Measuring nanoamps and below like a Ninja

[guenthert]

     I noticed that the Russian word for voltage has been translated into 'tension'.  I've seen the same in other documents (google-)translated from Chinese.  I found that amusing, as the German word for both tension and voltage is 'Spannung'.

[TimFox]

"Tension" is sometimes used for voltage in English, especially in the phrase "high tension".

[Atomillo]

In Spanish too. "Alta tensión" (high tension) is a lot more common than "Alto voltaje" (high voltage).
In all other cases they are used pretty much interchangeably.

[RoGeorge]

In Romanian, too, it's tension.  Usual (and academic, too) is to say, for example for AC voltage, "tensiune alternativă", as opposed to "voltaj alternativ".  "Voltaj alternativ" just sounds wrong, though the word "voltaj" is listed in our dictionary as a neologism, imported from the French "voltage".

[MegaVolt]

     I noticed that the Russian word for voltage has been translated into 'tension'.  I've seen the same in other documents (google-)translated from Chinese.  I found that amusing, as the German word for both tension and voltage is 'Spannung'.

Yes. The translation into Russian of these two words sounds the same.

[2N3055]

In Romanian, too, it's tension.  Usual (and academic, too) is to say, for example for AC voltage, "tensiune alternativă", as opposed to "voltaj alternativ".  "Voltaj alternativ" just sounds wrong, though the word "voltaj" is listed in our dictionary as a neologism, imported from the French "voltage".

Same in Croatian.  Official name is "napon" which is tension. There is a colloquial word "voltaža", a voltage, but that is used very rarely and is usually a sign you don't really know much about electricity .... :-)

[TimFox]

In elementary physics class (English-speaking), one of the tricky bits for new students to understand is "tension", for example the force in a string in an "Atwood machine" (two unequal weights connected by a string running on two pulleys).  That is the same meaning as in "tensile strength" of a material being stretched.  Therefore, English-speaking physicists usually will not use "tension" for a voltage.  God knew what he was doing at Babel...

[RoGeorge]

We have that, too, tension as a mechanical stretch. 
https://www.etymonline.com/word/tensile
https://www.etymonline.com/word/tension

Same word (tensiune) in Romanian can be used for electric tension, mechanical tension, suspense (e.g. in a movie scene), sometimes the word is used to denote a stressful situation, psychological pressure, blood pressure (popular way of saying "high blood pressure", aka hypertension, in Ro is to say somebody "have tension"), etc, while saying voltage (instead of tension) usually indicates the speaker doesn't know much about electricity, just like in Croatian.

[SilverSolder]

Scandinavian languages also call it "tension"...   seems popular!

The concept of "electrical tension" does kind of make sense in English too, but it just isn't customary to call it that.

[TimFox]

In careful American physics usage, one says "electric potential", sometimes the antique term "EMF",  not to be confused with "potential energy".
In English, there are too many meanings for "tension", leading to ambiguity.  https://www.yourdictionary.com/tension

[SilverSolder]

"Electric tension" seems to be fair game, though?  It is unambiguous and seems to be actually used, if you google it!

[TimFox]

"Electric tension" seems to be fair game, though?  It is unambiguous and seems to be actually used, if you google it!

Depending on the reference source, I find that in US usage, it is only common in the phrases "low tension", "high tension", etc., not for "normal voltages".
Tension gives me headaches...

[guenthert]

What have I done?     I didn't mean to derail this thread.  So sorry.   

[Kleinstein]

The capacitors look a lot like polystyrol.  Polystyrol is a really good insulator: I have an old analog meter with the front "glass" made from polystyrol and by some rubbing of dirt from the front I got charge traped on the inside that was strong enough to nearly trap the needle. The charge stayed there nearly unchanged for some 2 years, until removed with water to fix the meter.

A nice point is that they are polystyrol all the way to the wire, so no extra sealant or potting needed.

Just keep in mind these caps are sensitive to solvents (including alcohol).

