Peak Atlas DCA Pro User Guide
Contents
1. Rev 1 4 Voltage Regulator Test Circuit Vreg mleno or VOLTAGE SOURCE 0 12V RSENSE 00R The test circuit shown here is used for the analysis of voltage regulators positive regulators in this example Note that the range of regulator voltages supported will depend on the quiescent current Io A higher quiescent current will cause more voltage to be dropped across the sense resistor and yield less voltage for the regulator itself Note also that some voltage regulators particularly low dropout types LDO are not stable when tested by the DCA Pro Page 44 Atlas DCA Pro User Guide February 2015 Rev 1 4 Appendix D Warranty Information Peak Satisfaction Guarantee If for any reason you are not completely satisfied with your DCA Pro within 14 days of purchase you may return the unit to your distributor You will receive a refund covering the full purchase price if the unit is returned in perfect condition Peak Warranty The warranty is valid for 24 months from date of purchase This warranty covers the cost of repair or replacement due to defects in materials and or manufacturing faults The warranty does not cover malfunction or defects caused by a Operation outside the scope of the user guide b Unauthorised access or modification of the unit except for battery replacement c Accidental physical damage or abuse d Normal wear and tear The customer s statutory rights are not affected by a2. Pro It is important to note that if a Darlington does contain a base emitter shunt resistor network any measurements of current gain hre will be very low at the test currents used by the DCA Pro This is due to the resistors providing an additional path for the base current The readings for gain however can still be used for comparing transistors of a similar type for the purposes of matching or gain band selecting Note that the DCA Pro will determine that the transistor under test is a Darlington type if the base emitter voltage drop is greater than 1 00V for devices with a base emitter shunt resistance of greater than 60kQ or if the base emitter voltage drop is greater than 0 80V for devices with a base emitter shunt resistance of less than 60kQ The measured base emitter voltage drop is displayed as detailed later in this section Page 18 Atlas DCA Pro User Guide February 2015 Rev 1 4 Free Wheeling Diode Some transistors particularly CRT deflection transistors and many large Darlingtons have a protection diode free wheeling diode or body diode inside their package connected between the collector and emitter If a free wheeling diode has been detected it is shown on the schematic symbol Some examples are shown here MPH Darlington PHP Silicon BJT Fed Green E Blue B Red B Green C Blue E HF E 6320 HFE 61 The Philips BUSOSDF is a typical example of a diode protected bipolar transistor
3. Red K Blue WRELo2ay ot 5 0 m Pressing scroll off then shows the details for the 2 LED in the bicolour ue rae K LED package ed 4 Oue VP L944 of 5 00rna As expected for 2 lead bicolour LEDs we can see in this example that LED 2 has its connections in exactly the opposite configuration to LED 1 Note that it is common for the two LEDs within a bicolour LED to have different forward voltage characteristics Red is often the lowest forward voltage progressing through amber yellow green and then blue or white with the highest forward voltage See the table at the bottom of the next page Page 12 Atlas DCA Pro User Guide February 2015 Rev 1 4 Bicolour LEDs 3 lead types 3 lead bicolour LEDs are available in common cathode and common anode varieties The DCA Pro supports both types In the same way as the 2 lead bicolour LED analysis each internal LED is detailed separately on the Vy DCA Pro screen heres mthi mole we have a Common Cathode a Roane arn aa 1 LED common cathode variety l LED The details for each internal LED are Red A Green then shown v F 1 935 ot 500r Ic 3 lead The type of bicolour LED is shown Bicolour LED 3 lead Za It can be seen here that our example has its common cathode terminal connected to the Green test clip Typical values of forward voltage for LED colours are shown here LED types manufacturers may vary significantly LED Colour Typica
4. Rev 1 4 Diode Networks r The DCA Pro will identify multiple diode junctions between the probes For three terminal devices such as SOT 23 diode networks all three test clips must be connected The instrument will show the results for each diode junction in turn Firstly the unit will show that it has found a number of diode junctions The details for the first diode are then displayed Diode 1 In this example the Green test clip is on the Cathode of diode 1 and the Blue test clip is on the Anode then displayed by briefly pressing Ped A Blue E The details for the second diode are 2 Diode junction x scroll off VP O 663 of 5 00 rnd It can be seen in the above example that the blue test clip is connected to both the anode on Diode 1 and to the cathode of Diode 2 This means that the two diodes are effectively connected in series with the blue clip at the mid point This example is illustrated below 1 2 Ze Green 7 Red Blue In the same way as the single diode analysis the forward voltage for each diode is measured for a nominal test current of 5mA Page 10 Atlas DCA Pro User Guide February 2015 Rev 1 4 An LED light emitting diode is really just another type of diode however the DCA Pro will determine that an LED or LED network has been detected if the diode s measured forward voltage drop is larger than 1 5V This also enables the DCA Pro to intelligently identify bicol
