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| Copper Mountain Technologies VNA |
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| virtualparticles:
I ran an SC5090 compact VNA, measuring a 10 dB attenuator over the full span. The cables were 2 ft N to 3.5mm and the attenuator was a male to female 3.5mm with a female to female 3.5 mm adapter. After allowing the machine to warm up for one hour, I saved the S21 results to memory at 4PM yesterday. This morning at 11AM I did a data/mem plot to show the drift over the 19 hours. I also saved the two Touchstone files. As expected, I see about 0.05 dB drift, mostly at 9 GHz. Not that it really matters, but I calibrated using a 20 GHz Automatic Calibration Module. |
| joeqsmith:
--- Quote from: rfclown on August 04, 2023, 02:43:02 pm ---Copper Mountain is completely different in that you run their application and communicate with that to get the data. --- End quote --- If I understand your statement, you can not directly control their VNA with custom software but have to use theirs? The LibreVNA also works like this. Personally, I would rather have direct control. It sounds like the sneaker net is what he is used to and he may not have any experience with networking. I'm far too lazy to work like that. I would rather the PC run the test and collect the data for me. |
| joeqsmith:
--- Quote from: virtualparticles on August 04, 2023, 03:11:01 pm ---I ran an SC5090 compact VNA, measuring a 10 dB attenuator over the full span. .. --- End quote --- Any idea how much the rooms air temp varied between those two data points? *** Looking at the temperature test I ran with the LiteVNA, I was concerned about the cables adding error and this is why I did not use them. Still looks like the majority of the error was the phase. I only ran a narrow range but can try to repeat your test. For the $120, don't expect much out of it. *** Attached looking at your normalized mag&phase data. I wonder how much of this is due to a mechanical change. Interesting. And thanks for running it. |
| G0HZU:
I don't want to do the file management via GPIB. I've done that in the past and it's not for me. Whatever method I use I can't avoid the short walk from VNA to PC at the end of a session... The simulation SW I use is well suited to this system. I don't need to do any browsing or launch any GPIB based file management programs via GPIB at the PC end because the simulator does it for me within its GUI. It's been written to make the SnP file import process easier. The PC pops up the files for me when the USB stick is plugged in. Just double click any SnP module already in the simulator and right click and paste. If there is only one file the simulator automatically loads it into the SnP block for me as well as saving it to the desktop PC in the same folder as the main project file. It saves all the files if there is more than one file being transferred. It isn't a perfect system, LAN would be slightly more efficient but please don't tell me to use LAN (again) as I don't want to use LAN for various reasons including security. I also don't want the main PC on my RF workbench. It's nice to have it in the opposite corner by the window (for lots of reasons). Sometimes it's nice to just use a nanovna with the main PC and that's why I would also consider a fairly decent USB based 2 port VNA that can be used away from the main RF workbench for casual stuff. But it isn't going to replace the main VNA any time soon for various reasons. |
| joeqsmith:
I don't believe anyone has told you what to do. More offering different perspectives. You lost me with that last post. I assume the simulator is some sort of post processing software. In my case, the desktop PC just runs normally. I setup the equipment's file save and print buttons to point to the shared area of the desktop. So when I press print or save on the equipment, it shows up on the PC. The software I use on the PC side points to the shared area so I just run it. I setup the Windows equipment to mount the shared area automatically as part of the boot process. I don't even really think about it. All of my test equipment plugs into a single switch. There's just one cable then that routes back to another switch located at my desk. Running the equipment is all done over that same bus. The PCs connect to that second switch along with a hacked (WinRT) wireless router. The printers are also on Ethernet, so I can have the PNA point to the printer if I want (like any other PC). For equipment that only supports the Centronix parallel port for printing, I designed an adapter that emulates a printer and sends the data over Ethernet to the printers. Wrote that stack in assembler for a 6811 back when I thought I was smart. :-DD |
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