Tag Archives: picoammeter

Actuel 1.8 Adds New Auto-Save and Graphing Features to the 9103 Picoammeter

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Actuel 1.8 adds new features to assist with saving and graphing data. As always, updates are free and can be found here.

Set the Auto-Save Interval

Prior to Actuel 1.8, the auto-save interval for recorded graph data was every 5 minutes. The latest version gives you the option to save the data every half-minute to every 30 minutes.

Option to Show / Hide Graph

You now have the option to show or hide the graph display. This is useful if you only want to record data and not view the real-time graph information. Large data sets and fast sampling rates can cause some performance issues on slower PCs, and this option mitigates that.

Set a Fixed Range for the Graph Y-axis

By default, the Y-axis scale automatically adjusts to the range of the incoming data, with the options to display dual or single polarity, and to zero the baseline.

9103 Actuel Y-axis Default Range
9103 Actuel Y-axis Default Range

The fixed-range option for the Y-axis is especially useful, as it serves as a Y-axis zoom (independent of the X-axis) and also allows you to more easily compare data between multiple units or sessions.
You can set the min and max for the range as well as the units.

9103 Actuel Y-axis Default Range
9103 Actuel Y-axis Default Range

There have been some minor changes to the user interface to accommodate the new options. The Data window is now (slightly) larger, and the formatting options have been moved to the Data Options group.

For more information on RBD Instruments’ 9103 USB picoammeter, visit our website here –

https://rbdinstruments.com/products/picoammeter.html

5 kV floating Picoammeter Video

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This post has been updated to include a video that shows how the High Voltage 9103  (PN 91035K) picoammeter can float up to +/- 5 kV.

RBD Instruments has released a new version of its 9103 USB Picoammeter which incorporates faster reads per second as well as 5000 DC volts of isolation to chassis ground.

9103 HV

9103 HV

Increasing the DC voltage isolation from chassis ground to 5000 volts (5kV) opens up new possibilities for researchers such as direct DC current measurement of very small electron and photo multiplier signals. Electron and ion beam measurements can be biased to reduce secondary electrons or to retard the beam as needed for experiments.

Designed to provide accurate bipolar DC current measurements in noisy environments such as synchrotron beam lines, the 9103 can measure bi-polar DC currents from low picoamps to milliamps.

The drawing below shows how the 9103 is floated on your HV power supply. The high voltage is referenced to chassis ground, and the signal ground is referenced to the high voltage. To help keep the supply and signal connections clear, the HV connection is a MHV connector and the signal input is a SHV connector.

Floating picoammeter

Floating picoammeter

There are a number of manufacturers of programmable DC power supplies that can be used to float the 9103 up to whatever voltage is needed (as long as you do not exceed +/- 5 kV).

For example, TDK-Lambda provides a programmable 0 to 6.5kV supply that can be voltage limited to 5 kV and can drive up to 2 mA of current.

The model number for a 120 VAC line input is PHV6.5P2-USB-1P115.  The base model has a ripple of 700mV which is somewhat high, but TDK-Lambda does offer a low ripple option that gets the ripple down to 75mV.  You can also easily make a simple RC filter to do the same thing. A number of interface options are available including USB, Ethernet, Serial and analog.

TDK Lambda supply

TDK Lambda supply

PHV series

PHV series

The new high speed option for the 9103 increases the reads per second from 40 to over 500, which is fast enough to perform optical chopper experiments. And, by taking more reads in the same amount of time as the first generation 9103 could, the accuracy is improved.

The Actuel software included with the 9103 provides new features for high speed acquisitions and display, but you can also write your own software to control the 9103 using the simple ASCII commands or in LabVIEW.

Since 9103s can be synced, it is now possible to configure a multichannel DC Picoammeter with up to 256 channels that has high speed, high voltage, or both options.

And if you do not need the high speed or high voltage options, the standard 9103 USB Picoammeter is still available as well.

For more information visit the RBD Instruments website at http://www.rbdinstruments.com

9103 USB Picoammeter Winter 2020 News

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Last year, RBD introduced an updated 9103 USB Picoammeter, with 3 new models:

  • High-speed: 500 reads / second compared to 40 for the Standard Model
  • High-voltage: an isolated signal input with the ability to float the 9103 Picoammeter to ±5000 VDC.
  • High-speed / High Voltage: One model combining both features.

This year we’ll be working on adding new features to our Actuel application software and providing more comprehensive support and programming documentation.

Actuel 1.6 is Released

Actuel Version 1.6
Actuel Version 1.6


The latest version of Actuel (1.6) is now available, as is an updated User Guide. The guide has new information on setting up and programming the 9103 for high-speed communications. Both can be found here.

This release replaces the Beta release and has full support for high-speed sampling and data recording and graphing.

9103 TechSpot Article Series

This year, we’ll be running a series of articles here on the TechSpot blog with more information on the new 9103 models and features, as well as detailed configuration, application, and programming advice.

Some of the topics we’ll be covering include:

  • Programming the 9103 for high-speed data collection
  • Using the high-voltage reference
  • Proper use of the input ground
  • Troubleshooting 9103 communications

Keep your eye on here on TechSpot for these and other articles covering all of RBD’s products, and please consider subscribing.