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Array Solutions AIM4170 Manual

Antenna analyzer
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ARRAY SOLUTIONS
350 Gloria Rd
Sunnyvale, TX 75182
www.arraysolutions.com
Antenna Analyzer AIM4170
 Feb 7, 2007

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  • Page 1 ARRAY SOLUTIONS 350 Gloria Rd Sunnyvale, TX 75182 www.arraysolutions.com Antenna Analyzer AIM4170  Feb 7, 2007...

  • Page 2: Table Of Contents

    Antenna Analyzer AIM4170 page 2 Table of Contents Quick Start…………………………….……………... 3 Calibration……………………………….…………... 7 Commands…………………………………………… 11 Data Window…………………………….….…………19 Data Referred to Antenna…………..……….…………21 Analyzer Principles of Operation……….….………….28 Measurement of Crystal Parameters……….…………..32 Frequency Source………………………………………36 Appendix 1 – Specifications…….……….…… ……….37 Appendix 2 – Complex Numbers…………..… ……….38 Appendix 3 –...

  • Page 3: Quick Start

    Connect one end of the RS232 cable to the antenna analyzer and the other end to COM1 on your PC. If you want to use a different COMM port, start the AIM4170 program and click on the Setup menu at the top of the screen. Then click on Comm Port and enter the port number (1 to 8) that you want to use.
  • Page 4 The current required is about 250ma while a measurement is in progress and about 50ma when idle. Batteries are not included with the AIM4170 but you can make a battery pack using any type of batteries you like. There is room inside the case for a 9V battery and disconnect diodes are included so the battery and the AC power supply will not interfere with each other.
  • Page 5 Launch the AIM_xxx.exe program. You will see a graph similar to this: When the AIM4170 is present, it must be turned on before the PC program is launched. If the PC program starts when the AIM4170 is not connected and powered up, the program will automatically enter the DEMO mode.
  • Page 6 Antenna Analyzer AIM4170 page 6 Scan using a 301 ohm resistor for a test load.

  • Page 7: Calibration

    Antenna Analyzer AIM4170 page 7 Calibration The AIM4170 has no internal adjustments. There are no trim pots or caps inside. All the calibration is done with the following software procedure. Click on the Setup menu and select Calibrate Analyzer. A message box will appear near the center of the screen, as shown below: Attach the BNC connector with an internal short circuit (this is included with the AIM4170, it is labeled “short”).
  • Page 8 The calibration procedure can also cancel the effect of a piece of coax that is used as a jumper to connect the AIM4170 to the load. In this case, the open, short and standard resistor are connected to the far end of the jumper. Good results have been obtained with...
  • Page 9 Antenna Analyzer AIM4170 page 9 After taking several reading of the open connector, the program will prompt for the standard resistor with a value between 50 ohms and 500 ohms. This resistor should be mounted on a connector like those used during the open and short calibration steps. The exact value is not critical.
  • Page 10 10 Click OK to continue. Each time the AIM4170 program starts, the last calibration file that was used will be read to restore the cal data. Since there are no adjustments that have to be made inside the case, the calibration is very stable.

  • Page 11: Commands

    LIMITS (L)– When this button is clicked, a dialog box, as shown below, pops up for entering the start and stop frequencies and the size of the frequency increment (step) between measurement points. The start and stop frequencies range from 0.1MHz to 170MHz for the AIM4170.
  • Page 12 Antenna Analyzer AIM4170 page 12 For example, to scan the 40-meter band, you might enter 6.9MHz for the Start frequency, 7.4MHz for the Stop frequency and 0.01MHz for the frequency Step (the spacing between measured points). This would result in a scan of 50 points across the band.
  • Page 13 Antenna Analyzer AIM4170 page 13 If the actual measured value is off the scale (flat line at the top of the graph), the value readout by the cursor is still valid since it uses the raw data stored in memory. For...
  • Page 14 Antenna Analyzer AIM4170 page 14 HALT - While the scan is in progress, you can stop it by clicking this button. This is different from the QUIT button (shown below). QUIT – This stops the program, saves the setup conditions (limits, scales, etc) and exits back to the Windows OS.
  • Page 15 Antenna Analyzer AIM4170 page 15 Commands on the menu bar at the top of the screen: FILE: Load -- Load a raw data file from a previous scan. After this file is loaded, its data is just like the original scan. The cursor can be used to read out the numeric values.
  • Page 16 CALIBRATE: Analyzer-- Calibrate the AIM4170 using open circuit, short circuit and resistive load conditions. The calibration data is saved in a disk file that’s read each time the program is started. Cable -- Data for the cable is generated to be used by the “ref to antenna”...
  • Page 17 Antenna Analyzer AIM4170 page 17 Average Readings- Each data point is obtained by averaging two or more ADC readings to reduce the effect of measurement noise. When this option is selected, “AVG =N” appears in red in the upper right corner of the graph. N is the number of readings being averaged and is between 2 and 16.
  • Page 18 Antenna Analyzer AIM4170 page 18 UTILITIES: This program which is available on the web takes the impedance L-C Matching Networks by WY2U data (R and X) that is measured at the input end of the transmission line and calculates the L-C network required to transform it to the correct impedance (for example, 50 ohms) to match the transmitter.

