Hello Mallaug,

Since Spike also uses the API to retrieve the firmware string and is working for you, it would lead me to believe the issue is probably in the C# interop.

Hopefully someone here has enough C# experience to answer your question. You might also try searching online with search terms like “PInvoke char pointer parameter” or similar. It seems to bring up a lot of relevant results.

Regards,
Andrew

David,

The bbConfigureProcUnits() refers to the video processing units, “Video Units” in the Spike software. For channel power you will want to set this value to power as you were. The detector should be set to average, and the scale in the bbConfigureAcquisition() function should be set to BB_LOG_SCALE. You have the scale set to BB_LIN_SCALE, which is what changes the output units from dBm to mV.

Regards

Hello David,

I think the biggest issue I see is that since you specified a linear scale output from the API, the sweep is in the units of mV. In the Spike software we specify a log scale output and then convert each sweep bin to mW (power units) before summing them up, and then convert the final result back to dBm. If you want to stay with the linear scale (mV) output from the API, just square each sweep bin before summing.

I will attach a file I have sent others from the Spike software. It has some additional details that are irrelevant here, such as only summing up the power in a range specified by the user, but you will notice the same logic for summing the bins as mW and then dividing by the window bandwidth.

If you aren’t already, you can test the output of your code to the values Spike provides. Assuming similar channel widths, it should match very closely.

Regards,
Andrew

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Hello Carlos,

Thank you for emailing us as well. We will continue to work through your issues via email.

Regards,
Andrew

Hello JY,

You will need to calibration file for each SA44B you own. If you know the serial numbers for the devices I can help you get links to the calibration files.

Newer SA44B devices store the calibration file on the device itself. If you try running Spike with the other devices, it might automatically find the cal file from either the device or our server.

Regards,
Andrew

Hi Travis,

KB0NE is correct. There are no discussions for introducing other receivers into the Spike software.

Regards,
Andrew

Hello JY,

These instructions are for the Spike application.

Download the calibration file for your unit here
https://signalhound.com/custdata/P2054/D20540419.bin

Place this file into this directory path.
C:\ProgramData\SignalHound\cal_files

ProgramData is a hidden folder so you must “Show Hidden Files/Folders” in the Windows file browser menu. If the SignalHound/cal_files folder does not exist, then go ahead and create it. Once there, rerun Spike.

I believe for the 2.14 application simply place the .bin file in the same directory as the executable in the application directory.

Let me know if you run into any issues.

Regards,
Andrew

Hello setu_mohta,

There is currently no plans to offer a signal generator with these features.

Regards,
Andrew

Hello setu_mohta,

We do not have a CSV signal library other than the small number of examples we ship the unit with (~5 examples which indicate more of how to create the CSV files over providing various waveforms)

Regards,
Andrew

Hello Blackmore90,

Thank you for the reply.

The BB60C generally has had issues running consistently with Xeon processors which is why we only specify the i5/i7 processors in the minimum/recommended PC specs. Generally the issues stem from the USB drivers/support.

If you haven’t already, you can check the Supermicro page for your PC and see if there is any USB/chipset drivers specifically for your machine. I found this page which appears to be the motherboard for the server you linked. You can find a link to the drivers for this motherboard here. “Download the latest drivers and utilities” on the right hand side of the page. There is Intel USB/chipset drivers in the driver list. See if these resolve your issues.

https://www.supermicro.com/products/motherboard/Xeon/C600/X10DRU-X.cfm

I look forward to your response.

Regards,
Andrew

Hi Catalin,

There are situations (when using the SA44/124) in which the IF overload may not always be reported. Where as with the BB60C which relies on the ADC to tell us of IF overload, the SA overload warning is done by manually checking amplitude values. The ADC does not reliably clamp to the min/max ADC values so we cannot always depend on the large values being clamped properly by the ADC. Additionally, the signal can clamp before it reaches the ADC (in the RF section) and we cannot detect that situation either.

Also note, the Spike software when sweeping will warn you when the signal exceeds the reference level which is not the same as the IF overload warning. This extra warning is not present in zero-span mode.

Sample rates are low enough on the SA devices, you could insert a check on the IQ data to determine if it exceeds some known value (your reference level?).

Let me know if you have additional questions.

Regards,
Andrew

Hi Blackmore90,

Can you provide the PC make and model? I will see if I can determine what else can be done for your specific PC.

Regards,
Andrew

Hi hhonza,

Try disabling the video trigger when you are playing back the capture. This will allow you to scroll through the data. When you are playing the signal back and the video trigger is active, it attempts to find triggers in the capture and overrides your manual scrolling.

Once you are able to scroll through the data, try zooming in on the falling edge of that pulse to verify it is a smooth descent.

The trigger position control only affects the display of the IQ data. The pre-trigger setting on the IQ recording toolbar affects how much data before the trigger gets saved.

Let me know if you have additional questions.

Regards,
Andrew

(Yves has contacted us through email)

– Andrew

Hi John,

Sorry for the delay in response. The SA44B can sweep a larger range than its available RBW. The SA44B can be configured to sweep any range of frequencies within its 1Hz to 4.4GHz range. At a 200MHz span the minimum RBW available will be 6.5kHz.

As for antenna, I’m not familiar with the EMI/EMC antenna market. I would imagine it would depend on what you are attempting to achieve. Are you simply trying to find/characterize interference, an RF probe might be best in this case. If you need to simulate a real EMC test, you will likely need to recreate the test setup as close as possible with a calibrated antenna. I wish I could be more help. Maybe someone else on the board could help you out? You could create a separate topic. I know there have been several users on this board with EMC experience.

Regards,
Andrew

[Andrew]

Hello pmerana,

In the control panel in EMC precompliance, in the ‘trace’ section, you will find the export button which will export the entire sweep (all active sweep segments) to one file. It will export the frequency/amplitude pairs of each sweep segment in order. (Basically exactly as it is plotted). You will need to plot it on a logarithmic x axis to see it as it is shown in Spike. Is this adequate for your needs?

No updates for automatic QP measurements.

Regards,
Andrew

• This reply was modified 7 years, 10 months ago by Andrew.

Hi Blackmore90,

IQ streaming can be more USB throughput sensitive than standard swept analysis.

Here are some troubleshooting ideas.
1) Try a different USB 3.0 port. We have found that not all USB 3.0 ports are created equal.
2) Enable the high performance power option in the “Power Options” menu in the control panel.
3) Try updating your USB 3.0 driver. You can find instructions for Windows 7 machines on our website on the page http://www.signalhound.com/Spike in the FAQ section under the question “The Software Reports “Device not found” (BB60C)”. You will find two driver links. Install one and restart your PC and try again.

I look forward to your response.

Regards,
Andrew

Hello HHonza501,

There are no plans currently to allow the user to change sweep configurations during the recording. If users needed this kind of flexibility on the sweep recordings I would recommend using the API to retrieve sweeps from the device and storing them in a custom file format that suits the customers needs.

You are correct, as you scroll the recording it will move the sweeps into the waterfall. I can see how this wouldn’t be desired. I will make a note of this and potentially resolve this for future versions. Thank you for the feedback.

Let me know if you have additional questions or need clarification.

Regards,
Andrew

That is correct. There is no configurable DSP on the unit, other than the processing associated with individual measurements (sweep/real-time/IQ). The API will be very similar to our other devices.

Regards,
Andrew

Hi Testpoint,

More information on the SM200A here
https://signalhound.com/sm200a/

Let us know if you have follow up questions.

Regards,
Andrew

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