R. A. Wood Associates QuickNews

Automated RF/Microwave Test Station

A 2nd general purpose automated RF/Microwave Test Station was designed and built by R. A. Wood Associates. The purpose was to provide automated test and device characterization to: 10 MHz - 18 GHz test range as built with capability to expand up to 20 GHz Reduce manual test time Eliminate errors in recording of results Increase throughput Eliminate manual RF connections and DC connections in mid-test Provide automated test reports Save test results electronically in a database structure The Automated RF/Microwave Test Station includes: DAQ/Switch Unit Three programmable power supplies Signal Generator Spectrum Analyzer Table/Work Surface Rack Mount Computer Monitor LabVIEW Software utilities to support setting up the Spectrum Analyzer and Signal Generator, retrieving data from the Spectrum Analyzer, controlling the RF Switch/DIO Box and other measurement equipment in the Test Station Storage drawer Custom RF Switch/DIO Box provides: Automated RF Switching to 1 of 6 RF Inputs and 1 of 6 RF Outputs up to 18 GHz Oscillators needed for Test Units Digital I/O to control and read digital signals to/from Test Units Relay Switching to read Resistances and switch DC Power to Test Units

RCT0017 Automated RF/Microwave Test Station Designed, Built, and In Service

An automated RF/Microwave Test Station was designed and built by R. A. Wood Associates. The purpose was to provide automated test and device characterization to: Reduce manual test time Eliminate errors in recording of results Increase throughput Eliminate manual RF connections and DC connections in mid-test Provide automated test reports Save test results electronically in a database structure This automated test station reduced product test time from 24 hours of semi-automated testing down to approximately 2 hours. The RCT0017 Automated RF/Microwave Test Station includes: DAQ/Switch Unit Three programmable power supplies Signal Generator Spectrum Analyzer Custom RF Switch/DIO Box Table/Work Surface Rack Mount Computer Monitor LabVIEW Software utilities to support setting up the Spectrum Analyzer and Signal Generator, retrieving data from the Spectrum Analyzer, controlling the RF Switch/DIO Box and other measurement equipment in the Test Station Storage drawer

2nd Test Station Delivered to NAVSEA NSWC

We designed and built a 2nd (different) Automated RF Test Station for NAVSEA NSWC, which was delivered to Crane, Indiana. This Test Station contains many state of the art features and equipment, including: Tektronix RSA6120A Real Time Spectrum Analyzer An R. A. Wood Associates custom designed Test Set Load Box, capable of handling 50W loads Rack mount computer, keyboard, and monitor with digital I/O, GPIB interfaces A PXI chassis with fiber optic interface, digital I/O, serial interfaces, temperature monitors, and GPIB interface LabVIEW Software utilities to support setting up the Real Time Spectrum Analyzer, retrieving information from the Real Time Spectrum Analyzer, controlling the Test Set Load Box, and controlling other measurement equipment in the Test Station The customer wanted this delivered before the holiday, so we rented a delivery truck and spent several days driving it out and setting it up for the customer at their facility. They were very pleased with our commitment to deliver the station on time!

Test Station Delivered to NAVSEA NSWC

We delivered a Test Station to NAVSEA Naval Surface Warfare Center (NSWC) in Crane, Indiana. The Test Station contains many state of the art features, including: The latest Agilent Network Analyzer (PNA-X Series) A 10-port Extension for measuring multi-port S-parameters An R. A. Wood Associates custom-designed RF Load Box/Chassis for testing high power RF devices Rack mount computer, keyboard, and monitor with digital I/O, GPIB interfaces A PXI chassis with fiber optic interface, digital I/O, serial interfaces, temperature monitors, and GPIB interfaces LabVIEW Software utilities to support setting up the Network Analyzer, retrieving S-parameters from the Network Analyzer, controlling the RF Load Box, and controlling other measurement equipment in the Test Station This was a very exciting project, and we really enjoyed working with our customer on this program. The complete project was delivered within 7 months of the order being placed. Great job everybody!

