Agilent N7509A Waveform Generation Toolbox Application Program

Agilent N7509A Waveform Generation Toolbox Application Program User s Guide Second edition, April 2005 Agilent Technologies

Notices Agilent Technologies, Inc. 2005 No part of this manual may be reproduced in any form or by any means (including electronic storage and retrieval or translation into a foreign language) without prior agreement and written consent from Agilent Technologies, Inc. as governed by United States and international copyright laws. Manual Part Number N7509-90001 Edition Second edition, April 2005 Printed in USA Agilent Technologies, Inc. 1400 Fountaingrove Pkwy Santa Rosa, CA 95403 Warranty The material contained in this document is provided as is, and is subject to being changed, without notice, in future editions. Further, to the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, Agilent disclaims all warranties, either express or implied, with regard to this manual and any information contained herein, including but not limited to the implied warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose. Agilent shall not be liable for errors or for incidental or consequential damages in connection with the furnishing, use, or performance of this document or of any information contained herein. Should Agilent and the user have a separate written agreement with warranty terms covering the material in this document that conflict with these terms, the warranty terms in the separate agreement shall control. Technology Licenses The hardware and/or software described in this document are furnished under a license and may be used or copied only in accordance with the terms of such license. Restricted Rights Legend If software is for use in the performance of a U.S. Government prime contract or subcontract, Software is delivered and licensed as Commercial computer software as defined in DFAR 252.227-7014 (June 1995), or as a commercial item as defined in FAR 2.101(a) or as Restricted computer software as defined in FAR 52.227-19 (June 1987) or any equivalent agency regulation or contract clause. Use, duplication or disclosure of Software is subject to Agilent Technologies standard commercial license terms, and non-dod Departments and Agencies of the U.S. Government will receive no greater than Restricted Rights as defined in FAR 52.227-19(c)(1-2) (June 1987). U.S. Government users will receive no greater than Limited Rights as defined in FAR 52.227-14 (June 1987) or DFAR 252.227-7015 (b)(2) (November 1995), as applicable in any technical data. Safety Notices CAUTION A CAUTION notice denotes a hazard. It calls attention to an operating procedure, practice, or the like that, if not correctly performed or adhered to, could result in damage to the product or loss of important data. Do not proceed beyond a CAUTION notice until the indicated conditions are fully understood and met. WARNING A WARNING notice denotes a hazard. It calls attention to an operating procedure, practice, or the like that, if not correctly performed or adhered to, could result in personal injury or death. Do not proceed beyond a WARNING notice until the indicated conditions are fully understood and met.

Contents 1 INTRODUCTION 6 2 SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS 6 3 INSTALLATION 6 4 LICENSING 7 5 SYSTEM STATE FILES 7 6 STARTUP 8 7 MENU BAR 9 7.1 File Menu 9 7.2 Settings Menu 9 7.3 Help Menu 10 8 BUTTON BAR 11 9 GENERAL CONTROLS BOX 12 10 GRAPH CONTROLS 13 11 WAVEFORM GENERATION CONTROLS 13 11.1 AM Generator Form 13 11.2 FM Generation Form 14 11.3 PM Generator Form 15 11.4 Multi-Tone Generator Form 17 11.5 Pulse Generator Form 18 11.5.1 Simple Pulse 19 11.5.2 Linear Chirp 19 11.5.3 Barker Code 20 11.5.4 Frank Code 21 11.5.5 Doppler 22 11.6 Chirp Generator Form 23 11.7 Custom Download 24 11.8 IF Mode 26 11.9 Creating and Playing a Sequence 26 12 RF SOURCE CONTROL 28 N7509A User s Guide 3

4 N7509A User s Guide

Agilent N7509A Waveform Generation Tool Application Program User s Guide 1 General Information Agilent Technologies 5