5. Symmetrical Sre Drn source terminals are often indistinguishable by the DCA Pro The JFET type gate terminal and measured parameters are displayed however Pinch Off A common parameter to be specified for JFETs is Pinch Off This is the VGS of f 6 6 voltage needed between the gate source at Du to turn off the JEET The DCA Pro will determine that the JFET is off when the drain current is less than 1A Page 25 Atlas DCA Pro User Guide February 2015 Rev 1 4 On Characteristics The DCA Pro measures the gate source voltage required to reach the onset of WGS on LI0V good conduction through the JFET s ot b 5 00rd drain source Good conduction is ia determined when the drain source current reaches 5mA For JFETs that have a lower saturation current than 5mA the DCA Pro will try to use a lower on current Transconductance While the JFET is conducting the JFET s gain transconductance is measured Transconductance is often measured in mA V sometimes known as mmhos or mSiemens This refers to the change in drain current that results from a change in gate source voltage amp 4 Alps AV es The DCA Pro measures transconductance by determining the gate voltage change necessary to obtain a drain current change from 3 0mA to 5 0mA Of lt 3 6rridye Y at D 4rd to Srv Zero Gate Source Voltage Finally the drain current for a zero gate source voltage is measured Transcondu
6. User Guide February 2015 Rev 1 4 Enhancement Mode MOSFETs D MOSFET stands for Metal Oxide Semiconductor Field Effect Transistor Like bipolar transistors MOSFETs are available in two main types N Channel and P Channel Most modern G S MOSFETs are of the Enhancement Mode type meaning that the bias of the gate source voltage is always positive For N Channel types The other rarer type of MOSFET is the Depletion Mode type which is described in a later section MOSFETs of all types are sometimes known as IGFETs meaning Insulated Gate Field Effect Transistor This term describes a key feature of these devices an insulated gate region that results in negligible gate current for both positive and negative gate source voltages up to the maximum allowed values of course typically 20V IGFETs are not to be confused with IGBTs Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistors these are dealt with in a later section The first screen to be displayed gives i information on the type of MOSFET i a e Ik detected and the pinout Bed_t Green Blue H Pressing scroll off will then result in Gate threshold H the gate threshold of the MOSFET being OS onJ 3 625 IK displayed at ID 5 00m The on gate threshold voltage is the gate source voltage at which conduction between the source and drain starts The DCA Pro determines that drain source conduction has started when it reaches a current of 5 00mA this is confirmed on the display An en
7. again it should be fine once Windows gets its built in driver initialised LCD Contrast The PC software allows you to adjust the instrument s LCD contrast From the program s DCA Pro menu select LCD Contrast You will then be presented with a simple slider to make your contrast adjustments When you re finished you can click on the cross of the slider window Your new contrast value is automatically saved within the DCA Pro Page 34 Atlas DCA Pro User Guide February 2015 Rev 1 4 Audible Settings Your DCA Pro has a built in sounder for alerting you to various test results and conditions Additionally the sounder produces short tones to reinforce the tactile feedback when pressing buttons Here is a summary of the various tone types Condition Tone Type Power up Faulty unknown or no part detected If you wish you can switch the audible alerts on or off To change the current setting for audible alerts while the unit is already on simply press and hold the on test button for a few seconds The new sound setting will then be confirmed on the screen To change back again simply press and hold the on test button again for a few seconds Page 35 Atlas DCA Pro User Guide February 2015 Rev 1 4 Care of your Atlas DCA Pro Your DCA Pro should provide many years of service if used in accordance with this user guide Care should be taken not to expose your unit to excessiv
8. ssana LEDs COO T Too Diode forward test current 47sma S 00mA S25mA ET 0 006V E Acceptable Vr fora diode Sma orv J T Ve for LED identification 1sov wv ZemerDiodss J Do T To Zener voltage rangeatmA iv ow Zener voltage range below sma oov rov Zener diode test current Osma 500mA 525m Voltage Regulators C Doo o input test voltage range Ig lt s 0mA Lov oov Finput test voltage range IyeS 0mA sw Quiescent current range ly _0 00mA 5 00mA Dropout voltage range Vno oov sov oma a Generat Parameters D Coo Peak test current imo SC ssm oma i Peak test voltage across 1 35v Battery waming threshold iov Dimensions body Between any pair of test clips Collector current of 5 0mA Gain accuracy valid for gains less than 2000 Resistance across reverse biased base emitter gt 60kQ Resistance across reverse biased base emitter lt 60kQ Load current of 5 0mA Collector emitter voltage of 10 0V Thyristor quadrant I Triac quadrants I and III BJT with no shunt resistors Load current typically 10 0mA CHONAAR WN Page 40 Atlas DCA Pro User Guide February 2015 Rev 1 4 Appendix C Analysis Test Circuits The DCA Pro analyses components by applying signals to the component under test while in a test circuit The test circuits that the DCA Pro uses to analyse various components are shown below These
9. A 6 Delete all Ss TE H fan En E A TARAL COTE EE T T EA 2 9 3 0 Pasting the data into a spreadsheet is an ideal way of documenting important test results Simply right click on one of the curves and select Copy all All the raw measurement data that created the curves is now in the clipboard You can then paste the data into your spreadsheet This feature has been tested with Microsoft Excel MO Softmaker Planmaker and Apache Open Office Other spreadsheet programs should work fine too Once the raw data is pasted into your spreadsheet you can perform your own tasks such as charting and mathematical analysis Page 33 Atlas DCA Pro User Guide February 2015 Rev 1 4 Special Functions Firmware Upgrade From the program s Help menu select Check for Updates If you are connected to the internet the program will check for new PC Software that includes the latest firmware If newer software is available you will be guided to the download location The programming operation should take no more than a minute or so Don t interrupt the process and wait for the confirmation that the programming operation has been successfully completed Don t worry if the firmware upgrade process doesn t succeed first time Windows sometimes takes time to prepare the built in HID driver that is used during the firmware upgrade process If the firmware upgrade process fails don t panic just try
