High-Speed Transient Recording System

François Martzloff
General Electric Company
Schenectady NY 12345

Reprinted, with permission, from General Electric TIS Report 68-C-019, January 1968

Significance:
Part 5 – Monitoring instruments, laboratory measurements, and test methods

The recording system described in this report was developed at a time when there were no available commercial
probes combining high-frequency response, high-voltage capability, and long connecting cable (to allow removing
the oscilloscope from close proximity to the source of the transients to be measured).

The need for such a system arose at the time when pre-strikes and restrikes in high-voltage vacuum switches were
emerging as a potential problem for transformer and motor winding insulation, and in some cases arrester failure.

Thirty years later, the problem seems to have abated and the vanishing need for such a custom-built system (even
if assembled from components that were commercially available at the time, including a “standard modification” of
a Tektronix oscilloscope – no longer available) relegates this system to the museum category and is included in this
Anthology only to provide some historical perspective on measurement methods.
 -

G E N E R A L @I E L E C T R I C
TECHNICAL I N F O R M A T I O N
SERIES
SCHENECTADY, N E W YORK

I AUTHOR 1 SUBJECT I NO.

Ihilartzloff, F D I transient measurement

TITLE
I January 1968
C.E. CLASS
High Speed Transient Recording
System COW, CLASS -
I ADDITIONAL COPIES AVAILABLE AT I NO. PAGES
Distribution Unit, Bldg. 5, Room 345
Research and Development Center 25
P . 0 . Box 8, Schenectady, New York 12301
SUMMARY

Switching transients have been responsible for equipment

failures; however, their accurate measurement i s difficult with
currently available oscilloscopes and attenuators.
The major difficulties in recording single fast transients a r e
- twofold: photographic limitations for a single sweep at high
speed, and spurious signals entering the measuring system.
A system based on differentiation-integration of the signal
has been developed at the Research and Development Center.
This system i s used with a Tektronix 544 oscilloscope featuring
2 4 kV acceleration. The passive differentiator-integrator was
assembled from commercially available components. In addi-
tion to transient recording, the oscilloscope can also be used a s
a general purpose laboratory oscilloscope at normal accelerating
potential. Thus, a new system, which can easily be duplicated in
operating components of the Company, i s available for making
reliable transient measurements and for making comparisons of
r e s u l t s from different laboratories. This system offers excel-
lent recording capabilities, with a response that i s flat within
& 10% from 0.3 to 30 MHz.

KEY WORDS
transients, oscilloscopes, probes, shielding

lNFORMATI ON PREPARED FOR:

 High Speed T r a n s i e n t Recording System

1.. Introduction

It i s known t h a t s w i t c h i n g t r a n s i e n t s i n power c i r c u i t s have been r e s p o n s i -

b l e f o r equipment f a i l u r e ; however, a c c u r a t e measurement of t h e s e t r a n s i e n t s i s
d i f f i c u l t w i t h c u r r e n t l y a v a i l a b l e o s c i l l o s c o p e s and v o l t a g e a t t e n u a t o r s l ' 2 . Ac-
c u r a t e d e t e c t i o n and measurement a r e n e c e s s a r y f o r an u n d e r s t a n d i n g of t h e prob-
lem b e f o r e a p p r o p r i a t e c o r r e c t i v e a c t i o n i s t a k e n .

The major d i f f i c u l t i e s i n r e c o r d i n g s i n g l e f a s t t r a n s i e n t s ( i . e . , r i s e times

of l e s s t h a n 0 . 2 p s ) a r e t w o f o l d : t h e f i r s t i s t h e l i m i t a t i o n o f photographic
r e c o r d i n g ( b r i g h t n e s s of t h e t r a c e v s . f i l m and l e n s speed) f o r a s i n g l e sweep a t
h i g h s p e e d ; t h e second i s caused by s p u r i o u s r e s p o n s e s o f t h e system t o s i g n a l s
r a d i a t e d by t h e t e s t c i r c u i t .

Both problems were s o l v e d i n 1 9 6 2 by H. W . Lord, through t h e use of a spe-

c i a l t r a v e l i n g wave E d g e r t o n , Germeshausen & G r i e r (EGG) o s c i l l o s c o p e w i t h high
w r i t i n g s p e e d , and a s p e c i a l d i f f e r e n t i a t o r - i n t e g r a t i n g a m p l i f i e r v o l t a g e a t t e n -
3
uator . However, b o t h t h e o s c i l l o s c o p e and t h e d i f f e r e n t i a t o r - i n t e g r a t o r system
a r e h i g h l y s p e c i a l i z e d , custom made equipment and t h e a c t i v e a m p l i f i e r r e q u i r e s
a l a r g e power s u p p l y . F u r t h e r m o r e , EGG has d i s c o n t i n u e d t h e manufacture of t h e
t r a v e l i n g wave o s c i l l o s c o p e s .

A system based on t h e same d i f f e r e n t i a t i o n - i n t e g r a t i o n t e c h n i q u e s used by

M r . Lord h a s been developed a t t h e Research and Development C e n t e r . T h i s system
i s used w i t h a modified T e k t r o n i x 544 o s c i l l o s c o p e and a 1 A l p r e a m p l i f i e r . The
change i n t h e o s c i l l o s c o p e i s a " s t a n d a r d m o d i f i c a t i o n " f e a t u r i n g a 24 kV a c c e l -
e r a t i o n anode. The p a s s i v e d i f f e r e n t i a t o r - i n t e g r a t o r was assembled from commer-
c i a l l y a v a i l a b l e components. I n addition t o t r a n s i e n t recording, the o s c i l l o -
scope can a l s o be used a s a g e n e r a l purpose l a b o r a t o r y o s c i l l o s c o p e a t normal
accelerating potential. Thus, a new system, which can e a s i l y be d u p l i c a t e d i n
o p e r a t i n g components o f t h e Company, i s a v a i l a b l e f o r making r e l i a b l e t r a n s i e n t
measurements and f o r making comparisons o f r e s u l t s from d i f f e r e n t l a b o r a t o r i e s .
T h i s system o f f e r s e x c e l l e n t r e c o r d i n g c a p a b i l i t i e s , w i t h a response t h a t i s f l a t
within f 10% from 0 . 3 t o 30 MHz.
T h i s r e p o r t p r e s e n t s a d i s c u s s i o n of t h e d i f f e r e n t i a t o r - i n t e g r a t o r approach
and of t h e problems a s s o c i a t e d w i t h h i g h speed CRT photography. The develop-
ment of t h e i n t e g r a t o r i s d i s c u s s e d i n t h e r e p o r t . The e v a l u a t i o n of t h e
system i s a l s o d e s c r i b e d , based on s i n g l e frequency a n a l y s i s and on h i g h
v o l t a g e s t e p f u n c t i o n methods.

2. The D i f f e r e n t i a t o r - I n t e g r a t o r A t t e n u a t o r

2.1 Principle

F i g u r e 1 shows t h e b a s i c c i r c u i t , where t h e s i g n a l o c c u r r i n g a c r o s s t h e
t e s t p i e c e Z i s d i f f e r e n t i a t e d by t h e C1-R1 c i r c u i t and i n t e g r a t e d by t h e
R2-C2 c i r c u i t b e f o r e being a p p l i e d t o t h e o s c i l l o s c o p e i n p u t .

pcA*
'I INSERT CABLE FILTERS

CRO

FIGURE I FIGURE 2

F i g u r e 2 shows t h e c i r c u i t a s a p p l i e d t o measurement of h i g h frequency,

h i g h v o l t a g e s i g n a l s where d i r e c t r a d i a t i o n of s p u r i o u s s i g n a l s i n t o t h e
o s c i l l o s c o p e becomes a problem.

