Portable Multi-port Attenuators Offer 120 dB of control range and 0.1 dB step size up to 8 GHz

Vaunix has recently announced the release of two new multiport Lab Brick Digital Attenuators—the 4-port LDA-802Q, and the 8-port LDA-802-8. These portable and programmable RF/microwave test devices operate from 200 MHz to 8 GHz (L-, S-, and C-band) and are suitable for creating high speed MIMO test platforms, and more. These high dynamic range, bi-directional, 50 Ohm step attenuators provide 120 dB of attenuation control range across their full bandwidth of 200 MHz to 8 GHz while also providing an ultra-fine step size of 0.1 dB.

The attenuators are easily programmed for fixed attenuation, swept attenuation ramps, and/or fading profiles directly from the included Graphical User Interface (GUI). Alternatively, for users wishing to develop their own interface, Vaunix supplies LabVIEW drivers, Windows API DLL files, Linux drivers, macOS SDK, examples, and much more.

The Lab Brick LDA series of Digital Attenuators bring affordability, functionality, reliability and simplicity to the microwave test bench. They use a native USB HID interface to avoid the difficulties inherent in working with older serial or IEEE-488 interfaces implemented over USB. As a result, Lab Brick users can do not have to install kernel level drivers, and Lab Bricks can be easily used on any system that supports USB HID devices—including low cost embedded computers using Linux or similar operating systems.

Applications for these portable, programmable, and USB-powered test devices include WiFi, 3G, 4G, 5G, LTE, DVB wireless testing, microwave radio fading simulators, RF engineering/production test labs, and automated test equipment (ATE).