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Hey Jared,
Thanks for the feedback. The trace export format is mentioned very briefly in the user manual on page 9.
The format for the columns is
Freq in Mhz, Min Amplitude, Max Amplitude.I hope this clarifies why you are seeing what appears to be multiple traces.
Regards,
A.J.Hello Feng,
The software is open source, so the .bbr format is exposed if you want to try to extract information from the file.
The two files of significance would be
https://github.com/SignalHound/BBApp/blob/master/BBApp/src/model/playback_toolbar.h
https://github.com/SignalHound/BBApp/blob/master/BBApp/src/model/playback_toolbar.cppThe format is a bit simplistic, which does make it simple to parse.
It starts with a header, defined in playback_toolbar.h.
Then there are ‘header::sweep_count’ traces which are laid sequentially out as– (Header 1 time only)
– 64 bit integer, (standard ms from epoch time, when the sweep was captured)
– header::trace_len 32-bit floats representing the “min” trace
– header::trace_len 32-bit floats representing the “max” trace
– (Repeat last 3 lines until eof)Everything is saved as binary, so fread will work great.
Let us know if you have any other questions.Hello Bongo,
Thank you for confirming this. Spike requires a minimum of OpenGL 2.0 to run. I apologize for the inconvenience.
Regards,
A.J.Hello Bongo,
The laptop you specified may not have the graphics capabilities required to run the Spike software. I was unable to find any information regarding the graphics capabilities of your laptop. You could try installing the latest video drivers from your manufacturer and making sure Windows updates is fully updated to see if that resolves the issue.
The OpenGL message you are seeing is almost certainly the result of uninstalling the video driver.
Regards,
A.J.Hello Jared,
Thank you very much for your feedback. There are a couple of points I can address now which might be of help to you.
3) BUG – RBW isn’t entirely settable. In some EMC related ranges I have to settle for 100kHz or 10kHz instead of 120kHz and 9kHz respectively.
Limitations of the device (the SA44/SA124) prevent us from being able to set the RBW to 120kHz. Even our older software was unable to do this, but 9kHz should be available to you at any time during operation.4) FEATURE – Whilst I only had a brief look at the zero span, AM/FM demodulation, and receiver/channel power etc, the FM demodulation on our local radio stations is much improved and the zero span would give me some useful information, however it would be nice to set this such that it behaves kind of like an oscilloscope (i.e. edge/level triggering and position so I can check duty cycle and Tx power).
In Zero-Span mode, on the control panel you can set a video/external trigger to perform the edge level triggering. Position was added in a subsequent release, so if you download the latest version, you can configure a trigger level and position.22) FEATURE – Could you get your website guys to put up a changelog file/page or include it in the install files?
Otherwise, it’s a bit vague as to what’s changed between revisions.
I will work on getting the change log on the downloads page. Currently it can be found in the installation folder after you install the software.Thanks again for the feedback.
Regards,
A.J.Hello Cliff,
We have the exact same Dell Venue model in our shop and we have experienced this problem. We solved this by using one of our SA124 y-cables and only using the data portion of the y. We will ship you a y-cable if you do not have one so you can use the device with your Dell tablet. Call me at 1-800-260-TEST Ext. 2 from 8-3 PST and I can set you up with a free cable.
Regards,
A.J.Hello Roger,
Thank you for calling in. Hopefully we were able to fully answer your questions. If you need anything further please let us know.
Regards,
A.J.Hello Marholt,
The Windows libraries have received a major update over the last couple of weeks. You can get the libraries by downloading the Spike software package here. signalhound.flywheelsites.com/spike You can find the library file and API manual in the api folder in the application directory after installation. The API does not provide channel power measurements directly but returns sweeps on which you can perform your channel power measurements.
Regards,
A.J.Hello Garry,
Thank you for the feedback. We are aware of the issue with Zero-Span. We are working on a solution for the next release and will release a notice on the forum when we have something for customers to try. I apologize for the inconvenience.
The calibration data is now stored at
C:\ProgramData\SignalHound\cal_files
ProgramData is a hidden folder and is the de-facto storage location for these types of files on Windows. By storing them here, the software no longer needs to be run as Administrator. Our hope is that you should no longer have to worry about the management of those files.Regards,
A.J. February 23, 2015 at 1:27 pm in reply to: USB-SA44B New API 3.0 (sa_api.dll) Resolution Band Width Settings Hello Roger,
Good question. In a spectrum analyzer, resolution bandwidth is typically defined by the 3dB bandwidth. This is the width of a signal (CW) measured 3dB down from the peak on either side. This is the definition we use.
