What is a Keithley 2612A
Keithley 2612A is a dual channel SMU, a source measurement unit. It is basically a combination of a 6.5 digit high precision multimeter and a special high precision power supply, which can sink and source current.
You can do all kind of tricks with these things like U/V curve tracing and general semiconductor testing. The 2612A has two channels and can source up to 200V per channel. It is programmable via TSP, a kind of programming language for Keithley devices.
The 2612A is normally not for bench usage. It has a special set of connectors on the back and is meant to be mounted in a rack in a production environment.
However I was lucky enough to get one (with an only 2y old calibration!) and of course I want to use it on the bench.
Keithley provides cables for this, but honestly speaking they costs a fortune. So I designed a simple breakout box.
The design
The box features connections for all terminals (sense, I/O and Guard) for both channels. It provides a cable guide for the measurement cables at the back of the box, to be connected to the instrument.
What do I need
Unfortunately the connectors are quite special. You can buy them directly from Keithley for around 100€ (yes, only the connector) but with a bit of searching you find our that they are manufactured by Phoenix Contact.
Here is what you need:
- Phoenix Contact 1783779 Housing
- Phoenix Contact 1825569 Terminal Block
- 2x red, 2x black and 1x white cable in appropriate length per connector
- 4x red, 4x black and 2x white security 4mm banana connectors
- Screws for the cable guide 4 pieces of M2 x 4
- Heat-inserts M3 and two M3 x 15 metric screws
How to build one?
I provided the 3D printing data via MakerWorld, it should be rather easy to print your own box. Wiring is pretty simple as the connector layout is on the back of the instrument. The heat inserts and M3 screws are obviously for the top/bottom connection of the box lid.