1 General Information 1 INTRODUCTION The N7509A WGT Application program provides a user-friendly interface to the waveform generation toolbox library, and to the E8267C/D PSG Vector Signal Generator (VSG) and the N6030A Arbitrary Waveform Generator (AWG). The WGT library is a set of routines that use math techniques to generate waveforms as I/Q arrays for use in the AWG. The application allows a user to generate the following waveform types: AM FM PM Multi-tone Various types of Pulse waveforms Chirp Whenever a waveform types is generated, it is automatically downloaded to the AWG if one is connected and the application is not in simulation mode (more on simulation mode later). Users may download custom waveform data to the AWG. This may be either data that was generated by this or another application. Users may generate waveform sequences and have the AWG play them. The application provides a means to control the output of the VSG. 2 SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS 3 INSTALLATION This application must be installed on a PC running the Microsoft Windows XP Professional operating system, or Microsoft Windows 2000 with the.net Framework installed. The application requires that the MATLAB run-time libraries be installed (included). There should be at least 240 MB of disk space available to accommodate both the application and the MATLAB run-time libraries. This application is capable of generating large waveforms. For this reason it is recommended that the host computer have a 2.4 GHz (or higher) Pentium 4 processor, and at least 512 MB of RAM. Insert the installation CD into the CD-ROM drive. If the installation utility program does not start automatically, start it by running WgtInstall.exe. The installation window illustrated in Figure 1 will be displayed. To install the N7509A WGT application, click the button labeled "Install Agilent N7509A Waveform Generation Toolbox Application". If the MATLAB run-time libraries 6 N7509A User s Guide

General Information 1 are not already installed, do so by clicking the button labeled "Install MATLAB 7.0 Run-Time Libraries". Click the Exit button when done. Note that the installation window contains the host ID to be used when the Software Entitlement Certificate is redeemed in order to obtain a license. Figure 1 Installation Form 4 LICENSING This software must be licensed in order for it to be fully functional. To obtain a license, follow the instructions listed on the Software Entitlement Certificate that came with your software. The software may still be used without a license but it will be restricted to simulation mode. It will be able to generate waveforms and display them on the graph, but it will not be able to talk to instruments. It will also not be able to generate binary waveform files. 5 SYSTEM STATE FILES At any time, the system state can be saved to and restored from "system state" files. The system state is a snapshot of the values of all the variables in the application. These variables include the waveform generator parameters and application settings. The default extension for system state files is wgt. N7509A User s Guide 7

1 General Information There are three types of system state files as described in Table 1. Table 1 System State File Types System State File Type File Name File Location Description Default _DefaultState_.wgt Agilent\N7509A WGT in the user's Application Data folder. Current _CurrentState_.wgt Agilent\N7509A WGT in the user's Application Data folder. Custom < defined by user > Defined by the user. The default location is Agilent\N7509A WGT in the user's My Documents folder. Contains system defaults as defined by the user or organization. There is only one Default system state file per user. The Current system state file is automatically created/updated whenever the application is exited. When the application is restarted, the system state is initialized from the Current state file so that the user may continue from where s/he left off. There is only one Current system state file per user. Contains the user's custom system state. Whenever the user opens or saves to a custom system state file, that file becomes the "established" custom system state file. There may be many custom system state files. 6 STARTUP When the application is started, it reads the system state from a "current" system state file (see Table 1). The current system state file is created the first time the application is exited. After that it is updated each time the application is exited. This ensures that the user will be able to continue from where she or he left off the last time the application was used. If there is no current system state file, the application will initialize the system state using the default system state file (see Table 1). If there is no default system state file, the application creates one using the "default default" values, that is, the values encoded in the software itself. This happens the very first time a user runs the application. 8 N7509A User s Guide