The d i f f e r e n t i a t o r c o n s i s t s of a h i g h v o l t a g e c a p a c i t o r C1 and a n a r b i -
t r a r y l e n g t h of 50-ohm c a b l e t e r m i n a t e d i n t o a 50 ohm load. The f a c t t h a t
t h i s c a b l e l e n g t h c a n be a r b i t r a r y , makes p o s s i b l e two d e s i r a b l e f e a t u r e s :
t h e o s c i l l o s c o p e c a n be p l a c e d a t t h e end of t h e long c a b l e , f a r away from
t h e s t r o n g r a d i a t i o n caused by t h e c i r c u i t under t e s t , and a c a b l e f i l t e r ,
r e q u i r i n g a d d i t i o n a l c a b l e length, c a n be i n s e r t e d t o b l o c k c i r c u l a t i o n of
ground c u r r e n t s . I n c o n t r a s t , most commercial h i g h v o l t a g e probes a r e
l i m i t e d t o 1 0 t o 12 f e e t and have l i m i t e d b u i l t - i n c a b l e f i l t e r s
4
. The
s p u r i o u s e f f e c t s of t h i s l i m i t e d f i l t e r i n g c a p a b i l i t y a r e i l l u s t r a t e d i n
t h e appendix .
2.2 Practical Limitations

The b a s i c d e s i g n of t h e ~ 1 - ~ 1 / ~ 2 - cCi 2
r c u i t must be r e f i n e d t o com-
p e n s a t e f o r t h e c a p a c i t a n c e of t h e c a b l e ( c o n s i d e r e d a s a p u r e r e s i s t a n c e
i n the basic circuit), f o r t h e s t r a y c a p a c i t a n c e s of t h e r e s i s t o r s , and
f o r i n d u c t a n c e s of t h e w i r i n g t h a t t h e b a s i c c i r c u i t t h e o r y n e g l e c t s .

It must be recognized t h a t resonances w i l l a l s o o c c u r ; they c a n be

e l i m i n a t e d by s u i t a b l e s e l e c t i o n of t h e component v a l u e s and c a r e f u l
c o n s t r u c t ion.

The d e s i g n of a n a c t u a l i n t e g r a t o r w i l l be r e s t r i c t e d by t h e o r e t i c a l
l i m i t s s u c h a s t h e frequency r o l l - o f f p o i n t s of t h e R C ' s , by p r a c t i c a l
l i m i t a t i o n s s u c h a s resonances and by t h e s p e c i f i c a t i o n s on t h e g a i n .

Frequency L i m i t s and System Gain

P

The a t t e n u a t i o n of t h e R 1 ~ 1 / R 2 ~system
2 is:
Ji
out -- R1 C 1
R2 C2
Ein

1
The -3 dB h i g h frequency p o i n t i s d e f i n e d by: UQ =
C 1 R1

- 1
The - 3 dB low frequency p o i n t i s d e f i n e d by: u
2 C2 R2

Thus, w i t h a f i x e d v a l u e of R 1 and C1, extending t h e low frequency

r e s p o n s e of t h e system c a n only be done a t t h e expense of t h e system g a i n .
The d e s i r e d system g a i n i s determined by t h e magnitude of t h e s i g n a l s t o
be recorded and by t h e i n p u t r e q u i r e m e n t s of t h e o s c i l l o s c o p e . For t h e
5441181 combination, performance i s s l i g h t l y degraded f o r a t t e n u a t o r
s e t t i n g s below 0.050 volts/cm, s o t h a t optimum performance w i l l be
o b t a i n e d w i t h i n t e g r a t o r o u t p u t s above 0.1 v o l t s .
Numerical Example

Let u s choose R1 = 5 0 ohms ( a t y p i c a l s u r g e impedance

f o r a c a b l e l i k e l y t o be used)

C1 = 5 pF ( f o r minimum c i r c u i t l o a d i n g )

then, RlCl = 250 lo-'*

= 640 MHz

For a d e s i r e d a t t e n u a t i o n of 5000:l

R2C2 = R l C l x 5000

then

Thus, i n t h i s example, t h e h i g h upper frequency l i m i t r e s u l t e d from t h e de-

s i r e t o have minimum l o a d i n g of t h e t e s t c i r c u i t , while t h e r e l a t i v e l y high
low frequency l i m i t r e s u l t e d from t h e d e s i r e t o produce t h e mild a t t e n u a t i o n .
A lower v a l u e f o r t h e low frequency l i m i t could b e obtained by more a t t e n u -
a t i o n o r by a l a r g e r coupling c a p a c i t o r C1, i f t h e r e s u l t a n t c i r c u i t loading
i s acceptable.

Resonances

P r e c a u t i o n s must be t a k e n t o keep t h e i n p u t connection inductance low

( c a p a c i t o r C 1 and l e a d s ) s o t h a t t h e s e w i l l not r e s o n a t e a t f r e q u e n c i e s
w i t h i n t h e pass-band. For i n s t a n c e , assuming C 1 = 5 pF, resonance o c c u r s f o r a n i n -

put i n d u c t a n c e L1 a t w such t h a t :
lr

6
For a system w i t h a n upper frequency l i m i t i n t h e o r d e r of 100 MHz, o r 628 1 0 r a d l s e c ,
6
should be i n t h e o r d e r of 1000 1 0 r a d l s e c o r higher. Thus,
Wlr

1
hence L1 =
18
5 10-l2 x 10

T h i s p o i n t s out tkle need f o r c l o s e c o u p l i n g of t h e probe t o t h e c i r c u i t a s 1 f o o t

of w i r e has a n i n d u c t a n c e i n t h e o r d e r of 0.1pH.

3. O s c i l l o s c o p e Photography

High speed r e c o r d i n g of s i n g l e t r a n s i e n t s i s l i m i t e d by a number of parameters:

a. Cathode r a y tube (CRT) - phosphor emission
- beam a c c e l e r a t i n g p o t e n t i a l
- s p o t diameter
b. Camera d e s i g n - l e n s opening
- reproduction r a t i o
c. Film - speed a t phosphor emission
- contrast

Very s m a l l s p o t di.ameter i s u s e f u l i n producing a b r i l l i a n t t r a c e i f t h e

f i l m c o n t r a s t i s a d e q u a t e ; a poorly focussed beam produces a smeared t r a c e which
would be p o o r l y recorded on a s o f t emulsion.

P o l a r o i d 410 (ASA 10,000) f i l m has t h e h i g h e s t a v a i l a b l e speed a t t h i s time.

The P-11 CRT phosphor has t h e h i g h e s t a v a i l a b l e w r i t i n g speed, and i s matched
w i t h P o l a r o i d 410 c h a r a c t e r i s t i c s .

Thus, t h e only parameters which may be improved a r e t h e a c c e l e r a t i n g poten-

t i a l of t h e CRT, t h e c a p a b i l i t y of f i n e f o c u s i n g of t h e CRT, and t h e camera de-
sign.
 The EGG o s c i l l o s c o p e mentioned e a r l i e r h a s an e x t r e m e l y s h a r p beam, and p r o -
duces a b r i l l i a n t t r a c e . However, t h i s t r a c e i s o n l y 1 . 5 cm l o n g . Most T e k t r o n i x
o s c i l l o s c o p e s have a sweep 1 0 cm l o n g , i n c o n t r a s t t o t h e 1 . 5 cm of t h e EGG.
T h e r e f o r e , comparison o f p h o t o g r a p h i c r e c o r d s o b t a i n e d w i t h t h e two o s c i l l o s c o p e s
s h o u l d be made f o r t h e same sweep l e n g t h , i n t h e same t i m e .

F u r t h e r a m b i g u i t y i n r e c o r d i n g a b i l i t y i s i n t r o d u c e d by t h e camera d e s i g n .
High speed l e n s e s ( f : 1 . 3 o r l e s s ) a r e g e n e r a l l y a s s o c i a t e d w i t h a n image r a t i o of
1 : 0 . 5 , p r o d u c i n g a s m a l l e r image on t h e f i l m . T h i s r e s u l t s i n more l i g h t concen-
t r a t e d on t h e f i l m and p r o d u c e s a s h o r t e r , b r i g h t e r t r a c e t h a n a c o n v e n t i o n a l
camera w i t h a 1:O.g r a t i o .

