Agilent 2000X has lost a channel - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / testgear

author: Svuppe
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: July 20, 2014, 12:39:32 pm
content: Hi there.My DSOX 2024A has partially lost channel 1. It worked fine last time I used it (about a month ago), but today it acts up.I am using it with the standard 10:1 probes, DC coupled. When I use channel 1 at 2 V/div or lower, it works fine. Going to 5 V/div or higher, the result varies. Usually it either gets a false DC offset, possibly hitting either the top or bottom limit, or I get a waveform that looks like it may be AC coupled.Also, toggling between higher and lower V/div does NOT trigger a relay click if I turn the knob slowly, but it does if I do it fast. If I get the relay click going to the higher V/div, the channel seems to work as expected, but only until I turn the V/div down and then up again.Furthermore, the hardware self test fails with this message: "Self test failed: Talon Slice"Do you have any ideas to what may have happened? I always take good care of my equipment, and can't think of anything that could have caused this.

author: georges80
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: July 20, 2014, 05:06:32 pm
content: It should have a 5yr warranty. Time to call Agilent and see how good their service is in your neck of the woods.cheers,george.

author: HighVoltage
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 20, 2014, 05:49:28 pm
content: I bought a new function generator from Agilent last year (From a German distributor) and after only 4 month it had a problem and gave an error code during start up. Then I called Agilent and they shipped me a new one right away and asked me to put the broken one in to the box and ship it back to them.They even supplied a return shipping label with UPS.At least in Germany, the Agilent service is really good.I would just Agilent and ask them what to do.The warranty will cover everything on your scope.

author: Svuppe
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: July 20, 2014, 08:26:14 pm
content: Of course it will go back for repair. I have no intentions of trying anything myself while it is within warranty. I was just curious as to what this error may be, and what might have caused it.

author: alex.forencich
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: July 21, 2014, 05:35:53 pm
content: Talon is the code name for the ADC chip that they use. It is composed of a number of slow ADC slices that are interpolated to capture the whole waveform. Sounds like one of those slices has gone kaput, and the ADC chip would need to be replaced. They will probably just replace the whole board.

author: Svuppe
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: July 21, 2014, 07:30:33 pm
content: Thanks. That would explain the inconsistent waveforms I am seeing.

author: alex.forencich
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: July 21, 2014, 10:28:49 pm
content: This is a paper detailing how the ADCs work, from one of the guys who designed it:http://poulton.net/papers.public/2002isscc_10_1_tal.pdf

author: taemun
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: July 22, 2014, 08:50:34 am
content: Quote from: alex.forencich on July 21, 2014, 10:28:49 pmNeat! Thanks for the link.

author: Svuppe
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: July 22, 2014, 09:11:27 am
content: Yes, thank you for that link. It looks quite interesting. Bookmarked for bedtime reading tonight.

author: Svuppe
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: July 31, 2014, 11:19:11 am
content: Just to give you the end of the story: The scope went in for repair, but they ended up replacing the entire unit.It is now back on my workbench

author: georges80
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: July 31, 2014, 03:36:13 pm
content: Great to hear that they took care of situation properly - i.e. rather than you having to wait for a repair they realised that the customer needs to get back operating asap. It re-affirms that one key benefit of buying equipment from a tier 1 company is the service they provide (of course it is unfortunate that it had a fault at all).cheers,george.

author: Hydrawerk
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 31, 2014, 04:18:10 pm
content: Did you new Agilent scope come with a protective sticker on the LCD? My scope did not!

author: Svuppe
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: July 31, 2014, 05:52:49 pm
content: Nope. No sticker on the screen. As far as I remember, my first one didn't have one either.

author: saturation
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 01, 2014, 06:29:06 pm
content: Great. How long did it take from shipping to getting the replacement? Did you pay to ship it to them? Did they offer to exchange your unit with a working unit?Between your initial comment and the reply below is a gap of 10 days.Quote from: Svuppe on July 31, 2014, 11:19:11 amIdeally, this is how I'd prefer service from a premium manufacturer, to reduce downtime in the instrument usage and cost for defect that is no fault of the owner.Quote from: HighVoltage on July 20, 2014, 05:49:28 pm

author: Svuppe
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: August 01, 2014, 09:14:04 pm
content: The time was 9 days total. As for the rest of the questions, it isn't totally straightforward to answer those. It was handled through my workplace and the distributor they use. I don't know if they had a saying in the scope swap or not.

author: saturation
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 02, 2014, 01:29:55 pm
content: Thanks! If it went through workplace channels that is still speedy indeed.Quote from: Svuppe on August 01, 2014, 09:14:04 pm