The reason the bin size is not equivalent to the RBW is due to the use of window functions. If you are not familiar with window functions see here. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Window_function Most windows functions spread the spectral energy across multiple bins, which is commonly referred to as the window bandwidth, or noise bandwidth, or B. Flat-top windows have a higher bandwidth than most, usually B > 3. We use custom flat-top windows to achieve a higher amplitude accuracy, reduce spectral leakage, and maintain a high dynamic range.
You can directly calculate B using your example by the equation… 10 / 1.854 = B.
B will not be the same all the time, as we attempt to find the best B for any given setup.Let us know if you have any other questions.
Regards,
A.J.Hello Lisunov,
The TG44A is a companion product to the SA44B and they are meant to operate together. The tracking generator (TG) is simply a CW generator that has been designed to operate with the SA44B to function as a Scalar Network Analyzer. Our software exposes this functionality to the user when both devices are present. Both devices are needed if you want this functionality.
If you have any further questions please email support@signalhound.com
Regards,
A.J.Thank you for the heads up on the Linux API. I can look into it. Are you looking to stay on Linux or use Windows to take advantage of the new API updates?
Our Linux APIs (non-ARMs) required low-latency kernels and do not include any updates made over the last couple of years.
Regards,
A.J.Hello again Jacob,
Another question. Have you recently purchased this device or is this a device you have owned for awhile and are now seeing this behavior with the Spike software?
Regards
Hi Jbluff,
A couple quick questions. What happens when you launch the software (with the device plugged in and the light green) after the device has been plugged in for many minutes? Does the software find the device first try then? Also, does the API ever find the device? Even after many minutes of being plugged in?
The Option 2 is unique in that it needs to be plugged into the PC for several minutes before warming up to be operational. I want to rule that out as a possibility first.
Feel free to email me at aj@signalhound.com if you prefer email.
Regards,
A.J.Thank you all for the suggestions. I keep track of all of them.
We are currently working on a couple bugs, (bad text rendering on some machines, and attempting some fixes for users who have been unable to use Zero-span)
Also I have hopefully found the source of the printer issues some are facing.
Look for that release next week. I’ll keep squeezing in bug fixes and requests as I have time and as we see appropriate.
Mark, thank you for the feedback and suggestions. I’m glad the new software is working out for you.
EMHue, thank you for the attention to detail. The sweep time is definitely not right for sweeps that are partially updating. I like the idea of an update marker. Also the tracking generator controls present on the control panel are THE controls for configuring the TG sweeps. These controls are detailed in the user manual. The frequency controls are still used to define the frequency range of the sweep. The step entry controls how much the center frequency is adjusted when you use the up/down arrow buttons next to the center frequency entry. These are also detailed in the manual if you want more information. Thanks again for the feedback.
Andy, thanks for the heads up, for now the TG will remain on once you open the manual controls.
Regards,
A.J.Hello Marholt,
Thank you for the follow up. We have not tried other small portable solutions such as the Raspberry Pi or other alternatives. Might I suggest an x86 alternative such as a tablet or netbook with an Atom processor or Celeron processor? There might be x86 single board computers that work, I believe Intel has released a few in the last couple of years below $100. We just released a major update to our SA44 API which is compatible with x64 and x86 processors. This is the route you might have to take if you are looking to avoid longer sweep times.
If you have any further questions, let me know.
Regards,
A.J.Hello Victor,
Thank you for the follow up question. We are only going to integrate our tracking generators due to time and it also simplifies our products. We are a small team and don’t have the time to learn how to program and integrate a number of other generators, all of which will come with their own quirks and obstacles.
We do provide a programming interface to all of our devices if you are ambitious enough to build this solution for yourself.
Regards,
A.J.Hi Ray,
Thank you for the feedback. You are correct about the manual marker entry. There are only a discrete number of amplitude points to use, and so we show you which frequency bin is being used. Our older software did this in the background but just showed you the frequency you entered. Good catch.
Has your PC had issues with printing in other applications as well, or is it only in the Spike software? A temporary fix, might be to save to an image and then print the image, albeit a more time consuming process. I apologize for the inconvenience.
Regards,
A.J.Hello Defect,
Thank you for the question. At this point we do not have plans to extend the line of signal generators for scalar network analysis beyond our tracking generators.
Regards,
A.J.Hello Mark,
Thank you for the feedback and suggestions. I did want to let you know that we released a version yesterday (version 3.0.2) which enables you to set a marker frequency. This entry has been added directly to the control panel. Hopefully this will help you accelerate your measurements. You can download the latest version here signalhound.flywheelsites.com/spike
Regards,
A.J.