General Information 1 7 MENU BAR An alternative way to start the application and to immediately load a custom system state file is to double-click the name of a custom system state file in Windows Explorer. Also, the full path to a custom system state file may be used as the only parameter (unquoted) in a command line that starts the application. The instruments are also initialized at startup if they are present. The menu bar at the top of the N7509A WGT application form contains three drop-down menus - File, Settings and Help. 7.1 File Menu The File menu contains eight items. They are described in Table 2. Table 2 File Menu Items File Menu Item Shortcut Key Description New Ctrl+N Initializes the system state from the defaults system state file. Save Ctrl+S Allows the user to save the current system state to a user's custom system state file. If the user has not yet established a custom system state file, Save will behave as Save As. Save As Ctrl+A Allows the user to save the current system state to a specific file. This will establish the file as the user's custom system state file. Open Ctrl+O Allows the user to open a system state file and thereby update the current system state to the values found in the file. This will establish the file as the user's custom system state file. Save As Default Restore Default Preset Exit Ctrl+X Closes the application. Allows the user to establish the current system state as the default. Sets the system state to the default. This is functionally equivalent to the New menu item. A sub-menu that provides various items for presetting hardware. 7.2 Settings Menu The Settings menu contains eight items They are described in Table 3. N7509A User s Guide 9

1 General Information Table 3 Settings Menu Items Settings Menu Item Description Default Setting Save I/Q Binary Data IF Mode Enable Arb Corrections RF Power Off on Exit External Reference Clock External Sample Clock RF Source Config Q Arb Config If checked, I and Q data for generated waveforms are stored to binary files in the user's current working directory. If checked, the application will operate in IF mode If checked, the application will apply correction to the I/Q or IF data before downloading the AWG. If checked and if the application is not in simulation mode, the instruments are reset when the application exits. When checked, the AWG is instructed to use the external reference clock. When checked, the AWG is instructed to use the external sample clock. Allows the user to edit the configuration string that is sent to the VSG when it is initialized. Allows the user to edit the configuration string that is sent to the AWG when it is initialized. Checked Unchecked Checked Checked Unchecked Unchecked "GPIB0::19::INSTR" "PXI4::12::0::INSTR" 7.3 Help Menu The Help menu contains one item. It is described in Table 4. Table 4 Help Menu Items Help Menu Item About Description When selected, a form window is displayed that provides information about the application. 10 N7509A User s Guide

General Information 1 When the About item is selected, the About window illustrated in Figure 2 is displayed. Note that it contains the host ID to be used when the Software Entitlement Certificate is redeemed in order to obtain a license. Figure 2 About Window 8 BUTTON BAR The button bar contains three buttons - New, Open and Save. They are described in Table 5. Table 5 Button Name New Button Bar Icon Description This button behaves exactly like the New item in the File menu. Open This button behaves exactly like the Open item in the File menu. Save This button behaves exactly like the Save item in the File menu. N7509A User s Guide 11

1 General Information 9 GENERAL CONTROLS BOX The General Controls group box is a rectangle near the top of the GUI that contains five controls. They are described in Table 6. Table 6 General Controls General Control Name Description Default Waveform Type Simulation Mode Generate Scenario Loop Count Calibrate This control allows the user to select the type of waveform to be generated. Custom downloading and RF source control are also selected here. When this is checked, the application doesn't attempt to talk to either the VSG or the AWG. Enables the Generate Scenario mode where users may create waveform sequences and have the AWG play them. This control is visible only when the Generate Scenario box is checked. It provides a way for the user to set the loop count for a waveform when sequencing. When pressed, this button causes a calibration of the VSG. AM Generator Unchecked Unchecked --- --- 12 N7509A User s Guide

General Information 1 10 GRAPH CONTROLS There are four controls under the graph that control graph-related settings. They are described in Table 7. Table 7 Graph Controls Graph Control Name Description Default Log 10 Scale When checked, waveforms are graphed in base 10 logarithmic scaling. Checked Auto Scale When checked, the graph auto scales the full waveform. Unchecked Clear When pressed, this button clears the graph. 1 Expand/Contract If the graph is in its normal, contracted mode, this button is labeled "Expand". When the graph is in the expanded mode it is labeled "Contract". Pressing this button toggles the graph between the expanded and contracted mode. --- 11 WAVEFORM GENERATION CONTROLS The Waveform Type selector allows the user to select from the following list of waveform generators, custom download and the RF source controller: AM Generator FM Generator PM Generator Multi-Tone Generator Pulse Generator Chirp Generator Custom Download RF Source Control NOTE The default values listed in the generator forms tables below are "default default" values, that is, the values encoded in the program code. The user may redefine the default system state at any time by selecting Save As Default in the File menu. 11.1 AM Generator Form When the AM Generator is selected, the following parameter list is displayed: N7509A User s Guide 13

