Home

SF1020 User Manual

1. 20 Operating Limits 20 Output Signal Frequency 20 Waveform Modulation 20 WAVEFORMS 0 00 0 23 ASK 23 BPSK 24 Chirp 25 Pulsed Chirp Pulsed FM 26 FSK Arbitrary Waveform 26 FSK Ramped 27 FSK Triangle 28 FSK Unramped 29 OOK 29 Single Tone 30 Sine AM 30 Square AM 31 SWEEP 32 ARBITRARY WAVEFORMS 33 Arbitrary Modulation Operation 33 Waveform Descriptors 33 Digital Descriptors 33 Floating Point Descriptors 33 Creating a Modulation File 34 Sample File 34 Uploading A Modulation File 34 AUXILIARY UART 36 CALIBRATION 37 EXTERNAL CONTROL CONNECTOR 38 Recommended Cables
2. Power Input for the AC adapter battery charger provided The AC adapter charger provides 24VDC and 1 0A output Input range 100 260V 50 60 Hz The adapter provides operating power and simultaneously charges the battery On Off Power on off button The LED on the front panel will be on solid if the SF1020 has powered up correctly If the LED does not turn on then a power error has occurred and the SF1020 may not be operational In this case contact technical support for assistance 11 S F1020 USER MANUAL Getting Started Note Before you use the SF1020 for the first time the battery MUST be charged The SF1020 is shipped from the factory in a sleep state that requires a connection to the charger to wake it up Battery The SF1020 is equipped with a Nickel Metal Hydride battery pack which provides approximately 3 hour of continuous operation The battery must be charged prior using the SF1020 for the first time Charging takes approximately 90 minutes The SF1020 may be operated while the battery is charging When the battery needs to be recharged the Batt Low LED on the front of the SF1020 will illuminate If the AC adapter charger is not plugged in shortly after the LED turns on the SF1020 will automatically turn off the output signal Connecting the SF1020 to Your Computer 1 Connect your PC to the serial port on the SF1020 Serial Port Attach a standard serial port cable with a male DB 9 connector and straight through pin
3. Frequency 1 hz 588 000 External OOK FSK DISABLED Frequency 2 hz 110 000 600 Arbitrary modulation DISABLED Delta Freq hz 1 000 dBm Base 9 Ramp Rate hz 600 dBm Offset 6 FSK modulating freq hz 1 Time freql selected 50 press key to abort operation_ Connected 0 07 32 Auto detect 57600 8 N 1 Figure 9 Running New Waveform Running the Waveform Return to the main Waveform Creation menu and select Run to start the new waveform You may run the waveform with or without saving it Saving Waveforms From the Waveform Creation menu you may chose to save the new waveform to one of the four non volatile memory locations You also have the option to save your waveform with the Load at Power up option The Load at Power Up feature causes the selected waveform to be loaded and started when the SF1020 is first turned on This feature enables the SF1020 to operate in a repeatable stand alone mode Note Saving a new configuration overwrites any previously saved configuration at that location In addition to the four memory locations one set of user developed arbitrary waveform data may be saved see the Arbitrary Waveform Modulation section below Modifying Waveforms On The Fly Some of the parameters of the Single Tone and FSK type waveforms may be modified during runtime providing you with increased flexibility to exercise specific areas of the device und
4. JOH 12mA Vout Control lot 12mA 1 8V 2 5V 3 3V Figure 14 Digital Output Driver Operating Limits Output Signal Frequency 1 KHz to 1 GHz 50 MHz to 1 GHz 1 Hz 110 MHz RF output Differential output Digital output Waveform Modulation ASK Internally Controlled Output Frequenc Modulating Frequenc RF 1 KHz to 1 GHz 1 Hz to 500 KHz Digital not supported Differential not supported 20 BNC S F1020 USER MANUAL ASK Externally Controlled CHIRP operates over the entire range of each supported output type Output Frequency Modulating Frequency RF 1 KHz to 1 GHz 1 Hz to 150 KHz Digital not supported Differential not supported BPSK Output Frequency Modulating Frequency RF 1 KHz to 100 MHz 0 1 Hz to 500 KHz Digital not supported Differential not supported CHIRP Output Frequency RF 1 Hz to 110 MHz Digital 1 Hz to 110 MHz Differential 50 MHz to 1 GHz FSK Ramped and Unramped Internally Controlled Output Frequency Modulating Frequency RF lt 100 MHz 0 1 Hz to 500 KHz RF gt 100 MHz 0 1 Hz to 500 KHz Digital 1 Hz to 110 MHz 0 1 Hz to 500 KHz Differential 50 MHz to 1 GHz 0 1 Hz to 500 KHz o Duty cycle Frequency direction 10 to 90 FSK Ramped and Unramped Externally Controlled Output Frequency Modulating Frequency RF lt 100 MHz 0 1 Hz to 150 KHz RF gt 100 MHz 0 1 Hz to 150 KHz Digital 1 Hz to 110 MHz 0 1 Hz to 150 KHz Differential 50 MHz to 1 GHz 0 1 Hz to 150 KHz For
5. range is 0 1 Hz to 26 KHz Asset of descriptors that define the deviation for each sample point The output frequency changes at a time defined by the sample rate The actual output frequency is determined using the formula Fout lt center frequency gt deviation descriptor Where each descriptor is a floating point value in the range 1 0 to 1 0 For example a center frequency of 50 MHz with deviation 10 MHz and descriptor 0 5 will create a frequency of 45 MHz The file format and number of descriptors supported is described in the Creating Arbitrary Waveforms chapter below The drawing below illustrates how FSK Arbitrary Waveforms operate Frequency TIME gt F1 0 5 0 1 25 25 1 Figure 18 Example FSK Arbitrary Waveform The FSK waveform shown above was created from the following text file number_of_points 7 start with highest output frequency for 1 sample times 1 0 go down to center frequency and then back to highest using 25 freq X 2 50 0 10 25 25 1 0 Figure 19 Sample FSK Arbitrary Text File FSK Ramped The FSK Ramped waveform varies the output frequency within a specified range The rate of frequency change is determined by the delta frequency the amount that the frequency is changed at each step and the ramp rate at what interval the frequency is changed The direction of frequency change is determined by internal timers or by the front panel FSK signal when exter
6. All outputs have a resolution of 1Hz When an output type is selected all other output types are automatically disabled e g when AC Coupled is selected the TTL output is tri stated and the differential output is at O MHz RF AC Coupled Output The output driver of the RF AC Coupled signal source provides a nominal 50 Ohm output impedance the output driver implementation is described in the drawing below AC coupled output is capacitively connected to the output allowing the sine wave output to be floated at any level desired 50 ohms trace 7 SMA ww CONNECTOR SF1020 Figure 12 AC Coupled Output Driver 19 S F1020 USER MANUAL Differential Output The outputs of the differential driver conform to the LVPECL standard The driver and the recommended method of interfacing to it are described in the drawing below This differential driver is designed to work in 50 Ohm systems The rise and fall times for the differential outputs are 175ps min to 425ps max 20 to 80 measure with a 50ohm load K S SMA P N x O t j S f 50 Ohms H SS gt A svan p A 50 Ohms a SF1020 Figure 13 Differential Output Driver Digital Output Receiver Device The following block diagram shows the implementation of the programmable TTL output buffer The rise and fall times for the rise and fall times for the digital output are 1 2ns 0 7V to 2 0V max Enable 22 Ohms
7. Connectors 38 External Connector Pin Description 39 GENERAL SAFETY AND WARRANTY INFORMATION 0 200 c2nnnnennnnn 41 To Avoid Fire or Personal Injury 41 Warranty 41 SF1020E 42 Clock Requirements 42 Reconfiguring SF1020E to SF1020 42 POWER CONVERSION TABLES 44 SOFTWARE UPDATE PROCEDURE 46 EZ TERMINAL SOFTWARE 47 PRODUCT LINE 49 Table of Figures Figure 1 Figure 2 Figure 3 Figure 4 Figure 5 Figure 6 Figure 7 Figure 8 Figure 9 Front Panel Rear Panel Wave Manager Main Menu Waveform Creation Menu Select New Waveform Menu Edit Parameters Menu Output Selection Menu Edit Parameters Menu Running New Waveform Figure 10 Modify Active Waveform Menu Figure 11 Modify Power Setting Figure 12 AC Coupled Output Driver Figure 13 Differential Output Driver Figure 14 Digital Output Driver Figure 15 ASK Operation Figure 16 BPSK Operation Figure 17 Pulsed Chirp Operation Figure 18 Example FSK Arbitrary Waveform Figure 19 Sample FSK Arbitrary Text File Figure 20 FSK Ramped Modulation Figure 21 FSK Triangle Modulation Figure 22 FSK Unramped Modulation Figure 23 Example Sine AM Waveform Figure 24 Example Square AM Waveform Figure 25 Sample Arbitrary Modulation File Figure 2
