Learn How Lab Brick Software Can Improve Your Approach to Programmable Wireless Testing

In a typical wireless ATE systems, an instrument controller often handles all the complex tasks associated with integration and interoperability. However, when you're programming just a few devices to accomplish a measurement task, a robust controller is simply overkill. But you do still need a way to control, configure, and run routines using the components, and that's where Vaunix's simple yet effective Windows-based Lab Brick software makes setup easy.

 

Whether you're operating our signal generators, phase shifters, attenuators, or switches singly or together, all adjustments you make are performed almost identically. This makes everything, from set-up to operation far easier than if all the user interfaces were different. And in each case, you configure and control Lab Bricks from a single interface, rather than through layers and layers of menus.

 

Once you connect a Lab Brick to a laptop or other computer, the software automatically identifies it, loads the parameters (attenuation, phase, power, modulation type, etc.) stored in the device (or devices) and lets you change settings on the fly to see what effect they have on the device under test (DUT). It's a great help in evaluating an amplifier on an evaluation board, optimizing your circuit’s performance, and many other quick set up related tasks.

 

You can control as many signal generators, attenuators, phase shifters, and switches as you choose (which thanks to USB, is a snap), switch between them, increase or reduce values, configure test sequences including all key parameters, and much more.

 

Lab Brick Programmable Signal Generators and Their Modes

As instruments, rather than components like attenuators and phase shifters, are obviously more complex, and our goal has been to make the Lab Brick LSG and LMS Series signal generators easy to use, but very capable.

 

Frequency and power step size, as well as pulse and sweep modes are all configured in the same screen. The frequency-setting field is on the left and you just type in your desired frequency into the window and hit the "ENTER" key. The PLL indicator in the window will turn green to verify that the frequency is established. You can also use the up/down arrows.

 

 

Next this is where you set the desired step size. We provide presets of 100 kHz and 1 MHz, 10 MHz, and 100 MHz. Select “Other” and you can enter any step size between 100 Hz and 1000 MHz that suits you.

 

Linear Sweep

The signal generators can be configured to linearly sweep through a range of frequencies, and setting this up is simple. Enter the start and end frequencies and sweep time. You can't make a mistake because minimum start and end frequency limits are specific to the Lab Brick signal generator you're using. The sweep time can be set from 1 ms to 1000s.

 

The software will sweep once if you select “One Time” and “Stop” disables the sweep. Select “Repeat” and the signal generator will repeatedly sweep from the start to end frequency, blank the retrace, and begin the sweep again at the start frequency. You can also perform a “bidirectional sweep” by checking the box enabling this function. In a bidirectional sweep the signal generator sweeps from the start frequency to the end frequency and back again. Sweep time is the time is takes to go from start to stop frequencies so the full cycle from the start frequency back to the start frequency is twice the specified sweep time.

 

Output Power

On the same screen, you also set the RF output power by typing the desired output power into the window or via the up/down arrows as shown below. Next to this on the screen is the step size, so once again have presets: 1 and 10 dB. Select “Other” and you can choose any step size between 0.5 and 40 dB in 0.5-dB increments.

Note: After setting frequency and power, you can save the current settings in the device from the File menu at the top of the screen, so the next time you power-up the signal generator this state will be recalled.

 

The Power of a USB Connection

One of the useful functions in our software is the ability to allow the Lab Brick generators to operate from a USB power source ( href="https://vaunix.com/rugged-usb-hubs/">a USB hub) even if they’re not connected to a computer. Once you’ve configured the generator and saved the setting, remove the power by unplugging the instrument from the USB hub. When power is again applied whether from USB hub or USB battery pack, the instrument will operate at the saved setting.

 

Synchronization with a 10 MHz Clock Reference

There may be times when you’ll want to synchronize the Lab Brick from an external 10-MHz clock reference. To do that, connect the source to the BNC connectors on the instruments and select External Reference from the Control menu. The display will show a check mark next to External Reference command. You can also toggle between reference sources using the F3 key on the keyboard.

 

Pulse Modulation

The Lab Brick instruments can generate pulse modulation, which you enable and configure from Pulse Mode, which lets you control pulse width and pulse repetition interval. The minimum pulse width is 100 ns and minimum pulse repetition rate is equal to the pulse width plus 100 ns. An external pulse trigger can be enabled via a BNC connector on the Lab Brick. Similarly, external pulse modulation can be applied from another BNC connector.

 

Sweep Triggering

An optional feature of the generators is a frequency sweep triggering, which lets you control the start time of the linear frequency sweep via a TTL control signal on Sweep Trigger Input BNC connector.

 

Multi-device Integration

You can operate and control multiple instruments from a single computer by simply setting up each one as we described earlier and connecting them directly to the computer via USB or through a powered USB hub.

 

If you have further questions about our Lab Brick Software, contact our technical support team.