{"id":2335,"date":"2018-04-17T09:26:34","date_gmt":"2018-04-17T16:26:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rbdinstruments.com\/blog\/?p=2335"},"modified":"2018-04-17T10:12:58","modified_gmt":"2018-04-17T17:12:58","slug":"how-to-test-the-bias-batteries-in-a-9103-picoammeter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rbdinstruments.com\/blog\/how-to-test-the-bias-batteries-in-a-9103-picoammeter\/","title":{"rendered":"How to test the bias batteries in a 9103 picoammeter"},"content":{"rendered":"

The 9103 USB picoammeter is often equipped with a +90 V bias option which improves the accuracy of electron and ion current measurements (by reducing the number of low energy secondary electrons that are generated by the beam from leaving the target).<\/p>\n

The +90 V bias comprises two 45V batteries in series which are located inside the 9103 chassis.\u00a0\u00a0 This blog post will explain how to test and replace the batteries in a 9103 picoammeter.<\/p>\n

1. Connect a DVM (digital volt meter) to the 9103 Input BNC connector.\u00a0 A BNC to double banana cable works well.\u00a0 Set the DVM to DC volts.<\/p>\n

2. In Actuel (the 9103 software), select the input Grounded and bias On.<\/p>\n

3. Sample the current.<\/p>\n

4. When the bias ON is checked there will be about +90V DC on the input of the 9103.<\/p>\n

5 .The input impedance of most DVMs when measuring DC voltage is 10 meg ohms.\u00a0 The two 45 volt batteries should total 90 to 95V DC. \u00a0\u00a0 The bias voltage divided by the input impedance of the DVM will\u00a0 equal the current.\u00a0 In this case the voltage of the two 45 volt batteries totaled 94V and the current was 9.414 uA.<\/p>\n

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\"94

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6. It is recommended that the bias batteries be tested every 6 months and replaced when the voltage drops below 80 volts.\u00a0 It is normal for the batteries to wear out over time and with use.\u00a0 Once the bias voltage drops to less than 50 V the effectiveness of preventing secondary electron emission is greatly reduced, which in turn reduces the accuracy of electron and ion beam current measurements.<\/p>\n

The RBD part number for the 45 V battery is BAT-45-213.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Whether you have an RBD 9103 USB picoammeter or an older Keithley with a PHI model 78 bias box, you should test the batteries as part of your preventive maintenance procedure and replace them as needed.<\/p>\n

To replace the batteries in a 9103:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Unplug the 9103 USB power and input cables.<\/p>\n

Using the Torx wrench that was included with the 9103, remove the screws from the front and rear 9103 chassis covers.<\/p>\n

Slide the board out from the front of the 9103.\u00a0\u00a0 You will need to rotate the back cover to feed it in. The back cover has a ground wire that is attached to the 9103 board. Also note which groove the 9103 board is in as you will need to put it back in the same groove.<\/p>\n

Remove the battery support bracket (white plastic).<\/p>\n

Carefully remove the old batteries.<\/p>\n

Install the new batteries.You may need to adjust the contacts on the batteries to get them to fit onto the board snaps more easily.<\/p>\n

Reattach the battery support bracket.<\/p>\n

Carefully slide the back cover and board back into the chassis. Make sure that you put the board back in the same groove that it came out of.\u00a0 If the front cover does not line up with the chassis then you are not in the correct groove.<\/p>\n

Reattach the screws to the front and back covers.\u00a0 Do not over tighten the screws!<\/p>\n

Once you have installed the new batteries, test the voltage. You should have 90 to 95 Volts.<\/p>\n

