Measuring the Modulation Index of an AM Signal using an FFT
June 13, 2019
Introduction In AM schemes, the modulation index refers to the amplitude ratio of the modulating signal to the carrier signal. With the help of Fast-Fourier-Transforms (FFT), the modulation index can be obtained by measuring the sideband amplitude and the carrier amplitude. In this application note, we are going to show a convenient method of using … Continued
Measuring Power Supply Control Loop Response with Bode Plot II
May 24, 2019
Introduction Stability is one of the most important characteristics in power supply design. Traditionally, stability measurements require expensive frequency response analyzers (FRA) which are not always available in a laboratory. Now, using a Siglent oscilloscope, like the SDS1204X-E with the newly released Bode Plot Ⅱ software, together with a Siglent arbitrary waveform generator (SDG or … Continued
Programming Example: SDS Oscilloscope screen image capture using Python
March 8, 2019
Here is a brief code example written in Python 3.4 that uses a socket to pull a display image (screenshot) from a SIGLENT SDS1000X-E scope via LAN and save it to the local drive of the controlling computer. NOTE: This program saves the picture/display image file in the same directory that the .py file is … Continued
Comparison / Differences between the SDS1000X and SDS1000X-E oscilloscope families
November 26, 2018
The short list of differences between the X and the 2 channel XE (SDSs1202XE) is as follows: – X has 50 ohm/ 1 MOhm selectable input impedance. XE only has 1 MOhm fixed. You will need a 50 ohm matching through adapter if you wish to connect to 50 Ohm circuits/minimize reflections. – The X has … Continued
Programming Example: Using VXI11 (LXI) and Python for LAN control without sockets
October 3, 2018
In an effort to meet the demands of remote monitoring and control, modern test instrumentation is leveraging more communications busses and than ever before. Each type of bus can also have numerous layers that can be utilized for specific advantages. The VXI bus and subsequent software drivers form a convenient software API that can make remote control … Continued
Bode Plot of a filter using an oscilloscope and function generator
September 12, 2018
A Bode plot is a method of graphically displaying the frequency response of a system or device-under-test (DUT). Commonly, the magnitude and phase response of the device are plotted with respect to frequency using a shared horizontal frequency axis as shown in the example below: By showing both the magnitude and phase information on … Continued
Programming Example: List connected VISA compatible resources using PyVISA
August 30, 2018
PyVISA is a software library that enables Python applications to communicate with resources (typically instruments) connected to a controlling computer using different buses, including: GPIB, RS-232, LAN, and USB. This example scans and lists the available resources. It requires PyVISA to be installed (see the PyVISA documentation for more information) *** #Example that scans a … Continued
SDS FFT performance on low frequency signals
May 23, 2018
Like many modern oscilloscopes, the SIGLENT SDS series feature FFT math functions that calculate frequency information from the acquired voltage vs. time data. FFT stands for Fast Fourier Transform, and is a common method for determining the frequency content of a time-varying signal. Converting time domain data to the frequency domain makes measuring characteristics like … Continued
Programming Example: Retrieve data from an XE series Oscilloscope using Kotlin
May 9, 2018
The SDS series of oscilloscopes all feature remote programming and data collection capabilities. They can be integrated easily into many automated test environments to ease the setup and data acquisition during testing. One of our helpful customers developed a nice programming example designed to set up and retrieve data from a SIGLENT SDS1202X-E Oscilloscope using Kotlin, … Continued
Quick remote computer control using LXI Tools
March 13, 2018
Introduction: There are many options for people considering remote communication and control of test and measurement instrumentation. In most cases, a computer is used to communicate to test instrumentation using USB or LAN connections. The computer can configure the instruments, collect and organize data, and present it in a useful and flexible way. Remote control … Continued