8. OFF ON keying operation The ASK operation of the SF1020 varies the output power amplitude between two user selected settings ASK may be controlled internally by the Wave Manager software or by an external controller For internally controlled ASK the supported frequency range 1 Hz to 200 KHz For externally controlled ASK the supported frequency range is 1 Hz to 1000 KHz see drawing below The ASK control pin on the External Control connector block on the front panel is used as an arbitrary modulation source to control the output carrier ASK Operation Using the Wave Manager software select the high power value from the supported range The supported range is calculated using an internal output power range table and varies depending on the frequency selected Use the Wave Manager software to determine the supported range at a given frequency However 7 dBm is supported for all frequencies and is the recommended setting for ASK operation If lower power output is needed an external attenuator such as the Mini Circuits Inline BW SXW2 Series Precision Fixed Attenuator is recommended The low power value is automatically set to 16dB below the high power value i e 5dBm 16dB 13dBm External ASK Operation To control ASK externally using the External Control header on the front panel 23 S F1020 USER MANUAL Use the Wave Manager software set ASK control to ENABLED Connect your ASK controller to the top pin at positio
9. RF frequencies gt 100 MHz and all Differential frequencies FSK operates within the following bands 100 200 MHz 200 400 MHz 400 800 MHz 800 MHz 1 GHz FSK Arbitrary Output Frequency Modulating Frequency RF lt 100 MHz 0 1 Hz to 26 KHz RF gt 100 MHz 0 1 Hz to 26 KHz Digital 1 Hz to 110 MHz 0 1 Hz to 26 KHz Differential 50 MHz to 1 GHz 0 1 Hz to 26 KHz For RF frequencies gt 100 MHz and all Differential frequencies FSK operates within the following bands 100 200 MHz 200 400 MHz 400 800 MHz 800 MHz 1 GHz OOK Internally Controlled Output Frequency Modulating Frequency RF 1 KHz to 100 MHz 0 1 Hz to 500 KHz Digital not supported Differential 50 MHz to 1 GHz 0 1 Hz to 500 KHz 21 S F1020 USER MANUAL O The duty cycle ON percentage 10 to 90 except near the highest modulating frequency OOK Externally Controlled O Output Frequency Modulating Frequency RF 1 KHz to 100 MHz 0 1 Hz to 150 KHz Digital not supported Differential 50 MHz to 1 GHz 0 1 Hz to 150 KHz o The duty cycle ON percentage 10 to 90 except near the highest modulating frequency Sine AM Output Frequency Modulating Frequency RF 1 KHz to 1 GHz 0 1 Hz to 65 Hz Digital not supported Differential not supported Square AM Output Frequency Modulating Frequency RF 1 KHz to 1 GHz 0 1 Hz to 45 KHz Digital not supported Differential not supported Sweep Output Frequency RF 1 KHz to 1 GHz Digital 1 Hz to 110 MHz Differential 50 MHz to 1 G
10. communications software 6 If you are using HyperTerminal select Transfer then Send Text File not the default Send File option NOTE You may have to select All Files in the Files of type pulldown sub menu in order to locate the firmware file since Hyperterminal by default only displays txt files and the SF1020 800 firmware is file type HEX To start the download locate the firmware revision you wish to install and select it with your mouse The screen will display the download status during download and prompt you to rebooth the signal generator when completed Downloading will take a few minutes 46 S F1020 USER MANUAL EZ Terminal Software EZ Terminal is a serial communication software utility for use with the Signal Forge line of signal generators EZ Terminal provides support for macros terminal window screen capture downloading firmware Wave Manager software for the SF1020 and downloading arbitrary waveform descriptor files Operating Systems Supported Windows Vista Win XP and Win 2000 EZ Terminal is easy to install and use and there is practically no learning curve It is pre configured baud rate COM port etc to operate with Signal Forge products Features Download Firmware This menu selection allows the user to load a new version of the Wave Manager software user interface and operating firmware into the SF1020 signal generator To download firmware 1 First invoke the Dow
11. dBm Base Power dBm Base Base power may be increased or decreased within the supported range which is 12 dBm to 12 dBm Offset Allows you to adjust the Base Power to offset the losses of external connections i e interconnect cables For example You enter a frequency of 500 MHz and require an output of 5 dBm you then enter an offset of 2 dB causing the SF1020 to drive the output at 7dBm After a cable loss of 2 dBm the output power measured at the Device Under Test should be 5 dBm 7 2 5 dBm In all cases the total power must not exceed the maximum dBm provided by the SF1020 SF1000 HyperTerminal _ 15 x File Edit View Call Transfer Help Dls 213 ela ol F1800 Active Waveform Menu Waveform FSK Triangle running Output A C External START DISABLED Frequency 1 hz k External OOK FSK DISABLED Frequency 2 hz OOK internal DISABLED Delta Freq hz j dBm Base 9 Ramp Rate hz dBm Offset 0 Frequency UP by 1 10 100hz Frequency DOWN by 1 18 188hz Frequency by value Output OFF dBm Base and Offset Auxiliary UART Menu 7 6 Base 9_ lt U gt scrolls up lt D gt scrolls down lt ENTER gt accepts lt ESC gt aborts Auto detect 57600 8 N 1 Figure 11 Modify Power Setting 18 S F1020 USER MANUAL Output Types The SF1020 provides three different output types RF AC Coupled Differential Digital
12. data rate applications such as IEEE 802 11g wireless LAN standard RFID and Zigbee devices F1020 USER MANUAL Specifications Frequency RF AC coupled Output Digital Output Differential Output Frequency Frequency Range Resolution Drift per hour After warm up 0 Frequency Stability cccceeceeseeeeeeeeereee cee Frequency Accuracy Frequency Stability External Control Header Input Voltage einans sne Output voltage TX_MOD pin Operating Voltage Operating Current Battery Life AC Adapter Charger provided RF AC Co Amplitude Range Amplitude Resolution Power Range RF Output upled Output Power Output Accuracy RF Output Phase Noise 100 MHz 1 KHz 1 GHz 1 Hz 110 MHz 50 MHz to 1 GHz 1 Hz 0 0002 0 001 Over temperature of range of 15 35 C ambient 4ppm based on 2ppm TCXO 1ppm year after the first year May drift 3ppm in the first year 3 3V 5V Tolerant 5V 12V min to 15V max 670mA 3 hours Input 100 240VAC 50 60 Hz Output 24 VDC and 1 0A 143 MVpp to 1414 MVpp 1dB 12 dBm to 12 dBm 2 dB from 100 KHz to 300 MHz 3 dB from 300MHz to 1 GHz 50 dBc Hz 10 KHz Offset 73 dBc Hz 100 KHz 90 dBc Hz 1000 KHz S F1020 USER MANUAL Phase Noise gt 100 MHz 20 dBc Hz 10 KHz Offset 60 dBc Hz 100 KHz 90 dBc Hz 1000 KHz Harmonics 2 MHz to 50 MH lt 40 dBc 50 MHz to 100 MHZ lt 40 dBc 100 MHZ t
13. for the same duration represents a binary zero OOK may be been used to transfer data using RF carrier waves It is also used in optical communication systems such as infared data transfer interfaces e g IrDA In aviation some airports have equipment that let pilots key their VHF radio a number of times in order to request an Automatic Terminal Information Service broadcast or turn on runway lights 29 S F1020 USER MANUAL Outputs Supported RF Differential Single Tone The Single Tone waveform outputs a continuous tone at the user selected output frequency Outputs Supported RF Differential Digital TTL 3 3V LVTTL 2 5V SVTTL 1 8V Options Externally or internally controlled OOK Externally controlled Start Note External control requires an external user provided modulating source TTL level Sine AM A Sine Wave AM waveform modulates power using a sinusoidal pattern The SF1020 outputs a discrete number of power levels as shown in the drawing below The existence of these discrete power steps is normally not an issue since an AM demodulator includes a low pass filter at its output that will remove any high frequency components higher than the maximum modulating frequency poo oe Approximation Carrier Frequency Base Power Enter in dBm Opposite Envelope Power in dBm Figure 23 Example Sine AM Waveform Outp
