Valon 5009 Hints and Kinks - Power supplies

We take great pride in having almost zero failures of our products.
Occasionally, I get a trouble call from a new 5009 frequency synthesizer user who says that the 5009 will not lock on frequency after power up. Usually it’s just one of the RF Sources that won’t lock.  After doing some investigation the problem almost always is caused by the power supply.   The power supply is usually a standard lab bench supply like this Keysight/Agilent E3611A:

Figure 1 Lab bench power supply can cause problems if you "dial up" the voltage.

The power supply is not the problem nor is there anything wrong with the 5009. The problem is how the power supply is set up and used.  Follow these suggestions to make sure you don’t run into start up problems:

1. Current limit set too low. Make sure the current limit is set well above the required 560mA. Best to set the current limit to 1.0A.
2. Preset the output voltage to 6.0+V. Don’t set the power to exactly 6.0V. It’s best to set the power supply a little higher in order to compensate for I*R drop of the power supply cables.
3. Use the power supply on/off switch to power on the 5009. Biggest problem with erratic 5009 performance with lab supplies is the user “dialing up” the voltage slowly from 0V. This will sometimes confuse the power-on-reset circuitry resulting in an unlocked synthesizer. It’s best to just adjust the output voltage first and then power-cycle the power supply or plug the power cable into the powered on power supply.

Hope this helps.  Above all, if you have trouble or need help just contact us.