10. GB 75 1 4 Peak Atlas DCA Pro Advanced Semiconductor Component Analyser with Graphics Display and PC connectivity Model DCA75 atias DCA as USB Graphics i rest scroll off o Designed and manufactured with pride in the UK Peak Electronic Design Limited 2012 2015 In the interests of development information in this guide is subject to change without notice E amp OE CE PEAK Atlas DCA Pro User Guide February 2015 Rev 1 4 Want to use it now We understand that you want to use your Atlas DCA Pro right now The unit is ready to go and you should have little need to refer to this user guide but please make sure that you do at least take a look at the notices on page 5 Contents Page ROCUCT ON scielateiwateersalatcnc E E AE ess 4 Important Considerations cceeeeeesessteceeeeeeeeesseeesesnnnaeeeeeeeeeees 5 Analysing semiconductors Standalone mode ccccceceeeeees 6 DIOCESES scssscawecuscen wweracaneuceocnosabesact E vases ansntonceremenanasabad 8 Zeme OCS ca sibs a sue auecuabhaaleele E E 9 Diode NetWork Senare u cere mentale vias 10 LEDs ohi ni a aa e a ae 11 Bicolour LEDs 2 lead types cccceeneeeeeneneenesneees 12 Bicolour LEDs 3 lead types eners eens 13 Bipolar Junction Transistors BJTS cccsssssssseesseeseeeeeees 14 Dar linig On Transistors issih tae tag et 18 Enhancement Mode MOSFETS cccceeeeeesssseessssseseseees 21 D
11. In many cases you can simply start a new curve with the automatically selected parameters by clicking the curve start button You may adjust the parameters but any parameters that are out of range may lead to unexpected results Refer to Appendix C in this user guide that shows the analysis test circuits to see how test parameters are applied You may not be able to perform curve tracing in the following circumstances Transistor gain is very low and the DCA Pro is unable to generate sufficient base current to obtain a sufficient span of collector current Transistor Darlington gain is extremely high which means that the tiny base currents cannot be generated with fine enough resolution If the component requires more than 12mA into a short circuit to analyse If the component requires more than 12V into an open circuit to analyse If the component requires a combination of voltage and current that cannot be generated due to 700 Ohm current limiting resistance Page 32 Atlas DCA Pro User Guide February 2015 Rev 1 4 Curve Tracing Export Raw Data After the curve tracing operation has completed you can copy the raw measurement data into the clipboard ready to be pasted into your spreadsheet program 14 TB File Edit View Format Inert Tal Show Point Values aaa btta E 12 k o pes 10 Set Scale to Defaut f a Rename Ib 50uA E 8 Delete lb 50pA a ema __ b 60 y
12. Remember that the diode if present is always internally connected between the collector and the emitter so that it is normally reverse biased For NPN transistors the anode of the diode is connected to the emitter of the transistor For PNP transistors the anode of the diode is connected to the collector of the transistor Page 19 Atlas DCA Pro User Guide February 2015 Rev 1 4 Faulty or Very Low Gain Transistors Faulty transistors that exhibit very low gain may cause the DCA Pro to only identify one or C more diode junctions within the device This is p because NPN transistors consist of a structure of junctions that behave like a common anode diode network PNP transistors can appear to be E common cathode diode networks The common junction represents the base terminal This is normal for situations where the current gain is so low that it is immeasurable at the test currents used by the DCA Pro Please note that the equivalent diode pattern may not be correctly identified by the DCA Pro if your transistor is a darlington type or has additional diode s in its package such as a collector emitter protection diode This is due to multiple pn junctions and current paths that cannot be uniquely resolved In some circumstances the unit may not be able to deduce anything sensible from the device at all in which case you may see one of these messages Unknown faulty component Page 20 Atlas DCA Pro
13. Sacto ee cattle 43 Voltage regulator test CinCUits s1 lt ts2s0zd2cecodeccdeceecenevcdessncdouesnee 44 Appendix D Warranty Information ccccccccccccccccceceeeeeeeeeeees 45 Appendix E Disposal information cccccccccccccccceeeceeeeeeeeeeeees 46 Page 3 Atlas DCA Pro User Guide February 2015 Rev 1 4 Introduction The Peak Atlas DCA Pro is an advanced semiconductor analyser that combines simplicity ease of use and a range of advanced features You can use your DCA Pro on its own or in combination with a laptop or desktop PC Summary Features Automatic component type identification and schematic display m Bipolar transistors 7 Darlington transistors m Enhancement Mode and Depletion Mode MOSFETs 7 Enhancement Mode and Depletion Mode IGBTs m Junction FETs 7 Low power sensitive Triacs and Thyristors Light Emitting Diodes Bicolour LEDs 7 Diodes and Diode networks Zener diodes 7 Voltage regulators Automatic pinout identification just connect any way round Special feature identification such as free wheeling diodes and resistor shunts Gain measurement for bipolar transistors Leakage current measurement for bipolar transistors Silicon and Germanium detection for bipolar transistors Gate threshold measurement for Enhancement Mode MOSFETs Semiconductor forward voltage measurement for diodes LEDs and transistor Base Emitter junctions Zener voltage measurement PC connectivity providing m Larger comp
14. bruary 2015 Rev 1 4 Connecting to your PC for the first time After the software has successfully installed it is time to connect the DCA Pro to your PC Use the supplied USB cable to connect your instrument to a convenient USB socket on your PC For best performance we recommend that you connect directly to a USB socket on your PC rather than via a USB hub If you do use a hub please make sure it is a powered hub 500mA at 5V The internal battery is not used when the DCA Pro is connected by USB After connecting your DCA Pro for the first time your PC may request the installation of the USB drivers if it doesn t perform that automatically If requested to do so complete the Add new hardware wizard and follow the recommended steps shown on your screen Wait for the message Your new device is ready to use before proceeding Now you re ready to start the DCA Pro companion software You can double click on the desktop icon click on the DCA Pro item in the Peak folder of your start menu or you can type DCA Pro into your Windows 7 search box When the program has started you should see the message BJOjN ad cemere alatexertsxe in the bottom left corner of the program window For the first time you use the software if you see the message DO HOR oG then try unplugging the USB cable wait a few seconds and plug back in If that doesn t work depending on your version of Windows