14. inputs are 5V tolerant and include a certain level of protection as described in the following block diagram 3 3V A Si Diode A Protection Input bA Figure 30 External Control Pin Filter The Figure below gives an example of external control of a waveform In the example chosen an external signal controls the FSK signal pin of the SF1020 FSK Pin Frequency 2 4 Frequency 1 f Start ___4 TIME Figure 31 FSK Control Pin Operation 40 S F1020 USER MANUAL General Safety and Warranty Information Review the following safety precautions to avoid injury and prevent damage to this product or any products connected to it To avoid potential hazards use this product only as specified Only qualified service personnel should perform service procedures To Avoid Fire or Personal Injury Use Proper Power Adapter Use only the power module provided with this product Connect and Disconnect Properly Do not connect or disconnect external header pin leads while they are connected to a voltage source turn the SF1020 and external control logic simultaneously Observe All Terminal Ratings Consult the product manual for ratings information before making connections to the product Do Not Operate Without Cover Do not operate this product with the cover removed Do Not Operate With Suspected Failures If you suspect there is damage to this product have it i
15. interface i e polarity control to an external modulating device or to the OOK FSK control pins of the same SF1020 In this way you can create modulated waveform outputs which are actually encoding UART driven data The diagram below depicts how to configure the UART TX_MOD pin to create an ASCII data keyed OOK Waveform Optional External Filtering or Control Figure 28 Auxiliary UART Usage 36 S F1020 USER MANUAL Calibration Calibration Interval The signal generator should be checked 1 year intervals to determine if the carrier frequency needs to be calibrated Be aware that modulation depth modulation frequency and output level are not adjustable The output level may be adjusted using external amplifiers or attenuators Procedure Calibration should take place in an environment in which the temperature is the same as the temperature at which the unit will be used Note If you have an E model either attach an external clock source or reconfigure it so that the internal clock source is enabled mi Power up the SF1020 for 1 hour prior to calibration to allow for temperature soak Connect the SF1020 to an accurate frequency counter Use the Wave Manager software to select the TTL or the AC coupled output Set the frequency to 1 MHz 10 MHz or 100 MHz 10 MHz is used at the factory for initial calibration Select Calibration from the Main Menu Oak wD Enter the frequency display
16. out to the RS 232 port on the rear panel of the SF1020 and the other end to the serial port on your computer Standard serial cables may be purchased many sources including Signal Forge USB To connect your computer to the SF1020 via USB connection use an inline serial port to USB adapter A USB to serial adapter is available from the Signal Forge web site www signalforge com 2 Start your terminal communication software such as the Signal Forge EZ Terminal or HyperTerminal Start EZ Terminal Vista XP W2K HyperTerminal XP W2K XTerm Linux or other serial communication software and configure it as follows 8 data bits 1 stop bit no parity flow control XON XOFF baud rate must be set to 57 600 3 Access Wave Manager User Interface Once the serial cable is connected and the serial communication software started and configured turn on the SF1020 and the Wave Manager user interface will load Wave Manager software is installed on the SF1020 so you do NOT need to install any special software on your PC Note lf EZ Terminal or HyperTerminal is started after the SF1020 has been turned on press ESC to refresh the Wave Manager user interface 12 S F1020 USER MANUAL Note EZ Terminal may be downloaded for free from Accessories section of the Signal Forge Products page at www signalforge com Wave Manager Software Setup configuration and programming is accomplished using Wave Manager the menu driven software
17. using a text editor or any program that creates an ASCII file One line should contain the keyword number_of_points followed by the number of sample points described e g number_of_points 22 This may be on any line Sample points separated by spaces commas or tabs Comments may be inserted anywhere in the file starting with any character other than characters used for numbers 0123456789 or matching the keyword number_of_points When a comment character is recognized the rest of the line is ignored The file must contain at a minimum the number of sample points indicated on the number_of_points line If you include more samples than specified they will be ignored Digital Descriptors Operation Description OOK FALSE means output is OFF else ON FSK FALSE means output frequency one else frequency two AM square wave FALSE means output low power else high power BPSK FALSE selects phase 1 else phase 2 Table 3 Digital Descriptor Definitions The following sample file describes how to create a floating point set of data points to control an FSK type or AM sine wave type of output Sample File file sine txt Half Sine wave data points for FSK arbitrary or Sine AM number_of_points 15 1 0 8 6 4 3 2 1 0 1 2 3 4 6 8 1 0 Figure 25 Sample Arbitrary Modulation File Uploading A Modulation File Once created the Arbitrary Modula
18. which comes pre installed on the SF1020 No client side software is required Standard serial terminal communication software on your PC is all that is required to load the Wave Manager software Simply connect a serial cable between your PC and the SF1020 start the terminal communication software i e EZ Terminal turn on the SF1020 and Wave Manager loads automatically At power up the main menu is displayed presenting the current configuration operational status and programming options The menu screens are organized such that only the options allowable for the selected waveform and output type are displayed making the software easy to learn and navigate SF1000 HyperTerminal 15 x File Edit View Call Transfer Help Ole 2 3 alal esl F1 08 Main Menu Waveform Single Tone running External Module none Output A C External START DISABLED Frequency 1 hz 1 000 External OOK FSK DISABLED 00K internal DISABLED dBm Base 9 dBm Offset 0 A Modify active waveform B Copy active waveform to creation menu C Waveform creation menu B S F1000 version info E Download firmware F Calibrate frequency G Operate attached module Select from above lt ESC gt to previous screen_ Connected 0 15 49 Auto detect 576008 N 1 SCROLL Figure 3 Wave Manager Main Menu 13 S F1020 USER MANUAL Creating a Waveform To configure a new waveform se
19. 6 Enable Arbitrary Waveform Option Figure 27 Upload Arbitrary Waveform File Figure 28 Auxiliary UART Usage Figure 29 External Control Header Pin Locations Figure 30 External Control Pin Filter Figure 31 FSK Control Pin Operation Figure 32 FSK Control Pin Operation Figure 33 SF1020 to SF1020E Jumper Positions Figure 34 Voltage Definitions 10 11 13 14 14 15 15 16 17 18 18 19 20 20 24 24 26 27 27 28 28 29 30 31 34 35 35 36 38 40 40 42 43 45 Table of Tables Table 1 Sine AM Samples per Cycle Table Table 3 Arbitrary Waveform Max Sample Rate Table 4 Digital Descriptor Definitions Table 5 External Control Header Pinout Table 6 Configuration Jumpers Table 7 RF Power Conversion Table 31 33 34 38 42 45 S F1020 USER MANUAL Introduction The Signal Forge 1020 Battery Powered Signal Generator is a portable high performance signal source and function generator with a frequency range of up to 1 GHz Three dedicated outputs are provided along with support for numerous waveform modulation functions Its small size and battery powered operation make the Signal Forge 1020 SF1020 ideal for a wide range of field test applications from cable testing to the installation and maintenance of wireless networking and cellular phone systems as well as testing and calibrating radio amplifiers and receivers Features The Signal Forge 1020 supports the following features Battery powered opera
