Search Results for 'api'

Dear Signal Hound,
Referring to the API manual, “The Video bandwidth is implemented as a simple rectangular window, averaging the amplitude readings for each frequency bin over several overlapping FFTs”, I wonder what are the differences between averaging methods used in Acquisition panel of Spike application and VBW filtering.
However, I searched through the comments and found out that API uses an IIR filter to implement the VBW filter. Generally speaking, How can I understand mathematics behind of VBW that it can get continuous values.
best regards

[Andrew]

Hi Stanley,

The Quasi-peak detector is currently only available in Spike. We don’t have any way to automate this measurement via an API at this time. If we provide anything in the future it would probably be through SCPI commands to Spike. We don’t have any plans to pursue this at the moment though.

I appreciate your feedback, if you would like to reach out to me via email at aj at signalhound dot com, I can contact you if we ever pursue this in the future.

Andrew

Hello,
One one of my critical mission is to support Qpk on our application – EMI Spectrum Analyzer adopting BB60C. I cannot see Qpk related command in API manual even though I see Qpk on Spike.
1) Any update on plan to support Qpk on API?
2) Can I have technical documents or any material to implement Qpk utilizing existing APIs on the manual as external customer?

Thanks,
Stanley

[Justin Crooks]

We ran a fresh batch of tests, with the API as it currently stands. I was a little surprised. A 2 GHz span (roughly 2 ms of actual sweep time), took from start to finish (not queued), on average:
SM200B = 4.4 ms
SM200C = 4.8 ms
There were no significant peaks in the 1000-sweep test. From this, it looks like the SM200C has a bit higher latency across the board (something like 2.8 ms vs 2.4 ms).
Obviously these numbers will vary from computer to computer and sweep to sweep, and peak numbers will vary based on CPU load, but it’s a starting point.

• This reply was modified 3 years, 5 months ago by Justin Crooks.
• This reply was modified 3 years, 5 months ago by Justin Crooks.

[Andrew]

The self-cal function in the BB60 API is for the BB60A only and has no effect on the BB60C.

Andrew

• This reply was modified 3 years, 6 months ago by Andrew.

[lsullivan]

thank you for your answer, But I am referring to self-calibration part that has been written in the API manual.
regards.

[Andrew]

GSingh,

You could use PyVISA to control the VSG60 software using SCPI commands. You can read about our SCPI commands and see some examples in the SDK.

If you are using the API directly to control the instrument, you will need to generate your own complex I/Q waveform to output to the device. For a multi-tone signal, you could sum your complex sines/tones into an I/Q buffer to transmit. Just ensure that you scale the final result so that the peak magnitude of any given sample doesn’t exceed 1.0, and ideally, select a final buffer size that allows all of your complex sines to phase wrap nicely.

Unfortunately we don’t have any Python sample code for doing this. There are probably RF/DSP libraries that make it easy to generate complex sine waves with a given frequency.

Let us know if you have follow up questions.

Andrew

Hello,

which Real-Time processing algorithm do you use in your API? there is a block diagram of RF part in the BB60c user manual but there is no block diagram or document about signal processing in the API.

Do you have any signal processing block diagram like the way you have for RF chain in the user manual? I appreciate if you could give me a reference to understand how the API works for signal processing parts. To be honest, I’m using BB60c API in MATLAB and I need to know what is happening in API for Real-Time and Sweep mode.

best regards.

[Andrew]

lsullivan,

What is the nature of your question? Do you have a specific application in mind, or is there an issue you are having with the I/Q data?

Our API accounts for all filter delays and scaling factors. The size of the filter will primarily only affect the filter transition bandwidth.

Andrew

[lsullivan]

Dear signal hound,
which filtering algorithm you use in your API in zero-span mode? (design method, response type, filter order, frequency specification, magnitude specification, …)
best regards.

• This topic was modified 3 years, 7 months ago by lsullivan.

dear signal hound,
In the API of BB60c, which kind of filter is used? IIR or FIR, please name the kind of filter you using.
best regards.

Dear signal hound,
which FFT algorithm you use in your API (BB60)?
best regards.

[Andrew]

Version 3.0.5 was released in 2015, and unfortunately we don’t maintain releases from that far back. Additionally, if you have newer BB60C hardware, version 3.0.5 may not support it. The API interface has not changed much since then. If you have the header file from the old project built against 3.0.5, compare it to the newer version found in the SDK.

Regards

dear signal hound,
I need the API version 3.0.5 to run my old MATLAB code.
how can I find that?
best regards.

[Andrew]

You will likely be able to make an RF connection to the antenna but none of our software supports it. You will need to use the provided software or API that is available on the product page to control the antenna.

Please note, we have not evaluated this antenna and cannot provide guidance in building a direction finding system using it.

Hi there!

Can we connect directly BB60C & IsoLOG 3D DF antenna aaronia without any API interface.
What is the uses of the BB60C in there.
Please advise me.

[Justin Crooks]

Michael,
I suppose if you had a 2-channel oscilloscope, and used the API, you could stream data out of both with embedded triggers, use the scope (programmatically using SCPI) to calculate the time delta, and then add or skip the appropriate number of samples on one channel. You’d want an external 10 MHz reference to tie them together as well.

It’d be a bit of a project… a 2-channel VSG or SDR would be a more straightforward answer.

[Andrew]

Michael,

There is not a direct one-to-one analogue to zero-span in the API. Zero-span is implemented in Spike with the I/Q streaming capabilities in the API. The I/Q data is then converted to all the plots (AM/FM/spectrum/waterfall/etc). There are examples of capturing I/Q data in the SDK. Conversion routines from I/Q to AM or spectrum are available online or made easy in environments like MATLAB.

Let us know if you have follow up questions.

Andrew

How do I setup the BB60 in zero-span mode through the API?
Do I set the span to “0” in bbConfigureCenterSpan?

Thanks
Michael

[Justin Crooks]

Mcline,
If you look in vsg_example_complex_freq_hopping, you’ll see vsgSubmitIQ(). You could output a trigger pulse by adding vsgSubmitTrigger(). The API sends them to the VSG in the order received. So if you Submit some I/Q data, then submit trigger and then more I/Q data, the trigger’s rising edge will match the first sample of second chunk of I/Q data.