Author Topic: NanoVNA Custom Software  (Read 458074 times)

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Offline purpose

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Re: NanoVNA Custom Software
« Reply #900 on: April 09, 2021, 12:58:16 pm »
Mr. indman,

Correct COM port?
Cable plugged in to the hilt?
Double tap on link button?
Config/Connection set to usb?

No other ideas I'm afraid.

Peter
 

Offline indman

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Re: NanoVNA Custom Software
« Reply #901 on: April 09, 2021, 01:08:59 pm »
Mr. indman,

Correct COM port?
Cable plugged in to the hilt?
Double tap on link button?
Config/Connection set to usb?

No other ideas I'm afraid.

Peter
1. COM port correct - COM9.
2. Cable plugged.
3. Double tap on link button -yes!
4. Where should I watch these USB settings? Is it possible in more detail? :)
« Last Edit: April 09, 2021, 01:11:25 pm by indman »
 

Offline purpose

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Re: NanoVNA Custom Software
« Reply #902 on: April 09, 2021, 01:12:32 pm »
Where should I watch these USB settings?

VNA Config menu... connection... select usb.

Which version of Mr. Smith's software are you using?
I'm on 1.06.

peter
« Last Edit: April 09, 2021, 01:18:17 pm by purpose »
 

Offline indman

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Re: NanoVNA Custom Software
« Reply #903 on: April 09, 2021, 01:25:52 pm »
I showed you a screenshot of the program- NanoVNA V2+4 rev.0.10
 

Offline purpose

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Re: NanoVNA Custom Software
« Reply #904 on: April 09, 2021, 01:33:42 pm »
Wrong version.
You need the type for original Nano.
https://github.com/joeqsmith/NanoVNA_Software/blob/NanoVNA/NanoVNA_original_1p07.zip
seems to be the latest

Peter
 

Offline indman

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Re: NanoVNA Custom Software
« Reply #905 on: April 09, 2021, 01:45:53 pm »
Wrong version.
You need the type for original Nano.
https://github.com/joeqsmith/NanoVNA_Software/blob/NanoVNA/NanoVNA_original_1p07.zip
seems to be the latest

Peter

Many thanks, Peter! :)
Now I see a connection.
« Last Edit: April 09, 2021, 01:47:30 pm by indman »
 

Offline purpose

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Re: NanoVNA Custom Software
« Reply #906 on: April 09, 2021, 01:48:07 pm »
You're welcome.

« Last Edit: April 10, 2021, 01:02:10 pm by purpose »
 

Offline joeqsmithTopic starter

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Re: NanoVNA Custom Software
« Reply #907 on: April 11, 2021, 01:46:39 am »
Video showing some of the changes to the new software.   
 



« Last Edit: April 11, 2021, 06:05:53 pm by joeqsmith »
 
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Offline joeqsmithTopic starter

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Re: NanoVNA Custom Software
« Reply #908 on: April 11, 2021, 06:13:35 pm »
The new documentation and software for both the original NanoVNA and the V2 Plus have been uploaded.   There were no changes from what was shown during the video.   There are other changes that were not mentioned.  The main one you may have guessed from the video's thumbnail is when making full 2-port measurements, the menu was changed to make it more generic.  Having SWR was more a test case and really was just taking up space.  The Smith charts sizes were increased and polar transmission graphs were added.  You will also notice that I have added addition readouts for the cursors.  Most of this stemmed after porting the software to my old Agilent which is a 2-port system.
 
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Offline joeqsmithTopic starter

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Re: NanoVNA Custom Software
« Reply #909 on: April 12, 2021, 11:35:52 am »
Looking through the comments on Jan Käberich's VNA, it seems like there are a lot of basic problems being worked on.  They made the group public for viewing.   

https://groups.io/g/LibreVNA/topics

This post from the designer on the 9th pretty much sums it up where they are with the project:

"jankae Apr 9   
Hi Herb,
so far, only a few beta testers had the hardware so I didn't bother with creating proper releases. Since the project is now officially up for sale, I will create a new release this weekend (the github actions are really useful but not exactly easy to find for new users)."

Paying for the pleasure of of helping with the development may sound fun but I'll continue to keep a watch out for it in the future. 

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005002428364525.html
 
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Offline purpose

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Re: NanoVNA Custom Software
« Reply #910 on: April 12, 2021, 04:05:23 pm »
Paying for the pleasure of of helping with the development may sound fun but I'll continue to keep a watch out for it in the future.

Get the credit card out, fix it, then send them an invoice and charge like a wounded Rhino.
 

Offline joeqsmithTopic starter

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Re: NanoVNA Custom Software
« Reply #911 on: April 15, 2021, 12:14:11 pm »
Did you ever get a pull tester made?  If so, how did the results compare with my software and your Nano? 