Painless Extraction Scriptor 1.0 Released

We have released a new Software Product, called Painless Extraction Sciptor (Version 1.0). This program combines the data extraction and analysis capabilities of Painless Extraction & Painless Extraction Noise Figure with a new Custom Dialog Utility and an External Program Caller in an easy to use interface to automate testing through scripting. This program enables the user to construct script files that will call Painless Extraction, Painless Extraction NF, Custom Dialog Boxes, and External Programs. Use these capabilities in combination to create customized automated testing procedures. For more information, please visit our software download page.

Now you can automate Network analyzer, Scalar Analyzer, and Noise Figure measurements, and automatically create test reports for production testing! The custom dialog boxes can be used to guide test personnel through the testing process. External programs can be used to control devices prior to collecting measurements from the test equipment. We'll be providing more documentation about this program through our various software and support wiki's.

New Update (2.2) for Painless Extraction Released

We've released a new version of Painless Extraction (2.2) today. This release includes many new features, including:

• Compatibility with HP 8575d Scalar Analyzers
• Compatibility with new Agilent PNA Network Analyzers (will be released in Version 2.2.1 very shortly)
• A new graphical interface panel with plots, statistics, and a pass/fail report, all on the same page
• Capability to be called from Painless Extraction Scriptor, which will allow Painless Extraction to be called remotely from script files (stay tuned for the release of Painless Extraction Scriptor coming soon)
• A self contained macro capability, where multiple plots can be printed with limits. A great way to create a quick test report for each part tested.

Please feel free to visit our software information page for more information. As always, your feedback and suggestions are always welcome!

SpurFinder 3.5.2 Update Released

We've updated SpurFinder to version 3.5.2. This update fixed a user interface bug: When the program was initially opened, the "Continuous Run/Single Run" selector was hidden from the user interface. This selector didn't reappear until the user opened a "Multi Scenario Script File" from the file menu, and then closed the file. This may have caused some confusion in using the program, which we apologize for. The update is free and can be obtained by downloading the SpurFinder installation files from our Software Download Page. Previously registered software will still be registered during the installation.

R. A. Wood Associates awarded contract from NSWC Crane Division

R. A. Wood Associates has been awarded a contract from Naval Surface Warfare Center (NSWC), Crane Division. The contract involves designing and delivering an automated test rack consisting of: A 40U rack with rack mount PC, work table, LCD monitor, GPIB controller cards, A state of the art Vector Network Analyzer (VNA) with 10 port extension A PXI chassis with PXI cards providing thermocouple temperature measurement, serial ports, 2 X 96 digital I/O signals A custom designed RF Load Box for testing up to eight transmitter/receiver modules, capable of providing 50 Watts of RF power Custom designed software for controlling the Load Box and the VNA equipment We are fortunate to be able to work with Viewpoint Systems on this contract. This contract was won on a competitive bid, and our solution was selected out of many other submissions. We are very excited about the opportunity to work with NSWC Crane Division!

Automated RF/Microwave Test Stations designed and delivered

We've been very busy this past year. Over the last 8 months, our super qualified staff have accomplished the following:

Developed automated test software for a complex RF/digital board providing RF receive, transmit, and digital signal processing functions Modified/retrofitted 12 automated test stations to test this complex RF/digital board Developed automated test software to test a LRU chassis, including point to point wiring and DC power supply checks Modified/retrofitted 2 automated test stations to test the LRU chassis Developed automated test software for a high frequency radar receiver/transmitter board, including a waveguide interface Modified/retrofitted 1 automated test station to test the high frequency radar receiver/transmitter board Developed automated test software for an IF frequency radar receiver/transmitter board Modified/retrofitted 1 automated test station to test the IF frequency radar receiver/transmitter board

How can we help your company improve your manufacturing efficiencies with automated test stations and software?

Software Manuals Updated and Uploaded

We have updated and uploaded all our software manuals. Many thanks to Amelia, who has been working very hard to create and update all our manuals, and keep them current with our latest software revisions.

Manuals for:

• SpurFinder
• TunerHelper
• RF Path Analysis Toolkit
• RFSpecTest
• Painless Extraction
• Painless Extraction NF
• PathLossSolver

can be downloaded from our Software Products page. Thanks! Bob Wood

New SpurFinder Version 3.5 Released!

Hi Everybody!

