that are on the extender traces. This of course makes it difficult to show you how the traces are run on the extender. 2710 shows some of the traces using back lighting on the "back side" of the board (the side where the top connector is on the other side). 2711 shows the same side in the middle of the board, the left side of the picture shows a few of the pins from the female connector on the other side of the board. 2713 shows the female connector end from the backside. 2715 shows the whole board from the top side with a tape measure to show you the overall length of 11 5/16 inches. 2716 shows the width from the top side of 3 3/4 inches. 2717 shows the backside of the female connector at the top of the board from the backside.As you can see the whole board is riveted together at 5 points. Let me know if you need some more specific pictures.I have never had to use this PCB extender so I can't tell you how it fits in the power supply section. If you have any questions please ask.Bill

author: Tony_G
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 21, 2024, 10:28:50 pm
content: Thanks, Bill - Really appreciate the images - They will help a lot - From the first look, I think it should fit the power supply area too.Also thanks for being open to more questions.UPDATE: Peering into the photos a bit, I can see that they use "turrets" for the pins to enable you to hook onto signals - Very helpful.TonyG

author: Bill158
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: July 22, 2024, 04:46:23 pm
content: Quote from: Tony_G on July 21, 2024, 10:28:50 pmTony:In looking at the extender board I now see that FLUKE did indeed include very short "turrets" for hooking probes onto the connector for the raised board to be tested. I never noticed that before, but then like I said I have never had a need to use this extender. I saw it on ebay once and grabbed it. It came with two SMB to SMB cables with SMB to BNC connectors, 2X SMB to male BNC and 2X SMB to female BNC, also. It is the complete 5200A service kit as far as I can tell.I took these pictures originally for "RAX" on EEVBLOG (Radu Dicher) about 1 1/2 years ago. He was working on a 5200A that he got. He was going to layout an extender board but I don't know if he ever got that project completed.One other dimension of this board, it is 0.195" thick which follows as with the main board with the traces and then the two "covering" blank safety panels the PCBs are 0.065" thick each.Bill

author: Tony_G
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 22, 2024, 06:42:49 pm
content: Thanks again Bill for the information on the cables.TonyG

author: Rax
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 23, 2024, 01:36:12 am
content: Quote from: Bill158 on July 22, 2024, 04:46:23 pmBill - I haven't gotten the time to develop this at the time, no. Besides, my 5200A has been working OK, except for that occasional jump by 4 counts on a certain digit, which I mentioned on the original thread. It goes away with a restart, so it hasn't been bothering me a whole lot.If I'm reconnecting with this project, if you could please provide more info on that card edge + connector. Could you measure the distance between pins? Also, I seem to count 43 pins on the row? So 43x2?

author: Bill158
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: July 23, 2024, 03:33:56 pm
content: Quote from: Rax on July 23, 2024, 01:36:12 amRAX:The P/N on the connector is 345-086-520-201. Looks like it was made by EDAC and the connector is available from DIGIKEY and probably all other electronics parts suppliers. Pin spacing is 0.100 " and there are 43 pins each side for a total of 86 pins.Bill

author: Rax
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 23, 2024, 06:53:13 pm
content: Quote from: Bill158Bill - I'll contact EDAC directly. They've been very helpful in fabricating the edge connector I needed for my Fluke 5440 series riser card (that particular one not being available off the shelf anywhere).Thank you for this info!

author: Rax
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 24, 2024, 12:45:11 pm
content: Quote from: Bill158 on July 23, 2024, 03:33:56 pmI am not seeing this readily available from any US suppliers. I think availability relies on the supplier getting an order with EDAC directly. Which doesn't surprise me, given these are card edge connectors for ancient units like this.Regardless, my experience with EDAC is that they're very willing to fabricate this kind of thing in relatively small runs and with not a long lead time. I'll see what I can source.

author: Tony_G
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 24, 2024, 03:07:32 pm
content: I was looking to use this, though I haven't done a deep check that it is a proper replacement just that the pitch was 0.1"https://www.digikey.com/en/products/detail/te-connectivity-amp-connectors/1-5530843-0/2310825TonyG

author: Bill158
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: July 24, 2024, 03:52:34 pm
content: Here is a Sullins also at Digikey. I am not sure about the PCB termination. You need to look at the spec sheet.https://www.digikey.com/en/products/detail/sullins-connector-solutions/ECC43DRTN/1318011?s=N4IgjCBcoEwJxVAYygMwIYBsDOBTANCAPZQDaIAzACwBsVcA7CALqEAOALlCAMocBOASwB2AcxABfQhQAMiECkgYcBYmUoBWGQzg0W7LpF4CR4qSAAcF%2BYuV5CJSOXhgqG66xCdufIWMmEFgjQCmhY9mpOIIwwep7eRr6mASAaFHohtuGqjuQMNDQa%2Bl6Gxn5mhO7ByGEqDupUMloyMMUJZcnmMGAMrZm1EbkgrfGlACJEAK4ARpi4KQC0fTWQApM56kXMEjtAABill

author: Rax
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 24, 2024, 05:02:16 pm
content: Oh, yes, I see. I was looking specifically at the EDAC part Bill pointed out.But all those seem to fit.