These d i f f e r e n c e s a r e i l l u s t r a t e d ( w i t h i n t h e l i m i t a t i o n o f h a l f - t c n e p r o -
c e s s ) i n F i g u r e 3 showing f u l l s i z e r e p r o d u c t i o n s o f t h e o r i g i n a l p h o t o g r a p h s of
t h r e e o s c i l l o s c o p e - c a m e r a s y s t e m s and r e p r o d u c t i o n s of t h e same t r a c e s e n l a r g e d
t o a comparable t r a c e l e n g t h f o r a s i n g l e t r a n s i e n t r e c o r d i n g . The t r a n s i e n t r e -
c o r d e d f o r t h i s example i s t h e breakdown a t a b o u t 12 kV of a n o i l gap w i t h c a p a -
c i t o r d i s c h a r g e c u r r e n t i n t h e gap. The d i f f e r e n c e s of p i c t u r e q u a l i t y i n t h e
o r i g i n a l p h o t o g r a p h s and i n t h e e n l a r g e m e n t t o e q u i v a l e n t t r a c e s i z e a r e q u i t e
apparent.

'The f i r s t " t r a c e " ( a ) was produced by a T e k t r o n i x 545 o s c i l l o s c o p e w i t h a c -

c e l e r a t i n g p o t e n t i a l b o o s t e d t o 12 kV ( a r e a d i l y a v a i l a b l e m o d i f i c a t i o n k i t ) , and
a s t a n d a r d T e k t r o n i x C12 camera ( f : 1 . 9 l e n s , 1:O.g r a t i o ) . A t t h i s 0 . 0 2 ps/cm
speed e v e n t h e o r i g i n a l P o l a r o i d p i c t u r e d o e s n o t show t h e f a i n t change i n g l o s s
which can sometimes be s e e n , b u t n o t r e p r o d u c e d i n p r i n t .

The second t r a c e ( b ) was r e c o r d e d by t h e same s y s t e m , b u t a t a speed 5 t i m e s

s l o w e r , 0 . 1 ps/cm. T h i s i s t h e f a s t e s t s i n g l e sweep t h a t c a n be r e c o r d e d . The
o r i g i n a l P o l a r o i d p i c t u r e d o e s show t h e f r o n t a s t h e f a i n t g l o s s change mentioned
above.

The t h i r d t r a c e s ( c ) were r e c o r d e d w i t h t h e EGG o s c i l l o s c o p e and Mark I a t -

tenuator. A z e r o l i n e h a s been added s i n c e t h e EGG o s c i l l o s c o p e h a s no g r a t i c u l e .

The f o u r t h t r a c e s (d) were r e c o r d e d w i t h t h e new T e k t r o n i x 544 o s c i l l o s c o p e

and h i g h speed camera ( f : 1 . 3 , 1:0.5 r a t i o ) . An e n l a r g e m e n t h a s been made t o t h e
same s c a l e a s t r a c e s c and a , w i t h c o m p l e t e r e s o l u t i o n of t h e t r a c e .

The d i f f e r e n c e on t r a c e s c and d , a s f a r a s t h e h i g h f r e q u e n c y o s c i l l a t i o n
s e e n o n t r a c e c i s c o n c e r n e d , w i l l be d i s c u s s e d i n S e c t i o n 4 . 2 .
b. T e k t r o n i x 545, 12 kV a c c e l e r a t i o n
0.1 p s / d i v i s i o n-P6015 probe
recorded 1:O.g r a t i o , f : l . 9 l e n s
( o r i g i n a l Polaroid allows reading
of t h e f r o n t )
T o t a l sweep time: 1 ys

EGG o s c i l l o s c o p e , Mark I
0.1 p / c m on CRT
below: recorded 1:1 r a t i o , f : 1.4 l e n s
r i g h t : enlargement from o r i g i n a l below
T o t a l sweep time: 0.15 ps

T e k t r o n i x 544, 24 kV a c c e l e r a t i o n
0.02 ps /d i v i s i o n -
Mark I V
below: recorded 1:0.5 r a t i o , f :1 . 3 l e n s
r i g h t : enlargement from o r i g i n a l below
T o t a l sweep time: 0.2 ps
4. An improved Recording System

4.1 Approach

Oscilloscope-Camera

With t h e o b j e c t i v e of u s i n g r e a d i l y a v a i l a b l e components, t h e c h o i c e of
o s c i l l o s c o p e s was narrowed t o T e k t r o n i x , F a i r c h i l d , and Hewlett-Packard. Ad-
m i t t e d l y , t h e r e may have been a s l i g h t b i a s i n f a v o r of T e k t r o n i x s i n c e most
o s c i l l o s c o p e s i n u s e a t t h e Research and Development C e n t e r and i n t h e D e p a r t -
ments t e n d t o be T e k t r o n i x . The T e k t r o n i x 519 o s c i l l o s c o p e ( t r a v e l i n g wave
t u b e ) has e x c e l l e n t s i n g l e t r a n s i e n t w r i t i n g s p e e d , and i s a c a t a l o g i t e m , b u t
i t has a f i x e d s i n g l e i n p u t (10 V/cm, 125 ohm), making i t a h i g h l y s p e c i a l i z e d
instrument. On t h e o t h e r hand, t h e T e k t r o n i x 544 o s c i l l o s c o p e i s a v a i l a b l e on
s p e c i a l o r d e r i n a " s t a n d a r d m o d i f i c a t i o n " f o r h i g h w r i t i n g r a t e a t 24 kV
accelerating potential.

The meaning of " s t a n d a r d m o d i f i c a t i o n " on a s p e c i a l o r d e r i s t h a t T e k t r o n i x

-
w i l l r e a d i l y a c c e p t o r d e r s f o r t h i s model, s i n c e t h e demand has been s u f -
f i c i e n t t o p r e p a r e i n s t r u c t i o n books, e t c . While s p e c i a l o r d e r means a de-
l a y i n d e l i v e r y , i t seems a t p r e s e n t t h a t most c a t a l o g - l i s t e d o s c i l l o s c o p e s ,
i n p a r t i c u l a r t h e 519, a r e i n back-order s t a t e ; consequently, t h e s p e c i a l
o r d e r d e l a y does not r e s u l t i n much l o n g e r d e l i v e r y time t h a n t h a t r e q u i r e d
f o r c a t a l o g items.

The r e a l advantages of t h e 544 o s c i l l o s c o p e a r e t h a t i t a c c e p t s t h e normal

l e t t e r - s e r i e s p r e a m p l i f i e r s , and t h a t s e t t i n g of a s w i t c h c o n v e r t s i t back t o
t h e normal o p e r a t i o n of a 544 o s c i l l o s c o p e ( i . e . , a g e n e r a l purpose o s c i l l o s c o p e
s u i t a b l e f o r a l a r g e number of l a b o r a t o r y a p p l i c a t i o n s ) . This i s i n c o n t r a s t t o
t h e s p e c i a l i z e d u s e of t h e 519 o s c i l l o s c o p e . Cost of t h e o s c i l l o s c o p e w i t h modi
f i c a t i o n ( w i t h o u t p r e a m p l i f i e r ) i s a l s o lower t h a n t h a t of t h e 519. Therefore,
a T e k t r o n i x 544 Mod. 108G w i t h C12 camera was s e l e c t e d and purchased f o r t h i s
system.

The frequency r e s p o n s e of t h e o s c i l l o s c o p e w i t h 1 A l p r e a m p l i f i e r i s f l a t
w i t h i n -3dB t o 50 MHz f o r p r e a m p l i f i e r s e t t i n g s of 0.05 t o 20 v/cm, where t h e
system i s expected t o o p e r a t e . For c a l i b r a t i o n purposes, d i f f e r e n t a t t e n u a t o r
s e t t i n g s must be used. A p p r o p r i a t e c o r r e c t i o n s a r e d i s c u s s e d i n S e c t i o n 4.2.
 The 6 x 10 cm viewing a r e a under t h e normal 12 kV a c c e l e r a t i o n i s reduced
t o 4 cm v e r t i c a l x 5 cm h o r i z o n t a l a t 24 kV. With t h e sweep m a g n i f i e r on, t h e
sweep i s a g a i n 10 cm long on t h e f a c e of t h e CRT and i s l i n e a r , e x c e p t f o r t h e
f i r s t and l a s t cm of t h e e n t i r e t r a c e . Thus, t h e u s e f u l viewing a r e a i s e f -
f e c t i v e l y 4 x 10 cm, which i s e q u i v a l e n t t o t h a t of a c o n v e n t i o n a l T e k t r o n i x
545 o s c i l l o s c o p e .