20. Help ols al ol El F1000 Arbitrary Modulation Menu No data points loaded F load data points from file IL load data points from EEPROM File should contain number_of_points lt count gt followed by values where gt selects frequency 2 else freqency 1 Select from above lt ESC gt to previous screen_ Connected 0 12 53 Auto detect 576008 N 1 SCROLL CAPS NUM Capture Print echo Figure 27 Upload Arbitrary Waveform File Note If you wish to save the arbitrary data to non volatile memory use the save option before exiting the arbitrary modulation menu 35 S F1020 USER MANUAL Auxiliary UART The SF1020 provides a transmit only UART port TX_MOD pin 8 that may be used to send ASCII data characters to an internal or external modulation device This port is completely separate from the UART port used for the console This port is ideal for injecting custom modulation data into the carrier wave generated by the SF1020 The data that is sent by the auxiliary UART port can be ASCII data generated by a keyboard or from a file The baud rate is programmable at these rates 2400 4800 9600 19200 38400 and 57600 baud SF1020 HW version C also supports 150 300 600 and 1200 The Wave Manager software provides support for this UART port on the Auxiliary UART Menu under the Modify Active Menu entry You may connect the Auxiliary UART output using the appropriate filtering
21. Hz Sweep operates over the entire range of each supported output type Frequency sweep time Minimum step time for frequencies lt 100 MHz 5ms Minimum step time for frequencies gt 100 MHz 10ms Step time programmable in 5ms and 10ms increments respectively Maximum step time 60 seconds 22 S F1020 USER MANUAL Waveforms The SF1020 provides a wide range of waveform modulation functions from which you can create a variety of waveforms Numerous waveform modifiers may be applied to customize the output to meet your specific testing needs The waveforms modifiers and options are configured using the Wave Manager software In addition you may develop arbitrary modulation files to create your own unique type of FSK or AM modulated output An Arbitrary Modulation option will be displayed on the Edit Parameters screen of any waveform that supports user developed waveform modulation files ASK Outputs Supported RF Options Internal control External control Amplitude shift keying ASK is a form of modulation that represents digital data as variations in the amplitude of a carrier wave The amplitude of an analog carrier signal varies in accordance with the bit stream modulating signal keeping frequency and phase constant The amplitude level can be used to represent binary logic Os and 1s The carrier signal is switched ON or OFF and the modulated signal logic 0 is represented by the absence of a carrier thus giving the
22. SIGNAI FORGE SIGNAL FORGE 1020 BATTERY POWERED SIGNAL GENERATOR User Manual Technical Support Email Support signalforge com Phone 512 275 3733 Contact Information Web www signalforge com Customer Service Email Sales signalforge com Phone 512 275 3733 Fax 512 275 3735 Address Signal Forge LLC 2115 Saratoga Drive Austin TX 78733 Table of Contents INTRODUCTION 6 Features 6 Applications 6 SPECIFICATIONS 8 CONNECTIONS 02 202 00 10 Front Panel Connections 10 Rear Panel Connections 11 GETTING STARTED 12 Battery 12 Connecting the SF1020 to Your Computer12 Wave Manager Software 13 Creating a Waveform 14 Running the Waveform 17 Saving Waveforms 17 Modifying Waveforms On The Fly 17 Frequency Step Up Step Down 18 Power Level Attenuation Control dBm Base and Offset 18 OUTPUT TYPES 19 RF AC Coupled Output 19 Differential Output 20 Digital Output
23. ation DISABLED Delta Freq hz 1 008 dBm Base 9 Ramp Rate hz 600 dBm Offset 0 FSK modulating freq hz 1 lime freql selected 50 Output External START Frequency 1 hz External OOK FSK Frequency 2 hz Arbitrary modulation Delta Freq hz dBm Base Ramp Rate hz dBm Offset FSK modulating freq hz Time freql selected Select from above Connected 0 07 15 Auto detect 576008 N 1 SCROLL Figure 8 Edit Parameters Menu Hit ESC to return to the main Edit Parameters menu and configure all other applicable parameters such as frequency output power etc External Controls The Edit Parameters menu also allows you to enable the external controls where applicable See the External Controls section for a description of the external control connector Note The Arbitrary Modulation selection enables you to upload a file containing a user defined modulation pattern See the Arbitrary Modulations and Arbitrary Waveforms chapter below for information on creating an Arbitrary Modulation file Note Entering a frequency value greater than the maximum supported will be flagged as an error or automatically reset to the highest valid value 16 S F1020 USER MANUAL XT lax File Edit View Call Transfer Help Dle 213 ala ol E Software Loop Running Waveform FSK Ramped running Output A C External START DISABLED
24. connector and cable assembly May be purchased from Signal Forge See the Accessories section of the Signal Forge Product page at www signalforge com 2 pin connector housing and contacts for use if not all control signals are needed o 2 position housing p n A26921 ND o Contacts 2 required p n A26951 ND The connectors may be purchased from www Digi Key com Rear Panel Connections a SIGNAL FORGE 1020 Battery Powered Signal Generator a www signalforge com e Power 24 VDC O O z Ne On Off 10 MHz Clock RS 232 if Figure 2 Rear Panel RS 232 The RS 232 port is a female DB 9 serial connector which connects the SF1020 to the serial port on your PC The required RS 232 port settings are 8 data bits 1 stop bit and no parity flow control XON XOFF only no hardware handshake pins are implemented The baud rate must be set to 57 600 Only the TX RX and GND pins of the DB9 connector are implemented on the SF1020 RS 232 cables and USB to RS 232 serial adapters may be purchase from Signal Forge 10 MHz Clock BNC connector that provides a 10 MHz TTL reference output signal derived from the internal TCXO timebase Output impedance is approximately 50 OQ The accuracy of the 10 MHz output is 0 83 ppm This square wave clock output has 70 30 symmetry Note The rear BNC connector for the 10 MHz clock is a reference clock input on the SF1020E enabling it to be driven by an external standard It is a clock output on the SF1020
25. e listed below P dBm 10 log10 P mW P mW 10 P dBm 10 The table below translates between dBm Volts and Watts within the power range of the SF1020 VoltSams VoltSpeakpeak VOltSpea Watts 890 19mV 2518mV 1259mV 15 85 mW 793 39mV 2244mV 1122mV 12 59mW 707 11mV 2000mV l1000mV 10 0mW 930 21mV 2631mV 1316mV 7 94mW 561 67mV 1589mV 794mV 6 31 mW 500 59mV 1416mV 708mV 5 01mW 446 15mV 1262mV 631mV 3 98mW 397 64mV 11235mV 562mV 316mW 354 39mV 1002mV 501mV 251mW 315 85mV 893mV 447mV 200mW 281 50mV 796mV 398mV 1 58mW 250 89mV 710mV 355mV 1 26mW 223 61mV 632mV 316mV 1 00mW 199 29mV 564mV 282mV 10 7943 MW 17762mV 502mV 251mV 0 6309mW 158 30mV 448mV 224mV_ S s sS 0 5011 mW 141 09mV 399mV 200mvV 0 3981 mW 125 74mV 256mV 178mV 0 3162mW 112 07mV 317mV 158mV 10 2511 mW 99 88mV 283mV 141mV 0 1995mW 89 02mV 252mV 126mV 0 1584mW 44 S F1020 USER MANUAL 79 34 mV 70 71 mV 63 02 mV 56 15 mV 224 mV 200 mV 178 mV 159 mV Table 6 RF Power Conversion Table Figure 34 Voltage Definitions 112 mV 100m sid 89 mV 79 mV 45 0 1258 mW 0 1000 mW 0 0794 mW 0 0631 uW S F1020 USER MANUAL Software Update Procedure Wave Manager the embedded operating software firmware of the Signal Forge signal generators may be updated by the user if new revisions become available by following the pr
