Mini-Circuits ZTVX-10-18-S, ZTVX-12-12, ZTVX-16-12, ZTVX-8-18, ZTVX-10-18 User Manual

ZTVX-Series RF Signal Routing Assembly

2 x N Port Switch Matrix

50Ω

A Mini-Circuits Self-Contained Integrated Assembly

User’s Manual

1

Important Notice

This guide is owned by Mini-Circuits and is protected by copyright, trademark and other intellectual
property laws.

The information in this guide is provided by Mini-Circuits as an accommodation to our customers and may
be used only to promote and accompany the purchase of Mini-Circuits’ Parts. This guide may not be
reproduced, modified, distributed, published, stored in an electronic database, or transmitted and the
information contained herein may not be exploited in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical
recording or otherwise, without prior written permission from Mini-Circuits.

This guide is subject to change, qualifications, variations, adjustments or modifications without notice and
may contain errors, omissions, inaccuracies, mistakes or deficiencies. Mini-Circuits assumes no
responsibility for, and will have no liability on account of, any of the foregoing. Accordingly, this guide
should be used as a guideline only.

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All other trademarks cited within this guide are the property of their respective owners. Neither Mini­Circuits nor the Mini-Circuits ZTVX-Series are affiliated with or endorsed or sponsored by the owners of
the above referenced trademarks.

Mini-Circuits and the Mini-Circuits logo are registered trademarks of Scientific Components Corporation.

Mini-Circuits

13 Neptune Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 11235
Phone: [phone]
Email: [e-mail]
Web: www.minicircuits.com

Version 10/18/16
© Mini-Circuits, 2016. All rights reserved.

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CONTENTS

1 INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................................... 4

2 WARNINGS ........................................................................................................................... 5

2.1 Safety Hazards ................................................................................................................. 5

2.2 Additional Precautions ...................................................................................................... 6

3 PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION ..................................................................................................... 7

4 FUNCTIONAL DESCRIPTION ................................................................................................ 8

5 UNPACKING ........................................................................................................................... 9

Unpacking Process ........................................................................................................... 9

Package Contents ............................................................................................................ 9

6 LAYOUT AND INSTALLATION .............................................................................................10

Rack Mounting .................................................................................................................10

Rear Panel Safety Blocks ................................................................................................10

Rear Panel Grounding Stud .............................................................................................11

7 SOFTWARE ..........................................................................................................................12

Software Overview...........................................................................................................12

Installing the GUI Software ..............................................................................................12

Using the ZTVX GUI ........................................................................................................15

7.3.1 Connecting to the ZTVX ............................................................................................15

7.3.2 GUI Displays and Built-In Reference .........................................................................20

7.3.3 Sending Commands ..................................................................................................23

Updating Firmware ..........................................................................................................30

Programming Support ......................................................................................................32

8 RETURN MATERIAL AUTHORIZATION (RMA) PROCEDURE ............................................33

9 APPENDIX: ELECTRICAL SCHEMATICS ............................................................................34

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1 INTRODUCTION

Chi Man Shum
Phone: [phone]
Email: [e-mail]
[e-mail]

Lee Whiting
[phone]
Email: [e-mail]

Thank you for choosing Mini-Circuits custom test equipment to meet your needs! The purpose
of this User’s Manual is to instruct you on basic installation and setup of your ZTVX-unit, to
advise you on general precautions to be taken when installing and handling the equipment, and
to provide instruction on installing and using the control software for this unit.

We’re here to support you every step of the way. For technical support and assistance, please
find the following points of contact for your convenience:

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2.1 Safety Hazards

Electrical Danger

The ZTVX-unit contains live 110/220V contacts and should be

used and handled only by qualified professionals. When
performing any activity in and around ZTVX-unit box, user
must exercise extreme caution to avoid touching any parts
where live voltage may be present to prevent injury or
death due to electrical shock.

Heavy Object

The ZTVX-unit box is heavy and requires caution to prevent
damage to the equipment and ensure user safety. User
must follow safe lifting protocols and use any necessary
lifting aids to prevent muscle strain or back injury. The unit
must be supported in rack structure by securely fastened
side rails or shelving to avoid potentially damaging the
equipment.

High Speed Fan Blades

The ZTVX-unit module contains cooling fans with rotating
blades that can cause serious injury or cut. Remove any
loose articles before working inside the ZTVX-unit case to
avoid getting caught in moving machinery.

Figure 2: Fan blades inside the ZTVX-Unit case

2 WARNINGS

Figure 1: Live 110 / 220V contacts inside ZTVX-UNIT box.

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2.2 Additional Precautions

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Air Flow: ZTVX-unit box must be mounted by customer to maintain minimum 1U (1.75”)
free air space above and below each box with unobstructed access to room ambient airflow for
proper operation.

Electrostatic Discharge: Any person operating the ZTVX-unit must have Electrostatic

Discharge (ESD) protection to prevent damage to any components.

Rear Panel Safety Blocks: The ZTVX unit is supplied with two rear panel safety blocks that
must be installed by the customer. Failure to install safety blocks may result in damage to the
product. Refer to section 7.2 for additional instructions.

