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Related Manuals for Signal Hound BB60A
Summary of Contents for Signal Hound BB60A
- Page 1 SIGNAL HOUND BB60C / BB60A User Manual...
- Page 2 S I G N A L H O U N D BB60C / BB60A User Manual Version 2 2014, Signal Hound 35707 NE 86 La Center, WA Phone 360.263.5006 • Fax 360.263.5007...
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Page 3: Table Of Contents
T able of Contents OVERVIEW ................................5 ’ ................................5 PREPARATION ................................5 ................................. 5 NITIAL NSPECTION ..............................6 OFTWARE NSTALLATION 2.2.1 Software Requirements ............................6 ..............................6 RIVER NSTALLATION ........................... 7 ONNECTING IGNAL OUND ........................7 UNNING THE OFTWARE FOR THE IRST BB60 F .......................... - Page 4 MPORTING OSS AND IMIT ABLES ................................32 UDIO LAYER DISPLAY MODES ..............................33 ................................33 PECTROGRAM ................................33 ERSISTENCE UNDERSTANDING THE BB60A HARDWARE ......................35 ............................36 RONT RCHITECTURE ............................... 36 PURIOUS IGNALS ................................ 37 ESIDUAL IGNALS ..............................37 MPLITUDE CCURACY 8.4.1...
- Page 5 ..............................46 XCLUSIVE EMEDIES 14.5 ................................46 ERTIFICATION 14.6 ................................. 47 REDIT OTICE APPENDIX ................................48 15.1 BB60A ....................48 YPICAL ERFORMANCE HARACTERISTICS OF THE 15.2 BB60C ....................48 YPICAL ERFORMANCE HARACTERISTICS OF THE 15.2.1 Typical Amplitude Accuracy ........................... 48 15.2.2 Typical Displayed Average Noise Level ......................
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Page 6: Overview
140 MB/sec. By adding a high speed hard drive to your PC or laptop (250 MB/s sustained write speed), the BB60A doubles as an RF recorder, streaming all 80 million samples per second to disk. -
Page 7: Software Installation
P R E P A R A T I O N Software Installation Run the setup.exe file from the included CD, and follow on-screen instructions. You must have administrator privileges to install the software. You may be asked to install the Windows Runtime Frameworks, as this must be installed for the software to run. -
Page 8: Connecting Your Signal Hound
My Computer for drivers. From there navigate to the BB60 application folder and select the folder name drivers/x64. Hit OK and wait for the drivers to install. If for some reason the drivers still did not install properly, contact Signal Hound. Connecting Your Signal Hound With the software and BB60 drivers installed, you are ready to connect your device. - Page 9 P R E P A R A T I O N 3) A multi-purpose BNC connector, primarily for trigger input. Both BNC connectors are also capable of outputting logic high and low using the API.
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Page 10: Getting Started
S T A R T E D 3 Getting Started Learn about the basic functions and features of your Signal Hound Spectrum Analyzer. Launching the BB60 software brings up the Graphical User Interface (GUI). This section describes the GUI in detail and how you can use the GUI to control the BB60. -
Page 11: Measurements
G E T T I N G S T A R T E D Each control panel contains multiple subsets of related controls. Each subset will be described in more depth below. Each subset can be collapsed or expanded. 3.2.1 Measurements The Measurements control panel allows the user to configure the spectrum related measurements. -
Page 12: Offsets
G E T T I N G S T A R T E D Peak Search – This will place the selected marker on the highest amplitude signal on the trace specified by Place On. If the selected trace is Off then the first enabled trace is used. ... -
Page 13: Amplitude Controls
G E T T I N G S T A R T E D stop frequencies to fall outside the range of operation. Using the arrows, you can change the span using a 1/2/5/10 sequence. Center – allows you to change the center frequency of the sweep. If a change in center frequency causes the start or stop frequencies to fall outside the range of operation, the span will be reduced. -
Page 14: Acquisition Controls
G E T T I N G S T A R T E D o Non-Native resolution bandwidths are available from 10 Hz to 10 MHz, in a 1-3-10 sequence. (e.g. 1 kHz, 3 kHz, 10 kHz, 30 kHz, 100 kHz, … ) when using the arrow keys. -
Page 15: Trigger Settings
G E T T I N G S T A R T E D Atten – Controls the internal device attenuation. It is recommended to keep this value set to Auto. Decimation – Controls the overall decimation of the IQ data capture. For example, a decimation of 2 results in an IQ sample rate of 20MS/s. -
Page 16: Zero-Span Toolbar
Disconnect Device – This option disconnects the currently connected BB60 device. This option combined with “Connect Device” is useful for cycling a devices power or swapping devices without closing the Signal Hound software. Exit – Disconnect the device and close the software. -
Page 17: Edit Menu
G E T T I N G S T A R T E D 3.5.2 Edit Menu Title – Enable or disable a custom title. The title appears above the graticule and is included in the screen captures via printing as well as session recordings. ... -
Page 18: Trace
G E T T I N G S T A R T E D Time-Gate Analysis – Enter time-gate analysis. 3.5.6 Trace Copy Trace – Copy the currently displayed trace to one of two available copies. Show Trace – Toggle the display of the two trace copies. ... -
Page 19: The Status Bar
LOW V – This indicator appears when the device is not receiving enough voltage from the USB 3.0 connection. The voltage value appears when this annunciator is present. The device requires 4.4V. If this annunciator appears, it may indicate other problems. Contact Signal Hound if you are unable to determine the source of this problem. - Page 20 G E T T I N G S T A R T E D 3. Play/Continue – Begin playing a saved session or continue a paused session. 4. Stop – Stop playing the current session. 5. Pause – Pause the current session. 6.