1 General Information Table 8 AM Generation Form Parameter List Parameter Name Description Units Default Value AM Rate The frequency of the modulation Hertz 10 MHz AM Depth The power of the sidebands Decibels 23 db Sample Clock The frequency of the sampling clock Hertz 1.25 Ghz Number of Points The number of points in each vector (read only) --- --- Figure 3 shows the AM Generator form. Figure 3 AM Waveform Generation Form When the Generate Signal button is pressed the application uses the parameter values to generate an AM waveform. The number of points in the waveform is displayed and the waveform is graphed. If the application is connected to an AWG, and if the application has the proper license, and if the Simulation Mode box is not checked, the waveform is downloaded to the AWG. 11.2 FM Generation Form When the FM Generator is selected, the following parameter list is displayed: 14 N7509A User s Guide

General Information 1 Table 9 FM Generation Form Parameter List Parameter Name Description Units Default Value FM Rate The frequency of the modulated signal Hertz 1 MHz FM Deviation The deviation of the modulated signal Hertz 2.4 MHz Sample Clock The frequency of the sampling clock Hertz 1.25 GHz Data Size The size of the waveform (read only) --- --- Figure 4 shows the FM Generator form. Figure 4 FM Waveform Generation Form When the Generate Signal button is pressed the application uses the parameter values to generate a FM waveform. The size of the waveform is displayed and the waveform is graphed. If the application is connected to an AWG, and if the application has the proper license, and if the Simulation Mode box is not checked, the waveform is downloaded to the AWG. 11.3 PM Generator Form When the PM Generator is selected, the following parameter list is displayed: N7509A User s Guide 15

1 General Information Table 10 PM Generator Form parameter list Parameter Name Description Units Default Value PM Rate PM Deviation Sample Size Data Size The frequency of the modulating signal The deviation of the modulating signal The frequency of the sampling clock The size of the waveform (read only) Hertz 1 MHz Radians 3.1416 Rad Hertz 1.25 GHz --- --- Figure 5 shows the PM Generator form. Figure 5 PM Waveform Generator Form When the Generate Signal button is pressed the application uses the parameter values to generate a PM waveform. The size of the waveform is displayed and the waveform is graphed. If the application is connected to an AWG, and if the application has the proper license, and if the Simulation Mode box is not checked, the waveform is downloaded to the AWG. 16 N7509A User s Guide

General Information 1 11.4 Multi-Tone Generator Form When the Multi-Tone Generator is selected, the following parameter list is displayed: Table 11 Multi-Tone Generator Form Parameter List Parameter Name Description Units Default Value Start Frequency The frequency of the first tone Hertz -400 MHz Number of Tones The number of tones in the waveform --- 8000 Fbin The resolution frequency Hertz 10 KHz Tone Spacing The tone spacing Hertz 100 KHz Fs The frequency of the sampling clock Hertz 1.25 GHz Notch Width The width, if any, of the notch (for NPR) Hertz 50 MHz Notch Offset Random Seed IQ Backoff From Full Scale Power The frequency of the center of the notch, if any, relative to the carrier frequency The seed for the random number generator as a prime integer Hertz 100 MHz --- 99991 (Unavailable in this revision) Decibels 0 db Figure 6 shows the Multi-Tone Generator form. N7509A User s Guide 17

