Secure products without K-lock slots
May 20, 2019
Many products have Kensington, or K-lock slots to help provide a location to secure a cable lock or other device to help prevent theft. Some products do not have locations for cable lock connections. In this case, we recommend using a special glue or physical attachment system to secure the cable to the case of … 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
Immunity testing with a Tekbox TEM cell
September 27, 2018
Tekbox put together a nice application note on immunity testing using a TEM cell and a SIGLENT SSA3000X spectrum analyzer. TEM cells are specialized hardware enclosures that can provide high electric fields and also do offer some shielding from environmental RF. If you are having immunity issues, this note may provide some helpful information and guidance. … Continued
Attenuator verification using a spectrum analyzer with a tracking generator
September 7, 2018
Attenuators are elements of an electrical circuit that are used to decrease the amount of power delivered to the next stage of the circuit. An ideal attenuator would have a flat frequency response, that is, it would decrease the amplitude of all input signals equally, regardless of the frequency. In this note, we are going to … 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) *** ***** Here is the … Continued
DIY RF Probe Tutorial
July 23, 2018
Probing RF circuits can be tricky. Here are some resources for DIY probes https://elektrotanya.com/files/forum/2009/10/e04a036.pdf And Instructables has built on this: https://www.instructables.com/id/DIY-1GHz-Active-Probe-for-Under-20/ http://welecw2000a.sourceforge.net/docs/Hardware/Aktiver_Tastkopf_mit_OPA659.pdf http://www.ti.com/ww/en/bobpease/assets/www-national-com_rap.pdf http://www.analog.com/media/en/technical-documentation/application-notes/an47fa.pdf There is also a DC-1 GHz passive probe from EMC guru Doug Smith: http://www.emcesd.com/1ghzprob.htm NOTE: SIGLENT does not endorse any of these solutions. They are for reference only. … Continued
Electromagnetic Compliance: Measuring Radiated Noise with a Tekbox TEM
May 11, 2018
Here is a helpful note from Tekbox on measuring radiated noise using a TEM and SSA3000X Spectrum Analyzer: Tekbox Radiated Noise with a TEM
Electromagnetic Compliance: Measuring Conducted Noise with a Tekbox LISN
May 11, 2018
Our friends at Tekbox have a nice app note that provides details on performing conducted noise measurements using a SIGLENT SSA3000X Spectrum Analyzer: Tekbox Conducted Noise with a LISN Note
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
Quickly Monitor FM Deviation using a Spectrum Analyzer
February 22, 2018
Spectrum analyzers are very useful tools for observing radio transmissions. One of the more common applications is to monitor a known channel or band of frequencies. In this note, we are going to show how to quickly capture an FM radio transmission and then configure the analyzer to provide us with the frequency deviation of … Continued