26. ed on the external frequency counter into the space provided on the calibration menu The difference between frequency counter reading and the frequency setting is used to calibrate the device The calibration information is stored in non volatile memory loaded at power up and used until the device is calibrated again 37 S F1020 USER MANUAL External Control Connector The SF1020 provides ten 2 pin connectors labeled External Control on the front panel These connectors enable you to control several modulation functions such as frequency shift keying FSK or On Off Keying OOK The function assignments are listed below Reserved DIFF OOK TX_MOD Reserved 15V 15V 9 START 10 Reserved POSITION NAME bottom row FSK BPSK 1 2 3 4 5 SE OOK 6 7 8 SF1020 POSITION O OI NID a AIO rm i oO NAME top row Reserved GND GND GND GND GND ASK GND GND GND Lol Top Row O Bottom Row External Control Figure 29 External Control Header Pin Locations Recommended Cables Connectors You may attach either a 20 pin connector and cable assembly to a entire External Control block or individual 2 pin assemblies to control a single function The recommended connector are 20 pin connector and cable assembly P N M3AAA 2006J ND 38 S F1020 USER MANUAL 2 pin connector housing and contacts may be used to connect to individual control p
27. egin entering the command sequence for the new waveform This is because most SF1020 menus and operations are exited using the lt escape gt key Capture Terminal Window 47 S F1020 USER MANUAL This feature captures the SF1020 screen to a text file The file created is Unicode UTF 8 format If you view the file with a UTF 8 knowledgeable program such as Windows Wordpad the display should look just like it does when displayed by EZ Terminal Free Download EZ Terminal is free for Signal Forge signal generator users To download EZ Terminal go the Products page of the Signal Forge web site http Awww signalforge com home sf1 multilist_1 SignalForge Products html 48 S F1020 USER MANUAL Product Line Model Number Description SF1020 Signal Forge 1020 Battery Powered Signal Generator SF1000 Signal Forge 1000 Synthesized Signal Generator SF1000E Signal Forge 1000 Synthesized Signal Generator driven by an external reference 1800M RF Expansion Module 950 MHz to 1 8 GHz Frequency Band Add on to the SF1000 signal generators 2500M RF Expansion Module 1 5 GHz to 2 6 GHz Frequency Band Add on to the SF1000 signal generators EZTerminal EZ Terminal Serial Communication Software for Vista XP W2K Free download for Signal Forge users SF BRK 1U Rack Mount Bracket Holds 3 SF800 1000 s and attaches to a standard 19 chassis Cable 6 Serial Cable DB9 Male to DB9 Female 6Ft USB Ada
28. er test 17 S F1020 USER MANUAL 2 sr1000 HyperTerminal T Fie Edit View Call Transfer Help Dls E SSF10090 Active Waveform Menu Waveform FSK Triangle running Output A C External START DISABLED Frequency 1 hz 1 000 External OOK FSK DISABLED Frequency 2 hz 2 000 OOK internal DISABLED Delta Freq hz 1 000 dBm Base Ramp Rate hz 600 dBm Offset 8 17273 Frequency UP by 1 10 108hz 47 Frequency DOWN by 1 10 188hz HY Frequency by value D U Output OFF dBm Base and Offset Auxiliary UART Menu Select from above lt ESC gt to previous screen_ Auto detect 57600 8 N 1 Figure 10 Modify Active Waveform Menu Frequency Step Up Step Down While either the Single Tone or FSK type waveform is running the frequency may be changed by stepping it up or down in discrete steps using the selections on the Modify Active Waveform menu in the case of FSK Frequency 1 is changed only The frequency may be repeatedly stepped up or down in increments of 1 Hz 10 Hz or 100 Hz You may also enter a new frequency value by using menu selection F Power Level Attenuation Control dBm Base and Offset The Wave Manager software allows you to change the Base power level and the Offset during operation when the AC Coupled output is enabled The power values are entered in
29. hen select Edit Parameters EO E File Edit View Call Transfer Help ole 2 3 cl El F1000 Waveform Edit Menu Waveform Single Tone Output A C External START DISABLED Frequency 1 hz 1 000 External OOK FSK DISABLED 00K internal DISABLED dBm Base 9 dBm Offset A Output External START B Frequency 1 hz External OOK FSK 00K internal dBm Base dBm Offset Select from above lt ESC gt to previous screen_ Connected 0 17 44 Auto detect 576008 N 1 SCROLL CAPS NUM Capture Print echo Figure 6 Edit Parameters Menu Then select Output from the menu to configure the output type from the list displayed sF1000 HyperTerminal R E Fie Edit View Call Transfer Help os sl e E F1000 Waveform Edit Menu Waveform Single Tone Output TTL 1 8v External START DISABLED Frequency 1 hz 1 000 External OOK FSK DISABLED Select from above lt ESC gt to previous screen_ Auto detect 57600 8 N 1 SCROLL CAPS NUM Capture Print echo Figure 7 Output Selection Menu 15 S F1020 USER MANUAL stp File Edit View Call Transfer Help os a 3 ol amp F1600 Waveform Edit Menu Waveform FSK Ramped Output A C External START DISABLED Frequency 1 hz 500 880 External OOK FSK DISABLED Frequency 2 hz 116 880 000 Arbitrary modul
30. ital TTL 3 3V LVTTL 2 5V SVTTL 1 8V 28 S F1020 USER MANUAL Options Externally controlled OOK Externally controlled Start FSK Unramped The Frequency Shift Keying FSK Unramped waveform allows you to select two output frequencies which are alternately driven at a preprogrammed rate For internal FSK operation the modulating frequency that determines the rate at which the frequencies change is selected from the Edit Parameters menu The duty cycle menu entry determines the duration that frequency is asserted versus frequency2 The alternate frequency selection is determined either by internal timers or by the front panel FSK signal when external control is enabled Modulating Frequency Frequency 2 4 F Frequency 1 f Start ___4 TIME Figure 22 FSK Unramped Modulation Outputs Supported RF Differential Digital TTL 3 3V LVTTL 2 5V SVTTL 1 8V Options Externally controlled OOK Externally controlled Start Arbitrary modulation from a user created file OOK On off keying OOK is a modulation scheme which consists of keying a carrier signal on and off with a unipolar binary signal OOK is equivalent to 2 level Amplitude Shift Keying ASK On off keying OOK modulation that digital data as the presence or absence of a carrier wave The presence of a carrier for a specific duration represents a binary one while its absence
31. lect the Waveform Creation Menu SF1000 HyperTerminal File Edit View Call Transfer Help Dls 213 ela ol F10860 Waveform Creation Menu Waveform Single Tone Output A C External START DISABLED Frequency 1 hz 1 000 External OOK FSK DISABLED 00K internal DISABLED dBm Base 9 dBm Offset 6 A Edit parameters B Validate parameters C New waveform type E Save F Save amp load at powerup Select from above lt ESC gt to previous screen_ Auto detect 576008 N 1 SCROLL CAPS NUM Capture Print echo Figure 4 Waveform Creation Menu First select New Waveform Type and choose the desired waveform from the list SF1000 HyperTerminal Fie Edit View Call Transfer Help Dle 213 ela El SSF10900 Waveform Creation Menu Waveform Single Tone Output A C External START DISABLED Frequency 1 hz 1 008 External OOK FSK DISABLED OOK internal DISABLED dBm Base 9 dBm Offset 0 A Single Tone B FSK Unramped C FSK Ramped D FSK Triangle E FSK Arbitrary F Sweep 6 H Sine AM I ASK internal SK external Select from above lt ESC gt to previous screen_ Connected 0 02 31 Auto detect 57600 8 N 1 SCROLL CAPS NUM Capture Print echo Figure 5 Select New Waveform Menu 14 S F1020 USER MANUAL Hit ESC to return to the main Waveform Creation Menu t
32. n 7 of the External Control header The bottom pin of location 7 should be left open Use the top pin at location 6 for a GND return connection The input control signal must be 3 3V to 5V the SF800 1000 input is 5V tolerant Proper filtering be applied to the ASK control pin to avoid excessive overshoot or undershoot due to long traces for example The drawing below illustrates ASK operation Carrier Amplitude External Control Signal Figure 15 ASK Operation BPSK The BPSK binary or bipolar phase shift keying waveform outputs a single frequency that quickly changes between two user selected phase offsets When the phase selection changes to phase 1 the phase jumps by phase 1 When the phase selection changes to phase 2 the phase jumps by phase 2 BPSK is a form of PSK which uses two phases separated by 180 and is sometimes called 2 PSK It modulates at 1bit symbol and is used for testing low data rate applications such as IEEE 802 1 1g wireless LAN standard BPSK is also suitable for testing low cost passive transmitters such as those used in the RFID standards which have been adopted for biometric passports credit cards and other applications Due to synchronization the phase changes are not instantaneous but the user can inspect the timing and adjust the phase values if compensation is desired 360 PHASE TIME Figure 16 BPSK Operation 24 S F1020 USER MANUAL Outputs Supported RF
