In this episode Shahriar discusses the engineering challenges associated with making good RF & mm-Wave cables. The significance of the connector, cable frequency range, loss, phase/amplitude stability & temperate are all examined from a theoretical & practical aspects.
The stability of Junkosha cables are demonstrated up to 50GHz through S11 & phase measurements. The Junkosha MWX7 series cables offer optimized PTFE dielectrics as well as some of the best phase/amplitude/temperature stable operation:
In this episode (Part 2) Shahriar returns to the MXG repair! The awesome engineers at Keysight have provided a replacement for the suspect part! The exchange is not easy due to the component's strict thermal requirements. A method to provide a good thermal & electrical contact is presented. The repaired instrument is verified for functionality.
A close look at the complex micro-module is also presented under the microscope with analysis of each sub-component ceramic part & III/V MMIC.
In this episode (Part 1) Shahriar presents a detailed review of the Siglent SNA5000A series vector network analyzer. The Siglent SNA VNA has a frequency range of 9 kHz to 8.5 GHz, with 2- and 4-port models available. Designed to give you instant insight into scattering, differential, and time-domain measurements. Siglent VNAs enables measurements of the Q-factor, bandwidth, and insertion loss filters and feature impedance conversion, movement of measurement plane, limit testing, ripple test, fixture simulation, and adapter removal/insertion adjustments. There are five sweep types: Linear-Frequency, Log-Frequency, Power-Sweep, CW-Time, and Segment-Sweep mode. SNA5000A VNAs also support scattering-parameter correction of SOLT, SOLR, TRL, Response, and Enhanced Response for increased flexibility in R&D and manufacturing applications:
In this episode Shahriar investigates a failed Keysight MXG RF generator. The instrument shows UNLEVEL for frequencies above 10GHz. The measurements confirm that the instrument fails to achieve the desired output power. The block diagram of the synthesizer is examined in details and potential failure points are identified.
The teardown of the instrument and various components are also presented. A detailed description of the multiplier unit is shown along with the PCB X-Ray. Measurements confirm the failure of an Agilent-branded component (doubler + amplifier module). The repair has to be paused for now until a replacement component is sourced.
In this episode Shahriar takes a look at a SRS SR830 DSP Lock-in amplifier. The repair of the instrument is fairly simple and provides a quick look at the internal construction of the unit.
The instrument is then used for characterizing nonlinearities of a pair of matched diodes in large-signal operation. A Tektronix 4-Series is also used alongside the SR830 in DDC mode to show the harmonic behavior of the DUT in frequency domain. The SR830 is able to discern extremely small variation in temperature between the diodes and the resultant 2nd order harmonic changes in both amplitude & phase.
The Signal Path (TSP) is a science & electrical engineering video blog for industry professionals, researchers & students. TSP is a not-for-profit website dedicated to provide free education spanning a wide range of electrical engineering & science topics. Equipment reviews, tutorials and repair videos are posted regularly.