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Page 21: Modes Of Operation
PC where it undergoes FFT spectrum analysis transforming the input IF into a frequency spectrum. The resulting IF contains 20MHz of usable bandwidth for the BB60A and 27MHz of usable bandwidth for the BB60C. -
Page 22: Real-Time Spectrum Analysis
M O D E S O P E R A T I O N Real-Time Spectrum Analysis One of the issues with the standard sweep mode is the “blind time” between each trace. Blind time refers to the time between spectrum sampling. During this time, we are processing the last capture, or viewing the data. - Page 23 M O D E S O P E R A T I O N pressing the zero span button on the Sweep Settings control panel. The first time you enter zero span mode the application will appear as below. The application window will be split into multiple viewports and contain a control panel for controlling zero span sweeps.
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Page 24: Taking Measurements
T A K I N G M E A S U R E M E N T S 5 Taking Measurements This section helps you learn how to measure, analyze, and record signals using the BB60, utilizing built-in features such as markers, record/playback, and channel power. Measuring Frequency and Amplitude 5.1.1 Using Markers... -
Page 25: Capturing Signals Of Interest
CSV files can be created of traces with the Trace Export button found on the control panel. CSV files are useful for performing further signal analysis or plotting outside the Signal Hound application. When exporting a trace into a CSV file, the currently shown trace is exported. Because of this it may be difficult to obtain a CSV file of a signal of interest. -
Page 26: Measuring Channel Power
T A K I N G M E A S U R E M E N T S Min and Max hold traces are another way to capture intermittent hard to view signals. Min and max hold keep track of the minimum and maximum values over a period of time storing them in a separate viewable trace. -
Page 27: Tips For Better Measurements
T A K I N G M E A S U R E M E N T S Modulation Analysis The BB60 software is capable of performing analysis on AM and FM modulated audio. To perform audio analysis the device must be operating in Zero-Span mode, and can be enabled on the control panel. - Page 28 T A K I N G M E A S U R E M E N T S √ or in words, the RMS of the first four hamonics to the RMS of the fundamental frequency. Both SINAD and THD measurements occur for AM or FM depending on which demodulation type is selected for Zero-Span.
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Page 29: Measurement Procedure
UUT output power slowly until you can enter the next lower power range. Tips for Better Measurements The BB60A and BB60C have internal gain and attenuation settings that are automatically adjusted for your selected reference level. While the software allows the user to manually control these settings, the... -
Page 30: Additional Features
-50 to -20 dBm and -15 to +5 dBm, will generally result in a 5 dB improvement in IP2 and IP3. For the BB60A, a 10 dB change in reference level will improve linearity, typically by 10 dB. -
Page 31: Saving Images
A D D I T I O N A L F E A T U R E S Saving Images Using the File Save to Image menu option you can save the current graticule view as a PNG image. The resulting resolution of the image is the exact resolution of your graticule when you choose to save. - Page 32 A D D I T I O N A L F E A T U R E S We can see the linear interpolation between the two points and flat lines off the sides. The format for limit lines is very similar. Each line with contain two or three values. If you only want a max limit line, each line of the CSV will contain two values, if you want max and minimum limit lines, each line will contain three values.
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Page 33: Audio Player
A D D I T I O N A L F E A T U R E S Audio Player Under the Utilities Audio Player menu option, you can utilize the BB60 to play broadcast audio. When using the BB60 software for audio playback, the dialog box below will appear. You can change the center frequency using the arrow keys, pressing the fine tune frequency adjustments, or through manual entry. -
Page 34: Display Modes
D I S P L A Y M O D E S 7 Display Modes The BB60 provides you with many ways to view the spectrum. Each type of display is useful for different purposes. Below is an introduction to some of the views. Spectrogram The BB60 offers two visual representations of a spectrogram, the traditional spectral waterfall and a three dimensional representation where amplitude is represented by color and height. - Page 35 D I S P L A Y M O D E S Figure 3: Persistence showing the signal from a poorly shielded commercial microwave oven in Real-Time mode.