15. ctance is measured by the DCA Pro over a small range of drain current typically a span of 3mA 5mA Values of transconductance higher than 20mA V can yield a coarse measurement resolution because the required change in gate voltage is so tiny Additionally values above 99mA V are displayed as gt 99mA V Page 26 Atlas DCA Pro User Guide February 2015 Rev 1 4 Thyristors SCRs and Triacs A Sensitive low power thyristors Silicon Controlled Rectifiers SCRs and triacs that require gate currents and holding currents of less than 10mA can be identified and analysed with the DCA Pro G Thyristor terminals are the anode A cathode K and the gate G This example shows that a thyristor has been detected Triac terminals are MT1 MT2 MT standing for main terminal and gate MTI is the terminal with which gate Red MT Green G current is referenced Blue MT2 1 The unit determines that the device under test is a triac by checking the gate trigger quadrants that the device will reliably operate in Thyristors operate in only one quadrant positive gate current positive anode current Triacs can typically operate in three or four quadrants hence their use in AC control applications 2 The gate trigger currents used by the DCA Pro are limited to less than 10mA Some thyristors and triacs will not operate at low currents and these types cannot be analysed with this instrument Note also that if only on
16. e heat shock or moisture Additionally the battery should be replaced at least every 12 months to reduce the risk of leak damage If a low battery warning message appears immediate replacement of the battery is required The battery can be replaced by carefully opening the DCA Pro by removing the three screws from the rear of the unit Take care not to damage the electronics Avoid touching this area We recommend that the battery is replaced with a high quality battery equivalent to an Alkaline AAA LR03 or MN2400 1 5V Replacement Alkaline AAA batteries are available from many retail outlets DO NOT OVER TIGHTEN THE SCREWS Page 36 Atlas DCA Pro User Guide February 2015 Rev 1 4 Self Test Procedure Each time the DCA Pro is powered up a self test procedure is performed In addition to a battery voltage test the unit measures the performance of many internal functions such as the voltage and current sources amplifiers analogue to digital converters and test lead multiplexers If any of these function measurements fall outside tight performance limits a message will be displayed and the instrument will switch off automatically If the problem was caused by a temporary condition on the test clips est Tailed such as applying power to the test clips then simply re starting the unit may clear the problem If a persistent problem does arise it is likely that damage has been caused by an external event suc
17. e of their intended circuitry decoupling capacitors proper loads etc The DCA Pro may not be able to identify the regulator correctly if it is not stable during analysis Page 28 Atlas DCA Pro User Guide February 2015 Rev 1 4 PC Software Installation The DCA Pro can be used in conjunction with a PC running Windows XP or later Software is provided on the included USB flash drive Alternatively you can download the latest PC software package from www peakelec co uk downloads dcaprosetup exe Before you install the software ensure you have sufficient administrator rights on your machine Additionally ensure your PC meets the following requirements Windows XP Vista 7 or later 1GB RAM 1GB Hard Disk free Display size 1024 x 600 minimum typical netbook resolution 16 bit colour or better USB 1 1 or better NET framework 4 automatically installed if required Internet connection required for online updates Verified on UK localisation of Windows 8 at time of this user guide going to print Run the file setup exe to install the DCA Pro companion software Follow the instructions that are then displayed If required the installation process will offer to install the NET framework 4 on your computer This is necessary for the program to work It may take several minutes to install When your software is installed you are ready to connect Page 29 Atlas DCA Pro User Guide Fe
18. e trigger quadrant of a triac is detected then the unit will conclude that it has found a thyristor Please see the technical specifications for more details The Atlas SCR model SCR100 instrument is designed for analysing triacs and thyristors that require currents up to 100mA to operate Page 27 Atlas DCA Pro User Guide February 2015 Rev 1 4 Voltage Regulators Voltage regulators are available in many different types and different packages The DCA Pro is able to identify many types of regulator typically regulators with outputs less than 8V depending on current requirements When a regulator is identified its pinout output voltage quiescent current Red IH Green OUT consumption and drop out voltage are Blue iHD displayed VouUT 5 024 y g 54rd L Negative voltage regulators such as WoO 1Lesy the popular 79L05 will be shown with a negative Vour figure Voltage Regulater The displayed drop out voltage Vpo is the voltage that is required between input and output of the regulator to enable voltage regulation to take place Common regulators have a drop out voltage of around 2V Many Low drop out regulators may have a drop out voltage of 0 5V or less The DCA Pro measures drop out at very low load currents on the regulator s output typically less than 1mA The drop out voltage of a regulator increases significantly with load current Some voltage regulators are not stable when used outsid