1 General Information Figure 6 Multi-Tone Waveform Generator form When the Generate Signal button is pressed the application uses the parameter values to generate a multi-tone waveform. The size of the waveform is displayed and the waveform is graphed. If the application is connected to an AWG, and if the application has the proper license, and if the Simulation Mode box is not checked, the waveform is downloaded to the AWG. 11.5 Pulse Generator Form When the Pulse Generator is selected, the following parameter list is displayed: Table 12 Pulse Generator Form Parameter List Parameter Name Description Units Default Value Pulse Width The pulse width Seconds 50 ns PRI The pulse repetition interval Seconds 0.5 µs Rise Time The pulse rise time interval, in multiples of 10 ns Seconds 10 ns Fall Time The pulse fall time interval, in multiples of 10 ns Seconds 10 ns Sample Clock The frequency of the sampling clock Hertz 1.25 Ghz Mod on Pulse The pulse type --- Barker Code Frequency Offset The frequency offset Hertz 0 18 N7509A User s Guide

General Information 1 11.5.1 Simple Pulse Figure 7 shows the Pulse Generator form when the pulse type is simple pulse. Figure 7 Pulse Waveform Generator form - Simple Pulse When the Generate Signal button is pressed the application uses the parameter values to generate a simple pulse waveform. The waveform is graphed. If the application is connected to an AWG, and if the application has the proper license, and if the Simulation Mode box is not checked, the waveform is downloaded to the AWG. 11.5.2 Linear Chirp In the Pulse Generator form, when the selected pulse type is Linear Chirp the following additional parameter is displayed: Table 13 Linear Chirp additional parameter Parameter Name Description Units Default Value Linear Chirp Deviation Frequency range over which the chirp moves during the pulse width period. Hertz 60 MHz Figure 8 shows the Pulse Generator form when the pulse type is Linear Chirp. N7509A User s Guide 19

1 General Information Figure 8 Pulse Waveform Generator form - Linear Chirp When the Generate Signal button is pressed the application uses the parameter values to generate a linear chirp pulse waveform. The waveform is graphed. If the application is connected to an AWG, and if the application has the proper license, and if the Simulation Mode box is not checked, the waveform is downloaded to the AWG. 11.5.3 Barker Code In the Pulse Generator form, when the selected pulse type is Barker Code the following additional parameter is displayed: Table 14 Barker Code additional parameter Parameter Name Description Units Default Value Barker Code Length Number of phase sub-pulses in the pulse --- 13 - bit Barker Figure 9 shows the Pulse Generator form when the pulse type is Barker Code. 20 N7509A User s Guide

General Information 1 Figure 9 Pulse Waveform Generator form -Barker Code When the Generate Signal button is pressed the application uses the parameter values to generate a Barker code pulse waveform. The waveform is graphed. If the application is connected to an AWG, and if the application has the proper license, and if the Simulation Mode box is not checked, the waveform is downloaded to the AWG. 11.5.4 Frank Code In the Pulse Generator form, when the selected pulse type is Frank Code the following additional parameter is displayed: Table 15 Frank Code additional parameter Parameter Name Description Units Default Value Order for Polyphase Code Square root of the number of phase sub-pulses in the pulse --- 3 Figure 10 shows the Pulse Generator form when the pulse type is Frank Code. N7509A User s Guide 21

1 General Information Figure 10 Pulse Generator Form When Pulse Type is Frank Code When the Generate Signal button is pressed the application uses the parameter values to generate a Frank code pulse waveform. The waveform is graphed. If the application is connected to an AWG, and if the application has the proper license, and if the Simulation Mode box is not checked, the waveform is downloaded to the AWG. 11.5.5 Doppler In the Pulse Generator form, when the selected pulse type is Doppler the following additional parameter is displayed: Table 16 Doppler additional parameter Parameter Name Description Units Default Value Doppler Frequency Value of the frequency shift of the pulse Hertz 100 Hz Figure 11 shows the Pulse Generator form when the pulse type is Doppler: 22 N7509A User s Guide