Mark I V D i f f e r e n t i a t o r - Integrator

E a r l i e r approaches t o t h e measurement of h i g h speed t r a n s i e n t s used t h e

d i f f e r e n t i a t o r i n t e g r a t o r with an a c t i v e c i r c u i t . These approaches have been
d e s c r i b e d i n Reference 5 a s Mark I and Mark 11. A Mark I11 d e s i g n a t i o n i s r e -
served f o r a system b u i l t f o r t h e S p e c i a l t y Transformer Department. The new
system d e s c r i b e d h e r e has been d e s i g n a t e d a s Mark I V i n o r d e r t o acknowledge
t h e c o n t i n u i t y of t h e development.

- I n o r d e r t o minimize l o a d i n g of t h e t e s t p i e c e and t o move away the r e s o -

n a n t frequency of t h e probe i n p u t c i r c u i t , we s e l e c t e d a 5pF vacuum c a p a c i t o r
( J e n n i n g s Cat. JCD-5) r a t e d 60 kV f o r t h e c o u p l i n g c a p a c i t o r , and 50-ohm RG8
o r RG 5 8 a s t h e c a b l e .

The c a p a c i t o r i s a c t u a l l y s h i e l d e d by a guard a t t h e p o t e n t i a l of t h e low

s i d e , which i s g e n e r a l l y t h e s i n g l e ground p o i n t of t h e system.

The complete c i r c u i t i s enclosed i n a copper box, s t a r t i n g w i t h t h e f i l t e r

c o n s i s t i n g of 20 t u r n s of c o a x i a l c a b l e around a f e r r i t e c o r e . The b a s i c R 2 / C 2
i n t e g r a t o r has been r e f i n e d a s shown i n Figure 4 i n o r d e r t o provide f l a t r e -
sponse over t h e w i d e s t p o s s i b l e band. The major i n t e g r a t i o n i s performed by t h e
r e s i s t o r R2 and c a p a c i t o r C 2 . Addi- FILTER
t i o n a l compensation i s o b t a i n e d by t h e
~ 3 / i~n t3e g r a t o r , and t h e o u t p u t i s
fed through t h e R4/50 ohm d i v i d e r , where
t h e 50 ohm r e s i s t a n c e a l s o a c t s a s t e r - FIGURE 4- WIDE BAND ATTENUATOR
minating impedance f o r t h e o u t p u t c a b l e a t t h e o s c i l l o s c o p e p a n e l i n p u t .
T h i s t e r m i n a t i n g r e s i s t a n c e was added s o t h a t t h e box could be connected
t o any o s c i l l o s c o p e t h r o u g h a s h o r t c a b l e . As t h i s produced a n a d d i t i o n a l a t -
t e n u a t i o n ( t h e R3 + R4/50 d i v i d e r ) it became n e c e s s a r y t o i n c r e a s e t h e g a i n
of t h e i n t e g r a t o r s o t h a t R2 C2 was made s m a l l e r . The c o r r e s p o n d i n g i n c r e a s e
of t h e low frequency l i m i t was t h e n compensated by i n t r o d u c i n g t h e R1/C4 i n -
s t e a d of a s i n g l e r e s i s t a n c e R 1 . P r o p e r matching of t h e s e elements was achieved
by a c t u a l r e s p o n s e c u r v e p l o t t i n g of c i r c u i t s u n t i l t h e f l a t response d e s c r i b e d
i n S e c t i o n 4.2 was obtained.

Camera

The T e k t r o n i x C27 camera i s a v a i l a b l e w i t h a f : 1 . 3 l e n s ; i t has no m i r r o r s

t o d e c r e a s e t h e amount of l i g h t r e a c h i n g t h e f i l m and produces a s h a r p t r a c e w i t h
a 1:0.5 reproduction r a t i o . Although a d v e r t i z e d a s r e c o r d i n g two g r a t i c u l e s p e r
frame of f i l m , t h i s i s r e a l l y n o t t h e p o i n t of t h e 1:0.5 r a t i o ; few o p e r a t o r s
w i l l a c t u a l l y t a k e two exposures of a t e s t w i t h o u t wanting t o s e e t h e r e s u l t s of
the f i r s t t e s t .

S h i e l d i n g Requirements

The p e r e n n i a l p i t f a l l s of t r a n s i e n t measurements a r e ground loops and r a -

diated noise entering the oscilloscope c i r c u i t s .

The most common type of ground loop i s Ir

t h a t shown i n F i g u r e 5 , i n v o l v i n g t h e s h e a t h
of t h e c o a x i a l c a b l e which b r i n g s t h e s i g n a l
t o the oscilloscope.

T h i s e f f e c t i s s u b s t a n t i a l l y reduced by
inserting i n the cable a f i l t e r , consisting FIGURE 5

of a number of t u r n s of c o a x i a l c a b l e on a f e r r i t e c o r e . The s i g n a l ,

t r a v e l i n g i n t h e coax i s n o t a f f e c t e d by t h e f i l t e r , while ground c u r r e n t s

c i r c u l a t i n g a l o n g t h e coax s h e a t h a r e impeded by t h e inductance of t h e c o i l
of c a b l e .

Noise r a d i a t e d t o t h e o s c i l l o s c o p e can be a b a t e d by b a r r i e r s ( s h i e l d i n g )
o r merely by d i s t a n c e . S h i e l d i n g means an e n c l o s u r e e i t h e r f o r t h e t e s t c i r -
c u i t o r t h e o s c i l l o s c o p e ; depending upon t h e s i z e of t h e t e s t c i r c u i t , i t may
be n e c e s s a r y t o e n c l o s e t h e o s c i l l o s c o p e r a t h e r t h a n t h e c i r c u i t . For t h e two
t o he p h y s i c a l l y c l o s e ( i . g . , i n t h e same a r e a of a l a b o r a t o r y b a y ) , i t w i l l
be n e c e s s a r y t o provide v e r y good a t t e n u a t i o n by t h e e n c l o s u r e , such a s 90 dB
a t 100 MHz, t h a t i s , a n "RFI" t y p e d e s i g n , not j u s t a s a f e t y type e n c l o s u r e .
 S i n c e a n e n c l o s u r e may n o t always be a v a i l a b l e , c o n s i d e r a b l e a t t e n u a t i o n
can be o b t a i n e d merely by removing t h e o s c i l l o s c o p e from t h e t e s t c i r c u i t ,
around a m e t a l b u i l d i n g c o r n e r , e t c . Here, t h e a v a i l a b i l i t y of a l o n g c a b l e be-
tween t h e d i f f e r e n t i a t o r and i n t e g r a t o r becomes a v e r y s i g n i f i c a n t a s s e t .

4.2 System Performance

The performance o f t h e system was e v a l u a t e d i n two ways: by s i n g l e f r e -

quency r e s p o n s e and by s t e p f u n c t i o n r e s p o n s e . The s i n g l e frequency method
a l l o w s a s e p a r a t e e v a l u a t i o n of t h e components and, provided t h a t s u i t a b l e
g e n e r a t o r s , c a l i b r a t e d a t t e n u a t o r s , and r e c e i v e r s a r e a v a i l a b l e , i t y i e l d s a n
answer i n a b s o l u t e t e r m s . S t e p f u n c t i o n r e s p o n s e i n v o l v e s t h e t o t a l system a t
o n c e , i n c l u d i n g s h i e l d i n g , and c a n be performed a t h i g h v o l t a g e s o t h a t i t g i v e s
a p i c t o r i a l e v a l u a t i o n of t h e r e s p o n s e ; however, s i n c e it r e q u i r e s a t r u e s t e p
f u n c t i o n , which i s r a t h e r d i f f i c u l t t o produce, i t r e a l l y y i e l d s an answer i n
r e l a t i v e terms.

S i n g l e Frequency E v a l u a t i o n

The method c o n s i s t s merely i n a p p l y i n g a v a r i a b l e frequency s i n u s o i d a l v o l -

t a g e of known amplitude a t t h e i n p u t and measuring t h e o u t p u t , i n t h i s c a s e t h e
d e f l e c t i o n on t h e f a c e of t h e CRT, a s a f u n c t i o n of f r e q u e n c y .