We just released a new enhanced Version 3.5 of SpurFinder. The new version provides the capability to create/load multi-scenario "script" files. The script files can contain multiple SpurFinder scenarios that can be set up for the purpose of evaluating the best spurious conversion scheme. You can "pre" set up the various spur scenarios using Excel or a text file editor, and then save the file as tab-separated text. With a single click of a line in the table, all the scenario information is transferred to the SpurFinder front panel. This allows the user to quickly evaluate many conversion schemes (without having to type all the parameters in the front panel).

You can also modify the SpurFinder front panel information and save the information back to the multi-scenario script file.

It's simple, just load a Multi Scenario Script File, select a row:

The row information is entered in the SpurFinder Panel:

 

For more information, go to our software page. Download the program, try it out, and let us know what you think. Thanks! Bob Wood

RF Path Analysis Toolkit 1.4 Released!

We just released an update to RF Path Analysis Toolkit (Version 1.4). The release contains some nice time saving features and improvements:

• Drag and Drop RF Components: In the RF Path Builder display, you can now drag and drop RF components in the path table rows. This makes it easy to move RF components around in the RF path. Previously if you wanted to move an RF component, you had to delete the RF component, and then look it up again in the library to insert it into a new location.
• Sub paths: You can now define an RF Path as a series of sub paths, which are individual RF path files. This saves potential errors and time in updating many RF paths containing the same path information. Previously, you could only manually load sub paths into an RF path file. Now they can be defined within the RF path file itself.
• Export to Excel options: Now you can select the option to leave the detailed RF path analysis spreadsheet open after "Export to Excel" is selected. Previously the detailed RF path analysis spreadsheet was closed after "Export to Excel". This is convenient for viewing the detailed results quickly as you are building RF paths.
• More information in the RF Path Builder display: As you are building an RF path in the RF Path Builder, you can now see the following parameters:
• Device Nominal Gain
• Cumulative Gain to Device Output
• Device Noise Figure
• Cumulative Noise Figure to Device Output
• Signal 1 Power at Device Output
• Signal 2 Power at Device Output
• Device Third Order Output Intercept Point
• Cumulative Third Order Input Intercept Point
• Device 1 dB Output Compression Point
• Signal 2 Delta from Device 1 dB Compression Point
• Third Order Spurs at Device Output (new!)
• Cumulative 1 dB Input Compression Point (new!)
These new parameters are helpful when designing RF paths with difficult dynamic range requirements, and provide more insight into dynamic range contributors as you are building the RF path.
• Path File Save and Load folders: You can now specify the default directory for saving and loading RF path files. Previously this was fixed to the "Level 1" directory.
• Revised template spreadsheets: We've updated and improved the template detailed analysis spreadsheets. There are now two template spreadsheets:
• RFPATTemplate4-2.xls is a simplified (but still very useful) RF path analysis spreadsheets for receivers and transmitters. Antenna gains can not be accurately incorporated into the model. Sensitivity calculations are based on the receiver RF components only.
• RFPATTemplate6-2.xls is a more advanced RF path analysis spreadsheet. This template allows for separate RF component "signal gain" and "noise gain" parameters. This allows the spreadsheet to show radiated sensitivity, because antenna gains can be taken into account (antennas have "signal gain" but no "noise gain"). Basic RF components have the same "signal gain" and "noise gain".
• File Path dialog boxes should be more descriptive and helpful.
• Other changes to the user interface/display to help clarify the operation of the program.

Upgrades are free to previously registered users. Download the new version (http://www.rawood.com/software_products/), give it a try, and let us know what you think!
Thanks! -Bob Wood

New Software Support/Documenation Wiki

Hello Everybody
We just wanted to let you know we have set up a Wiki to document all our software products: SpurFinder, TunerHelper, PathLossSolver, RF Path Analysis Toolkit, Painless Extraction, Painless Extraction NF, and RFSpecTest. The WWW address of the software documentation Wiki is http://helprawoodsoftware.rawood.com/.

This site will be a live, real-time documentation effort. As our software products get updated, the Wiki site gets updated very quickly. No more waiting for manuals to get updated before you know what the new features are. We can quickly add new features in our software, and the software documentation Wiki will let you know what the new features are. Since the site is continuously updated, stopping by again should provide more and better documentation than the previous time.

As always, if you have questions, just let us know, and if you have any suggestions for making the Wiki better, we'd like to hear about that as well.

