BOONTON ELECTRONICS
a Wireless Telecom Group Company
4400A/4500A MANUAL ADDENDUM
Applies to Instruction Manual Model 4500A RF Peak Power Meter /Analyzer, Model 4400A RF Peak Power
Meter, Part Number 98404700A, revised 09/97.
Effective for Control Software Revision 20020511 and later.
1.0 NEW FEATURES
1.1 Peak Sensor Temperature Compensation
When used with a peak sensor that contains a valid temperature compensation table, the
model 4400A and 4500A Peak Power Meters can provide temperature compensated
power measurements. The default mode for temperature compensation is active. The
Chan n > Calibration>Temp Comp menu box will be visible with “Sensor Tbl”
displayed. To turn off temperature compensation press the menu button and “Off” will be
displayed. The “Off” setting is volatile and not preserved through power cycles or major
mode changes. If the sensor in use does not have a temperature compensation table the
Temp Comp menu box will not appear at all.
The Spcl>Chan n Sensor report will include the message “Sensor has Temperature
Compensation Table” when appropriate. The Spcl>Servicing>Configuration report
shows TC system status if either channel has a sensor with a valid table. The format of
this message
if present is:
TC System Status 1:[err code] #### 2:[err code] ####
The error codes are:
0 No error.
145 TC # of Temps Err Table parameter error
146 TC # of Powers Err Table parameter error
147 TC Interp Err Table interpolation error
148 TC Expand Err Table expansion error
149 TC Extend Err Table extension error
150 TC Chksum Err Table read checksum error
151 TC Table Length Error
152 TC Temp Value Err A temperature value is out of range
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153 TC Temp Non-mono A temperature array is non-monotonic
154 TC Power Value Err A power value is out of range
155 TC Power Non-mono A power array is non-monotonic
156 TC Corr Value Err A correction value is out of range
Use CH1 or CH2 to specify to which channel the following temperature compensation
related GPIB commands apply:
TCON Turn on temperature compensation if available. If not, ignore.
TCOFF Turn off temperature compensation. This is a volatile setting if
compensation is available.
1.2 Sensor Auto-calibration File Retention
Sensor auto-calibration files are now saved by channel as .AC1 and .AC2 files in nonvolatile (flash) memory. This avoids the need to perform auto-cal every time a sensor is
removed and replaced by a different one, provided the sensors are known to the
channel(s) involved. When a sensor is plugged-in a search is made to find an existing
auto-cal file. If one is found, it is installed. If not, the “Needs Auto-cal” message will
appear. When auto-cal is performed the existing file is overwritten with the new result. If
no previous file exists, one is created. Sensor filenames have the form SEN#####.AC n,
where ##### is the serial number and n is the channel number.
The file directory system is expanded to display auto-calibration files in flash memory as
well as the previous files on the floppy disk. The Utility>Disk>Flash Disk path lists
sensor auto-cal files by channel. The Select File <> menu contains a sequence number
which refers to the position of the file in the list. The selected file is shown in RED and
may be deleted by pressing the menu button next to the “Delete” box. Deletion of files
must be confirmed or cancelled.
There are no GPIB operations on the file directory.
1.3 Color *.bmp File of Display
The Hardcopy section now includes a color *.bmp file of the current display that can be
saved to the floppy disk, sent to the COM1 port or the GPIB. To select this feature set the
Util>Hardcopy>Device menu to “Plotter”. Then select Util>Hardcopy>Model “.BMP”.
Choose the Plot Label, Output Port and File Select number if the output is the floppy
disk. Graph & Text is not applicable. Note that the “IEEE-488” output selection applies
to the listen only (lon) GPIB addressing mode only. For controller directed GPIB output
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see below. Press the PLOT key to send the file to the selected output. The .bmp extension
is added to the floppy disk file directory to allow viewing the filenames saved on disk.
The GPIB commands for controller directed return of the .bmp file contents are:
Send the sequence PLOTTER PLOT.BMP to select the bit-map mode.
Send TKPLOT to set the talk mode that returns the file when addressed to talk.
The GPIB commands to send the plot file contents to an output other than the GPIB are:
Send the sequence PLOTTER PLOT.BMP to select the bit-map mode.
Send PLOTSER1, PLOTCOM1, PLOTLPT1 or PLOTDISK to select the output.
{Use PLOT488 only with the front panel PLOT
key manually to send in the talk
only (ton) mode to a listen only (lon) device}.