However, s i n c e t h e s i n u s o i d a l s i g n a l g e n e r a t o r has a l i m i t e d o u t p u t v o l t a g e ,
such a s 10v p-to-p compared t o t h e v o l t a g e s i n t h e range of 1 t o 50 kV which may
be involved i n t h e a c t u a l measurement, t h e o s c i l l o s c o p e p r e a m p l i f i e r must be
operated a t high g a i n . T h i s i n t r o d u c e s t h e r e s p o n s e of t h e o s c i l l o s c o p e / p r e a m p l i -
f i e r a t t h i s high g a i n s e t t i n g , which a t h i g h frequency i s p o o r e r t h a n t h e
r e s p o n s e a t medium g a i n where t h e p r e a m p l i f i e r w i l l be o p e r a t i n g f o r a c t u a l
use.

Thus, f o u r s t e p s a r e r e q u i r e d t o o b t a i n a q u a n t i t a t i v e d e s c r i p t i o n o f
t h e system performance:
I I
1
lo1 0.05 lo 2 0 v/cm
1. P l o t r e s p o n s e of t h e o s c i l l o s c o p e
and p r e a m p l i f i e r a t h i g h g a i n ---
(0.005 v/cm - s e e F i g u r e 6.
-4
+ ---- . -- -

01 0 0 0 5 v/cm
2. P l o t r e s p o n s e of t h e o s c i l l o s c o p e -6
and p r e a m p l i f i e r a t g a i n f o r I 5 10
FREQUENCY MHz
20 50
a c t u a l u s e (0.05 v/cm and above)
RESPONSE OF TEKTRONIX 544 OSCILLOSCOPE
- s e e F i g u r e 6. WITH IAl PREAMPLIFIER SETTING AS SHOWN
FIGURE 6

11
-
--
 3. Plot response of the complete differentiator-integrator oscilloscope
with low level input signal and high gain setting of the preamplifier -
see Figure 7.

4. From 1 and 2, correct 3 to compensate for the difference in response

between the high gain and normal gain settings, and then plot the cor-
rected response point-by-point at high frequency see Figure 7. -

0 ------- - I

-2 / 1
I

-4
db-6 at 0.005 -v/cm+\

-8 /
-I0

0.01 0.02 0.05 01 0.2 0.5 I 2 5 10 20 50

FREOUENCY, MHz
RESPONSE OF COMPLETE SYSTEM- DIFFERENTIATOR, INTEGRATOR,
IAl PREAMPLIFIER WITH SETTINGS AS SHOWN, 5 4 4 OSCILLOSCOPE
FIGURE 7

From 1 and 3, calculate the response of the differentiator-integrator

alone and make a point-by-point plot at high frequency - see Figure 8.

The system attenuation is shown

ZE
in Figure 8. This attenuation is 10~0al

equal to 5,000:l
20% +-
0% from 300 kHz
5~ 5 0 0 0 ; l
to 30 MHz, and produces usable ' 0.02 0.05 0.1 02 0.5 1
FREOUENCY MHz
2 5 10 2 0 50
in£ormation below and above this ATTENUATION OF COMPLETE SYSTEM
flat range. DIFFERENTIATOR-INTEGRATOR-IAI PREAMP AT 0.05 V/cm-544 OSCILLOSCOPE
FIGURE 8

For reference, a similar evaluation was made of the earlier Mark I system(5)
using the 544 oscilloscope and 1Al preamplifier. The corresponding curve is
shown in Figure 9a. The Mark I has been previously used with the EGG oscilloscope
which does not show any drop in response at 50 MHz, so that the response of the
complete system, Mark I + EGG oscilloscope would exhibit the rise shown in dotted
line in Figure 9a. The attenuation of the Mark I and EGG oscilloscope is shown
in Figure 9b.
 002 0050.1 02 0.5 1 2 5 10 2 0 50
FREOUENCY MHz
A MARK I WlTH TEKTRONIX IAl AT 0.005 vkm AND 544 OSCILLOSCOPE FREOUENCY MHz
B ATTENUATION WlTH EGG. OSCILLOSCOPE DERIVED FROM A

FIGURE 9
PERFORMANCE OF MARK I ATTENUATOR
UNMR SAME TEST CONDITIONS AS MARK CII EVALUATION

A t t h i s p o i n t , we can d i s c u s s t h e d i f -
f e r e n c e i n F i g u r e s 3c and 3d which were men-
t i o n e d e a r l i e r , and a r e reproduced on t h i s
:\ f.,
F'
*.- --I

. -.?A
/
page a s n e g a t i v e s . "1
."$'.I

3c MK I
I t i s p o s s i b l e t h a t t h e h i g h frequency
( a b o u t 200 MHz) shown i n t h e Mark I t r a c e
i s present i n the c i r c u i t . However, t h e
i n c r e a s i n g g a i n of Mark I beyond 50 MHz
which t u r n s i n t o a resonance towards 250
M H Z ( ~w) i l l show t h i s 200 MHz o s c i l l a t i o n
w i t h a m a g n i f i c a t i o n i n t h e o r d e r of 3 t o 1

On t h e o t h e r hand, t h e Mark I V t r a c e
does not show any of t h e s e , s i n c e i t s response begins t o drop a t 30 MHz. Were
any of t h e s e f r e q u e n c i e s a c t u a l l y p r e s e n t i n t h e c i r c u i t , Mark I V has " e d i t e d
out" t h e ambiguity e x i s t i n g i n t h e Mark I r e c o r d i n g . Thus, F i g u r e 3d r e p r e s e n t s
more u s e f u l and l e s s c o n f u s i n g i n f o r m a t i o n w i t h , of c o u r s e , t h e understanding
t h a t one should not e x p e c t f r e q u e n c i e s beyond 50 MHz t o be r e c o r d e d .
Step Function Evaluation

Breakdown o f a n o i l gap a t 10-12 kV was used a s t h e h i g h v o l t a g e s t e p f u n c t i o n

generator. A .001 pF c a p a c i t o r was s l o w l y charged from a DC s u p p l y u n t i l t h e gap
would b r e a k down. The complete c i r c u i t (DC s u p p l y , c a p a c i t o r , gap) was c o n t a i n e d
i n t h e s h i e l d e d e n c l o s u r e , and o n l y t h e c o a x i a l SHIELDED
ENCLOSURE
c a b l e a f t e r t h e d i f f e r e n t i a t o r was brought o u t . OIL GAP
An a d d i t i o n a l f i l t e r on t h e s i g n a l c a b l e , i d e n -
t i c a l t o t h a t c o n t a i n e d i n t h e i n t e g r a t o r box,
was i n s t a l l e d a t t h e p o i n t o f e x i t from t h e
shielded enclosure - s e e F i g u r e 10. T h i s may
FILTER
o r may not be n e c e s s a r y i n a c t u a l u s e of t h e
FIGURE 10
system. F i g u r e 11 shows t h e r e c o r d i n g ob- CIRCUIT FOR FAST RISE TRANSIENT RECORDING
t a i n e d w i t h t h i s system, where a r i s e time of
25 n s i s c o m p l e t e l y r e s o l v e d , even i n a nega-
t i v e l i n e type p r i n t . The photograph i n
F i g u r e 1 3 shows t h e i n s t a l l a t i o n a t t h e Re-
s e a r c h and Development C e n t e r .

Sweep: 10 n s / d i v .
F i g u r e 11
5. Precautions

The c l e a n and c r e d i b l e r e c o r d i n g shown i n F i g u r e 11 w i l l be o b t a i n e d o n l y

i f t h e necessary s h i e l d i n g precautions a r e taken. I n o r d e r t o i l l u s t r a t e what
happens when t h e s e p r e c a u t i o n s a r e n o t o b s e r v e d , t h e s e r i e s o f o s c i l l o g r a m s i n
F i g u r e s 1 2 a , 12b, 12c were r e c o r d e d under v a r i o u s c o n d i t i o n s o f i n a d e q u a t e s h i e l d -
i n g , u s i n g t h e s t e p f u n c t i o n e v a l u a t i o n s e t u p d e s c r i b e d i n F i g u r e 10. Half t o n e
p r o c e s s was used t o show t h e e f f e c t o f o s c i l l a t i o n s on t r a c e b r i g h t n e s s .