Offline gardner

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Re: NanoVNA Custom Software
« Reply #912 on: April 15, 2021, 05:35:10 pm »
I am a bit stumped on "labview runtime 2011 or compatible".  I have the original NanoVNA software, version 1p08 (NanoVNA_original_1p08.zip) and I have the LabVIEW runtime 2020SP1.  But the NanoVNA software says I need labview runtime 2011 or compatible.  Can you clarify what does "compatible" mean?  Is 2020SP1 alright?  It is entirely possible I have done something wrong not actually related to the LabVIEW part.

Assuming that exactly 2011 is needed, is there a way of getting that proper version of LabVIEW runtime without registering for an NI account?  The manual suggests that some versions of the NanoVNA software might have it.  I see a large multipart zip in here: https://github.com/joeqsmith/NanoVNA_Software/releases/tag/0.10  Is that what I am looking for?

Thanks.
--- Gardner
 

Offline cyp_eev

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Re: NanoVNA Custom Software
« Reply #913 on: April 15, 2021, 06:33:13 pm »
The manual suggests that some versions of the NanoVNA software might have it.  I see a large multipart zip in here: https://github.com/joeqsmith/NanoVNA_Software/releases/tag/0.10  Is that what I am looking for?

Yes, download all 21 files, unzip and install.
 
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Offline joeqsmithTopic starter

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Re: NanoVNA Custom Software
« Reply #914 on: April 15, 2021, 07:14:06 pm »
Do me a favor and don't uninstall the wrong files.  Someone else had posted an issue about LabView not working on their system and I wondered if they had installed the newer release as well. 

Of course, I suggest reading the README file and the manual BEFORE you start trying to install and use it.
 
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Offline gardner

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Re: NanoVNA Custom Software
« Reply #915 on: April 16, 2021, 04:10:08 pm »
Okay, I am up and running and getting useful results it seems.  Thanks for your assistance.

I am a little puzzled by segmented sweeps.  With so few points in the built in frequency sweeps on the original NanoVNA, it seems that it would be useful to allow segmentation of sweeps for the "Main" tab -- SWR. Smith chart and so forth.  But when I tried that, it looks like I get a sequence of charts, updating once for each segment, rather than a single chart with all the segments on it.  I will experiment a bit more.

Thanks again.  This is a really great project and I very much appreciate your efforts on it.
--- Gardner
 

Offline purpose

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Re: NanoVNA Custom Software
« Reply #916 on: April 16, 2021, 04:16:19 pm »
Did you ever get a pull tester made?  If so, how did the results compare with my software and your Nano?

I did not, but will.
 

Offline joeqsmithTopic starter

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Re: NanoVNA Custom Software
« Reply #917 on: April 16, 2021, 05:10:02 pm »
Okay, I am up and running and getting useful results it seems.  Thanks for your assistance.

I am a little puzzled by segmented sweeps.  With so few points in the built in frequency sweeps on the original NanoVNA, it seems that it would be useful to allow segmentation of sweeps for the "Main" tab -- SWR. Smith chart and so forth.  But when I tried that, it looks like I get a sequence of charts, updating once for each segment, rather than a single chart with all the segments on it.  I will experiment a bit more.

Thanks again.  This is a really great project and I very much appreciate your efforts on it.

Did you uninstall the wrong runtime first, or is it still install like I asked?   

There is a section on segmented sweeps which I assume you read and it is not behaving how the manual shows.  I came up with that mode for looking at narrow band parts to create models for SPICE and normally don't have a use it.     It's very possible I broke it when I combined all the software.   Then again, you may enjoy randomly selecting keys without reading the manual and then ask why things don't work.  Let me just give it a quick test....

***
To give us something to look at, here's a 12MHz crystal filter I put together using 101 data points.   Sure looks like we could use more data....     
***
So far it seems what I would expect.  With basically steps of 1Hz, it's collecting VERY slowly.  No reason to bitch as it's only $50.  Running a segmented sweep like this with my old HP8754A would require a lot of manual setup.   The Nano is far more advanced.

I must have put a limit on the number of data points.  So I dialed it back and changed the range.   Its no problem to increase the buffer size but I suspect  people wouldn't want to wait.   

It seems like it works as I would expect it to but that may not be how you expect it to work.  One thing I am seeing is how the data seems to jump.  It's possible this it a result of running newer firmware than what I had originally used.   I would need to roll back.     
     
« Last Edit: April 16, 2021, 06:20:50 pm by joeqsmith »
 

Offline gardner

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Re: NanoVNA Custom Software
« Reply #918 on: April 16, 2021, 05:37:15 pm »
Did you uninstall the wrong runtime first, or is it still install like I asked?   

I didn't mess with the LabVIEW runtime at all.  I assume I now have both 2020SP1 and 2011.  When I look in the NI package manager I see NI-VISA 5.40.491.52 which wasn't there before.  I am guessing that this is the runtime I actually needed.

One issue I probably have is that my NanoVNA firmware is very old and crappy.  I will update it, likely with ttrftech/NanoVNA/releases/tag/0.8.0, once I have the update tools set up.  Is this a reasonable firmware to choose?  Is there a recommended firmware for an old original NanoVNA?

