The Agilent/Keysight 8163A Lightwave Multimeter Mainframe is a modular optical test platform designed for precision power and wavelength measurements across telecommunications, photonics research, and component characterization. This compact mainframe accepts two slim, front-loadable modules from the 8153A and 8163A/B series, enabling flexible measurement configurations without redesigning test systems.
Technical Specifications
The instrument features a 190 × 300 point monochrome graphical display with 0.0001 dB/dBm resolution and user-definable readout precision up to 6.5 digits. Measurement data from all channels can be acquired synchronously at rates up to 100 kHz, with external digital modulation support at 1 MHz (50% duty cycle). The mainframe buffers 4000 measurement results per channel in local mode or 12000 when accessed remotely, with configurable data acquisition windows spanning 1 second to 23 hours 59 minutes.
Power requirements are AC 100–240 V ±10%, 50–60 Hz ±5%, with consumption rated at 120 VA, 280 VA, or 450 VA maximum depending on source configuration. Operating temperature range is 0 °C to +45 °C; storage extends to −40 °C to +70 °C. Maximum operating altitude is 2000 m in humidity up to 95% RH. Physical dimensions are 88 mm H × 213 mm W × 380 mm D with net weight of 4.2 kg.
– Key Features
• True synchronous triggering across all channels
• GPIB interface with SCSI Standard support; 300 kB/sec burst data rate
• 10/100BASE-T Ethernet connectivity
• RS-232 serial interface at up to 115200 baud
• VGA external monitor output
• Centronics parallel printer interface
• Safety Class 1 design; ISO 9001 certified manufacturing
– Compatibility & Integration
Fully backward compatible with modules from the 8153A series and forward compatible with all 8163A/B series modules. Note that 8163B series modules are not compatible with the HP 8153A mainframe. The Keysight 8166B mainframe accepts all 8163A/B modules; the Agilent 8164A mainframe supports 8153A and 8163A modules.