Sweep: 20 n s / d i v . Sweep: 20 n s / d i v . Sweep: 20 n s / d i v .

a - t e s t piece i n enclosure, b - door a j a r c - door open
door t i g h t
F i g u r e 12
 Furthermore, c a r e i s r e q u i r e d i n t h e c o n s t r u c t i o n of t h e i n t e g r a t o r c i r -
c u i t , by s e l e c t i n g components w i t h low i n d u c t a n c e a s w e l l a s by c o r r e c t l a y o u t
of t h e components and b o n d i n g o f t h e i n t e g r a t o r h o u s i n g . F i g u r e 14a shows t h e
i n s i d e of t h e i n t e g r a t o r c i r c u i t t h a t was b u i l t w i t h t h e u t m o s t c a r e , w h i l e
F i g u r e 14b shows t h e same c i r c u i t b u i l t w i t h l e s s c a r e . The r e s p o n s e o f t h e
two i n t e g r a t o r s t o t h e same s i g n a l i s i l l u s t r a t e d i n F i g u r e s 14a and 1 4 b .

Sweep: 20 n s / d i v .

F i g u r e 14a

Sweep: 20 n s / d i v .

F i g u r e 14b
6. Detailed S ~ e c i f i c a t i o n s

6.1 Oscilloscope ( R e p r i n t e d from T e k t r o n i x 544 Mod. 108G i n s t r u c t i o n book)

Introduction

The Type 544 O s c i l l o s c o p e i s a v e r s a t i l e l a b o r a t o r y instrument designed f o r

use w i t h a l l Tektronix l e t t e r e d o r 1 S e r i e s plug-in u n i t s .

V e r t i c a l D e f l e c t i o n System

The p l u g - i n u n i t and probe used w i t h t h e Type 544 determine t h e o v e r a l l

c h a r a c t e r i s t i c s of t h e v e r t i c a l d e f l e c t i o n system. Refer t o Table 1-1 f o r t h e
characteristics.

Sweep G e n e r a t i o n

Sweep Rates O . l ~ s e c / c mt o 5sec/cm i n 24 c a l i b r a t e d s t e p s .

( a t 1 X magnification) Sweep-rate accuracy i s 22% of t h e i n d i c a t e d r a t e .

Sweep M a g n i f i c a t i o n Any sweep r a t e can be i n c r e a s e d by expanding t h e

c e n t e r p o r t i o n of t h e d i s p l a y h o r i z o n t a l l y i n
f i x e d s t e p s of 2X, 5X, lox, 20X, 50X, and 100X.
Sweep-rate accuracy i s w i t h i n 5% i n t h e magni-
f i e d p o s i t i o n s a t e f f e c t i v e sweep r a t e s up t o
10 nseclcm.
T r i g g e r Source S e l e c t i o n I n t e r n a l normal, i n t e r n a l p l u g - i n , e x t e r n a l ,
and l i n e .

T r i g g e r Couplicg S e l e c t i o n Dc, a c , and a c low-frequency r e j e c t i o n .

T r i g g e r S i g n a l Requirements I n t e r n a l ( a c ) : Minimum d e f l e c t i o n i s 2mm

w i t h s i g n a l s a t about 150 c p s , r i s i n g t o 1
cm a t about 50 n ~ c .
I n t e r n a l ( d c ) : Minimum d e f l e c t i o n i s 5mm
a t dc.
I n t e r n a l ( a c low-frequency r e j e c t i o n ) : Mini-
mum d e f l e c t i o n i s 2mm w i t h s i g n a l s a t about
2 k c , r i s i n g t o 1 cm a t about 50 mc.
E x t e r n a l : Frequency ranges a r e t h e same a s
i n t e r n a l . Minimum amplitude i s 200 mvolts
peak-to-peak ( a c ) , 200 mvolts change i n dc
l e v e l (dc) , and 200 mvolts peak-to-peak ( a c
low-frequency r e j e c t i o n ) . A MAXIMUM INPUT
OF 2 30 VOLTS must not be exceeded i n t h e
EXTERNAL t r i g g e r p o s i t i o n . Minimum t r i g g e r
l e v e l range i s g r e a t e r than f 2 v o l t s w i t h t h e
TRIGGER LEVEL c o n t r o l pushed i n and f 20 v o l t s
with the control pulled out.
H o r i z o n t a l D e f l e c t i o n Svstem

The f o l l o w i n g c h a r a c t e r i s t i c s a p p l y when t h e HORIZONTAL DISPLAY s w i t c h i s

s e t t o t h e EXT p o s i t i o n .
D e f l e c t i o n F a c t o r V a r i a b l e i n f i x e d s t e p s of . l , 1, and 10 v o l t s / c m . Accuracy
is
+- 5% when VARIABLE c o n t r o l i s s e t t o CALIBRATED.

Frequency Response Dc t o 400 kc (3-dB down a t maximum s e n s i t i v i t y ) .

Input Characteristics (approximately) 1 megohm p a r a l l e l e d by 55 p f .

Amplitude C a l i b r a t o r

Output V o l t a g e s 0 . 2 mvolts t o 100 v o l t s peak-to-peak i n 1 8 s t e p s .

I n a d d i t i o n , a 100-volt dc output i s a v a i l a b l e .

Frequency Approximately 1 kc s q u a r e wave.

Output C u r r e n t 5 ma squarewave a v a i l a b l e a t t h e f r o n t p a n e l
c u r r e n t loop.

Output Impedance 50 i n . 2 t o 200 mVOLTS p o s i t i o n s . P r o g r e s -

s i v e l y h i g h e r o u t p u t impedances i n t h e . 5 t o
100 VOLTS p o s i t i o n s .

Amplitude Accuracy Peak-to-peak amplitude accuracy i s 2 3% of i n -

d i c a t e d v a l u e when working i n t o a n impedance of
1 megohm o r h i g h e r i n t h e . 5 t o 100 VOLTS p o s i -
t i o n . When working i n t o a 50 ohm l o a d , i n t h e
. 2 t o 200 mVOLTS p o s i t i o n s , o u t p u t amplitude i s
one-half of t h e i n d i c a t e d v o l t a g e . (Nominal
a c c u r a c y i n t h i s c a s e , i s f 3% assuming t h e -
e x t e r n a l load impedance i s an a c c u r a t e 50 ohms).
The 5 ma c u r r e n t a c c u r a c y i s +3%.

F r o n t - P a n e l Output S i g n a l s

+ GATE OUT A t l e a s t a 20 v o l t peak-to-peak squarewave

p u l s e having t h e same d u r a t i o n a s t h e sweep.
Minimum d c load r e s i s t a n c e i s 5 k.

SWEEP OUT Approximately a 100 v o l t peak-to-peak sawtooth

v o l t a g e having t h e same d u r a t i o n a s t h e sweep.
Minimum load impedance i s 100 k.

VERT SIG OUT V e r t i c a l s i g n a l o u t p u t c o n n e c t o r . Output ampli-

t u d e i s approximately 0.4 v o l t p e r c e n t i m e t e r of
d e f l e c t i o n on t h e c r t . R i s e time i s 20 nsec o r
f a s t e r . Output i s a c coupled.

E x t e r n a l Single-Sweep I n p u t Requires a p o s i t i v e - g o i n g s t e p o r p u l s e of a t
S i g n a l Requirements least +
20 v o l t s w i t h a r i s e t i m e of 0 . 5 y s e c
or faster.
H o r i z o n t a l D e f l e c t i o n Svstem

The f o l l o w i n g c h a r a c t e r i s t i c s a p p l y when t h e HORIZONTAL DISPLAY s w i t c h i s

s e t t o t h e EXT p o s i t i o n .
D e f l e c t i o n F a c t o r V a r i a b l e i n f i x e d s t e p s o f . l , 1, and 10 v o l t s / c m . Accuracy
is
+- 5% when VARIABLE c o n t r o l i s s e t t o CALIBRATED.

Frequency Response Dc t o 400 kc (3-dB down a t maximum s e n s i t i v i t y ) .

Input Characteristics (approximately) 1 megohm p a r a l l e l e d by 55 p f .

