Industry's most affordable SMU meter • 1A/20V range • Power supply + DMM alternative

November 8, 2011 – Keithley Instruments, the world's leading manufacturer of advanced electrical test instruments and systems, announced the addition of a low-cost model to its Series 2400 source meter family. Like all Keithley Source Measurement Units (SMUs), the new Model 2401 source meter is optimized for high-precision testing, such as current-to-voltage (IV) characteristics in photovoltaics, high-brightness LEDs (HBLEDs), low-voltage materials, semiconductor devices, and resistance measurements; however, it offers advanced source and measurement unit capabilities at 20V and 1A signal levels at an unprecedentedly low price. For more information on the Model 2401 source meter, please visit the Keithley website. ( http://www.keithley.com/products/dcac/currentvoltage/highvoltage/?mn=2401 )

Charles Cimino, Marketing Manager at Keithley, said, “The Model 2401 is the most affordable standalone source measurement instrument in the test and measurement industry with a complete set of measurement ranges, functions, and programmable operating modes, priced at $2,295. It provides an economical alternative to individual (high-precision) programmable power supplies and digital multimeters or these measurement test systems.”

Model 2401 operates and is programmed in the same way as other Series 2400 products within the 1A/20V range limit. Like other Keithley source measurement products, the Model 2401 combines a high-reliability DC power source and an instrument-grade 5-1/2 or 6-1/2 digit multimeter into a single product.

Model 2401 can operate as a voltage source, current source, voltmeter, ammeter, and ohmmeter, and provides 4-quadrant bipolar and automatic source/sink operation. Following Keithley's SMU convention, it operates as an I vs V source in the 1st or 3rd quadrant to supply power to a load. In the second or fourth quadrant, it operates as a sink to internally dissipate (consume) power from external sources such as PV cells or other energy sources.

Model 2401 Application
The Model 2401 is ideal for a variety of benchtop and system applications with low-voltage requirements and limited test hardware budgets, thanks to its combination of low cost, integrated sourcing and measurement functions, and wide dynamic range:
• High-brightness LED Forward/Reverse IV and LIV (Light Current Voltage) Test
• Solar cell efficiency test (source and sink current)
• Precision DC load characterization, replacement of readback power supplies or power supply/DMM combinations that generally provide insufficient precision (IDDQ testing)
• Other applications
- Active/passive component testing, voltage/current/resistance measurement
- Battery operation verification for portable electronic devices
- Specialization of implantable medical devices (e.g., pacemakers)
- Low leakage electronic device/circuit characterization (forward/reverse, transistor gain/leakage)
- Calibration of 3.5 to 4.5 digit data acquisition boards, meters, DMMs, etc.

Additional information
Model 2401 Details: http://www.keithley.com/products/dcac/currentvoltage/highvoltage/?mn=2401