\"9103

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The 9103 USB picoammeter is often equipped with a +90 V bias option which improves the accuracy of electron and ion current measurements (by reducing the number of low energy secondary electrons that are generated by the beam from leaving … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2340,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false}}},"categories":[159],"tags":[116,259,233],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.rbdinstruments.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/9103-Batteries.jpg?fit=972%2C648&ssl=1","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p2DEXo-BF","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":1855,"url":"https:\/\/www.rbdinstruments.com\/blog\/9103-picoammeter-bias-modes\/","url_meta":{"origin":2335,"position":0},"title":"9103 Picoammeter bias modes","author":"Randy","date":"December 20, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"9103 Picoammeter bias modes This post explains the 9103 picoammeter bias modes and also explains the concept of \u201cfloating\u201d. There are 4 picoammeter bias modes: No bias \u2013 the current source is connected directly to the picoammeter input Internal \u2013 a low noise DC supply (two 45 V DC batteries\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "9103 USB Picoammeter"","block_context":{"text":"9103 USB Picoammeter","link":"https:\/\/www.rbdinstruments.com\/blog\/category\/9103-usb-picoammeter\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Floating-the-9103-Functionality 5000V","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.rbdinstruments.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/Floating-the-9103-Functionality-5000V.png?fit=766%2C824&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.rbdinstruments.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/Floating-the-9103-Functionality-5000V.png?fit=766%2C824&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.rbdinstruments.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/Floating-the-9103-Functionality-5000V.png?fit=766%2C824&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":3844,"url":"https:\/\/www.rbdinstruments.com\/blog\/9103-usb-picoammeter-blog-list\/","url_meta":{"origin":2335,"position":1},"title":"9103 USB Picoammeter Blog list","author":"Randy","date":"September 7, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"A summary of all of the 9103 USB picoammeter blog posts at RBD Techspot","rel":"","context":"In "9103 USB Picoammeter"","block_context":{"text":"9103 USB Picoammeter","link":"https:\/\/www.rbdinstruments.com\/blog\/category\/9103-usb-picoammeter\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"9103 HV Picoammeter","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.rbdinstruments.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/9103-hv.png?fit=530%2C261&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":2119,"url":"https:\/\/www.rbdinstruments.com\/blog\/9103-floating-ground-reference\/","url_meta":{"origin":2335,"position":2},"title":"9103 Floating Ground Reference","author":"Randy","date":"November 13, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"The term \"floating ground reference\" in the title of this post refers to an electrical circuit that does not have a ground connected electrically to earth. (This type of connection is also referred to as \"floating input\".) The 9103 USB data logging picoammeter has the ability to float higher than\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "9103 USB Picoammeter"","block_context":{"text":"9103 USB Picoammeter","link":"https:\/\/www.rbdinstruments.com\/blog\/category\/9103-usb-picoammeter\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.rbdinstruments.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/Current-limit-resistor-2.jpg?fit=1117%2C713&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.rbdinstruments.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/Current-limit-resistor-2.jpg?fit=1117%2C713&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.rbdinstruments.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/Current-limit-resistor-2.jpg?fit=1117%2C713&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.rbdinstruments.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/Current-limit-resistor-2.jpg?fit=1117%2C713&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2478,"url":"https:\/\/www.rbdinstruments.com\/blog\/5kv-floating-picoammeter\/","url_meta":{"origin":2335,"position":3},"title":"5 kV floating Picoammeter Video","author":"Randy","date":"February 16, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"This blog posts explains how a picoammeter can be floated up to +\/- 5 kV DC It includes a link to a video that shows a 9103 USB picoammeter being floated up to 5 kV and also a Keithley 485 picoammeter trying to float up to 5 kV.","rel":"","context":"In "9103 USB Picoammeter"","block_context":{"text":"9103 USB Picoammeter","link":"https:\/\/www.rbdinstruments.com\/blog\/category\/9103-usb-picoammeter\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"9103 HV","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.rbdinstruments.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/9103.jpg?fit=518%2C250&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1100,"url":"https:\/\/www.rbdinstruments.com\/blog\/calibrating-9103-usb-picoammeter\/","url_meta":{"origin":2335,"position":4},"title":"Calibrating the 9103 USB Picoammeter","author":"Joe Caterinicchio","date":"June 3, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Calibrating the 9103 USB Picoammeter The calibration procedure provided with the 9103 USB Picoammeter is written for use with a Keithley 220 current source and is set up for semi-automatic operation. But what if you want to use another brand or type of current source? The following procedure shows you\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "9103 USB Picoammeter"","block_context":{"text":"9103 USB Picoammeter","link":"https:\/\/www.rbdinstruments.com\/blog\/category\/9103-usb-picoammeter\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.rbdinstruments.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/9103-calibration-image.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.rbdinstruments.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/9103-calibration-image.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.rbdinstruments.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/9103-calibration-image.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.rbdinstruments.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/9103-calibration-image.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2717,"url":"https:\/\/www.rbdinstruments.com\/blog\/9103-usb-picoammeter-winter-2020-news\/","url_meta":{"origin":2335,"position":5},"title":"9103 USB Picoammeter Winter 2020 News","author":"Joe Caterinicchio","date":"February 12, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"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 \u00b15000 VDC. High-speed \/ High Voltage: One model combining both features.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "9103 USB Picoammeter"","block_context":{"text":"9103 USB Picoammeter","link":"https:\/\/www.rbdinstruments.com\/blog\/category\/9103-usb-picoammeter\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.rbdinstruments.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/actuel-1-6.png?fit=727%2C371&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.rbdinstruments.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/actuel-1-6.png?fit=727%2C371&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.rbdinstruments.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/actuel-1-6.png?fit=727%2C371&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rbdinstruments.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2335"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rbdinstruments.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rbdinstruments.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rbdinstruments.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rbdinstruments.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2335"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.rbdinstruments.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2335\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2349,"href":"https:\/\/www.rbdinstruments.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2335\/revisions\/2349"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rbdinstruments.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2340"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rbdinstruments.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2335"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rbdinstruments.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2335"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rbdinstruments.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2335"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}