Keysight Technologies N2879A User manual

User’s Guide

Keysight N2879A

Fine Pitch Accessory Kit

Contents

N2879A Fine Pitch Accessory Kit 3

Safety Information 4

Accessory Details 5

N2879A Fine Pitch Accessory Kit

The N2879A Fine Pitch Accessory Kit is to be used with the Keysight N2870A

Series passive probe family. This kit contains accessories that make it easier to

probe and measure signals on fine pitch surface mount components.

Kit Contents

The following table shows the accessories supplied in the N2879A kit. Some of

these accessories are discussed in greater detail starting on page 5.

Accessory Quantity

Spring-loaded probe tips, gold-plated 0.5 mm 5

Rigid probe tips, CuBe 0.5 mm 5

Ground blade, 2.5 mm 3

Ground spring, 2.5 mm 3

Dual adapter, 2.5 to 0.8 mm sockets 2

Pico hook, black 2

Pico hook, red 2

IC cap, 2.5 - 0.5 mm green 3

IC cap, 2.5 - 0.65 mm blue 3

IC cap, 2.5 - 0.8 mm gray 3

IC cap, 2.5 - 1.0 mm brown 3

IC cap, 2.5 - 1.27 mm black 3

PCB adapter kit 2.5 10

Insulating cap, 2.5 mm 1

Protection cap, 2.5 mm 1

QFP IC clips, 13 mm long down to 0.5 mm pitch

(one pair yellow/green)

QFP IC clips, short down to 0.5 mm pitch (one pair

yellow/green)

Micro SMD clip 2

2 leg probe positioner 1

Self-adhesive Cu-pads (2x2 cm) 10

Safety Information

Warning To avoid personal injury and to prevent fire or damage to this product or products

connected to it, review and comply with the following safety precautions (these

apply to the accessories in the N2879A kit and the N2870A Series probes). Be

aware that if you use this probe assembly in a manner not specified, the protection

this product provides may be impaired.

Handle Probe Tips / Accessories Carefully

Some of the probe tips / accessories are very sharp (the spring tips and ground

spring, for example). You should handle these with care to avoid personal injury.

Use Only Grounded Instruments

Do not connect the probe’s ground lead to a potential other than earth ground.

Always make sure the probe and the oscilloscope are grounded properly.

Connect and Disconnect Properly

Connect the probe to the oscilloscope and connect the ground lead to earth

ground before connecting the probe to the circuit under test. Disconnect the

probe input and the probe ground lead from the circuit under test before

disconnecting the probe from the oscilloscope.

Observe Probe Ratings

Do not apply any electrical potential to the probe input which exceeds the

maximum rating of the probe. Make sure to comply with the voltage versus

frequency derating curve in the N2870A Series User’s Guide.

Keep Away From Live Circuits

Avoid open circuitry. Do not touch connections or components when power is

present.

Indoor Use Only

Do not operate in wet/damp environments. Keep product surfaces dry and clean.

Do Not Operate With Suspected Failures

Refer to qualified service personnel.

Do Not Operate in an Explosive Environment

Accessory Details

Below is information regarding some of the accessories in the N2879A Fine Pitch

Accessory Kit.

Replacing Rigid/Solid Probe Tips and Spring-

Loaded Probe Tips

These solid tips and spring-loaded tips are replaceable. To change the probe tip,

use pliers to grip the tip and pull it straight out of its contact socket along the

axis of the probe. Do not grip the plastic insulator or the housing with the pliers

because the tip could be crushed (see images below). This could result in being

unable to remove the tip and/or damaging the probe. Once the probe tip is

removed, the new tip can be inserted with pliers into the contact socket along

the axis of the probe. In order to insert the probe tip completely into the housing,

carefully press the probe tip against a hard surface.

Warning Exercise caution when using these sharp probe tips to avoid personal injury.

Spring loaded probe tips offer a method of probing signals that is less susceptible

to vibration or movement than traditional rigid tips. Many users find it easier to

use this type of tip. The spring loaded tips work when they are either partially or

fully compressed and are protected against over compression damage.

Accessory Details

Short Ground Blade / Ground Spring

The short ground blade is the best performing ground connection available with

the N2870A Series due to its low inductance. To attach the ground blade, simply

push it over the probe tip and continue pushing until the blade is inserted into

the notch located on the probe barrel (as shown in the picture below - Note that

the ground blade was placed over the tip and then an IC cap was placed over it

as well in the picture).

This will keep it from spinning around on the probe while in use. You can also

bend and form the blade to reach your grounding location.

The ground spring offers similar performance as the ground blade and depending

on the probing situation, may offer greater flexibility when making a ground

connection. The ground spring is also inserted over the probe tip in a similar

manner. It is mainly used for browsing as it is flexible and snaps back to original

orientation (unlike the ground blade that you can form) which allows you to

connect it to your grounding location and then move the probe tip around. It does

have a slightly larger inductance than the ground blade which may result in some

decrease in performance depending on the application.

blade fully

inserted

into notch

Accessory Details

Dual Adapter, 2.5 to 0.8 mm Sockets

The dual lead adapter offers a convenient and reliable method to connect both

the probe signal and ground to probe points on the board or other probe

accessories. For example, this can used to connect to connector headers or to

other accessories like the QFP clips or pico hooks (see the picture in the Pico

Hook section of this manual).

The sockets accept 0.56-0.86 mm round and 0.64 mm square (0.022 - 0.034 inch

round and 0.025 inch square) diameter pins. The maximum insertion depth is 7.5

mm (0.295 inch) and the outer insulation of the socket is 2.2 mm maximum (0.87

inch). You can use it for 2.54 mm pitch (0.1 inch) terminals.

Accessory Details

Pico Hooks / QFP IC Clips

You can use pico hooks or QFP IC clips to make connections to components or

wires with leads that are 1.01 mm (0.04 inches) in diameter or smaller. With

today’s miniature IC- and component-packaging techniques, the pico hooks or

QFP IC clips can make probing challenging devices much easier. Most users

prefer to attach the clips/hooks to the probe via the dual lead adapter as shown

in the picture below. Press the back of the pico hooks to extend the grasping

hook and then release to tighten the hook around the component you are testing.

Press the lever on the QFP IC clip to extend the grasping jaws.

IC Caps

The IC caps fit over the probe tip and provide a convenient self-aligning

connection to IC pins. This helps maintain contact on small fine pitch legs and

prevents shorting adjacent pins by preventing the probe tip from sliding between

the legs of the component.

pico hook

adapter

QFP IC Clip

Accessory Details

The different colored IC caps correspond to different pitches (see diagram below

to see how pitch is measured and refer to the table on page 3 to see what pitch

each color corresponds to). The IC caps are compatible with both the rigid and

spring loaded tips. Below is a simplified drawing showing how the caps fit around

the IC pins and where the probe tip comes through the cap.

IC pin IC pin IC pin

probe tip

IC Cap

pitch

Accessory Details

PCB Adapter Kit

The PCB Adapter sockets are designed to solder into a printed circuit board (PCB)

as test points to minimize ground inductance and maximize signal fidelity. Below

is a picture showing one of these PCB sockets attached to a PCB.

The recommended PCB layout is shown in the manual that accompanied your

N2870A Series probe. The PCB socket is compatible with hand soldering and

reflow processes. After soldering the socket - both the signal contact and ground

contact - to the board, simply insert the probe. The PCB adapter is compatible

with either the rigid or spring-loaded probe tip.

Insulator Cap

This cap is meant to fit over the probe tip and cover the ground barrel of the

probe, covering any potential shorting locations near the tip. This enables you to

probe in hot environments without having to worry about shorts.

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