  • Page 19: Data Window

    Antenna Analyzer AIM4170 page 19 Data Window After a scan (or after loading a file from disk), the mouse can move a cursor along the frequency axis and the numeric data for several parameters will be displayed continuously in a data window on the right side of the screen. An example is shown below: The light cyan vertical line is the cursor.
  • Page 20 Antenna Analyzer AIM4170 page 20 Parameter values for both a series and a parallel equivalent circuit are shown as Rs, Ls (series circuit) and Rp, Lp (parallel circuit). Note that when the phase angle, Theta, is negative, the equivalent components, Ls and Lp, change to Cs and Cp automatically.

  • Page 21: Data Referred To Antenna

    Sometimes it is desirable to know the impedance at the antenna terminals. Two different methods can be used with the AIM4170. The method described first is more accurate but it requires a careful calibration phase. The second method described later is not quite as accurate but it only requires data from the manufacturer’s spec sheet.
  • Page 22 The last value that was entered will be displayed as the default value. The AIM4170 will now scan the specified frequency range and save another table of parameters that contains information about the cable using the large terminating resistor.
  • Page 23 (which may vary from one roll of coax to another), you can measure the electrical length directly using the AIM4170. Put a short circuit across the antenna terminals (or disconnect the coax from the antenna) and scan from 1 to 32 MHz to find the first point where the phase angle is zero.
  • Page 24 Antenna Analyzer AIM4170 page 24 For example, if the loss at 10MHz is 1.5dB/100feet, enter 1.5/SquareRoot(10) = 0.47 dB/100 feet for the loss. This attenuation value is close to the value at 1MHz. You can enter loss as either a positive or a negative number, it doesn’t matter.
  • Page 25 Antenna Analyzer AIM4170 page 25 The following pictures show the effect of using the impedance transformation feature. These graph illustrate the results using reference Method A. This picture shows an ordinary scan with a 301-ohm resistor at the end of 28 feet of RG58 coax.
  • Page 26 Antenna Analyzer AIM4170 page 26 This picture shows the results when the Refer to antenna function is selected. The resistor (301 ohms) and the cable are the same as used in the previous graph. The Rs plot (shown in orange) is relatively flat across the frequency range. (The magnitude of the impedance is plotted in green but it is overlaid by the orange plot since the values of Zmag and Rs are so close in numeric value.) The measured resistance at 11.363MHz is...
  • Page 27 Antenna Analyzer AIM4170 page 27 The cursor data at 5.200 MHz is very close for both plots. To exit from this mode, click “Functions” and “Ref to Antenna” again.

  • Page 28: Analyzer Principles Of Operation

    28 AIM4170 Principles of Operation The AIM4170 is based on the same technology used in the AIM430 and AIM4160. 1. An RF voltage is applied to the transmission line input. To reduce the chance for interference to nearby radio receivers, the maximum output power is less than 20 microwatts (-17 dBm).
  • Page 29 (ADC) that is inside the MSP430 microprocessor. This microprocessor is mounted inside the AIM4170 case. The raw data is sent from the microprocessor to the external PC via the RS232 port. The PC calculates the various data...
  • Page 30 Antenna Analyzer AIM4170 page 30 Reflection Coefficient: To find the SWR (standing wave ratio) of an antenna, we first calculate the reflection coefficient. This is the ratio of the voltage that is reflected at the antenna to the voltage that arrives at the antenna from the transmitter. If all the power from the transmitter is radiated into space, there is no reflection, the reflection coefficient is zero and the SWR=1.0.
  • Page 31 Antenna Analyzer AIM4170 page 31 The reflection coefficient also has an associated phase angle, Theta, between the incident voltage from the transmitter and the reflected voltage. The real and imaginary parts of Rho can be related to its magnitude and phase angle with the following equations:...

