tinySA spectrum analyzer by hugen

[hwalker]

hugen has released the tinySA spectrum analyzer at https://www.alibaba.com/product-detail/Hand-held-tiny-Spectrum-analyzer-TinySA_1600085564565.html . The tinySA joins hugen's stable of products targeted at radio amateurs, students and electronic enthusiasts. It also fills a gap for NanoVNA owners trying to use the vna as a spectrum analyzer or signal generator.

The tinySA was developed in conjunction with Erik Kaashoek a respected member of the electronics community and an outstanding designer/programmer. At $50, not including shipping and handling, its a no brainer for hobbyists looking to expand their measurement capability on a budget. You can find the product specification and details at: https://www.tinysa.org/wiki/ 

    I had the good fortune of receiving a beta version of the tinySA and it has definitely earned its place on my test bench as a sub GHZ spectrum analyzer, with its own display, and built-in rf generator.  Because the tinySA's display is not as busy as the NanoVNA, the 2.8" diagonal dimension works out pretty well for me - and I wear glasses. If the 2.8" tinySA is successful enough for a 4" tinySA to be produced, then your purchase of the 2.8" tinySA will not be wasted because you can use it exclusively as a very capable signal generator.  One can never have too many signal generators.

    The tinySA user group is located at: https://groups.io/g/tinysa

  Definitely worth checking out.

[xwarp]

I'm intrigued and will probably buy one because it's cool, but don't really need one because I already have a HP 8568B and an 8591E.

[Brumby]

Has anyone pulled the trigger on one of these?

I'm trying real hard to look after the pennies.   

[Bud]

With 2.6 kHz min resolution bandwidth it is not really anything to write home about. Perhaps for students may be ok though.

[hwalker]

First production run is pretty much sold out.  For students, hobbyist and electronics enthusiasts the tinySA is definitely worth the purchase.  In addition to its spectral analysis capability it also serves as a decent rf generator.

hugen's products are specifically targeted for students, ham radio users and the like.  He has done a good job of meeting that target audience and delivering continued support of his products afterwards.

In my opinion, for $50 including a display and accessories I don't see any thing else in its class that matches it.  If so, please point me to it.

[aristarchus]

+1 for Hugen's products.

Hugen is definitively way above the 'normal' chinese quality that someone gets from similar gadgets.
Got a 4" NanoVNA-H4 and all I can say is that his work stands out by far from the rest, delivering complete working products with case, cables, etc in a proper package.
BTW, Alan has a really great collection of recent videos showing uses of NanoVNA-H4  https://www.youtube.com/user/w2aew/videos .

And, Hugen is a pioneer in his area, was there giving quality products way before others that came in recently with their half-finished gizmos.

[hwalker]

   The tinySA was a collaborative effort between hugen and Erik Kaashoek.  Erik is one of those rare individuals who is both a super hardware and software engineer.  Birthing of the tinySA was in large part due to Erik's efforts.  hugen provided the packaging, pcb assembly, and distribution channels that he learned from producing the NanoVNA product line.

   I've wasted money in the past purchasing products that delivered no technical support or firmware/software upgrades after the sell.  My dealings with hugen, and knowledge of Erik, is that will not be the case with the tinySA.

[erikka]

First customer are receiving their products

https://ae5x.blogspot.com/2020/08/tinysa-arrives-opening-proof-of.html

[tonyalbus]

Nice product Erik,

[Diabolo]

Hello,

I have owned a Tinysa for some time, the product is cool, and updates are monitored daily.
I also have a 1st generation Nanovna, and it does me a lot of service.
Of course, these are not products with professional characteristics, but for the price (50$) they provide services that we would not have without having to own more expensive equipment.
On Youtube there are videos about the Tinysa.

Regards
Diabolo1

[KD0CAC John]

Any talk of a 4" ?
Or high powered readers

[Bicurico]

Hi,

Here some info on my latest project: https://vma-satellite.blogspot.com/2021/04/vma-simple-spectrum-analyser-for-tinysa.html

I am making a special version of my "VMA Simple Spectrum Analyser" software for the TinySA!

Regards,
Vitor

[Slartibartfast]

tinysa.org write in the FAQs:

Question
Will there be a 4" or larger version of the tinySA?
Answer
To reach the largest set of customers it was deliberately decided to launch the 2.8" version of the tinySA first. Next steps will depend on continued sales . A 4" version is expected to fit within the cost and affordable sales price but any communication about a 4" tinySA will only happen when there is certainty about an introduction date. Larger display's are not expected as these will have a substantial cost impact.

I'd argue the notion that the smallest price reaches the largest set of customers. It is not true if in the attempt to reduce the price, questionable compromises are made. I believe a 2.8" screen is one of those. 2.8" is just too small for a device with such a complex user interface as a spectrum analyser. It's OK for an MP3 player where all you gotta do is browse through a list of songs, and after selection display cover art. In a spectrum analyser not only the UI is an order of magnitude more complex, but also in the displayed chart you want to hunt for details that are lost on such a small screen, with such a low resolution. With a 2.8" screen IMHO the device is just a laptop dongle, and therefore not a pocket size device anymore.

Not questioning Hugen's electronic design capability, getting that functionality (and quality) into such a small device is not a small feat. But 2.8" or 4" is a marketing decision, and I fear it wasn't wise. Particularly as, with the extra PCB space that a larger screen affords, probably several of the  limitations can be mitigated, or even eliminated.

Cheers  Peter

[Kartika]

FM Demodulation offical store https://nl.aliexpress.com/item/4001274404758.html
TinySA4

[JeremyC]

I have question about the TinySA when it’s used as signal generator. How accurate is the output power/voltage?
For instance, when the output power is set to -15dBm at 10MHz frequency, what measured power/voltage will be when the frequency will be changed to 50MHz, 100MHz, 200MHz, 300MHz and 350MHz?

Thanks.

[Roger Need]

I have question about the TinySA when it’s used as signal generator. How accurate is the output power/voltage?
For instance, when the output power is set to -15dBm at 10MHz frequency, what measured power/voltage will be when the frequency will be changed to 50MHz, 100MHz, 200MHz, 300MHz and 350MHz?

Thanks.

There is now a 4" version called the tinySA Ultra.  It has much better specs than the 2.8" model.  The signal generator function has been improved and you can get accuracy to +/- 1 dB over a wide frequency range.  You can also adjust the cal tables if desired. 
https://tinysa.org/wiki/pmwiki.php?n=TinySA4.Comparison

Roger