33. nal control is enabled For internal FSK operation the modulating frequency and duty cycle determine how long frequency and frequency2 are selected When frequency2 is selected the direction of change is towards frequency2 Once frequency2 is reached the frequency will remain there until the internal timer signal selects frequency1 which causes the frequency to ramp towards frequency1 The user would normally select a modulating frequency and duty cycle such that the ramp has time to complete i e If the FSK signal changes before the ramp is complete then you will not have reached full range See drawing below 27 S F1020 USER MANUAL Modulating Frequency Frequency2 J F Ramp Rate amp Delta Freq Frequency 1 f TIME Figure 20 FSK Ramped Modulation Outputs Supported RF Differential Digital TTL 3 3V LVTTL 2 5V SVTTL 1 8V Options Externally controlled OOK Externally controlled Start Arbitrary modulation from a user created file FSK Triangle FSK Triangle is similar to FSK ramped except that ramping from one frequency to the next occurs automatically When an end frequency is reached the direction changes and ramping continues towards the other frequency See drawing below Frequency 2 F Ramp Rate amp Delta Freq Frequency 1 f TIME Figure 21 FSK Triangle Modulation Outputs Supported RF Differential Dig
34. nload firmware command from SF1020 Wave Manager Main Menu and follow the on screen instructions 2 When Wave Manager prompts you to begin the download go to EZ Terminal menu File gt Download Firmware Find the firmware file hex to be downloaded on your disk select it and the download will start The firmware file will be named similar to SF1020B_dwn_5_6 hex Download Arbitrary Data File Allows you to upload an arbitrary data file to the SF1020 see the FSK Arbitrary Waveform section above The procedure is similar to downloading firmware Start by go to the Wave Manager Edit Parameters submenu select Custom Mode Edit When prompted by the SF1020 to download the file navigate EZ Terminal to File gt Download Arbitrary Data File Macros Macros are used to store and replay waveform configurations and test procedures The wise use of macros can be a great time saver You can edit add macros save macros to a file and load one or multiple macro files using the Append loading option You may enter comment text for each macro and the comment text will be visible when the cursor is over that macro s button This allows you to use short macro names to take up less screen space but see as much description as you desire in the comments Macro Hints When programming for a completely new waveform start the macro with four lt escape gt key presses to ensure that you have returned to the main menu window before you b
35. nspected by qualified service personnel Operate Within Operating Range No not operate this product outside the operating ranges specified on the manual Do not operate in Wet Damp Conditions Do Not Operate in Explosive Atmosphere Keep Product Surfaces Clean and Dry Warranty Signal Forge warrants that the products that it manufactures and sells will be free from defects in materials and workmanship for a period of one 1 year from the date of shipment If a product proves defective within the respective period Signal Forge will repair or replacement the product without charge EXCEPT AS PROVIDED HEREIN SIGNAL FORGE MAKES NO WARRANTY OF ANY KIND EXPRESS OR IMPLIED INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE IN NO EVENT SHALL SIGNAL FORGE BE LIABLE FOR INDIRECT SPECIAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES 41 SF1020E Clock Requirements The SF1020E is designed to operate using an external 10 MHz source as its reference clock The external clock should be attached to the BNC connector on the rear panel labeled 10 MHz Clock The SF1020E will not operate without this external reference clock source The 10 MHz external reference input clock must meet the following guidelines 2 6V Min VOH 33V Max 0 00V Min V 0 65V Max OV Figure 32 FSK Control Pin Operation If you have any questions please contact Signal Forge Technical Support at supp
36. o 3500 MH2Z cee lt 20 dBc 300 MHZ to 500 MHZ lt 20dBc 500 MHz to 1GH2 0 lt 20 dBc Non Harmonics 100 KHz to 100 MHZ lt 50 dBc 100 MHz to 500 MHZ seee lt 30 dBc 500 MHz to 1GH2Z 0 lt 30 dBc Clock feed through cececceeceseesesetseeeteeees lt 85 dBm Output Match VSWR 1 MHz to 7 MHZ annaa 1 5 1 7 dBm output 7 MHz to 1 GHZ Operating Temperature cccccccesceeseeeeeees Note eect lt 1 3 1 7dBm output 0 C to 40 C Output ratings at 100 MHz 0 dBm output power and 25 C unless otherwise specified Note For maximum stability allow the SF1020 to warm up soak for 1 hour before use S F1020 USER MANUAL Connections Front Panel Connections a SIGNAI FORGE 1020 Battery Powered Signal Generator Batt Batt Charging DIFF OOK Low Fault FSK BPSK SE OOK CHIRP 1 ASK START 10987854321 N P pos oe eae Digital Power RF Differential Ne External Control Output On Output Outputs Figure 1 Front Panel Differential Outputs Two SMA connectors for driving the differential clock output LVPECL compatible 50 MHz to 1 GHz RF Output One SMA connector for sourcing the AC coupled unfiltered sine wave output with a frequency range of 1 KHz to 1 GHz The AC coupled output is capacitively connected to the output allowing the sine wave output to be floated at any level desired Digital O
37. ocedure below Note that all output activity will be suspended while the software update is in process Wave Manager software updates are posted to the Support page of the Signal Forge web site http www signalforge com home sf1 support_main html Procedure 1 Download the desired revision The filename format is SF1020_dwn_X_Y where X is the version and Y the revision 2 Set your terminal communication program to XON XOFF enabled If using HyperTerminal this selection is made in the Create a New Connection window Go to Port Settings Flow Control and select XON XOFF Note If XON XOFF is not enabled you may receive a buffer error during download and the operation will not be successful EZ Terminal users skip this step since EZ Terminal is automatically configured 3 Connect to the SF1020 using the terminal communication software then select Download Firmware from the Wave Manager menu press Y to confirm that you want to perform the download WARNING Pressing Y marks the current firmware invalid so you must download new firmware after this point 4 Anewscreen will be displayed that states Application Code Invalid and prompt you to download new firmware by entering D to Download Application Code Do not enter any more key strokes 5 When the message Start PC File Transfer will appear user your mouse to select the File Transfer menu on the main menu bar of the terminal
38. ort signalforge com or 512 275 3733 Reconfiguring SF1020E to SF1020 The SF1020E may be converted to an SF1020 by changing internal jumper settings as described below Converting an SF1020E to an SF1020 enables the internal TCXO clock source eliminating need for an external source The conversion requires that the strap on jumpers J3 and J5 be reposition as indicated below J3 J5 Source Used Model 1 2 1 2 Internal TCXO SF1020 2 3 2 3 External 10Mhz SF1020E Table 5 Configuration Jumpers Procedure Remove the two rear panel screws Slide the top cover off away from the front panel Change the jumpers as indicated to enable or disable the internal TCXO Reassemble 42 S F1020 USER MANUAL The drawing below shows the location of the jumpers Figure 33 SF1020 to SF1020E Jumper Positions 43 9 8 oF 3 W 5 az 2s QO fe 20 o amp Sau ov a 22 o go as as a5 fl I 5 f eo ec a Q o o OZOLAS J0 Je S F1020 USER MANUAL Power Conversion Tables The Signal Forge 1020 Signal Generator provides a power output range of 7dBm to 13 dBm This range is adjustable in 1dB increments Units of dBm are decibels relative to 1 mW of power hence 0 dBm equals 1 mW 1 100 mW is 20 dBm and 100 mW is 20 dBm Power values less than 1 mW are always negative dBm values and power values greater than 1 mW are always positive The power formulas ar
