The Keithley DMM6500 6-1/2 Digit Bench/System Digital Multimeter has a large 5-inch (12.7 cm) capacitive touch screen display that makes it easy to observe, interact with, and explore measurements, with its "pinch and zoom" simplicity. Beyond its display technology, the DMM 6500 superior analog measurement performance delivers 25 PPM basic DCV accuracy for one year and 30 PPM for two years, potentially allowing you to extend your calibration cycles.

The Keithley DMM6500 is equipped with all of the measurement functions that you would expect in a bench multimeter, so there is no need to buy additional measurement capabilities. Its 15 measurement functions, including capacitance, temperature (RTD, thermistor, and thermocouple), diode test with variable current sources, and up to 1 MS/sec digitizing are now included.

Pinch and Zoom

The digitizing function can be used for voltage or current and is especially useful in capturing transient anomalies or to help profile power events such as the operating states of today's battery operated devices. Current and voltage can be digitized with a programmable 1 MS/sec 16-bit digitizer, making it possible to acquire waveforms without the need for a separate instrument.

Capture and Analyze Voltage or Current Transitions

Power analysis is becoming more important in today's electronic designs. Designers must now consider more efficient components and complex system design typically requiring multiple power states. The Keithley DMM6500 has the tools you need to help design and troubleshoot these complex systems. Eight different current ranges allow measurements from 10 amps down to 10 pico-amps, giving you the dynamic range to measure your power states. In addition, a built-in 1 MS/sec digitizing function can help capture transient events, allowing you to see and analyze transitions as they occur.

Visualize and Analyze Waveforms

2000-SCAN 10-Channel Multiplexer

Multi-Channel/Scanning Applications

When characterizing or profiling your design it is often critical to make a series of measurements. In these applications the need for automated multi-channel measurements is advantageous. The DMM6500 is equipped with a scanner card slot allowing up to 10 channels of switching, giving you the capability to make automated multi-channel measurements. Plugging in the 2000-SCAN card gives users up to 10 channels of 2-pole measurements or 5 channels of 4-pole measurements. Functions can be programmed on a per-channel basis if supported by the switch topology.

Menu of Application Programs

Application Programs

The Keithley DMM6500 is factory installed with application programs to help you get more out of your instrument. These application programs appear when the instrument is used in the TSP or native SCPI communication language mode. These examples highlight the unique ability of the DMM6500 to run specialized applications which customize the user interface. This can significantly change the way information is displayed or even automated in performing an application.

2001-TCSCAN 9-Channel Thermocouple Multiplexer

Temperature Measurement Applications

Temperature is one of the most measured signal types in the world, and the DMM6500 has many options to help you make this measurement. Besides RTD, thermistor, and thermocouple functions, you can equip your DMM with a nine-channel scanner card with built-in CJC for automated thermocouple temperature scanning. This feature is very useful when your design requires thermal profiling, especially when enclosed in a temperature chamber.

Ready to Use Instrument Drivers Simplify Programming

Prefer to create your own customized application software? Native National Instruments Labview, IVI-C, and IVI-COM drivers are available for downloading to simplify the programming process.

System Integration and Programming

Users have maximum programming flexibility with the DMM6500. In addition to traditional SCPI programming (default), the unit can also be configured for SCPI emulation for the Keithley 2000 or the Keysight 34401A. Additionally, Keithley's powerful Test Script Processor (TSP) programming is another option that allows unique single- or multi-instrument testing applications where speed is critical.

TSP System using TSP-Link for instrument to instrument communication

TSP scripting allows running powerful test scripts directly on the instrument, without the need for an external PC controller. These test scripts are complete test programs based on an easy-to-use yet highly efficient and compact scripting language, LUA. Scripts are a collection of instrument control commands and/or program statements. Program statements control script execution and provide facilities such as variables, functions, branching, and loop control. This allows you to create powerful measurement applications without an integrated development environment (IDE). Test scripts can contain any sequence of routines that are executable by conventional programming languages (including decisionmaking algorithms), so the instrument can manage every facet of the test without the need to communicate with a PC for decision making. This eliminates delays due to GPIB, Ethernet, or USB traffic congestion and greatly improves test times.

TSP Scripting

TSP technology also offers mainframe-less channel expansion. The KTTI-TSP is a user installable accessory card offering connectivity to TSP-Link technology. This channel expansion bus allows connecting multiple DMM6500's or other TSP-enabled instruments together to form a tightly synchronized instrument system. Connection is provided with simple low cost Category 5 Ethernet cabling. The system is organized in a mastersubordinate configuration, essentially allowing the connected instruments to act as one. Other Keithley TSP-enabled instruments include the 2450 and 2460 Graphical SourceMeter SMU Instruments, Series 2600B SourceMeter SMU Instruments, DMM7510, DAQ6510, and the Series 3700A Switch/Multimeter Measurement systems. TSP-Link technology supports up to 32 units, so it is easy to scale a system to fit the requirements of an application.

Point-and-Click Setup Screen

KickStart Instrument PC Control Software

KickStart allows you to configure, test, and collect data from multiple instruments, including DMMs, power supplies, SMU instruments, and dataloggers. You can control up to eight instruments at the same time and retrieve millions of readings from each instrument. This makes KickStart a great solution for your datalogging needs and for capturing lots of data from transient events with a digitizing DMM.

Display Data

Getting insights quickly is important, so KickStart plots your data immediately and dedicates a large portion of the viewing area to the graph, while also allowing you to view and edit the most essential parameters of other instruments in your test setup. Kickstart also includes comparison tools to allow you to plot and overlay data from the run history of each test.