Atec Agilent-8990B User Manual

Agilent 8990B Peak Power Analyzer and

N1923A/N1924A Wideband Power Sensors

Data Sheet

Faster measurement speed and greater measurement accuracy

Skip the complicated setup and go
straight to making measurements
with Agilent 8990B peak power
analyzer. The instrument offers faster
measurement speed and greater
measurement accuracy in key applica­tions such as radar pulse analysis
and wireless pulse measurement.
Designed with both ease of use and
high performance in mind, the 8990B
peak power analyzer does more than
just measure and analyze – it saves
you time and effort, letting you focus
on the important details.

Ease of use

8990B peak power analyzer is built for ease of use: the instrument is easy to set,
easy to trigger and easy to measure pulse measurements with.

Setting Set amplitude and time scale settings quickly with dedicated knobs
and buttons, while the Autoscale function automatically displays
waveforms scaled to the display. The function is accessible through a
single touch button.

Trigger Trigger the right pulse signal in three simple steps. Simply select the
trigger source, the trigger edge and the trigger level, and the peak
power analyzer will display the appropriate pulse signals.

Measure Analyze a full range of parameters with 15 pulse parameter
measurements, all pre-defined and executed automatically in two
easy steps via the front panel touchscreen.

Additional features such internal zero and calibration and touchscreen capability
make setup and data analysis both efficient and convenient, while a familiar but­ton layout cuts the learning time needed to master using the instrument.

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Performance

8990B peak power analyzer is rich with a host of key performance specifications,
dedicated to give you accurate and more detailed pulse measurements, faster.

Accuracy Measure RF power measurements with less error; 8990B has an
overall accuracy rate of 0.2 dB.

Detail View pulses in greater image detail with the large 15-inch XGA color
display and get the high resolution needed to detect abnormalities in
a signal trace with the 8990B’s sampling rate of 100 MSample/s
(real time sampling) and 1 GSample/s (ETS mode).

Speed Automatically execute pulse droop measurements for repetitive
amplified pulse signals and delay measurement to detect the first
pulse of the traces. The instrument’s screen will instantly display
the results.

And when combined with the N1923A/N1924A wideband power sensors, the
8990B achieves 5 nanosecond rise time/fall time – the fastest rise time/fall time
in the peak power measurement market.

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8990B Peak Power Analyzer Key Features

• Capture short radar pulses
accurately with a 5 nanosecond
overall rise time/fall time – the
fastest rise time/fall time in the
peak power measurement market
– when the 8990B peak power
analyzer is paired with the either
the N1923A or N1924A wideband
power sensor.

• A high sampling rate of 100
MSa/s lets you measure samples
faster and view trace displays in
high resolution.

• Analyze a full range of parameters
with 15 pulse characterization
measurements, including duty
cycle, rise time, pulse top, pulse
width, PRI and PRF.

• Verify design problems quickly
with a 15 inch XGA color display
that is capable of simultaneously
displaying four channel results for
more image detail, and manipulate
data directly with a few touches of
your finger with the touchscreen
capability.

• Save time and eliminate
inaccurate readings with the
internal zero and calibration
function.

• Continuously trigger and capture
up to 512 pulses with the new
multi-pulse measurement feature.

• Color coded channels allow you to
pick out the channel data points
of interest at a glance.

• Easily calculate the Power­Added Efficiency (PAE) of power
amplifiers, and display instant PAE
traces on the 8990B’s display.

• Backwards compatibility with
P-series sensors and U2000 series
USB power sensors widens your
sensor options and offers you an
additional channel to the current
four when a USB power sensor
is connected. Download and
install the N1918A Power Analysis
Manager software to use the USB
power sensor with the 8990B.

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Graphical User Interface Overview

Measurement screen

The main measurement screen is capable of displaying up to four traces: two
RF traces, and two video traces (the triggering signal). Results are shown in the
panel directly under the graphical window, with measurements displayed in the
same color as the channel it corresponds to. When a USB sensor is connected,
the results for this additional channel can be overlaid on the same graphical
window in compact mode, The main screen also features a soft panel key to the
side of the graphical window, which lists the 15 pulse characterization measure­ments for quick measurement analysis. Users can select these measurement
parameters via the touchscreen display, or by using the mouse.

Delay measurement

Users can perform delay measurements by pressing the Delay Measurement
button on the soft panel key. Two vertical markers will automatically detect the
first pulse of the traces. The time delay between the two traces will be displayed
in the measurement panel below the graphical window.

Droop measurement

The 8990B is the first peak power analyzer on the market that offers automated
Pulse Droop measurement, eliminating the need to manually manipulate the
horizontal markers to make this measurement. The Pulse Droop measurement is
accessible via the soft panel key, and measures the amplitude degradation of the
pulse top.

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Spacing measurement

Easily measure the space between pulses when a long pulse train occurs. The
8990B allows users to select the starting pulse and the end pulse, a function
that is important in pulse block validation. R&D engineers may use this function
to detect potential abnormalities in certain pulse groups, and whether those
abnormalities are repeated in a long pulse train.

Zoom screen

The 8990B provides dual window zoom capability. When this function is enabled,
the top screen will display the original signal, while the bottom screen displays
the enlarged signal trace.

To focus and zoom in on a particular segment of the signal trace, use the white
zoom box to select the area of interest on the original signal trace. The measure­ment panel below will display the results of the selected signal segment. This
function provides R&D engineers the flexibility to focus on particular parts of the
signal and to obtain only the measurement results they need.

The dual zoom window capability allows users to observe the original trace
while focusing in on the selected signal segment instead of flipping between
screens or losing the original trace after zooming in on the segment.

Threshold/power display settings and erase memory

The 8990B allows users to change channel settings. The default threshold
setting is 90 % and 10%; however, users may change the reference levels to any
value. If a pulse has high overshoot in the traces, users can choose to reduce
the upper trace level to 80 % or 70 % to eliminate the overshoot signal’s impact
on the results. Users can also modify the trace level of two different signals for
the delay measurement according to what is the best reference level for the
individual signal.

Users can also change their settings to display power measurements in either
logarithmic or watts to help with easy result conversion or to match the results
to the traces in the graphical window.

For users in the aerospace and defense industry, 8990B offers several ways to
secure both data and measurement settings such as the memory sanitization
feature, a standard product feature in all Agilent equipment that will erase the
system’s setup and data results. Users can also opt for the removable hard drive
option, which switches the attached hard drive with a removable version so
users can remove data and settings together with the hard drive without worry­ing about information leaks.

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