Are Lightwave 8164 mainframes suitable for both tunable lasers and power sensors?

Yes. The 8164A and 8164B are designed to accept tunable laser modules and a range of compact modules including power sensors and attenuators. The 8164A specifies one back‑loadable tunable laser slot plus four front‑loadable compact module slots; the 8164B has a dedicated TLS slot and four additional power/attenuator slots.

Which VXI mainframe offers the highest usable power?

Among the cited models the E8403A lists a maximum usable power of 1000 W. By comparison, the E8401A specifies 500 W total usable power and the compact E8408A specifies 324 W of usable module power.

Which mainframes provide modern host interfaces such as LAN or USB?

The 8164B explicitly lists LAN (10/100 Base‑T) and USB 2.0 (host and device) in addition to GPIB and VGA. The 8164A lists GPIB, RS‑232C and Centronics. VXI mainframes typically rely on the installed Slot‑0 controller for external communication; some VXI units list only diagnostic connectors on the rear panel.

Keysight Technologies (Agilent HP) Mainframes

9 models with full specifications in Mainframes.

This page summarizes Keysight (Agilent HP) mainframes in three broad roles engineers specify: modular optical test chassis, VXI system mainframes, and a low‑leakage switch mainframe for parametric test. It explains how the product range is organized, highlights the technical differences that matter for system design (slot count, usable power, backplane currents, interface options and module compatibility), and gives practical guidance for choosing a model to match capacity, power and I/O needs. Examples are cited to illustrate typical tradeoffs — use the model table alongside this text to confirm module-level compatibility and detailed electrical ratings before integration.

Lightwave mainframe slots: 5 slots (8164A, 8164B)
High‑port lightwave slots: 17 slots (8166A)
VXI mainframe slots: 4 or 13 slots (E8408A; E8401A, E1401B, E8403A)
VXI usable power examples: 324 W (E8408A) up to 1000 W (E8403A)
Low‑leakage switch: 4 slots; port leakage <10 fA with E5252A installed (E5250A)

All models

Model	Type	Dimensions (W×H×D)	Display	Interfaces
8164A	Mainframes	426 x 145 x 545	Color active LCD, 600 x 400 points visible	GPIB, RS-232C, Parallel (Centronics), VGA
8164B	Mainframes	426 mm x 177 mm x 545 mm	6.4-inch Color TFT LCD, 640 x 480 VGA resolution	GPIB (IEEE 488.2), LAN (10/100 Base-T), USB 2.0 (Host & Device), VGA Video Output
E1401B	Mainframes	483 mm × 352 mm × 631 mm (with rack flanges)	Front panel status LEDs (+5V, -5.2V, +12V, -12V, +24V, -24V, -2V, Fan, Temp, Access)	25-pin D-sub diagnostic/monitoring connector on rear panel
8166A	Mainframes	426 mm × 177 mm × 535 mm	Backlit LCD display for status monitoring	GPIB (IEEE-488.2), RS-232 (serial), Centronics (parallel), Trigger I/O (BNC)
E8401A	Mainframes	424.5 mm × 352 mm × 631 mm	None (LED status indicators only)	None (external communication interface is provided by the installed VXI Slot 0 controller)
E8408A	Mainframes	213 mm × 222 mm × 561 mm	None (status LEDs only)	None (determined by Slot 0 controller card)
E5250A	Mainframes	426 mm × 132.5 mm × 448 mm	20-character x 2-line Vacuum Fluorescent Display (VFD)	GPIB (IEEE-488)
E8403A	Mainframes	424.5 mm × 352 mm × 631 mm	Front panel LED status indicators (SYSFAIL, AC, TEMP, FAN)	Rear panel diagnostic connector
E1421B	Mainframes	425.5 mm × 221.5 mm × 574 mm	None (LED status indicators for power supply rails and fan status)	VXIbus Backplane; external interfaces (GPIB, LAN, USB) dependent on the installed Slot 0 controller module

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Product families and how they map to applications

Keysight’s mainframes in this category fall into three functional groups: Lightwave measurement chassis, VXI system mainframes, and a bench low‑leakage switch chassis. Lightwave chassis are intended for modular optical sources, sensors and attenuators: the 8164 series is a five‑slot platform for mixed tunable and compact modules, while the 8166A is a 17‑slot, 4U multichannel chassis for high‑port-count optical measurement. VXI mainframes (C‑size) target automated test systems that require modular instrumentation and strong power/backplane delivery; examples span compact 4‑slot units and full 13‑slot chassis. The E5250A is a specialized low‑leakage switch mainframe for parametric and leakage‑sensitive semiconductor test.

What distinguishes each family

Lightwave chassis: The 8164A provides one back‑loadable tunable laser slot plus four front‑loadable compact module slots and legacy interfaces such as GPIB, RS‑232C and Centronics. The 8164B adds a dedicated TLS slot that accepts single‑ or dual‑width TLS modules and modern I/O including GPIB (IEEE‑488.2), LAN (10/100 Base‑T) and USB 2.0 host/device, plus front panel VGA. For very high channel counts, the 8166A expands to 17 single‑slot module positions; note module insertion/removal on the 8166A requires the mainframe to be powered down.

VXI mainframes: These are differentiated primarily by slot count, chassis height (for example 8U form factor on some 13‑slot models) and power/backplane capability. Smaller systems such as the E8408A provide a compact 4‑slot C‑size frame with specified usable power and high peak currents on key rails. Larger 13‑slot frames (E8401A, E8403A, E1401B) deliver substantially higher usable power and peak currents, and include features for serviceability and system monitoring.

Low‑leakage switching: The E5250A is built for low leakage and matrix density using plug‑in cards; its specifications include extremely low port‑to‑port leakage when fitted with E5252A matrix cards.

How to choose between models

Start from the subsystem requirements and match the mainframe by slot count, usable power and I/O:

For modular optical sources and single tunable‑laser experiments where you need one TLS plus several compact modules, consider a five‑slot Lightwave chassis such as the 8164A or 8164B. Choose the 8164B when LAN and USB host/device or a VGA front display are required, or when support for single‑ or dual‑width TLS modules is needed.
When a high port count (many single‑slot optical modules) is required for multiport power/attenuation or automated optical ATE, the 8166A’s 17 slots are appropriate; plan for powered‑down module changes.
For VXI instrument racks, select by usable power and backplane current needs. Compact test racks or bench systems can use the 4‑slot E8408A; higher power or dense instrument mixes call for a 13‑slot mainframe such as the E8401A or the higher‑power E8403A. Check the required +5 V, +12 V and other rail peak currents against the target instrument cards.
For semiconductor parametric and leakage‑sensitive switching, the E5250A supports low leakage matrices with E5252A or E5255A cards; confirm analog path counts and maximum voltage/current for your test case.

Also verify environmental limits and interfaces: operating temperature ranges, rack height and the exact host I/O (GPIB, LAN, USB, or VXI Slot‑0 controller) to ensure integration with your controller and automation software.