19. epletion Mode MOSER TS i 2 10 i 43 eed eee 22 Enhancement Mode IGBTS cccccccccccccceeesseessnsnteeeeeeeeeeees 23 Depletion Mode IGB Esnie rete ae tell e 24 J ncHon FETS RETS J eseis E 25 Thyristors SCRS and tidcsss cceacucdteies enina 27 Vollave Regulators rorsnrirnr anon Sen eee ea 28 Contents continued on next page Page 2 Atlas DCA Pro User Guide February 2015 Rev 1 4 Contents continued Page PC Software Installation cc ccccescseeceeceeeeeeeeeeaaaaaeeeees 29 Connecting to your PC for the first time ccecceeeeeeeeeeeees 30 Analysing Semiconductors PC mode ccccccccccccceceeeeeeeeeeeeeees 31 PC mode Curve Tracing functionsS cccccsseeeeeseeseeeeeees 32 PC mode Exporting your data cccccessesssessesssssseseeeeens 33 PC mode Special MNETONS urrienen 34 Audible Settings oerien Haste aloe ale het REE 35 Care of your Atlas DCA Pro oaaannnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnererereennnn 36 pelt Test Procedure cuui d e oes tee aiden aceon watetaas lee 37 Appendix A Troubleshooting ccccccccceceeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeees 38 Appendix B Technical Specifications ccccccccccccccccceeeeeeeeeees 39 Appendix C Analysis test circuits cccccccccccccccccceeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeees 4 Transistor TES CINCUIL 25 ac ot iat jue oc det R 4 JFET MOSFET IGBT test Circuit 0 0 ccccceeeeeeeeeeeeeees 42 IDIOMS TES t te TOO 22 56 oye alge seaside tlt
20. eries combination The DCA Pro will determine that the diode s under test is an LED if the measured forward voltage drop exceeds 1 50V Please refer to the section on LED analysis for more information Page 8 Atlas DCA Pro User Guide The DCA Pro supports Zener diodes and Avalanche diodes Additionally the instrument can measure the Zener voltage February 2015 Rev 1 4 Connect any pair of the 3 test leads to the Zener diode fener diode Fed E Blue VR 5 0944 ot 5 00r Fed E Blue WR S 094 ot 5 00rm F Following analysis the details are displayed component In this example a Zener diode with a reverse voltage Zener voltage of nearly 5 1V has been detected F 0 702 5 00 MESO OEV at Uin Additionally the forward biased voltage characteristic is measured 0 702V at 5mA for this example The DCA Pro attempts to test the Zener diode with a current of nominally 5mA For Zener diodes with a Zener voltage of more than about 9V a lower test current will be used This is illustrated in the following graph Test Current mA a ee Poses Beets Ah oe pS Al ons E 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Zener Voltage Volts The DCA Pro may not be able to identify Zener diodes with a Zener voltage of more than 11V It will however still identify the diode junction in its forward biased mode Page 9 Atlas DCA Pro User Guide February 2015
21. est button is pressed For the first analysis after the unit has been switched off the tests are performed while displaying the Peak logo For subsequent testing when the unit is already powered up the unit displays the Testing screen Depending on the component type analysis may take a few seconds to complete after which the results of the analysis are displayed Information is displayed a page at a time each page can be smoothly scrolled by briefly pressing the scroll off button Although the DCA Pro will switch itself off if left unattended you can manually switch the unit off by holding down the scroll off button for a couple of seconds Page 6 Atlas DCA Pro User Guide If the DCA Pro cannot detect any component between any of the test probes the following message will be displayed If the component is not a supported component type a faulty component or a component that is being tested in circuit the analysis may result in the following message being displayed Some components may be faulty due to a shorted junction between a pair of the probes If this is the case the following message or similar will be displayed If all three probes are shorted or very low resistance then the following message will be displayed February 2015 Rev 1 4 Ho component detected x a Unknowns faulty x a component Fed amp Blue leads shorted K a It is possible that
22. h as excessive power being applied to the test clips If the problem persists please contact us for further advice quoting the displayed fault code If there is a low battery condition the automatic self test procedure will not be performed For this reason it is highly recommended that the battery is replaced as soon as possible following a low battery warning Page 37 Atlas DCA Pro User Guide February 2015 Rev 1 4 Appendix A Troubleshooting First thing to do It is important that you ensure you ve got the latest version of firmware software that s inside the DCA Pro instrument and the latest version of PC software You can do this by connecting the unit to your PC and selecting the Help menu and then click on Check for Updates It is possible that a firmware update and or a PC software update will resolve your problem Here s a further guide to helping you with your DCA Pro if you re having problems Problem Possible Solutions PC software always says Unplug USB wait a few seconds and plug Disconnected even when back in the DCA Pro is connected Try a different USB socket on your PC and powered up Restart your PC Re install DCA Pro software Unit displays It is possible that your battery is in poor Boost timeout condition Replace with a new Alkaline AAA battery Measured parameters don t Most semiconductors have very wide agree with the component tolerances and e