Thanks for visiting! -Bob Wood

Painless Extraction NF (Noise Figure) just Released!

Do you have one of the classic HP/Agilent HP8970A or HP8970B noise figure meters, but have no way to extract data electronically from the test equipment? Are you tired of outputting data to plotters, or scrolling through the frequencies to determine what the measured noise figures are?

We've just released a new program, Painless Extraction NF, which was developed to retrieve measured gain and noise figure data from the HP8970 series Noise Figure Meter. All you need is a PC GPIB card, or a USB to GPIB connection, and you can connect your laptop or PC up to the noise figure meter, retrieve the measurements, and analyze the results.

Some of the features of this new program are:

• You can enter an ENR table into the program, and send the ENR table to the noise figure meter. You can also save and load ENR table files
• One button to "Get Data" from the noise figure meter
• Once the measurements are retrieved, statistical analysis can be performed over any frequency range of measurements. Statisitics include Average, Min, Max, P-P Variation, Best Fit Line Slope, RMS, Standard Deviation, and others.
• The measured noise figure and gain data can be saved to a data file, which can then be loaded and analyzed using the program. Data is also stored in S2P format for importing noise figure readings into S2P data files for the measured devices
• A test script can be easily defined with frequency ranges and limits. The PASS/FAIL results of the test script can be saved to data files. This is very useful for high volume or "production" testing. An example script might include several tests, such as:
• Is the minimum gain over 300-900 MHz > 20 dB? (Pass/Fail)
• Is the maximum gain over 300-900 MHz < 25 dB? (Pass/Fail)
• Is the maximum noise figure over 500-900 MHz < 5 dB? (Pass/Fail)

For more information, visit our Software Products page. A demo version can be downloaded and you can try out the features of this program. Give it a try, and let us know what you think! Bob Wood

Demo Version of RFSpecTest Released

Hello Fellow Test Engineers and Managers:

• Are you frustrated with the time and effort required to test your RF and microwave components?
• Are you upset with the errors and mistakes associated with manual testing?
• Is developing your own computer automated test software beyond your budget?

• Do you already have test equipment capable of GPIB control?
• 1, 2, or 3 RF Signal Generators?
• A Spectrum Analyzer?
• An RF Power Meter?
• Wouldn't it be great if there was a software program already developed that could be used right away to start making automated RF measurements?

We have a software program, called RFSpecTest, which has many built-in computer automated RF/microwave tests already developed. We've just created a demonstration version that can be downloaded and evaluated. More information is available from our software information page. Download the demo, and try out the tests and interfaces available. We also have some sample measurement files you can load into the program. Give it a try and let us know what you think!

Thanks! Bob Wood

Painless Extraction 2.0 has been released!

Apple TV, iPhone... How many more technological marvels can we take this week?

We decided to add our own surprise to a big technology week with the release of Painless Extraction 2.0!

Painless Extraction 2.0 adds some great new features to the previous version:

• Capability to extract 1-4 channels of measurements from HP (Agilent) 8757 Series Scalar Analyzers,
• A new script creation page that allows the user to set up test scripts, which compare the measurements against user-defined test limits, and a test summary report is created.

8757 Series Scalar Analyzers:

Painless Extraction 2.0 has been designed to extract up to 4 channel measurements from HP 8757 series scalar analyzers. The extracted data is stored into the magnitude arrays of the S2P files (Phase arrays are zeroed out). Up to 4 channels can be extracted from the scalar analyzers. The 4 channels could be S-parameters (S11, S21), or they could be any channel setup from the scalar analyzer (A/R, B/R, C/R, A/B, etc.) Whatever the user sets up on the scalar analyzer channels, Painless Extraction retrieves the data from the analyzer, analyzes it, and stores it in "S2P format" files for future retrieval and data analysis.

Now the same capability we've provided for network analyzers (HP 8720 Series, HP 8510 Series, HP 8753 Series) is available for HP 8757 Series scalar analyzers. (Please note that we have verified the program specifically with a 4-Channel HP 8757C scalar analyzer.)

