Chassis Guidelines

Instrument performance and reliability might be limited at temperatures outside of the specified operating range, and operating under high humidity or dusty conditions can cause leakages among circuit components to increase and might result in additional measurement errors.

To guarantee that the instrument meets its listed specifications, ensure that the ambient temperature is within the temperature range listed in the instrument specifications and that the temperature is stable at T_cal ±5 °C. T_cal is the internal instrument temperature recorded by the digital pattern instrument at the completion of the last self-calibration.

Chassis Cooling Guidelines

Use the following guidelines to optimize cooling and ensure high-quality performance and reliability:

• Fill all empty slots with PXI slot blockers.
• Cover all empty slots in the chassis with an EMC slot filler panel.
• Remove and clean the inlet filters often to prevent buildup of dust and other foreign material that might restrict airflow.
• Position the chassis such that the fan inlets and outlet vents are not obstructed. Keep other objects and equipment a minimum of 3 inches away from the fan inlets. If using an 82 W power and cooling capable chassis, keep other objects and equipment a minimum of 4 inches away from the fan inlets.

For more information about cooling considerations, refer to your chassis documentation.

Digital Pattern Instrument Placement in Chassis

Digital pattern instruments are high-precision modules and might be sensitive to interference from other electronic devices. To optimize the accuracy and performance of the digital pattern instrument, position the instrument in a slot away from third-party instruments that may include noisy circuitry, such as power supplies. The digital pattern instrument might also be sensitive to excess heat generated by high-power products in neighboring slots.