Amplitude C a l i b r a t o r

Output V o l t a g e s 0 . 2 m o l t s t o 100 v o l t s peak-to-peak i n 1 8 s t e p s .

I n a d d i t i o n , a 100-volt dc output i s a v a i l a b l e .

Frequency Approximately 1 kc s q u a r e wave.

Output C u r r e n t 5 ma squarewave a v a i l a b l e a t t h e f r o n t p a n e l
c u r r e n t loop.

Output Impedance 50 R i n .2 t o 200 mVOLTS p o s i t i o n s . P r o g r e s -

s i v e l y h i g h e r o u t p u t impedances i n t h e . 5 t o
100 VOLTS p o s i t i o n s .

Amplitude Accuracy Peak-to-peak amplitude accuracy i s f 3% of i n -

d i c a t e d v a l u e when working i n t o a n impedance of
1 megohm o r h i g h e r i n t h e . 5 t o 100 VOLTS p o s i -
t i o n . When working i n t o a 50 ohm l o a d , i n t h e
. 2 t o 200 mVOLTS p o s i t i o n s , o u t p u t amplitude i s
one-half of t h e i n d i c a t e d v o l t a g e . (Nominal
a c c u r a c y i n t h i s c a s e , i s f 3% assuming t h e -
e x t e r n a l load impedance i s a n a c c u r a t e 50 ohms).
The 5 ma c u r r e n t a c c u r a c y i s f 3%.

F r o n t -Panel Output S i g n a l s

+ GATE OUT A t l e a s t a 20 v o l t peak-to-peak squarewave

p u l s e having t h e same d u r a t i o n a s t h e sweep.
Minimum dc load r e s i s t a n c e i s 5 k.

SWEEP OUT Approximately a 100 v o l t peak-to-peak sawtooth

v o l t a g e having t h e same d u r a t i o n a s t h e sweep.
Minimum load impedance i s 100 k.

VERT SIG OUT V e r t i c a l s i g n a l o u t p u t c o n n e c t o r . Output ampli-

t u d e i s approximately 0.4 v o l t p e r c e n t i m e t e r of
d e f l e c t i o n on t h e c r t . R i s e time i s 20 n s e c o r
f a s t e r . Output i s a c coupled.

E x t e r n a l Single-Sweep I n p u t Requires a p o s i t i v e - g o i n g s t e p o r p u l s e of a t
S i g n a l Requirements least +
20 v o l t s w i t h a r i s e t i m e of 0 . 5 p s e c
or faster.
Power S u p p l i e s

Line V o l t a g e
+-10% of nominal l i n e v o l t a g e . (See Operating
Instructions) .
Line Frequency 50-60 and 400 c p s .

Power Consumption 400 w a t t s t y p i c a l .

Protect ion Primary of power t r a n s f o r m e r i s fused and a

thermal r e l a y i s i n s t a l l e d t h a t i n t e r r u p t s
power i n t h e e v e n t of o v e r h e a t i n g .

Cathode -Ray Tube

Type

Unblanking Dc coupled.

Accelerating Potential

Useable Viewing Area 6 cm h i g h by 10 cm wide

Focus V e r t i c a l : 2 h o r i z o n t a l lineslmm d i s t i n g u i s h -
a b l e o v e r t h e c e n t e r 4 cm. 1 . 5 h o r i z o n t a l
lines/mm d i s t i n g u i s h a b l e i n t h e t o p and bot-
tom 1 cm.
H o r i z o n t a l : 2 time markers/mrn d i s t i n g u i s h a b l e
o v e r t h e middle 8 cm. 1 . 5 time markers/mm d i s -
t i n g u i s h a b l e i n t h e f i r s t and t e n t h cm.

Construct ion A l l glass 5 inch, flat-faced c r t .

Gra t i c u l e I n t e r n a l , a d j u s t a b l e edge l i g h t i n g , 6 x 10
cm w i t h v e r t i c a l and h o r i z o n t a l 1 cm d i v i -
s i o n s w i t h 2 mm markings on t h e c e n t e r
lines.

Mechanical
-
C~nstruction Three p i e c e , b l u e - v i n y l covered t e x t u r e d
aluminum. Front p a n e l i s photo-etched and
anodized. C h a s s i s i s aluminum a l l o y .

Net Weight 80 pounds 7 ounces

Mod 108G F e a t u r e s

A s p e c i a l h i g h - v o l t a g e power s u p p l y , which c a n be switched f o r e i t h e r 12 kV o r

24 kV o p e r a t i o n , h a s been i n s t a l l e d .

A h i g h - v o l t a g e slow-up c i r c u i t has been i n s t a l l e d . When t h e i n s t r u m e n t ' i s t u r n e d

o n , i n t h e 24 kV p o s i t i o n , i t w i l l t a k e 1-112 t o 2 minutes t o r e a c h p r o p e r v o l t a g e .
A l s o , t h i s c i r c u i t t u r n s t h e h i g h - v o l t a g e o f f i n t h e e v e n t of any power l i n e i n -
t e r r u p t i o n s of 15 m i l l i s e c o n d s o r l o n g e r .

The a u t o s t a b i l i t y c i r c u i t i s d i s a b l e d d u r i n g 24 kV o p e r a t i o n .

For CRT phosphor p r o t e c t i o n , a c i r c u i t h a s been added t o p r e v e n t t r i g g e r i n g on

a r e p e t i t i v e s i g n a l d u r i n g 24 kV o p e r a t i o n .

The unblanking c i r c u i t p r o v i d e s normal 60 v o l t s unblanking a t 12 kV i n a l l sweep

speeds. A t 24 kV, unblanking h a s been i n c r e a s e d t o 110 v o l t s i n t h e . 2 pSEC
through 20 pSEC p o s i t i o n s of t h e TIME/CM s w i t c h . A t 40 pSEC through 10 SEC, un-
b l a n k i n g i s reduced t o 40 v o l t s t o remove t h e p r o b a b i l i t y of burning t h e CRT
phosphor.

The, l i n e a r s c a n a r e a wthen i n 24 kV o p e r a t i o n i s 4 cm v e r t i c a l l y by 5 cm h o r i z o n -
tally. With t h e MAG o n , t h e l i n e a r d i s p l a y a r e a i s 4 x 8 em.

6.2 Camera

T e k t r o n i x C12, f : 1 . 3 l e n s , r o l l - f i l m back, e l e c t r i c s h u t t e r a c t u a t o r
o r d e r #C-27-662-RS.
6.3 Differentiator-Integrator

Differentiator

The differentiating capa-

citor Jennings Cat. JCD-5.
A brass tube serves as elec-
trical shield and mechanical
protection.

RG 213/U is a 50-ohm cable

with non-contaminating
jacket (RG 8/U is 52 ohms).

Filter Complete Mark IV Attenuator

20 turns of RG 58 on Ferroxcube
1F10-3C5 "U" core (Elmira Ferrite
Laboratories, Inc.) or equivalent.

Construction of the integrator

as seen earlier, requires care.
The components are identified in
Figure 4 and in the photograph.
Exact specifications are:

R1: 4 series parallel 50 R IRC-HFR

R2: 4 series parallel 300 R IRC-HFR

R3: 1 150 IRC-HFR

R4: 1 150 Q IRC-HFR Integrator and Filter

C2: 2 parallel Erie 654-017 251 K

250 pF each FILTER

C3: 1 single TCZ-33 Centralab 3 3 p ~

C4: 2 parallel one Erie 654-017 251 K

one Cornell-Dubilier 5RST-J

500 pF
 S u b s t i t u t e Component L i s t f o r t h e I n t e g r a t o r

R1: 2 s e r i e s 24.9 Q 1RC-DCC

R2: 2 s e r i e s 150 0 1RC-DCC
R3: 1 s i n g l e 150 R 1RC-DCC
R4: 1 s i n g l e 150 R 1RC-DCC
C2: 1 s i n g l e E r i e 662-003 501 K 500 pF
C4: 2 p a r a l l e l one E r i e 662-003 501 K 500 pF
one E r i e 662-003 251 K 250 pF

7. Conclusions

1. The new Mark I V system p r o v i d e s a 5 , 0 0 0 : l a t t e n u a t i o n , f l a t w i t h i n

10% from 300 kHz t o 30 MHz.