Statistical Analysis and Test Scripts:

We've added a new "tab" which can be used to perform statistical analysis on the various measurement channels. For example, let's say you have the network or scalar analyzer set up to take S11 (return loss) and S21 (gain) measurements over the frequency band of 1.0 to 3.0 GHz. You can very quickly set up a test script which sets the Pass/Fail limits for the S21/gain measurements, and sets up the Pass/Fail limits for the S11/return loss measurements. Now when you connect the amplifier, and the measurements on the analyzer are set up, you can retrieve the measurements from the analyzer and compare the measurements with the test limits and make Pass/Fail determinations. You can then save the test summary report in a tab-separated text format, which can be imported into spreadsheet programs (Excel and others).

This is a great feature if you are using a network analyzer or scalar analyzer for high volume production testing!

More information is available from our software products page, and the associated links for downloading a demo version of this program.

Thanks to Amelia for her great support in updating this program.
Bob Wood

Happy Holidays to All!

Hello Everybody

As the end of the year draws near, and the Holiday Season approaches, now is a good time to take a moment and wish all our vendors, customers, and clients a wonderful Holiday Season and a healthy and prosperous New Year. We have really appreciated all the hard work our vendors have gone through to help us make our deliveries on schedule, and we appreciate the opportunity our customers have given us to serve their needs. Thanks to all!

Bob Wood and the Employees at R. A. Wood Associates

Painless Extraction 2.0 Coming Soon

Hello Everybody

We just wanted to give you a quick "heads up" about the upcoming version 2.0 of Painless Extraction. We have added some pretty significant features, such as:

• The capability to retrieve S-Parameters or other Channels 1-4 measurements from HP8757C Scalar Analyzers. We believe this will open up a whole new market for this program.
• The capability to create a quick test script that will allow the user to set various test parameters for the retrieved data, such as average gain, minimum gain, maximum gain, P-P flatness, RMS, standard deviation, best fit line slope, and many others. The measured data from the network or scalar analyzer is then compared against these test parameters, and Pass/Fail results are reported. This is a great feature for production testing, or testing multiple parts with the same test parameters.

We expect to have this version released within the next 2 weeks. Please stop by again, try it out, and let us know what you think about the new version.

Thanks!

Bob Wood

New Website Design - What do you think?

Hello Everybody!

As you may have noticed, we've recently revamped our web site. Some of the original pages were created about 11 years ago, and were in serious need of evolving the same way the World Wide Web has evolved. You should find it to be better organized and more consistent across the site. If you have any comments, or find any links that don't work, please let us know (contact link). Thanks to Sean for working so hard on this! -Bob Wood

New Version 1.3f of RFPathAnalysisToolkit Available

Hello Everybody!

We've just uploaded a new version 1.3f of RF Path Analysis Toolkit. This new version contains several minor fixes and several new features:

• Excel messages (save file before closing. etc.) are now displayed after RF Path Analysis Toolkit is closed. Excel messages are suppressed while RF Path Analysis Toolkit is running. Previously when RF Path Analysis Toolkit was closed, Excel messages were still being suppressed causing updated Excel files to possibly not be saved (no warning to save file before closing).
• You can now include a custom description to the Simple Transmission Line component. This allows the user to create quick RF parts (cables, pads, equalizers, etc) and label them without having to take time to add components to the RF Component Library. The custom description information is saved in the RF Path file.
• The registration process has been modified. Hopefully it is simpler and more robust.
• The Template Analysis Spreadsheet and the RF Component Library have been modified slightly to make custom changes to these files easier to implement:
• Custom changes to the library (such as more parameters) are more robust. The database grows as more columns are added.
• Custom changes to the Template Analysis Spreadsheet are simpler. A new button on the Settings panel will create an unprotected Template Analysis Spreadsheet for customizing (for registered users).
• The "About" screen now shows the RF Path Analysis Toolkit logo and software version number

The software can be downloaded for our Software Products Page. Give it a try and let us know what you think! Bob Wood

New Computer Automated RF Test Station developed and delivered

We designed and developed a Computer Automated RF Test Station for one of our customers. The Computer Automated RF Test Station is capable of testing 7 different RF and RF/digital modules, but is flexible enough to test many possible RF modules. The Test Stations were built and tested at R. A. Wood Associates. Computer automated test software was also developed to test the 7 different modules using LabVIEW. RFSpecTest was used in a "scripted" mode to perform all RF tests. More information about the Computer Automated RF Test Station is available at this link.

New scripting features built into RFSpecTest!