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Page 36: Understanding The Bb60A Hardware
U N D E R S T A N D I N G T H E B B 6 0 A H A R D W A R E 8 Understanding the BB60C Hardware Front End Architecture Description The BB60C is a two-stage superheterodyne receiver, using two independent intermediate frequencies (IF), selected based on RF input frequency. -
Page 37: Front End Architecture
FX3 peripheral controller streams the packetized data over a USB 3.0 link to the PC, where 80 million, 14-bit ADC samples per second are processed into a spectrum sweep or I/Q data stream. 9 Understanding the BB60A Hardware Front End Architecture The AC-coupled RF input is first attenuated. -
Page 38: Residual Signals
“spur reject.” Residual Signals A residual signal appears even when there is no signal input. The BB60A has noticeable residual signals at multiples of its 10 MHz timebase. These are guaranteed to be below -90 dBm for a reference level of -50 dBm, attenuator 0 dB (for advanced users, 0 dB atten, gain of 2 or 3), but will typically be well below this level. -
Page 39: Dynamic Range
Dynamic Range The BB60A has four internal freqency bands. With large spans the shape of the noise floor will often show the start and end of these bands. Often times the noise floor of these bands do not line up, and this is because each band displayed is optimized independently for the best dynamic range. -
Page 40: Troubleshooting
B B 6 0 C H A R D W A R E 10 Troubleshooting If you experience a problem with your Signal Hound, please try these troubleshooting techniques before contacting us. 10.1 Unable to Find or Open the Device Ensure the device is plugged in and the green light is on. -
Page 41: Calibration And Adjustment
C A L I B R A T I O N A N D A D J U S T M E N T 11 Calibration and Adjustment Contact Signal Hound for more information regarding calibration software and required equipment. -
Page 42: Bb60C Specifications
S P E C I F I C A T I O N S 12 BB60C Specifications The following preliminary specifications are based on being in the Preset condition, using internal timebase, video processing set for average and power, plus VBW, sweep, gain, and attenuation in the default auto mode. 9 kHz to 6 GHz Frequency Range: Streaming Digitized I/Q: 250 ... - Page 43 S P E C I F I C A T I O N S Synchronization (≤ 20 M Hz IBW) 1 PPS GPS input port enables ± 50ns time-stamping Operating Temperature: 32°F to 149°F (0°C to +65°C) Standard; -40°F to 149°F (-40°C to +65°C) for Option-1 Weight Net, 1.10 lbs.
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Page 44: Typical Bb60C Intermodulation Performance
S P E C I F I C A T I O N S 12.1 Typical BB60C Intermodulation Performance Two-tone IP2 and IP3 plotted. IP2 shown is high-side two-tone IP2. IP3 shown is the average between high-side and low-side two-tone IP3. Equal amplitude tones at f1 and f2 spaced 4 MHz. Single typical device plotted, gain and attenuator=auto. -
Page 45: Bb60A Specifications
W A R R A N T Y A N D D I S C L A I M E R 13 BB60A Specifications 13.1 Frequency Range: 9 kHz to 6.0 GHz Streaming IF or I/Q data: 20 MHz real-time analysis BW Resolution Bandwidths (RBW): 10 Hz to 10 MHz Internal Timebase Accuracy: ±1ppm per year... -
Page 46: Spectral Purity
W A R R A N T Y A N D D I S C L A I M E R 13.4 Spectral Purity Spurious & Image Rejection (–20 dBFS into ADC, 0dB attn., max gain) typical: SW Spur Reject 9 kHz to 1.5 GHz 1.5 GHz to 5.0 GHz 5.0 GHz to 6.0 GHz -39 dBc... -
Page 47: Warranty And Disclaimer
14.2 Warranty Service For warranty service or repair, this product must be returned to Signal Hound. The Buyer shall pay shipping charges to Signal Hound and Signal Hound shall pay UPS Ground, or equivalent, shipping charges to return the product to the Buyer. However, the Buyer shall pay all shipping charges, duties, and taxes, to and from Signal Hound, for products returned from another country. -
Page 48: Credit Notice
W A R R A N T Y A N D D I S C L A I M E R its published specifications. 14.6 Credit Notice Windows is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and other countries. Intel®... -
Page 49: Appendix
A P P E N D I X 15 Appendix 15.1 Typical Performance Characteristics of the BB60C Below are characteristics of the BB60C which have shown to be typical. These are not hard specifications but show the typical performance in a few aspects not covered in our official specs. The official BB60C device specifications can be found in this document under the section titled BB60C Specifications. -
Page 50: Typical Displayed Average Noise Level
A P P E N D I X 15.1.2 Typical Displayed Average Noise Level 15.1.3 Typical Performance over Temperature 15.1.3.1 Spurious Mixer Responses* -40 C 1000 1500 2000 2500 3000 -30 C -20 C -10 C 10 C 21 C 32 C 43 C 54 C... -
Page 51: Phase Noise
A P P E N D I X 15.1.3.2 Phase Noise Typical Phase Noise Across Temperature at 1 -40 C 1,000 10,000 100,000 -30 C -20 C -10 C 10 C 21 C 32 C 43 C 54 C 65 C -100 Offset (Hz) 15.1.3.3... - Page 52 15.2 Typical Performance Characteristics of the BB60A Below are characteristics of the BB60A which have shown to be typical. These are not hard specifications but show the typical performance in a few aspects not covered in our official specs. The official BB60A device specifications can be found in this document under the section titled BB60A Specifications.
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