Knowledge Base SSA3000X Series

Quickly Monitor FM Deviation using a Spectrum Analyser

Posted on: December 15th, 2020 by Doug Lovell
15/12/2020
Spectrum analysers are very useful tools for observing radio transmissions. One of the more common applications is to monitor a known channel or band of frequencies. In this note, we are going to show how to quickly capture an FM radio transmission and then configure the analyser to provide us with the frequency deviation of that signal. NOTE: If you are unsure of the power of the signal that y...

Electromagnetic Compliance: Troubleshooting with Near-Field and Current Probes

Posted on: December 15th, 2020 by Doug Lovell
15/12/2020
Electromagnetic interference (EMI) can cause a host of problems, especially when developing a product or attempting to pass mandatory electromagnetic compliance (EMC) tests. Garbled displays, bad data, or complete malfunctions can occur when a design is effected by EMI. To minimise the effects of interference, government agencies like the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in North America cr...

Spectrum Analyser Basics: Bandwidth

Posted on: December 15th, 2020 by Doug Lovell
15/12/2020
Spectrum analysers are useful tools for broadcast monitoring, RF component testing, and EMI troubleshooting. There are a number of common adjustments available with many modern analysers that can optimize performance for a particular application. In this application note, we will introduce resolution bandwidth (RBW) and video bandwidth (VBW) and how they affect measurements. Resolu...

Spectrum Analyser Basics: Detectors

Posted on: December 15th, 2020 by Doug Lovell
15/12/2020
Spectrum analysers like the SIGLENT SSA3000X Series have a number of available detector selections that can help you observe specific signals of interest. This operating tip provides a brief description of the available detector types and suggested usage.   BASICS: The SIGLENT SSA 3000X Series spectrum analysers normally display power versus frequency on a Cartesian coordinate s...

Electromagnetic Compliance: Measuring Conducted Noise with a Tekbox LISN

Posted on: December 15th, 2020 by Doug Lovell
15/12/2020
Our friends at Tekbox have a nice app note that provides details on performing conducted noise measurements using a SIGLENT SSA3000X Spectrum Analyser: Tekbox Conducted Noise with a LISN Note...

Python Example: Building an Arb with 16-bit steps (SDG2000X/SDG6000X)

Posted on: December 15th, 2020 by Doug Lovell
15/12/2020
The SIGLENT SDG2000X and SDG6000X feature 16-bit voltage step resolution. This provides 65,535 discrete voltage steps that can cover the entire output range (20 Vpp into a High Z load) which can effectively be used to test A/D converters and other measurement systems by sourcing waveforms with very small changes. In this example, we use Python 2.7 and PyVISA 1.8 to create a ramp waveform that i...

DIY Spectrum Analyser Input Protection

Posted on: December 15th, 2020 by Doug Lovell
15/12/2020
Spectrum analysers like the SIGLENT SSA3000X and SVA1000X series are extremely useful instruments that can provide invaluable insight into broadcast signal performance, transmitter troubleshooting, and interference as well as RF device characterization and EMC testing. But, like other spectrum analysers, they are very sensitive and can be damaged easily, if the proper precautions are not follow...

Two-tone testing: Building an arbitrary waveform using the Equation Draw function

Posted on: December 15th, 2020 by Doug Lovell
15/12/2020
In this note, we are going to use Equation Draw within EasyWave to create a waveform that is built using the addition of sine waves with two different frequencies (700 and 1900 Hz). We will then show how to use this signal to modulate a carrier up-to 500 MHz using the other SDG output channel. EasyWave is free software designed to help create and edit arbitrary waveforms and download them to ap...

Testing Open Socket Communications Using PuTTY

Posted on: December 15th, 2020 by Doug Lovell
15/12/2020
Many instruments include the ability to be controlled via a remote connection to a computer using an Ethernet connection. In many cases, these instruments require a special software library that can help establish and maintain the communications link between the instrument and controlling computer. This can be annoying for a few reasons… the software library is likely to occupy a large amount of...

Quick remote computer control using LXI Tools

Posted on: December 15th, 2020 by Doug Lovell
15/12/2020
Introduction: There are many options for people considering remote communication and control of test and measurement instrumentation. In most cases, a computer is used to communicate to test instrumentation using USB or LAN connections. The computer can configure the instruments, collect and organize data, and present it in a useful and flexible way. Remote control provides: Inc...

Verification of a LAN connection using Telnet

Posted on: December 15th, 2020 by Doug Lovell
15/12/2020
Automating a test can dramatically increase the productivity, throughput, and accuracy of a process. Automating a setup involves connecting a computer to the test instrumentation using a standard communications bus like USB or LAN and then utilizing code entered via a software layer (like LabVIEW, .NET, Python, etc..) to sequence the specific instrument commands and process data. This process n...

Programming Example: Open Socket LAN connection using Python

Posted on: December 15th, 2020 by Doug Lovell
15/12/2020
Automating a test can dramatically increase the productivity, throughput, and accuracy of a process. Automating a setup involves connecting a computer to the test instrumentation using a standard communications bus like USB or LAN and then utilising code entered via a software layer (like LabVIEW, .NET, Python, etc..) to sequence the specific instrument commands and process data. In this note, ...