author: Tony_G
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 25, 2024, 02:12:27 am
content: Hey Bill, Rax,I'm just working up a new layout - Let me know if you have any thoughts.Bill - If you happen to have a few minutes to spare, could you look at the measurements and tell me how far off I am on that?Thanks,TonyG

author: Bill158
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: July 25, 2024, 06:59:30 pm
content: Quote from: Tony_G on July 25, 2024, 02:12:27 amMost of your dimensions are damn close! The overall length of the extender is 11.3" when doing a better measurement with my 6" dial caliper (from the bottom of the PCB to the bottom of the connector and then from the bottom of the connector to the top of the extender). The connector is dead on from the back of the PCB as well as the distance from the bottom of the PCB. The one thing I see, that you might consider, is the width of the PCB. The width over the entire length is 3.80". There is no width change for the PCB "fingers" which plug into the mother board of the 5200A. You can see this in #2710, 2715 and 2716 somewhat but the "safety" PC boards that are over each side of the extender PCB makes this not very clear. I wonder if FLUKE made the whole extender this way because the front side of the extender may rest against the 5200A frame which may make it more stable and the "fingers" won't pull out of the mother board when you have the extended PCB under troubleshooting up on top. So your 0.43" additional for the "fingers" wouldn't be needed. The "safety" PCBs are have been "reamed" out to allow the "fingers" to enter the mother board socket. The "notch" above the "fingers" is about0.0500.300 in the original extender. But never having had the extender in my 5200A I am not sure about this making it more stable. The 2 "safety" PCBs on either side of the main extender make the extender assembly extremely ridged along with riveting the whole thing together. But without the "safety" PCBs yours would probably stiff enough. I hope you can follow what I am saying.Bill

author: Rax
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 25, 2024, 09:09:37 pm
content: We've switched roles a bit here - or essentially went into more a joint venture mode - and here's a rough, initial tackle at making this board in Kicad. Overall dimensions are 11.3" x 3.8" (right, Bill?). The toughest part is typically the ancient card edge connector, so I had to make a custom .1" (2.54mm) pitch 2x43 position footprint. Still have to look at the female end of the card (so to speak).I'll probably run a rather granular feedback request from Bill, but likely take it offline.

author: Rax
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 25, 2024, 10:14:49 pm
content: Here's the same, brought a bit further along, though the location of the vertical card connector (female, receiving for the card to be troubleshooted) is not yet determined precisely. The latter is a TE 1-5530843-0, which I think is the most affordable fitting choice (in the US).

author: tridac
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: August 02, 2024, 11:16:18 am
content: I got an externder card from an Ebay seller in Korea, around $60, from memory, after searching for ages for the Fluke accessory. Looks larger than the Fluke version, but if I were trying to build one, would probably have one small card with connector at each end, then use ribbon cable to join the two. Would provide more flexibility in terms of card orientation. The power supply is definately fragile and runs quite hot in normal operation, discolouring the boards over time. Probably exacerbated by uk line voltage, often nearly 250 volts. Low value resistors used as fuses, if any problems arise on the power amp, which must have been pushing the state of the art at the time. Got over the heat problem by fitting a small fan in the psu compartment, which now runs much cooler. Well worth the mod.

author: Rax
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 22, 2024, 10:57:19 pm
content: The good news: 2U ENIG finished boards are in production in beta stage. This far everything checks out.The bad news: in checking how my alpha-run batch works and fits, I removed A9 (oscillator control module), and as I'm trying to put it back, I'm seeing a rainbow ribbon dangling unconnected. Can anyone possibly look at their A9 and see if they see this? Is it un-connected (can't imagine why). If connected, where does it connect?I'm in that unpleasant place where I hope I didn't prove Murphy (the guy with the laws) right and damage my working unit when I didn't really need to.

author: Rax
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 22, 2024, 11:58:01 pm
content: Record pictures from last year - when I was "photo-documenting" the unit - seem to show the same dangling ribbon cable.Granted, I don't think I had any reason to look at this particular module very closely, much less pull it out.Could it be this was not connected in the unit as I received it (and working fine)? If yes, what was its use? Probing? Some sort of impedance matching network? I can come up with a couple other crazy ideas, but this is at this time really mysterious to me. Also, not documented in the SM, as far as I can tell.

author: Rax
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 23, 2024, 12:34:31 am
content: A bit of spam possibly on this specific thread (and hopefully closing off this side story shortly), but a quick check seems to point to no obvious issues. So the unit seems to work OK.I'd still like to figure out what's the use or reason for this ribbon cable coming out of U5.

author: Rax
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 23, 2024, 01:10:11 pm
content: Polling a couple of other 5200A owners, I'm provisionally concluding this was some prior owner providing themselves an easy way to probe U5. Done and over!BTW - many thanks to Tony_G for the input and feedback in order to design this raiser card!

author: tridac
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: August 23, 2024, 10:23:49 pm
content: Looks too sloppy for an official Fluke thing, so probably something a provious owner has added for some reason. If it works, just cut / unsolder it at the board end. Of course, you could look at the schematic, to try and work out what it might have been added for..

author: Rax
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 24, 2024, 12:10:53 am
content: Quote from: tridac on August 23, 2024, 10:23:49 pmI lean to agree, although if you've seen the reference inside a 732A oven, or - extreme example - a Datron 1281 - they're full of wires and ribbons directly soldered to pads and even parts. Particularly the second example is incredibly "organically grown" with iterative improvements, fixes, etc., where parts were soldered on top of other parts on top of yet some others. Wires connecting across, heatshrink, etc.

author: TheDefpom
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: August 24, 2024, 04:28:06 am
content: That ribbon was not present inside my 5200A, I think it is from someone trying to diagnose something on the board without a riser card.

author: Rax
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 04, 2024, 02:51:41 pm
content: Reiterating my thanks to Tony for his collaborating on this. Enclosed pics of the current version, soon to undergo further "peer review" testing.