23. hancement MOSFET will always have a gate threshold voltage of greater than OV ie always positive relative to the source pin for N channel devices The DCA Pro can drive the gate from OV to 10V for enhancement mode MOSFETs Page 21 Atlas DCA Pro User Guide February 2015 Rev 1 4 Depletion Mode MOSFETs D The fairly rare Depletion Mode MOSFET is very similar to the conventional Junction FET JFET except that the gate terminal is insulated from the other two terminals The input G S resistance of these devices can typically be greater than 1000MQ for negative and positive gate source voltages Depletion Mode devices are characterised by the gate source voltage required to control the drain source current Modern Depletion Mode devices are generally only available in N Channel varieties and will conduct some current between its drain and source terminals even with a zero voltage applied across the gate and the source The device can only be turned completely off by taking its gate significantly more negative than its source terminal say 5V It is this characteristic that makes them so similar to conventional JFETs IDs Enhancement mode MOSFET Ny Depletion mode MOSFET Ny VGS Page 22 Atlas DCA Pro User Guide February 2015 Rev 1 4 Enhancement Mode IGBTs C IGBT is an acronym for Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistor It combines the input characteristics of a MOSFET with the output cha
24. in hre is the ratio of the collector current less leakage to the hee C Cleak I base current for a particular operating a condition ICleak leakage current Ic 5 0MA The DCA Pro measures hre at a collector IB current of nominally 5 0mA and a collector emitter voltage of between 3V and 9V The gain of all transistors can vary considerably with collector current HFE 1 7 collector voltage and also temperature at 1 5 00rricy The displayed value for gain therefore may not represent the gain experienced at other collector currents and voltages This is particularly true for large devices The displayed value of gain is very useful however for comparing transistors of a similar type for the purposes of gain matching or fault finding Darlington transistors can have very high gain values and more variation of gain will be evident as a result of this The current gain of germanium transistors can vary a large amount with changes in temperature Even the warmth from your fingers can alter the gain of a germanium device It is quite normal for transistors of the same type to have a wide range of gain values For this reason transistor circuits are often designed so that their operation has little dependence on the absolute value of current gain Page 15 Atlas DCA Pro User Guide February 2015 Rev 1 4 Base Emitter Voltage Drop The DC characteristics of the base emitter junction are displayed both
25. l Vr 5MmA Red 1 81V Amber 1 86V Yellow 1 90V Green standard type 1 95V Green deep green emerald 2 84V Blue and white 2 95V Page 13 Atlas DCA Pro User Guide February 2015 Rev 1 4 Bipolar Junction Transistors BJTs C Bipolar Junction Transistors are simply conventional B transistors although variants of these do exist such as Darlingtons devices with free wheeling diodes resistor E shunted types and combinations of these types All of these variations are automatically identified by the DCA Pro and their schematic symbol is displayed on the screen Both NPN and PNP types are supported The 3 test clips can be applied to the transistor in any configuration As an example testing a common PNP transistor such as the 2N5401 will result in a display similar to this This example shows that the Red test T clip is connected to the Emitter the PHP Silicon BJT Green is connected to the Base and Red E Green b Blue the Blue test clip is connected to the HF E 106 Collector a FI c 5 00m FA Pressing scroll off allows further IBES AF details to be displayed EA f K lCLeak 0 000rind The DC current gain hre base emitter voltage drop Vgz and collector leakage current I Leak are all shown along with their test conditions Refer to the following sections for more details on these measurements Page 14 Atlas DCA Pro User Guide February 2015 Rev 1 4 Current Gain hfe DC current ga
26. ny of the above All claims must be accompanied by a proof of purchase Page 45 Atlas DCA Pro User Guide February 2015 Rev 1 4 Appendix E Disposal Information WEEE Waste of Electrical and Electronic Equipment Recycling of Electrical and Electronic Products United Kingdom In 2006 the European Union introduced regulations WEEE for the collection and recycling of all waste electrical and electronic equipment It is no longer permissible to simply throw away electrical and electronic equipment Instead these products must enter the recycling process Each individual EU member state has implemented the WEEE regulations into national law in slightly different ways Please follow your national law when you want to dispose of any electrical or electronic products More details can be obtained from your national WEEE recycling agency If in doubt you may send your Peak Product to us for safe and environmentally responsible disposal At Peak Electronic Design Ltd we are committed to continual product development and improvement The specifications of our products are therefore subject to change without notice 2012 2015 Peak Electronic Design Limited E amp OE Designed and manufactured in the UK www peakelec co uk Tel 44 0 1298 70012 Fax 44 0 1298 70046 Page 46
27. onent identification display 7 Detailed characteristics measurement u Curve tracing functions Single alkaline AAA battery not used when USB connected Automatic and manual power off Page 4 Atlas DCA Pro User Guide February 2015 Rev 1 4 Important Considerations Please observe the following guidelines e This instrument must NEVER be connected to powered equipment components or equipment components with any stored energy e g charged capacitors Failure to comply with this warning may result in personal injury damage to the equipment under test damage to your DCA Pro and invalidation of the manufacturer s warranty e The DCA Pro is designed to analyse semiconductors that are not in circuit otherwise complex circuit effects will result in erroneous measurements e Avoid rough treatment hard knocks and extreme temperatures e This unit is not waterproof e Only use a good quality AAA Alkaline battery N s 3 Page 5 Atlas DCA Pro User Guide February 2015 Rev 1 4 Analysing Components Standalone Mode The DCA Pro is designed to analyse discrete unconnected unpowered components This ensures that external connections don t influence the measured parameters The three test probes can be connected to the component any way round If the component has only two terminals then any pair of the three test probes can be used The DCA Pro will start component analysis when the on t