39. ositions o 2 position housing P N A26921 ND o Contacts 2 required P N A26951 ND The connectors and cables may be purchased from www Digi Key com External Connector Pin Description DIFF OOK The differential clock output supports OOK for the frequency range of 50 MHz to 1 GHz This input pin controls the differential output driving this pin low will stop the differential output By default this pin is set to a high state FSK BPSK For FSK waveforms this pin allows the user to shift the frequency output as defined previously For BPSK waveforms this pin selects between phase 1 and phase 2 and as defined previously TX_MOD This is the TX output from the internal Auxiliary UART port The Wave Manager software provides support for this UART port on the Auxiliary UART Menu under the Modify Active Menu entry The user can connect this output using the appropriate filtering interface to the OOK or FSK external control pins of the SF1020 and create UART data modulated waveforms if so desired SE OOK The SF1020 supports OOK On Off Keying for the AC Coupled output in frequency range of 100 KHz to 100 MHz only This input pin provides for external control of the output placing this pin low stops the output of the SF1020 This pin is normally set to a high state ASK This control pin allows you to modulate the AC Coupled output in order to implement an externally controlled Asynchronous Shift Keying When this pin is driven low the AC cou
40. ount for lost frequencies near F1 by entering a slightly lower F1 value for a rising chirp or higher F1 value for a falling chirp It is left up to the user to manually compensate for lost frequencies As an example of compensating for lost frequencies assume your SF1020 locks in 500us and you want to chirp 300 MHz to 400 MHz in 4ms This puts you in the operating range of 200 400 MHz Since you are doing 1 2 the possible frequency range you would expect the lock time in this example to be 250us You need to lower F1 by a value that will represent 250us Step 1 ramp rate is 300 400 MHz in 4ms 100 MHz 4ms 25 MHz ms 25 KHz us Step 2 25 KHz us 250us lock time 6 25 MHz so you need to subtract 6 25 MHz from F1 menu entry F1 293 75 MHz Of course the most accurate method is to use a spectrum analyzer to change F1 until the desired range is seen 25 S F1020 USER MANUAL Pulsed Chirp Pulsed FM The pulsed chirp sometimes referred to as pulsed FM waveform ramps the output from frequency 1 to frequency 2 over a specified time jumps to the starting frequency then idles at frequency 1 until the next chirp A rising or falling chirp is allowed The pulsed chirp width menu entry specifies the duration of the chirp frequency 1 to frequency 2 The pulse to pulse time menu entry specifies the time between chirps The Wave Manager software automatically calculates the delta frequency and ramp rate for the chirp using up to 50 KHz fre
41. pled output will be attenuated by 16 dB over the full output power when the signal is high Note The ASK control pin is the only control pin that does not have a GND pin as its opposite Any other GND pin on the External Control connector may be used instead START External START is an output control option A high to low transition causes the SF1020 to start outputting its preprogrammed frequency This feature is available for the AC Coupled Differential and TTL outputs When waiting for START the front panel LED is OFF until a valid START polarity is received FSK unramped or triangle waveforms with external FSK control do not support the wait for START output is as selected by the FSK external control pin The time from assertion of the START signal to output valid will vary depending on the type of output frequency chosen and modifiers used The user must first measure this time delay and account for it if it will affect the type of operation being performed As described above the SF1020 gives you the ability to control the output frequency using external control pins Each one of the control pins has a low pass filter placed at its input except for the Start pin The low pass filter has a3 dB cutoff point of 150 KHz The input signals must be driven by 3 3V compatible signals and be referenced to the SF1020 GND any of the GND pins of the 20 pin header Input impedance is 2K ohms 39 S F1020 USER MANUAL The External Control
42. pter USB 2 0 to DB9 Serial converter with 2 5ft cable Plug and play USB Type A male to D 9 male Table 7 Signal Forge Product Line Note SF1020 DOES NOT support the 1800M or the 2500M RF Frequency Expansion Module Ordering Information Products may be purchased directly from the Signal Forge web site at www signalforge com EZ Terminal software may be downloaded for free from the Products page of the Signal Forge web site If you have a problem downloading the software send a request to sales signalforge com and a copy of EZ Terminal will be sent to you via email Purchase Orders may be submitted via email to sales signalforge com or fax to 512 275 3735 For quotes send a request for quote to the Signal Forge sales department at sales signalforge com or fax to 512 275 3735 49 S F1020 USER MANUAL For a complete description pricing and ordering information visit the Product page of the Signal Forge web site www signalforge com 50 SIGNAL FORGE LLC SF1020 User Manual v3 00 2115 Saratoga Drive Austin TX 78733 Phone 512 275 3733 Fax 512 275 3735 www signalforge com 2005 2008 Signal Forge LLC Signal Forge Signal Forge 1000 Signal Forge 1020 Battery Powered Signal Generator are Trademarks of Signal Forge LLC All rights reserved
43. quency steps based on the pulse width and frequency range Idle time the amount of time at frequency 1 between chirps can be calculated as lt pulse to pulse gt minus lt chirp pulse width gt When using the digital output or the RF AC coupled output at a frequency rate of 100 MHz or less there is an option to idle at 0 Hz instead of frequency 1 F2 Frequency F1 TIME Figure 17 Pulsed Chirp Operation Outputs Supported RF Differential Digital TTL Options Externally controlled Start Pulsed Chirp Operation for High Frequencies As described in the chirp waveform section when using the differential output at any frequency or the RF output at a frequency above 100 MHz the chirp cannot jump immediately back to frequency F1 There will instead be a ramp back to F1 Since there is an idle time at F1 then F1 will be reached so no frequencies are lost FSK Arbitrary Waveform For Frequency Shift Keying FSK Arbitrary Waveforms a user developed file describing a set of frequency variations is uploaded to the SF1020 and optionally saved in internal non volatile memory One arbitrary data set may be saved at a time FSK Arbitrary descriptor files may be created using a text editor or waveform generator software Arbitrary FSK allows the user to specify a set of frequency variations the user entered data includes Center frequency Modulating frequency 26 S F1020 USER MANUAL Sample rate
44. rary waveform modulation may be used to completely customize an AM type waveform by downloading arbitrary amplitude descriptors from a user generated file Outputs Supported RF 31 S F1020 USER MANUAL Options Externally controlled OOK Externally controlled Start Arbitrary modulation from a user created file Sweep Sweep is similar to the FSK ramped mode of operation except that it allows frequencies to span the full operational range It also allows any delta frequency Sweep allows the user to pause change direction or single step When a sweep range completes it starts over at the first frequency The SF1020 sweep step size and minimum sweep rate is 5ms for frequencies lt 100 MHz and 10ms for frequencies greater than 100 MHz Outputs Supported RF Differential Digital TTL 3 3V LVTTL 2 5V SVTTL 1 8V Options Externally controlled or OOK Externally controlled Start 32 S F1020 USER MANUAL Arbitrary Waveforms Arbitrary Waveforms allow the user to define specific frequency or power values at a specified sample rate CHIRP testing can be executed easily with the SF1020 by creating the appropriate arbitrary waveforms The following sections describe how to create upload and save Arbitrary Modulation files to the SF1020 An Arbitrary Modulation selection will be displayed on the Edit Parameters menu of all waveforms that support arbitrary modulation Arbitrary Modulation Operation The A
