Agilent Technologies L4445A User Manual

Agilent L4445A
Microwave Switch/Attenuator Driver

Data Sheet

• LXI compliance includes
built-in Ethernet connectivity

• Fully-featured graphical
Web interface

• Control of most popular
microwave switches and
attenuators

• Expandable with 34945EXT

• Distribution boards allow
for easy wiring

• Switch read-back capabilities

• External power option
for simultaneous switching

• Software drivers for
most common programming
environments

Microwave switch/attenuator
driver offers support of most
common microwave switches
with distribution boards for
easy configuration

The Agilent L4445A is a LXI
Class C compliant instrument
that controls external switches
and attenuators. With its small
size and Ethernet connectivity,
the switch/attenuator driver
can be placed wherever your
application needs it.

The Agilent L4445A provides
digital outputs to control
switches, attenuators, and
other devices that are typically
used to route signals in a high
frequency system. Many of the
most popular microwave switches

and attenuators are supported
through the distribution boards.
The distribution boards enable
fast and easy connection to the
microwave devices.

Using this LXI instrument, you’ll
get all the benefits of an Ethernet
connection, instrument Web
server, standard software drivers
and more. The LXI standard is
supported by multiple vendors,
enabling lower cost of test with
accelerated test integration and
development.

Agilent Technologies

Microwave switch driver for easy
routing of high frequency signals
in your system

The L4445A allows you to
control switches, attenuators
and other devices close to your
device under test. The L4445A
combined with the 34945EXT
provides the power and control
signals to drive up to 64 switch
coils—that’s 32 standard SPDT
switches.

The L4445A can be extended
by adding additional 34945EXT
extenders. The first 34945EXT
is powered by the L4445A. You
can add up to seven additional
34945EXT extenders with user
supplied power. Multiple switch
operations are performed in
sequential order, or for faster,
simultaneous switching, you
can connect an external power
supply to the 34945EXT.

The digital outputs can also
be used to drive LEDs for indi­cation of the switch position.
The L4445A/34945EXT also has
digital inputs so that you can
read back the actual position
of the switch or attenuator.

The L4445A comes with a
standard 9-pin connector
for simple connection to the
34945EXT. The Y1150A-Y1155A
distribution boards plug onto
the 34945EXT and are used to
route the power and control
signals from the driver to the
switches using user supplied
cables. This enables simple
connections to the external
switches without a lot of
complicated wiring.

The following microwave
switches and attenuators are
supported with the Y1150A­Y1155A distribution boards:

• N181x/U9397x series
SPDT switches

• 8762/3/4 series SPDT switches
(screw terminals)

• 8765x coaxial switches

• 8766x/8767x/8768x multiport
switches

• 87104x/106x/L710xx/L720xx
multiport switches

• 87406x series matrix switches

• 87204x/206x series multiport
switches

• 87606x series matrix switches

• 87222x/L7222 transfer
switches

• 849x series attenuators

• 8490x series attenuators

• Screw terminal connections

Ethernet connectivity enables
simple connection to the
network and remote access
to measurements

The Ethernet interface offers
high-speed connections that
allow for remote access and
control. You can set up a private
network to filter out unwanted
LAN traffic and speed up the
I/O throughput, or take advan­tage of the remote capabilities
and distribute your tests world­wide. Monitor, troubleshoot, or
debug your application remotely.
Ethernet communication also
can be used with the support
of LAN sockets connections.

2

The optional GPIB interface
has many years of proven
reliability and can be used
for easy integration into
existing applications.

The L4445A ships with the
Agilent E2094 I/O Libraries
Suite making it easy for you to
configure and integrate instru­ments into your system — even
if your system includes instru­ments from multiple vendors.

Fully-featured graphical Web
interface makes it easy to set-up
and troubleshoot your tests from
anywhere in the world

The built-in Web browser
interface provides remote
access and control of the
instrument via a Java-enabled
browser such as Internet
Explorer. Using the Web
interface, you can set up,
troubleshoot, and maintain
your instrument from remote
locations.

• View and modify
instrument setup

• Configure switch channels
and switch pairs

• Open or close switches

• Send, receive and view
SCPI commands

• Define and execute
switch sequences

• View error queue

• Get status reports on
relay cycle counts, firmware
revisions, and more

Additionally, since the Web
server is built into the instru­ment, you can access it on any
operating system that supports
the Web browser without
having to install any special
software. Password protection
and LAN lockout are also
provided to limit access for
additional security.

Software for most popular
programming environments

Full support for standard pro­gramming environments
ensures compatibility and effi­ciency. You can use direct I/O
with the software you already
have and know, or use standard

IVI and LabVIEWTMsoftware
drivers that provide compati­bility with the most popular
development environments:

• Agilent T&M Toolkit for
Microsoft Visual Studio®.NET
and Agilent VEE Pro

• National Instruments
LabVIEW, LabWindows/CVI,
TestStand, and Switch
Manager

• Microsoft C/C++® and
Visual Basic®

3

Figure 1. The Web interface makes it easy to set up, troubleshoot and maintain
your test remotely