For PLOTDISK send FILENO ## to select a filename.
Send PLOT to simulate pressing the PLOT
key to send the file to the selected
output.
1.4 External Trigger Input Calibration
A provision to zero and calibrate the external trigger inputs has been added to provide
better accuracy for voltage measurements made with the trigger inputs. The following
procedure is used to calibrate each external trigger input:
Set Time>Timebase to “5 ms/Div”
Set Trig>Trig Mode to “Auto”
Select the external trigger input in the Trig>Trig Source menu corresponding to
the selected measurement channel (CH1 to 1EXT or CH2 to 2EXT).
Set the Chan#>Extensions>Display to “Trig” (Trigger View Mode)
Set the Chan#>Vert Scale to 1.00 V/Div
Set the Spcl>Servicing>Cal Mode “On”
With Cal Mode “On” two boxes labeled Ext Trig Zero and Ext Trig Cal will appear in the
Chan#>Extensions menu. Ext Trig Zero will have a bright “Start” label.
With no input to the selected external trigger input, press the menu button for Ext Trig
Zero “Start”. The input will be zeroed and the Ext Trig Cal “Start” label will be bright.
With +3.00 volts applied to the selected external trigger input, press the menu button for
Ext Trig Cal “Start”. The input will be calibrated for 3 divisions of deflection at 1 V/Div.
Set the Spcl>Servicing>Cal Mode “Off”
The results of the calibration are stored in non-volatile memory with file extension .TRV.
Absent a file, default data is supplied automatically and simulates the existing software.
External trigger level calibration is not available on the GPIB.
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1.5 UNDIM Command.
A GPIB command, UNDIM, is added to reset the screen saver without touching the panel
or re-loading the color table. This is helpful in remotely controlled applications.
2.0 Changes
2.1 Instrument Setup Save/Recall change.
The instruments setup save and recall system has been modified to save a binary file
instead of an ASCII file. The binary file is smaller and more comprehensive and is
identical to the internal save/recall format. The new file has the extension .ISU. For
customers with existing .INS files the ability to read an .INS file is still present, but new
features will not be available using this method. Existing files should be converted by
reading the .INS files and saving them as .ISU. The file directory is modified to display
.ISU files. The GPIB commands are not affected.
2.2 GPIB command *OPT? change.
An installed hardware options list has been appended to the *OPT? GPIB command
format previously used. For example, a single channel instrument with Option 04
hardware installed and a sensor plugged-in returns:
1,1,0,0,4
2.3 Configuration report change.
Installed options are now identified in the Configuration Report. For example:
The Spcl>Servicing>Configuration Report for Option 04 installed reports:
Opt 04 – Trigger Delay by Events installed
2.4 Sensor Temperature Reporting change.
Sensor auto-cal temperature and current temperature readings have been moved from the
Utility>Report to the Spcl>Ch 1 Sensor>Report and Spcl>Ch 2 Sensor>Report.
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3.0 Corrections
1. Remove glitches that occur when in Triggered mode (as opposed to Auto) and certain
commands are executed. Also, measurement traces can now be moved and re-scaled
when Waiting for Trigger on the slow time bases.
2. Calculate the auto-measure parameter “OFF TIME”. This function has always been
enabled but there was no calculation method included.
3. Correct an overflow error in the cal table expansion that overwrites the first position
of the channel 2 table when channel 1 is expanded. This may cause the channel 2
PDF to not appear.
4. GPIB command TKBMEAS now reports the sign of Pk/Avg ratio correctly.
5. Marker math mode changes now occur immediately even in wait for trigger.
6. When both markers are in trigger view mode the marker math functions MK1-MK2,
MK2-MK1, MAX-MIN and MIN-MAX are computed as voltage difference and
appear in the middle window with voltage difference units. The PK/AVG mode is not
recognized in trigger view mode but is not an error. This correction also appears in
the parameters of GPIB commands TKMEAS, TKBMEAS and TKUNITS when
appropriate.
7. The trigger pointer is now removed when the direct set of a statistical mode occurs.
8. Restore the legacy GPIB command MKDELTA to set the marker math to power
difference in the linear units mode only. This command was deleted by mistake in the
“A” series.
9. Update the RUN/STOP message in the recall stored setup function to avoid out of
sync messages.
10. Change the linear mode reference lines to track vertical offset in “divisions” rather
than watts, which is incorrect.
Revised 20020513
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