  • Page 32: Measurement Of Crystal Parameters

    A broad scan can be done to locate the resonant frequencies. They will be displayed at the top of the screen. Typically, these two frequencies only differ by a few kilohertz. (The screen pictures in this section were taken using an AIM430. The same features are included in the AIM4170.)
  • Page 33 Antenna Analyzer AIM4170 page 33 Automatic Crystal Parameter Calculation The calculations to find the crystal parameters are tedious so they have been combined into a procedure than can be called from the Data menu. First click “Measure Crystal”: Then enter the resonant frequency:...
  • Page 34 Antenna Analyzer AIM4170 page 34 The following discussion goes into more detail about the crystal calculations. After the resonant frequencies are located, you can change the scan limits to focus in more detail on the region of interest. At the series resonant frequency, the reactances of L and Cs cancel out and the magnitude of the impedance becomes equal to R.
  • Page 35 Antenna Analyzer AIM4170 page 35 Cseries = 4.5pf * 2 *(12.12059 – 12.09557)/12.12059 = 0.0186pf The inductance L is given by: L = 1 / ( 4 * pi*pi * Freq_series * Freq_series * Cs ) L = 1/(4*pi*pi*12.09557MHz^2*0.0185pf) = 9308 uH The Q of the crystal is found by measuring the two frequencies F1 and F2 on either side of the Freq_series where the phase angle is +/- 45 degrees.

  • Page 36: Frequency Source

    36 Frequency Source The AIM4170 can be used as a signal source for testing electronic circuits, such as radio receivers. The programmed frequency has a nominal accuracy of +/-30ppm and it can be calibrated with respect to WWV at 10MHz. The amplitude of the output is not regulated by an AGC circuit but it is flat within 1 db across any amateur band.

  • Page 37: Appendix 1 - Specifications

    Antenna Analyzer AIM4170 page 37 Appendix 1 – AIM4170 Specifications Frequency Control: Digital Synthesizer 0.1 - 170 MHz ; Stability: +/- 30 ppm Frequency Step Size: 1 Hz to 10MHz Calibration: software controlled (no screwdriver adjustments). ADC resolution: 12 bits.

  • Page 38: Appendix 2 - Complex Numbers

    Antenna Analyzer AIM4170 page 38 Appendix 2 – Complex Numbers A complex number has two parts: a real part that we are accustomed to using for most everyday problems, and an imaginary part. The imaginary part was introduced to handle the square root of negative numbers.
  • Page 39 Antenna Analyzer AIM4170 page 39 Let the equation be: x^2 – x + 2 = 0 a = 1, b = -1, c = +2 Changing “c” from –2 to +2 gives us: x = [1 + SQRT(1 – 8)]/2 x = [1 –...
  • Page 40 Antenna Analyzer AIM4170 page 40 The second and third terms are imaginary, so we can them to get: j*(b*c + a*d) The final result is: (a+jb)*(c+jd) = (ac – db) + j(bc + ad) This is tedious. Fortunately, the computer is good at this sort of thing, so we usually don’t have to worry about the details.
  • Page 41 Antenna Analyzer AIM4170 page 41 The magnitude of a complex number is the square root of the sum of the squares of the real part and the imaginary part: Magnitude_of_Z = SQRT( 500*500 + 227*227) = 549 ohms The phase angle, Theta, associated with this complex number can be calculated by: Theta = ArcTangent(Imaginary_part / Real_part) = ArcTangent(-227/500) = - 24.4 degrees...

  • Page 42: Appendix 3 - Hot Keys

    Antenna Analyzer AIM4170 page 42 Appendix 3 – Hot Keys The following keyboard keys can be used instead of clicking buttons with the mouse: S – Scan (same as Scan button) R – Rescan (same as Rescan button) L – Enter new Limits (same as Limits button) D –...

  • Page 43: Appendix 4 - Rs232/Usb Operation

    Because some newer computers don’t have RS232 ports, it may be necessary to use an RS232 to USB adapter with the AIM4170. The AIM’s RS232 port uses only three wires. Pin 2 is the data from the AIM to the computer, pin 3 is the data from the computer to the AIM and pin 5 is ground.

