Handling#

The SPI Rack is a sensitive piece of equipment, which should not be opened under any circumstances. The end user shall not install substitute parts or perform any modification to the product. Opening the instruments immediately voids the warranty provided by Qblox.

The safety instructions listed below should be observed during all operating procedures. Ignoring these might affect correct operation and lifetime of the equipment.

Instruction

Explanation

Maximum ratings

The specified ratings for the connectors of the equipment should not be exceeded.

Do not service the instrument

There are no serviceable parts inside the equipment. Only the battery of a module is allowed to be replaced by the user.

Warnings

Warnings issued by the software should not be ignored; look for instructions on how to handle these warnings in the documentation.

Cleaning

Disconnect the power supply from the equipment before cleaning. The outside of the device can be cleaned using a soft cloth. Do not clean the inside.

Operation and storage

Do not operate and store the equipment outside the specified conditions.

Grounding#

There are two copper grounding plates located in the back of the SPI rack chassis. Since the mainframe is not grounded through the power supply, it is strongly suggested to connect the grounding plates to the system’s common ground using a braided cable before the SPI rack is powered on. This prevents potential voltage differences when connecting samples.

Once the rack is on, these ground plates must only be considered if the SPI rack has to be mounted directly on a metal rack which is grounded. In this particular case, the copper grounding plates are utilized to create a low impedance path from the SPI rack to the fridge via a braided ground cable. As a result, ground currents flowing via the signal cables from the modules are now reduced as the connection between the grounding plates and the fridge offers an alternative current path.

SMA connections#

The SMA connectors should be fixed with a maximum torque of 0.55 Nm. A torque wrench should be used to make sure the maximum is never exceeded.

Important

The torque wrench should be placed orthogonally, relative to the connectors. Using a torque wrench at a deviating angle from the advised 90° angle, will cause the wrench to exceed the rated torque considerably.

MCX connections#

The MCX connectors are snap-on connectors and are connected from the voltage monitor output of the S4g module or an output from the D5a module to your setup. To attach or detach the connector make sure the connection is made by the “click” sound.

Important

Excess force should not be applied to the connector as it may damage the cable and/or the MCX connector on the module.

Swapping or removing modules#

The modules are housed inside the SPI rack chassis with each module having a specific address in order to communicate with the module via the software.

Note

The address of each module can only be found on the side of the metal casing. Please make sure each address of the modules is unique within one SPI rack. Modules with the same address will cause communication conflicts and the modules will not be recognized by the software.

To handle the modules in the proper manner, please follow the handling information below:

Warning

Before and during the handling of any module, make sure that you are electrostatically discharged (ESD safe). This can be done via attaching a wrist strap which is connected to an ESD safe table or ESD foot grounder strapped around the shoes in order to stay grounded during the whole process. In the case of the ESD foot grounder, note that the floor is required to be conductive and grounded.

Beware!

It is vital that the SPI rack chassis and the power chain are turned OFF, before and during the swapping of any modules within the chassis.

When swapping an SPI Rack module from one slot to another, the following actions are to be taken:

  • To detach or change the slot of a module, unscrew the top and bottom screw and slide the module out of the slot.

  • When transferring the module, make sure to grip the module around the metal casing.

  • Transfer the module to another slot and align the module into the top and bottom slits. The slits are located inside each slot of the SPI chassis.

  • Once aligned, insert the module into the slot. You should feel them “click” into place once you have properly inserted the module.

  • When the module is fully inserted, ensure that the module is in place by screwing the screws situated on the top and the bottom of each module.

  • Once every module is in the desired configuration in the SPI rack, you may power up the SPI according to the Setup SPI pages.