2. P h o t o g r a p h i c r e c o r d i n g of s i n g l e t r a n s i e n t s i s p o s s i b l e a t sweep
speeds up t o 10 nanoseconds p e r c e n t i m e t e r .

3. F u r t h e r development work i s r e q u i r e d t o e x t e n d t h e response of Mark I V

towards lower f r e q u e n c i e s .

8. Acknowledgements

The b a s i c d i f f e r e n t i a t o r - i n t e g r a t o r approach was suggested by M r . H. W. Lord,

f o r m e r l y on t h e R&D Center S t a f f , now r e t i r e d .

The d e s i g n and development of t h e i n t e g r a t o r , e v a l u a t i o n t e s t s and photography

were c o n t r i b u t e d by H. S . Lasher.

9. References

1. E l e c t r i c a l T r a n s i e n t s i n Power Systems - General E l e c t r i c Course, by

A . N. Greenwood

2. On P o t e n t i a l D i v i d e r s f o r Cathode Ray O s c i l l o s c o p e s , by F. P. Burch,

P h i l . Mag. S.7 Vol 13, N. 86 (1932) p. 760.

High Speed T r a n s i e n t Voltage Measuring Tech-

n i q u e s by H. W. Lord
Voltage Probes f o r Measurement of T r a n s i e n t s
a t Remote P o i n t s , by P. Chowdhuri

I n s t r u m e n t a t i o n f o r Wide Band O b s e r v a t i o n of
High Voltage T r a n s i e n t s by W . N. Coffey
 Appendix

L i m i t a t i o n s of t h e T e k t r o n i x P6015 Probe

Comparisons w i t h Mark I and Mark I V

A v o l t a g e t r a n s i e n t has two c h a r a c t e r i s t i c s which a r e s i g n i f i c a n t : the i n -

i t i a l r a t e of r i s e and t h e t o t a l t r a n s i e n t . The i n s t r u m e n t a t i o n d i s c u s s e d i n
t h e p r e s e n t r e p o r t i s mostly concerned w i t h t h e r e c o r d i n g of t h e i n i t i a l r i s e ,
a s b e i n g t h e most d i f f i c u l t , and does n o t p r o v i d e f o r t o t a l t r a n s i e n t r e c o r d i n g
s i n c e t h e a t t e n u a t i o n of t h e probe i n c r e a s e s r a p i d l y f o r f r e q u e n c i e s below 300 kHz.

However, i t i s s t i l l d e s i r a b l e t o r e c o r d both c h a r a c t e r i s t i c s s o t h a t one

method of o b t a i n i n g such r e c o r d i n g might be a combination u t i l i z i n g t h e Mark I V
a t t e n u a t o r and t h e modified 544 o s c i l l o s c o p e a t 0.02 ps/cm f o r t h e i n i t i a l r a t e
of r i s e , and a "slower" o s c i l l o s c o p e such a s t h e 545 w i t h t h e ~ 6 0 1 5 " h i g h v o l t a g e
probe f o r t h e t o t a l t r a n s i e n t , a t a sweep speed such a s 0 . 2 ps/cm o r s l o w e r .

However, i n t h e p r e s e n c e of f a s t r i s e time t r a n s i e n t s , unexpected problems

a r i s e i n t h e use of t h e P6015 probe and 545 o s c i l l o s c o p e , a s demonstrated below.

The o s c i l l o s c o p e response a p p e a r s t o s u f f e r from s a t u r a t i o n of t h e preampli-

f i e r a n d / o r a m p l i f i e r , which l a s t s long enough t o i n t e r f e r e w i t h t h e d e s i r e d
r e l i a b l e measurements.

The s a t u r a t i o n of t h e p r e a m p l i f i e r i s a t t r i b u t e d t o i n s u f f i c i e n t f i l t e r i n g
of t h e probe ground s h e a t h , a l l o w i n g l a r g e c u r r e n t s a s s o c i a t e d w i t h t h e f a s t r i s e
t i m e t o flow i n t h e probe c a b l e s h e a t h . These c u r r e n t s cause a v o l t a g e drop i n
t h e ground s h e a t h of t h e probe and p r e a m p l i f i e r ground c o n n e c t i o n s ; t h i s s p u r i o u s
v o l t a g e i s added t o t h e t r u e s i g n a l and has such a l a r g e magnitude t h a t t h e p r e -
a m p l i f i e r i s s a t u r a t e d and does not r e c o v e r i n t i m e . The f o l l o w i n g t h r e e o s c i l -
lograms i l l u s t r a t e t h i s measurement problem, which has n o t y e t been solved, and
adds t o t h e i n c e n t i v e of e x t e n d i n g t h e response of Mark I V towards lower f r e -
q u e n c i e s t o produce complete r e a d i n g w i t h a s i n g l e a t t e n u a t o r .

--

The h i g h v o l t a g e probe T e k t r o n i x P6015 i s r a t e d 1:1000 a t t e n u a t i o n , 40 kV peak,

bandpass Dc t o 50 MHz ( f l a t w i t h i n 2%) and has a l i m i t e d b u i l t - i n f i l t e r i n t h e
12 f t . c a b l e t o reduce t h e e f f e c t of ground c u r r e n t s .
which shows a peak of o n l y 1 3 kV, when t h e same gap breakdown i s recorded w i t h
Mark I V and t h e 544 o s c i l l o s c o p e , a t t h e same sweep speed and 1 ~ / c m(5,000 ~ / d i v ) .

i n t e n s i t y was s e t lower, producing a

t r a c e t h a t would n o t cause any "bloom". However, t h e f a s t o s c i l l a t i o n s a t t h e
f r o n t almost caused t h e t r a c e t o d i s a p p e a r .

we o b t a i n e d t h e t r a c e shown a t r i g h t o n l y
a f t e r having reduced t h e o s c i l l o s c o p e s e n s i t i v i t y t o 10 V/cm (10,000 V/div)
and s t i l l t h e t r a c e goes o f f s c r e e n , i n d i c a t i n g s e v e r e d i s t u r b a n c e of t h e p r e a m p l i f i e r .
 The improvement i n lower frequency r e s p o n s e , a s w e l l a s t h e " e d i t i n g "
of q u e s t i o n a b l e h i g h f r e q u e n c i e s which was d i s c u s s e d e a r l i e r a r e i l l u s t r a t e d
i n t h e f o u r o s c i l l o g r a m s below, recorded w i t h Mark I and w i t h Mark I V .

T h i s t r a c e , recorded w i t h t h e
Mark I V , shows 2 p s of sweep
w i t h a p p r e c i a b l e droop, but a t
1 k s , t h e r e i s s t i l l a useable
s i g n a l r e c o r d e d , compared t o t h e
i d e a l f l a t s t e p f u n c t i o n which
t h e P6015 would d e l i v e r , i f i t
were n o t s u b j e c t t o t h e d i f f i -
c u l t i e s mentioned above.

I n c o n t r a s t , t h e Mark I r e c o r d i n g ,
showing almost 2 p s i n t h i s t r a c e ,
a l r e a d y s u f f e r s from c o n s i d e r a b l e
droop a t 1 b s .

1%
4

While t h e c a p a b i l i t y of Mark I and -

1
t h e EGG o s c i l l o s c o p e f o r r e c o r d i n g
f a s t r i s i n g f r o n t s a r e outstanding:
t
!

a s shown i n t h i s s i n g l e sweep t r a c e
of o n l y 45 n s , t h e r e i s some doubt
on t h e e x i s t e n c e of t h e f a s t f r o n t
shown h e r e , a s t h e frequency i n -
volved approaches t h e resonance of
Mark I .

T h i s t r a c e , a l s o s i n g l e sweep, made
w i t h Mark I V and t h e 544 o s c i l l o s c o p e
l e a v e s l i t t l e t o be d e s i r e d i n r e s o -
l u t i o n . While a d m i t t e d l y f r e q u e n c i e s
above 50 MHz w i l l be recorded w i t h
a p p r e c i a b l e a t t e n u a t i o n , i t i s a sub-
s t a n t i a l improvement over p r e s e n t l y
a v a i l a b l e systems.