  • Page 44: Appendix 5 - Scan Data File Format

    Antenna Analyzer AIM4170 page 44 Appendix 5 – Scan Data File Format The scan data can be saved in two different formats that are suitable for importing into spreadsheets or plotting programs. In one file with the extension “.csv”, only the basic data is saved in the following order: Frequency in MHz, SWR, Rseries, Xseries, Zmag, Theta(deg), Reflection coefficient, Return loss(dB), Percent reflected power.
  • Page 45 Antenna Analyzer AIM4170 page 45 249.890869140625000 249.908309936523440 1.558983564376831 284.346221923828120 // SWR 7.125505924224854 314.254211425781250 314.334991455078120 1.548125863075256 202.912612916039060 // SWR 17.597200393676758 419.200958251953120 419.570159912109370 1.528843045234680 158.592254638671870 49.341548919677734 621.562377929687500 623.517761230468750 1.491579294204712 134.716033935546880 205.956863403320310 1158.638305664062500 1176.801147460937500 1.394876122474670 123.570953369140620 4566.038085937500000 2713.321289062500000 5311.385742187500000 0.536173224449158 114.446578979492190 421.559051513671870 -1494.078613281250000 1552.411987304687500...
  • Page 46 Antenna Analyzer AIM4170 page 46 -1.510749816894531 80.219047546386719 12.850700378417969 -221.102661132812500 221.475799560546870 -1.512740731239319 76.584655761718750 10.647170066833496 -195.356231689453120 195.646148681640620 -1.516348838806152 68.956077575683594 9.652303695678711 -175.194458007812500 175.460159301757810 -1.515757203102112 65.095878601074219 8.543374061584473 -158.872634887695310 159.102188110351560 -1.517073035240173 61.215835571289063 7.745326042175293 -145.441238403320310 145.647323608398440 -1.517592549324036 58.022541046142578 7.089697837829590 -134.253402709960940 134.440475463867190 -1.518036961555481 53.652206420898437 6.746065139770508 -124.731056213378910 124.913352966308590 -1.516764044761658...

  • Page 47: Appendix 6 - Battery Operation

    47 Appendix 6 - Battery Operation The AIM4170 can be powered with a battery for portable operation. Battery voltage can range from 6.0 to 15V. The required current is 250ma when a measurement is in process and 50ma when idle. The power is turned off automatically after 10 minutes of inactivity when the Auto-Power-Off feature is enabled (this is an option in the SETUP tab at the top of the screen).
  • Page 48 Antenna Analyzer AIM4170 page 48 In the lower left corner of the board are shown the pos(+ RED) and neg(- BLUE) battery connections. D1 and D11 are included on the PCB. There is an open space to install an optional R54 for charging a battery.

  • Page 49: Appendix 7 - Saving Screen Shots

    Antenna Analyzer AIM4170 page 49 Appendix 7 – Saving Screen Shots Pictures of the scan can be very useful for documentation. The first step is to copy the screen image to the clipboard by pressing the ALT key and then the Print Screen key.

  • Page 50: Appendix 8 - Configuration File

    Antenna Analyzer AIM4170 page 50 Appendix 8 – Configuration File The configuration file (*.cfg) is used to set the screen colors and some other display parameters. Several config files can be resident in the same folder. They are selected using the menu option: File -> Load Config File.
  • Page 51 Antenna Analyzer AIM4170 page 51 // A double-slash on a line means the whole line is a comment. // When experimenting with colors, the new set of colors can be entered on the same // line and the old ones are pushed to the right.
  • Page 52 Antenna Analyzer AIM4170 page 52 ( 0 means cursor is enabled only when left mouse button is pressed. ) // Graph line width: 2 = Line width of the plotted data (can be 1,2,3,4,5) // Halt: 2 = Halt if right mouse button is pressed )

  • Page 53: Appendix 9 - Component Test Fixture

    Antenna Analyzer AIM4170 page 53 Appendix 9 – Component Test Fixture The AIM4170 can be used to measure small discrete components over a specified frequency range. A convenient way to hold them is with a BNC to binding post adapter. Even though the adapter has...
  • Page 54 Antenna Analyzer AIM4170 page 54 Here we see the surface mount adapter combined with the binding post adapter. The stray capacitance of this combination adapter will also be compensated by the calibration procedure. Capacitors in the picofarad to nanofarad range and inductors in the nanohenry to microhenry range can be measured.

  • Page 55: Terms And Conditions

    This warranty gives you specific legal rights, and you may also have other rights that vary from state to state. Products Not Manufactured By Array Solutions - Manufacturer's Warranty Only We do not warrant other products we sell. They are warranted by the original manufacturer.
  • Page 56 Package your item properly. Array Solutions is not responsible for merchandise damaged in shipment. Our service rate is $50 per hour (2 hr.
  • Page 57 Monday through Friday. Our normal method of shipment is UPS Surface International orders are sent with Air mail parcel post or EMS. We do not ship C.O.D. Array Solutions reserves the right at any time after receipt of your order to accept or decline your order for any reason.
  • Page 58 Please be sure to insure your package for its value. Array Solutions will not be responsible for equipment that is damaged in shipment to us.

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