This year we added some major enhancements to our "off the shelf" computer automated RF test software suite. RFSpecTest, which was originally designed to work in a laboratory environment through a user interface, has now successfully been made "script-able". This means that all tests you can perform through the user interface in a lab environment can now be performed in an automated test environment. RFSpecTest can be called as a dll to perform all tests (gain, intermodulation products, gain compression, relative isolation, leakage and spurious, etc) from LabVIEW or other programming environments. All test setup parameters can be created and validated in the RFSpecTest user interface. Let us know if you would like additional information (315-735-4217). Thanks! Bob Wood

New Leakage/Spurious Test added to RFSpecTest

Hello Everybody. We've added a new RF test to RFSpecTest. Now you can perform Leakage/Spurious measurements in addition to Gain, Gain Compression, Intermodulation Products, Relative Attenuation and Isolation, and Amplitude/Frequency Tests. The Leakage test allows the capability to search frequency bands, with options to skip around the carrier and harmonics, and find the highest spurious or leakage product in the search band. Applications include mixer spurious tests, receiver or transmitter spurious tests, receiver or local oscillator leakage tests. Please call us (315-735-4217) if you would like more information. Thanks! Bob Wood

TunerHelper Update Released 2/1/2005

Hello Everybody,
We uploaded a small maintenance update to TunerHelper. If you downloaded TunerHelper between Jan 27, 2005 and Feb 1, 2005, you should download and re-install Tunerhelper. This short interim version was missing the menus on the "Define Preselection Filter" panel. This was corrected in the version uploaded on Feb 1st. The upgrade is free. The current SpurFinder/TunerHelper installation file is RAWood_Installer3_7e.exe, and can be downloaded by following the links from our Software products page.

Flash Demo Added for TunerHelper

We are continuing to add Flash tutorials for our software products. This should help reduce the learning curve for our products. We have created another quick tutorial for TunerHelper. Give it a try and let us know what you think!

TunerHelper 2.2 Released

Hello Everybody

We've released an upgrade to TunerHelper Version 2.2. This upgrade adds some minor interface improvements. The front panel buttons now work smoother, and the pre-selection and post-selection filter panels and controls now work better. Any registered users can download and upgrade to Version 2.2 for free.

The software can be downloaded from our software products page: www.rawood.com/software_products.

Special note: if you downloaded this program (RAWood_Installer3_6.exe) between Dec 08, 2004 and today (Jan 25, 2005), you may find interface problems when the pre-selection and post-selection filter panels are selected. We strongly recommend downloading this new version, which fixes this problem.

Please let us know what you think about this upgrade. Thanks again! Bob Wood

Join our New Contact/Mail List

We've added a new web-based contact/mail list manager (PHPlist). You can now subscribe to several lists:

• RF and Microwave Software Products
• RF And Microwave Courses
• R. A. Wood Associates GuestBook

The web-based form allows each person to subscribe, unsubscribe, and update their contact information directly on-line. Your e-mail address is validated by your replies to the subscription. Here are the links, if you want us to keep you posted on new developments at R. A. Wood Associates:

• Subscribe
• UnSubscribe
• Update Contact Information

Your contact information will not be made available to any third parties.

We are adding Flash demonstrations of our software products

We are starting to add Flash tutorials for our software products. This should help reduce the learning curve for our products. So far we have created a quick tutorial for SpurFinder, and for the RF Path Analysis Toolkit Main Panel. Stay tuned for more updates!

SpurFinder 3.2 Released

We've made some improvements to SpurFinder and have released version 3.2. The new release improves some of the user interfaces, making it easier to adjust frequencies without stopping the program. We've also eliminated Run and Stop buttons. The whole spurious search process should be smoother and simpler. The new version can be downloaded from our software products page. Upgrades are free from versions 2.x and up. Just download the new version and install onto your computer. Your current registration will still work.

Painless Extraction 1.4 Released

Hello Everybody! We've updated Painless Extraction to Version 1.4. This version adds a few interface improvements with the Agilent 8720 and 8510 Series Network Analyzers. We also added a control to "Hide Frequencies" on the Data Analysis Panel. This is helpful in areas where displaying actual frequencies could be "sensitive". Give it a try and let us know what you think. Thanks! Bob Wood