28. only be turned off fully if the gate terminal is taken more negative with respect to the emitter lead In this example we have an N H Ch Depletion Channel depletion mode IGBT with mode IGET no free wheeling diode Fed E Green Blue E Note the negative gate threshold voltage characteristic of a depletion a a mode device Gate threshold K Page 24 Atlas DCA Pro User Guide February 2015 Rev 1 4 Junction FETs JFETs D Junction FETs are conventional Field Effect Transistors The voltage applied across the gate source terminals controls 5 S current between the drain and source terminals N Channel JFETs require a negative voltage on their gate with respect to their source the more negative the voltage the less current can flow between the drain and source Unlike Depletion Mode MOSFETs JFETs have no insulation layer on the gate This means that although the input resistance between the gate and source is normally very high greater than 100MQ the gate current can rise if the semiconductor junction between the gate and source or between the gate and drain become forward biased This can happen if the gate voltage becomes about 0 6V higher than either the drain or source terminals for N Channel devices or 0 6V lower than the drain or source for P Channel devices The internal structure of JFETs is Hoch Junction FET essentially symmetrical about the gate Green l terminal this means that the drain and an
29. our LEDs both two lead and three lead varieties See the section on bicolour LEDs for more information For two leaded parts connect any pair of the 3 test clips to your LED Leave the 3 lead unconnected In this example the Red test clip is connected to the LED s Cathode negative and the Blue test clip is connected to the Anode positive LED Fed K Blue 4 Za VPELS62Y of 5 00rm The forward voltage of the LED is measured at a nominal current of 5mA During the analysis process the LED will briefly illuminate so you can see it s illumination colour The test current of 5mA means that it may not be as bright as you expect LEDs are often used at currents of 10 20mA Power LEDs are sometimes driven at 350mA or more Page 11 Atlas DCA Pro User Guide February 2015 Rev 1 4 Bicolour LEDs 2 lead types Bicolour LEDs are generally available in two main varieties 2 lead and 3 lead types ays l l l This section describes the testing of 2 lead bicolour LEDs These types are internally connected in inverse parallel back to back y v Similar to the diode network analysis each LED within the bicolour LED is detailed in turn This example shows that LED 1 has m its Cathode connected to the Red test Eicolour LED 2 lead i 1 LED clip and its Anode connected to the Ped k Blue d Blue test clip The forward bias gt characteristic is shown for LED 1 1 LED 1 823V at 5mA in this example
30. pendant Leakage current is automatically taken into account for the gain measurement unlike many multimeter s gain measurement that can be fooled by leakage current If your transistor is a Silicon type you should expect to see a leakage current of close to 0 000mA unless the transistor is faulty The leakage current of germanium transistors can vary a large amount with changes in temperature roughly doubling with every 5 C increase Even the warmth from your fingers can alter the leakage current of a germanium device Conversely a cooling transistor after a little handling can result in a falling leakage current measurement over the period of a few seconds minutes This is completely normal Page 17 Atlas DCA Pro User Guide February 2015 Rev 1 4 Darlington Transistors If the device is a Darlington transistor two BJTs connected together the unit will display a similar message to this Bad F Green F Blue internal resistors the gain hrg can be aj Teen a l HFH Darlington For Darlington devices that do not have HFE 9410 p very high as expected This second example however left HFH Darlingtor shows the display for a Darlington Red Green E Blue E transistor that has internal resistors HFE 6 connected to the base emitter connections This causes the hpg measurement to become much lower at the test currents used by the DCA Pro This is normal and is not a fault with the transistor or the DCA
31. racteristics of a Bipolar Junction Transistor E IGBTs are available in N or P channel types enhancement mode or depletion mode and with or without a free wheeling diode Generally their operation is very similar to MOSFETs The saturation capability of an IGBT is often better than an equivalent sized MOSFET at high currents At low currents the saturation voltage of an IGBT is often worse than an equivalent sized MOSFET H Ch Enhoncernent mode SBT Red G Green C Blue E In this example we have an N Channel IGBT with an integral free wheeling diode Gate threshold Note the names of the leads Gate WGELan ao Feo Collector and Emitter ot M 5 00 reich Similar to the MOSFET analysis the gate threshold is the voltage between the gate and emitter that causes the device to start conducting between the collector and emitter The DCA Pro determines that conduction has started if the collector current has reached 5 0mA The DCA Pro can drive the gate from OV to 10V for enhancement mode IGBTs IGBT symbol based on EN60617 05 05 19 Page 23 Atlas DCA Pro User Guide February 2015 Rev 1 4 Depletion Mode IGBTs C Like MOSFETs IGBTs are available as enhancement mode and depletion mode types Depletion mode IGBTs are characterised by the fact that E current can flow between the collector and emitter when there is zero voltage across the gate emitter terminals For an N Channel depletion mode IGBT the device can