45. rbitrary Modulation mode of operation enables you to specify data points that describe a waveform and the rate of execution The maximum rates are shown in the following table Operation Sample Rate OOK 90 KHz FSK BPSK 90 KHz Square AM 80 KHz Sine AM 80 KHz Table 2 Arbitrary Waveform Max Sample Rate Waveform Descriptors Two types of descriptors are supported digital and floating point Digital Descriptors Digital descriptors are used in cases where the output is only in one of two states such as on off or frequency high low Up to 2048 digital descriptors are supported For example digital descriptors would be used for OOK operation or Square Wave AM Digital descriptors may be in floating point or integer format where values greater than 0 are considered TRUE and other values are considered FALSE Floating Point Descriptors Floating point descriptors are used in cases such as FSK Arbitrary or Sine AM where the output is in more than two states Up to 512 floating point descriptors are supported Floating point descriptors must be in the range 1 0 to 1 0 and are used to define the amount of deviation to apply at each sample point The output is determined by multiplying the descriptor and deviation then adding the result to the center value 33 S F1020 USER MANUAL Creating a Modulation File An Arbitrary Modulation file must comply with the following criteria The file may be created
46. tion 1 Hz to 1 GHz frequency range RF AC coupled Digital and Differential outputs Sine wave VW square wave AM ASK BPSK CHIRP FSK OOK SWEEP modulation modes Auxiliary UART allows user defined modulation data to be added to the carrier External and internal control of Start ASK BPSK FSK and OOK Signal stability of 1ppm and accuracy of 4ppm Wave Manager software pre installed on SF1020 no client software needed Auto run feature ideal for PC free test operation Small portable package 8 5in x 5 4in x 2 5in Applications The SF1020 s portable size and wide frequency range are ideal for numerous field test applications such as Installing and maintaining in building wireless networks and cellular phone systems Digital output in sweep mode can be used to test setup and hold of digital systems ICs and circuit boards up to 110 MHz Differential output can used to test digital systems ICs and circuit boards up to 1 GHz Programmable clock generator Testing IF and RF sections of receivers as well as the mobile bands up to 1 GHz and some telemetry bands Test amplifiers for gain and for the 1 dB compression point Portable bench top and ATE system applications S F1020 USER MANUAL Local Oscillator L O source Receiver calibration FSK and frequency sweep may be used to test FM receivers PF exciter Test low frequency filters down to 1 Hz BPSK may be used to test low
47. tion file may be uploaded to the SF1020 and optionally saved in its non volatile memory Before uploading the file you must first setup the waveform that will be modulated by your set of arbitrary data points There are two ways to setup the waveform Select either the FSK Arbitrary waveform from the New Waveform Type menu Q ENABLE Arbitrary Waveform from the Edit Parameters menu where applicable Once enabled an Upload Arbitrary Modulation File selection will appear on the Edit Parameters menu 34 S F1020 USER MANUAL SF1000 HyperTerminal File Edit View Call Transfer Help Dle 213 ela ol SF1000 Waveform Edit Menu Waveform FSK Unramped Output A C External START DISABLED Frequency 1 hz 100 900 000 External OOK FSK DISABLED Frequency 2 hz 105 000 000 Arbitrary modulation ENABLED Sample rate hz 500 dBm Base 9 dBm Offset Output External START Frequency 1 hz External OOK FSK Frequency 2 hz Arbitrary modulation Sample rate hz dBm Base Arbitrary modulation edit dBm Offset ENABLE Arbitrary modulation _ lt SPACEBAR gt toggles selection lt RETURN gt accepts lt ESC gt aborts Connected 0 12 27 Auto detect 57600 8 N 1 SRo cas NUM Capture Printecho Figure 26 Enable Arbitrary Waveform Option Next select Upload Arbitrary Waveform File and follow the onscreen instructions SS tat File Edit View Call Transfer
48. to 100 MHz Options Internally controlled Externally controlled BPSK same pin as FSK low selects Phase 1 Externally controlled Start Arbitrary modulation from a user created file Chirp Outputs Supported RF Differential Digital TTL Options Externally controlled Start The Chirp waveform ramps the output from frequency 1 to frequency 2 over a specified time then jumps to the starting frequency to begin the next chirp A rising or falling chirp is allowed The pulse width menu entry specifies the duration of the chirp The Wave Manager software automatically calculates the delta frequency and ramp rate for the chirp using frequency steps of up to 50 KHz based on the pulse width and frequency range Chirp Operation for Frequencies lt 100 MHz When using the digital or the RF AC coupled outputs with a frequency setting of 100 MHz or less chirp can be configured to immediately jump from F2 frequency 2 to F1 frequency 1 at the end of the chirp ramp Chirp Operation for Frequencies Above 100 MHz When using the differential output any frequency or the RF output at a frequency setting above 100 MHz the chirp frequency ramps to F1 instead of jumping to F1 Some frequencies are lost close to F1 due to internal hardware limitations The amount of lost frequency depends on the rate of change from F1 to F2 the frequency difference between F1 and F2 and the internal lock time It is possible to acc
49. utput BNC connector Digital voltage levels supported are TTL LVTTL STTL over a frequency range of 1 Hz to 110 MHz On Off LED The front panel LED will be turned on solid if the SF1020 has powered up correctly If the LED does not turn on then a power error has occurred and the SF1020 may not be operational Note the LED is also turned off during some operations to signify a change of operational state Batt Low LED When on indicates that the battery needs to be recharged To continue normal operation AC power should be applied shortly after the Batt Low LED is illuminated The AC adapter will charge the battery and operate the SF1020 simultaneously Batt Fault When on indicates a defective battery Contact Signal Forge technical support at support signalforge com or 512 275 3733 option 2 Charging When on indicates that the battery is being charged LED will turn off when charging is complete Battery charge time when the SF1020 is off is approximately 90 minutes The SF1020 may be operated while the battery is being charged External Control Dual row 10 position header provides 10 two pin connectors for Frequency Shift Keying FSK control Binary or Bipolar Phase Shift Keying BPSK control Differential Clock On Off Keying OOK control AC coupled OOK control ASK control RF output only Remote START control 10 S F1020 USER MANUAL The recommended connectors for the External Control are 20 pin
50. uts Supported RF Options Externally controlled OOK Externally controlled Start Arbitrary modulation from a user created file 30 S F1020 USER MANUAL The modulating frequency affects the number of sample points that are used to create the waveform as shown in the following table Modulating frequency Samples per cycle 7500 Hz 12 2500 Hz 36 1500 Hz 60 750 Hz 120 500 Hz 180 250 Hz 360 Table 1 Sine AM Samples per Cycle Table The Arbitrary Modulation mode may be used to completely customize an AM waveform by downloading a user generated arbitrary descriptor file In this case each descriptor defines the output power using values of 1 0 to 1 0 where 1 0 is the lowest power and 1 0 is the highest power Note Maximum Square AM modulating frequency is 40 KHz Maximum Sine AM modulating Frequency is 6 5 KHz Square AM For Square AM the user specifies a single frequency the carrier frequency and two power values The duty cycle may be programmed to a value other than 50 which will result in the creation of an asymmetrical wave instead of a square wave 50 at the first power value and 50 at the lower power value The drawing below depicts AM Square Wave operation in this example the modulation is set to 50 Modulating Frequency Square Wave Base Power Alternate Envelope Enter in dBm Power in dBm Figure 24 Example Square AM Waveform Arbit

SF1020 User Manual

Contents

Download Pdf Manuals

Related Search

Related Contents