[MrYakimovYA]

I'm still searching different types of large capacitor in range 10pF-5000pF

What about sovietn green (primarily green) and big K71-7 capacitors? As far as I know their insulator is also polystyrol.

[Atomillo]

Yesterday I came across this article:

Frequency dependence of gas-dielectric capacitors used in sub-nA reference current generators
By S. P. Giblin; G. D. Willenberg; N. E. Fletcher

https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/5543771

Which highlights the importance of low frequency testing, even in air dielectric capacitors like your standards.

[HighVoltage]

Nice, looking forward to your video

[RoGeorge]

first try to make realtime CPLD software

If it's first time using a HDL (Hardware Description Language) like VHDL or Verilog, keep in mind that that's not for writing software/programs.  You do not write real time software for a CPLD.  It's hardware, just like you would design with flip-flops and logic gates.  The fact that HDL is text, and that it looks like a program, is very misleading.  That's not software, it's a schematic.  It's hardware, just that in HDL one describes the hardware with HDL text, instead of drawing a schematic on a paper.  HDL is text, but it represents a schematic, not a program.

[MrYakimovYA]

Soldering complete... ready to program...

Wow! It looks like a highly precision metrology equipment! Nice design! I'm looking forward to first run!

How do you verify its precision? Is it based only on theory? Or do you have any ability to measure the current accuracy?

[Zoli]

measure the current accuracy?

It's complicate.... as any SI units which converts from others.
GLIN(ГЛИН - Генератор Линейно Изменяющегося Напряжения also called ultra-low speed ramp-generator) is responsible for part "dU/dt" into formula "I=C*dU/dt". Other important things is accuracy of "C".... capacitance accuracy on the infra-low frequency it is a cutting edge of newest metrology science... many powerfull metrology laboratories investigate that. You can see publications of the TÜBİTAK UME, Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt, VTT MIKES Finland, and others metrology centers.

Accuracy of extremely high currents  (like as 1nA and more) i can compare between "I=C*dU/dt" and "I=U/R" methods trough resistance standards and Keysight B2985A electrometer, as shown earlier.
Unfortunately, common "old school Soviet electrometers" can't do high precision comparison of currents which generated through different methods. But they can be very sensitive on ultra-low current ranges like as several attoamperes, it helps when need to do a component testing, material's selection and etc. (V7-45 ADEV noise floor is around 10^-19A which is 100 zepto-ampere)

Hmmm...
I think "low" and "below" would be a much better fit.
/nitpicking

[Atomillo]

In order to see secondary electron generation the vacuum would indeed need a turbo, but the system would probably also need baking and very careful consideration of leakages, both real and virtual.

I have no practical experience with vacuum but might be the vacuum part of fusor.net (amateur community of nuclear fusion researchers) might be of interest.

[HighVoltage]

Sorry no.
1nA it is around 6 241 509 074 electrons per second. It is a extremely big value for true Ninja... equal to population of the planet earth, each second....
True electrometers can be sensitive to 6...7 electrons per second(1aA), it is low.

Even the Keysight 34470A DMM can measure 1 nA very well and stable, no need for any special instrument in the nA range.

With my Keithley 6517B Electrometer, I was able to get to the atto rage and was able to measure 100 aA kind of stable. (with lots of shielding)

[MrYakimovYA]

Micron-GLIN v.2 PCB repository: https://github.com/shodanx/Micron-GLIN-v.2
Micron-GLIN v.2 schematic book: https://ampnuts.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Micron-GLIN-v.2-schematic-book.pdf

Hi!
Could you tell me what are you using as PE (Protection Earth) in your wall socket? Has your home PE conductor? As far as I know only modern russian home buildings have an earth protection system... Mine doesn't have it(((

[macaba]

If you're enjoying it, then don't worry about it, I'll read your updates for the next 4 years!

Your modular approach means that you can get v1 working quickly and if you've still got motivation, carry on with upgrades.

Do you know which low INL ADC you might use?

[HighVoltage]

You have very interesting projects
Thanks for sharing