Analog Signature Analyzer (Electron Plus ASA100, ASA200)

[slugrustle]

I'm curious if anyone on here has used an "analog signature analyzer" for debugging bad components or boards.  Asking this after seeing the electron plus ASA100 for sale on saelig.

https://www.saelig.com/elect-plus/asa100.htm
https://electron.plus/product/asa100
https://electron.plus/product/asa200-analog-signature-analyser

[tggzzz]

A very quick look indicates they are similar in concept to HP's digital signal analysers from the late 70s.

Their primary ability is to enable a service technician to be able to identify whether or not one circuit is behaving differently from another. That's all.

If you don't have a known working "golden" circuit, then they are unlikely to have any significant advantage over ordinary test equipment.

When signatures differ, it is unclear that the differences can indicate what is causing the malfunction.

[fcb]

ASA100 can operate in the same mode as an (old style) Huntron unit - i.e. a 'skilled' operator probes a suspect component and interprets the result.

Or more commonly our ASA's are used to capture/store all the signatures of a "golden" board, then compare them against a suspect board. Also, we have a number of customers using ASA240's as low-cost production 'power-off' testers (they have a 40x2 mux).

We have more videos and better manuals in the works...

[tggzzz]

ASA100 can operate in the same mode as an (old style) Huntron unit - i.e. a 'skilled' operator probes a suspect component and interprets the result.

That sounds no different to how standard test equipment can be used.

N.B. I'm only familiar with Huntron short locators.

Or more commonly our ASA's are used to capture/store all the signatures of a "golden" board, then compare them against a suspect board. Also, we have a number of customers using ASA240's as low-cost production 'power-off' testers (they have a 40x2 mux).

We have more videos and better manuals in the works...

Can I suggest placing some effort into a "30s elevator pitch" outlining your customer's problem and how your offering will make their life easier.
If there is anything Unique in your Selling Proposition, by all means mention it

As an engineer I also appreciate indications of what a unit is not intended to do, but I understand marketing/selling people might not like that.

It is perfectly OK if it isn't a "swiss army knife". In general I have a preference for a tool that does one thing well rather that two things poorly. Hence I'll never even consider a combined PSU+Signal Generator+DMM

[slugrustle]

I honestly think the concept is great: Sinusoidal I/V tester that makes the measurement more automated.  If you're good on your device theory and can imagine what you'd expect from probing certain nodes, it might even be useful without a golden sample.  In my case, I will usually have access to a golden sample.

Kind of curious about peoples' experiences using this device and its software or similar devices like the one from Huntron.

[pe0hm]

I have been using the ASA100 for a few months now and I really like it. I do repairs on (farm) equipment semi professionally.

I first used a Hameg 6042 curve tracer (i started to use it in circuit more and more), which kept having problems with the CRT.  A good tool but I was looking for something more reliable.

I use the ASA100 with and without a “ golden” measurement. For example when I have a device with multiple outputs I can very easily compare them to each other using one as a golden.

I also use it like most people use the diode check mode on their multimeter to find broken semi-conductors in circuit. The advance of using a curve tracer or ASA is that you get way more information. For example is the behavior capacitive / inductive / resistive / diode like.

Also you can adjust the voltage, source resistance and frequency. This is a very use full feature because when you want to test for example a output of a mobile PLC, you can set the voltage high and the source resistance and frequency low because there is a lot of capacitance at the output, but this way you still  get a nice look at the impedance of the output, this way you get to check if maybe a TVS diode is gone or a high side power switch.
In another case I had a device of which the MCU kept resetting. Then you set a maximum of 5V and a high source resistance. In my case I could find a very leaky (almost shorted) multilayer capacitor.

Also used the ASA on a machine with can bus problems. Turned out to be a bad temperature sensor module. With the ASA I took a signature off the can bus connections and found the temperature module to be very asymmetrical. It was a potted module so further investigation was not possible. But we replaced the module and the problems seemed to have disappeared ever since.

If you know what circuit you are probing you can work out if the curve you are getting on the screen is to be expected. I learned this mostly from a whitepaper by Huntron.

https://huntron.com/sales-support/pdf/ASA-paper-extract.pdf

For suspect desoldered components it is a handy device to check if they are broken. This can save a lot of time in ordering and waiting for components. Although I must say for igbt’s (which I get a lot off) I still use the Hameg because I really need some gate driving on the higher voltage ones.

I do use it via a powered usb hub and that powered hub is connected to the computer via a usb opto isolator. Because I am powering the devices under test on and off all the time. And i do not want to fry my computer when i forget to turn the DUT off.