General Information 1 Figure 11 Pulse Waveform Generator Form - Doppler When the Generate Signal button is pressed the application uses the parameter values to generate a Doppler pulse waveform. The waveform is graphed. If the application is connected to an AWG, and if the application has the proper license, and if the Simulation Mode box is not checked, the waveform is downloaded to the AWG. 11.6 Chirp Generator Form When the Chirp Generator is selected, the following parameter list is displayed: Table 17 Chirp Generator parameter list Parameter Name Description Units Default Value Pulse Width The pulse width Seconds 1 µs Sample Clock The frequency of the sampling clock Hertz 1.25 GHz PRI The pulse repetition interval Seconds 10 µs Chirp Frequency Deviation Frequency range over which the chirp moves during the pulse width period Hertz 1 Ghz Rise Time The rise time interval, in multiples of 10 ns Seconds 40 ns N7509A User s Guide 23

1 General Information Table 17 Chirp Generator parameter list Parameter Name Description Units Default Value Fall Time The fall time interval, in multiples of 10 ns Seconds 40 ns Chirp Type The chirp type --- Inverted V-chirp Frequency Offset The frequency offset Hertz 0 Figure 12 shows the Chirp Generator form. Figure 12 Chirp Waveform Generator Form When the Generate Signal button is pressed the application uses the parameter values to generate a chirp waveform. The waveform is graphed. If the application is connected to an AWG, and if the application has the proper license, and if the Simulation Mode box is not checked, the waveform is downloaded to the AWG. 11.7 Custom Download When Custom Download is selected, the following parameter list is displayed: 24 N7509A User s Guide

General Information 1 Table 18 Custom Download parameter list Parameter Name Description Units Default Value Channel 1 Path and name of the file containing I data --- (blank) Channel 2 Path and name of the file containing Q data --- (blank) Figure 13 shows the Custom Download form. Figure 13 Custom Download Form Click in the Channel 1 box to open a file containing I data for channel 1. Click in the Channel 2 box to open a file containing Q data for channel 2. The boxes will then be populated with the full path and file name of the respective files. When both boxes are populated, the Play button will be enabled. When the Play button is pressed the application loads the I and Q data from the specified files. The waveform associated with the data is graphed. If the application is connected to an AWG, and if the application has the proper license, and if the Simulation Mode box is not checked, the waveform is downloaded to the AWG. N7509A User s Guide 25

1 General Information 11.8 IF Mode When the IF Mode item in the Settings menu is checked, the application operates in IF Mode. The following additional parameter is displayed for all waveform types. Table 19 IF Mode Additional Parameter Parameter Name Description Units Default Value IF Freq The intermediate frequency Hertz 300 MHz Figure 14 shows the GUI in IF mode with the AM Generator selected. Figure 14 AM Generator form in IF Mode 11.9 Creating and Playing a Sequence When the Generate Scenario box is checked, the application enters the Generate Scenario mode. In this mode the user can create and play a sequence of waveforms. Figure 15 shows the GUI in Generate Scenario mode with the AM Generator selected. Note that any waveform type may be used in the generation of sequences. 26 N7509A User s Guide

General Information 1 Figure 15 Generate Scenario Mode When the Load Waveform button is pressed, a waveform is generated for the selected waveform type and is downloaded to the AWG. The waveform's information is listed in the Sequence List box on the right side of the form. A user will typically generate multiple waveforms, each of which will appear in the list. Once the user has generated all the necessary waveforms, the Load Sequence and Play button is pressed to tell the AWG to load and play the sequence. N7509A User s Guide 27

1 General Information 12 RF SOURCE CONTROL When the RF Source Control is selected in the Waveform Type control, the following parameter list is displayed: Table 20 RF source control parameter list Parameter Name Description Units Default Value Frequency The frequency of the output signal Hertz 10 GHz Power The power of the output signal dbm -5 dbm RF Out On or Off --- Off WB IQ Modulator On or Off --- Off Figure 16 shows the RF Source Control form. Figure 16 RF Source Control Form When the GO button is pressed the application sends the parameter values to the VSG. If the application is not connected to a VSG, or if the Simulation Mode box is checked, the parameter controls and the GO button are disabled. 28 N7509A User s Guide