What waveforms can the Fluke 5520A and Fluke 5522A generate for AC voltage?

Both the Fluke 5520A and Fluke 5522A can generate sine, square, triangle, and truncated sine waves.

What is the maximum current capacity of the Fluke 5520A and Fluke 5522A?

Both models can source up to ±20.5 A for DC current, and from 29 µA to 20.5 A for AC current.

How do the displays on the Fluke 5522A differ from the older models?

The Fluke 5522A features a dual display design: a high-contrast backlit graphic LCD for menus and settings, alongside a segmented vacuum fluorescent display (VFD) for displaying primary output values.

Fluke 5500 Series Multi-Product Calibrators

3 models with full specifications from Fluke.

The Fluke 5500 Series consists of versatile multi-product calibrators engineered to handle broad electrical and electronic calibration workloads. These benchtop standards are designed for testing, verifying, and calibrating direct and alternating voltage, current, resistance, capacitance, and simulated power, as well as temperature indicators. By sourcing various waveforms, harmonics, and phase-controlled signals, these calibrators support a wide variety of electrical measurement tools. This comparison covers the baseline Fluke 5500A, the high-capacity Fluke 5520A, and the high-precision Fluke 5522A, detailing their exact output envelopes, uncertainties, and hardware configurations to help technical buyers select the correct model for their laboratory.

Voltage Range: 0 to ±1020 V (DC/AC)
Max DC Current Limit: 20.5 A (5520A and 5522A)
Frequency Range: 0.01 Hz to 2.0 MHz
Communication Interfaces: GPIB (IEEE-488), RS-232

Models in this series

Model	Type	Dimensions (W×H×D)	Interfaces	Operating Temperature
5500A	Calibrators, misc	432 × 178 × 473 mm	RS-232; IEEE-488 (GPIB)	0 to +50 °C
5520A	Calibrators, misc	432 mm × 178 mm × 473 mm	GPIB (IEEE-488), RS-232	0 °C to 50 °C
5522A	Calibration Kits	443 mm × 178 mm × 473 mm	GPIB (IEEE-488), RS-232	0 °C to 50 °C

Workload Capabilities and Signal Generation

The Fluke 5500 Series models function as primary reference standards for a wide range of test instruments. The standard Fluke 5500A covers medium-accuracy electrical tools. It can source both direct and alternating voltage and current, resistance, and capacitance. It simulates AC and DC power with phase control, operating from 109 µW to 11 kW. For temperature-measuring devices, it simulates both thermocouples and RTDs. An optional oscilloscope calibration configuration extends the Fluke 5500A bandwidth up to 600 MHz, supplying leveled sine waves, fast edges, time marks, and amplitude signals.

The Fluke 5520A and Fluke 5522A expand on these core capabilities, offering extended range limits and specialized signal configurations. Both models support selectable AC voltage waveforms, including sine, square, triangle, and truncated sine waves, to accommodate complex electronic testing. The Fluke 5520A has a continuously variable resistance output mode from 0 to 1100 MΩ, and a continuously variable capacitance output mode spanning 0.19 nF to 110 mF.

Voltage and Current Outputs

While all three models cover voltage ranges up to ±1020 V, they differ significantly in current capacity and measurement uncertainty:

Fluke 5500A: Delivers standard voltage and current sourcing with dual outputs capable of generating two simultaneous voltages, or a voltage and current combination with phase control.
Fluke 5520A: Delivers a higher current limit of 0 to ±20.5 A DC, and an AC current range of 29 µA to 20.5 A (10 Hz to 30 kHz). It features a best 1-year DC voltage uncertainty of ±11 ppm of setting.
Fluke 5522A: Features highly refined voltage performance. It offers a DC voltage resolution of 0.1 µV and a 1-year absolute uncertainty of ±(11 ppm of reading + 1.5 µV) on the 3.3 V range. It divides its DC voltage outputs into dedicated ranges: 329.9999 mV, 3.299999 V, 32.99999 V, 329.9999 V, and 1020.000 V. On its 3.3 V and 33 V ranges, the 5522A provides a maximum compliance current of 220 mA, with a source impedance of 50 Ω on its 330 mV range.

Physical Specifications and User Interface

Physical size and user feedback layouts differ across the series. The Fluke 5500A and Fluke 5520A share identical chassis dimensions of 432 mm × 178 mm × 473 mm, with the Fluke 5500A weighing 20 kg. The Fluke 5522A has a slightly wider enclosure measuring 443 mm × 178 mm × 473 mm and a weight of 22.4 kg.

The Fluke 5522A also updates the control interface with a dual display configuration. It pairs a high-contrast backlit graphic LCD for menus and options with a segmented vacuum fluorescent display (VFD) reserved for primary output values. All three calibrators are equipped with RS-232 and GPIB (IEEE-488) interfaces for remote system integration and automated testing.

Frequently asked questions

What waveforms can the Fluke 5520A and Fluke 5522A generate for AC voltage?: Both the Fluke 5520A and Fluke 5522A can generate sine, square, triangle, and truncated sine waves.
What is the maximum current capacity of the Fluke 5520A and Fluke 5522A?: Both models can source up to ±20.5 A for DC current, and from 29 µA to 20.5 A for AC current.
How do the displays on the Fluke 5522A differ from the older models?: The Fluke 5522A features a dual display design: a high-contrast backlit graphic LCD for menus and settings, alongside a segmented vacuum fluorescent display (VFD) for displaying primary output values.