Thanks again.
--- Gardner
 

Offline joeqsmithTopic starter

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Re: NanoVNA Custom Software
« Reply #919 on: April 16, 2021, 06:25:28 pm »
The manual talks about my testing with one version and how other versions may cause random problems and a lot of wasted time.    That firmware seems to be anything but stable.   I'll reload the old image and see if it corrects this little snag.   I tested the segmented mode with the V2+ and it wasn't a problem.  Still, it could be my software.   

Offline joeqsmithTopic starter

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Re: NanoVNA Custom Software
« Reply #920 on: April 17, 2021, 03:46:57 am »
I rolled back to the old firmware and tried running it without the PC.  The problem remains.  So it's been there at least a year.   Not a big deal for me.  Doing a quick search, I don't see anyone reporting it as a problem as well.   

It appears that the segmented sweep times could be improved by a factor of about 2X (much in how the Zoom was improved).  It would still be very slow.   There also is a compare problem which should be corrected.   I'm not seeing any other problems with it.   

Offline gardner

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Re: NanoVNA Custom Software
« Reply #921 on: April 17, 2021, 07:08:16 pm »
One issue I probably have is that my NanoVNA firmware is very old and crappy.  I will update it, likely with ttrftech/NanoVNA/releases/tag/0.8.0

I now have edy555's 0.8.0 firmware on my NanoVNA.  This is the version mentioned in the r15 manual.

I've gone through the segmented sweep again and I think it still is wonky.  I am wanting to do a SWR across 420 to 480 Mhz in 5 Mhz segments and when I set that up and initiate a sweep, I can see the SWR graph display each segment in succession.  This is not what I expected, but appears to be the design.  Within each segment, the portion of the SWR curve looks reasonable.  When all the segments are complete, the SWR chart finally shows the X axis covering the whole range, but the SWR curve is completely wrong, not resembling the individual segment curves at all.

I'll put some screen shots.
--- Gardner
 

Offline joeqsmithTopic starter

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Re: NanoVNA Custom Software
« Reply #922 on: April 17, 2021, 08:02:54 pm »
I noticed that I had forgot to enable port2 for polar transmission with the old Nano.   So there's a few things that need attention.  I've also had that firmware crash to where I had to power cycle the Nano to get it to recover.   This is happened twice since I started testing with it. 

Pictures would help. 
****
I suggest you also provide as much detail as possible about the setup and procedure  you are using.   
Did you cal it first?
If so, what standards did you use?
What range did you cal over?
...
Every detail you provide will help me reproduce it.   
« Last Edit: April 17, 2021, 08:33:25 pm by joeqsmith »
 

Offline gardner

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Re: NanoVNA Custom Software
« Reply #923 on: April 17, 2021, 09:27:36 pm »
I did calibrate it via the two port cal procedure.  The calibration standards are total rubbish -- my objective is to characterise twisted pair and bits of bent wire for use with those cheesy 434MHz OOK radios.  The setup is a female dupont connector soldered onto an SMA and the reference standards are a short and 50R metal film resistor soldered on a bit of 2.5mm header.
1212066-0

The procedure for segmented sweeps is not perfectly laid out in the manual.  Steps 2,3,4 below are set out, but not the rest.  Here is what I did.
(1) toggle sweeps off
(2) enter span 10Mhz, press enter
(3) enter start 420Mhz, press enter
(4) enter top, 470Mhz, press enter
(5) press Segment.  At this point the start and stop values begin to change, cycling through the required segments.  I wait for them to stop changing.
(6) I press sweep and the start and stop values once again change, cycling through the required segments.

The displayed SWR/return loss chart updates for each segment and within the segment appear plausible.  When the segment sweep is complete, the graph is drawn with the complete (or almost complete) X range specified.   Most times the final graph is a total mess.
1212070-1

Once I got the whole thing, sometimes I get all but the last segment like here.

1212068-2
--- Gardner
 

Offline joeqsmithTopic starter

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Re: NanoVNA Custom Software
« Reply #924 on: April 17, 2021, 09:41:34 pm »
Quote
(1) toggle sweeps off
(2) enter span 10Mhz, press enter
(3) enter start 420Mhz, press enter
(4) enter top, 470Mhz, press enter
(5) press Segment.  At this point the start and stop values begin to change, cycling through the required segments.  I wait for them to stop changing.
(6) I press sweep and the start and stop values once again change, cycling through the required segments.

1) Why do you turn the sweeps off?  Shouldn't matter, just curious.

6) Why are you running a normal sweep after the segmented sweep? I doubt the software will set things up right but you should notice that.  Still that first segmented sweep should have been fine.

Quote
I did calibrate it via the two port cal procedure.  The calibration standards are total rubbish -- my objective is to characterise twisted pair and bits of bent wire for use with those cheesy 434MHz OOK radios.

Did you calibrate it for the 420-470 range, 420-480 range, some other range?  Want me to guess?
 
****
The partial is most likely the compare bug I mentioned.  The scrambled may be a problem with the communications.   

Showing my antenna simulator. 
« Last Edit: April 17, 2021, 10:23:40 pm by joeqsmith »
 
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