32. test circuits are presented here to assist in your understanding of the test conditions that are possible when testing in standalone mode and in the PC mode for curve tracing etc Transistor Test Circuit VOLTAGE SOURCE 0 12V CURRENT SOURCE 4 10 000UA Example shown is for an NPN transistor Polarities are reversed for PNP devices Page 41 Atlas DCA Pro User Guide February 2015 Rev 1 4 JFET MOSFET IGBT Test Circuit VOLTAGE SOURCE 0 12V Vos VOLTAGE VOLTAGE SOURCE SOURCE 0 10V It s important to note that the gate source voltage can be driven negative by making the source voltage drive higher than the gate voltage drive When this is done however there is less voltage available to be across the drain source nodes and the load resistor Example shown is for an N Channel JFET Polarities are reversed for P Channel devices Page 42 Atlas DCA Pro User Guide February 2015 Rev 1 4 Diode Test Circuit RLIMIT 700R F VOLTAGE J SOURCE 0 12V VE e st This test circuit is used for testing both the forward and reverse characteristics of diodes Reverse characteristics are particularly useful for the testing of Zener diodes For the standalone mode the voltage is automatically adjusted to obtain a target current of 5mA For Zener diodes that have a breakdown voltage of more than about 9V the target current of SmA cannot be obtained Page 43 Atlas DCA Pro User Guide February 2015
33. the DCA Pro may detect one or more diode junctions or other component type within an unknown or faulty part This is because many semiconductors comprise of PN diode junctions Please refer to the section on diodes and diode networks for more information Page 7 Atlas DCA Pro User Guide February 2015 Rev 1 4 The DCA Pro will analyse almost any type of diode Any pair of the three test clips can be connected to the diode any way round If the unit detects a single diode a message similar to the following will be displayed bode juncgtio Diod Jur tion K is connected to the Green test clip Green Blue 4 I Bg I E ni and the Anode symbol of A 1S MPSULBSS at 3rd connected to the Blue test clip additionally the Red test clip is unconnected In this example the Cathode symbol of The forward voltage drop is also displayed this gives an indication of the diode technology In this example it is likely that the diode is a standard silicon diode A germanium or Schottky diode may yield a forward voltage of about 0 25V The current at which the diode was tested is also displayed The DCA Pro typically tests diodes PN junctions at a forward current of 5mA Note that the DCA Pro will detect only one diode even if two diodes are connected in series when the third test clip is not connected to the junction between the diodes The forward voltage drop displayed however will be the voltage across the whole s
34. the base emitter B forward voltage drop Vse and the base vac current Ig used for the measurement ge emitter voltage Vse of 0 703V for a at IB 5 00rne4 base test current Ig of 5mA Wer 0 7034 X This example shows an NPN base The forward base emitter voltage drop can aid in the identification of silicon or germanium devices Germanium devices can have base emitter voltages as low as 0 2V Silicon types exhibit readings of about 0 7V and Darlington transistors can exhibit readings of about 1 2V because of the multiple base emitter junctions being measured It is important to note that the DCA Pro does not perform the base emitter voltage drop tests at the same base current as that used for the current gain measurement Vgg is measured at a base current of approximately SmA The base current used during the gain measurement is equal to Ic hrpe Page 16 Atlas DCA Pro User Guide February 2015 Rev 1 4 Collector Leakage Current The collector current that takes place when no base current is flowing is referred to as Leakage Current Most modern transistors exhibit extremely low values of leakage IB current often less than 1uA even for very high collector emitter voltages Ic Leakage WBESO 270 ot IB 5 00 red X Older Germanium types however can an ICLeak U 1Ynnd suffer from significant collector leakage current particular at high temperatures leakage current can be very temperature de
35. then you may need to restart your PC to allow the WinUSB drivers to initialise Page 30 Atlas DCA Pro User Guide February 2015 Rev 1 4 Analysing Semiconductors PC Mode When the DCA Pro is connected to the PC and the PC is running the companion software the instrument can be used from the PC screen or from the instrument itself Pressing Test will initiate a component analysis in just the same way as the standalone mode DCAPro Tests Help nm Or Any test results are automatically passed to the PC software and displayed in a text window Additionally the component schematic and the colour coded pinout are also displayed PHP Darlington BIT PNP Darlington Red E Green B Blue C Transistor C HFE 15950 at lc 4 99mA B Vbe 1 414 at Ib 3 01mA lcLeak 0 000mA E Note that the component schematic is displayed in colour to illustrate which colour test lead is connected to each component lead Page 31 Atlas DCA Pro User Guide February 2015 Rev 1 4 After a component has been analysed you can perform further tests on the component such as curve tracing various component parameters Curve tracing is best performed after the DCA Pro has correctly identified the component and correctly identified the pinout Depending on the component type various curve options will become available from the Graphs menu Selecting the desired curve type will take you to a fresh curve tab
36. ven identical transistor types datasheet can show huge gain variation between them Characteristics shown in datasheets may be specified at different test conditions compared to the test conditions used by the DCA Pro Much more help is available at www peakelec co uk content support html Feel free to contact us for technical assistance Our contact details are shown at the end of this user guide Page 38 Atlas DCA Pro User Guide February 2015 Rev 1 4 Appendix B Summary Technical Specifications All values are at 25 C unless otherwise specified Specifications subject to change Parameter Min Max Note Typ Bipolar Transistors Measurable current gain hye range 2 soo he testvoltage Va 30v J J v E1 20 006V FVorresoution J Joy ooy 3 Var threshold for germanon f osv J Acoeptble Va o oo ow Base emitter shunt threshold soa on we Acceptable collector leakage m o NDIMA Mosreracsrs J po Enhancement mode Vsou range 00v ow Depletion mode Vasov ange sv ow 5 525mA CTransconductance grange omw gs test drain current span Page 39 Atlas DCA Pro User Guide February 2015 Rev 1 4 Summary Technical Specifications continued All values are at 25 C unless otherwise specified Specifications subject to change Parameter Min Typ Max Note PThyristorsand Trias TOO ToO To Toad hold testeurent ooma Boma Dio
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