Opening & Tampering: This equipment is designed to be serviced only by professional
electrical technicians. Case openings by any person other than qualified personnel authorized by
Mini-Circuits or customer will void any and all terms of the Limited Warranty.

Although top and bottom panels create intended accessibility, it is important that caution be taken when connecting or
disconnecting any electrical or RF connection; moving, removing, or replacing any wires, cables, connections, switches, or
other components within the boxes to avoid potentially damaging or dislodging any other cables or connections.

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3 PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION

Mini-Circuits’ ZTVX-Series of 2 x N switch matrices come housed in an aluminum alloy chassis
measuring 19” wide x 3.48” (2U) high x 20” deep (483 x 89 x 508mm). The front panel is

fabricated with an array of slots to allow adequate air flow from the inside of the case and
facilitate cooling. The front panel of the unit is also configured with SMA-F or N-F connectors for
2 RF inputs (labeled A1 and A2) and up to 16 RF outputs (labeled N1 – N16), depending on your
model. Note that all switch ports are bi-directional and may be used as inputs or outputs as
desired. When the unit is on, RF input A1 is identified by a green LED light, and RF input A2 is
identified by an orange LED light. The unit is powered on with the power switch at the center of
the front panel which illuminates green when in the ON position. Two handles at left and right
ends of the front panel facilitate lifting and moving the unit, and the slotted holes on the outer left
and right extrusions allow secure mounting to a standard 19” (483mm) rack support structure.

Figure 3: Front panel of the ZTVX-unit. 2 x 10 configuration shown.

On the rear panel of the equipment case is the input for a 90-260V AC power supply with
caution label (right side). At the bottom right of the rear panel is a clearly marked grounding
terminal. It is recommended that this terminal be connected to a Common Bonding Network
(CBN) to properly ground the unit case. In the center of the rear panel is a cooling fan with a
protective cover. The identification sticker at the left of the rear panel displays the equipment
model name, serial number and internal control board number. At the far left of the rear panel
are connection ports for USB and RJ45 (LAN), allowing you to communicate with the equipment
from your PC.

Figure 4: Rear panel of the ZTVX-unit

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4 FUNCTIONAL DESCRIPTION

Figure 5: ZTVX-unit functional block diagram. 2 x 16 port, DC–18 GHz configuration shown.

Mini-Circuits’ ZTVX-Series 2 x N switch matrices are capable of routing signal from two input
ports (A1 and A2) to any of up to 16 output channels (N1 – N16) through a network of low-loss,
high-isolation electromechanical switches. Models are available with various output port counts
and frequency ranges of DC to either 12 GHz or 18 GHz to meet your needs. The switches in
the system are bidirectional, and all ports may be used as inputs or outputs as needed. This
capability allows easy management of complex signal traffic in test environments. ZTVX
systems have proved particularly useful for testing of multiple DUTs in parallel as well is testing
of DUTs with higher port counts without repeatedly disconnecting and reconnecting test cables,
significantly reducing test time and increasing throughput.

This equipment operates on a 90 to 260V; 47 to 63 Hz AC line supply. The unit contains Mini­Circuits’ patented absorptive electromechanical switches with extra-long switching life,
performance qualified to 100 million switch cycles with proper maintenance. The firmware for
the equipment includes a switch cycle counting function, allowing you to monitor the number of
switch cycles elapsed on each switch in the system and alerting you when routine maintenance
is required - every 10 million cycles per switch. See application note AN-83-001 for additional
information on switch life and maintenance.

The equipment may be controlled via USB or Ethernet (HTTP and Telnet Protocols)
connections, allowing setup flexibility and easy remote test management. All units come
supplied with Mini-Circuits’ user-friendly Graphical User Interface (GUI) program and DLLs for
32-bit and 64-bit Windows® operating systems. Full programming support is provided for a wide
range of programming environments on both Windows and Linux® operating systems,

supporting control through your native test software.

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5 UNPACKING

1

2

3

4

5

Item Description

Quantity

ZTVX-Series Switch Matrix Assembly

1

CBL-3W-US Black 3-prong AC Cord (7.5 ft.)

1

USB-CBL-AB-7+ USB Cable (6.8 ft.)

1

CBL-RJ45-MM-5+ RJ45 Cable (5 ft.)

1

HT-4-SMA SMA Cable Wrench*

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A: 7.5”

B: 25.125”

C: 23”

*We’ve included the SMA
connector wrench as a gift
just to make your life easier.

This tool simplifies and
expedites removal and
tightening of cable
connectors in crowded port
configurations.

Unpacking Process

The equipment ships in a single large cardboard carton measuring 7.5 x 25.125 x 23” pictured in
the figure below.

Figure 5: Shipping carton

Within the carton, the ZTVX unit is protected by pink foam inserts on the top and bottom, front
and back, and a pink anti-static bag. The unit can be unpacked following the steps pictured

below.

Package Contents

Table 1: Package Contents

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6 LAYOUT AND INSTALLATION

Figure 6: Safety Blocks come in a
clearly labeled plastic bag

Figure 5: Install as shown using a Phillips head screwdriver

Rack Mounting

ZTVX-unit should be fastened to rack support structure through the slotted rack mounting holes
(4x) on the front panel of each box.

Figure 6: Slotted rack mounting holes in front panel of ZTVX-UNIT box.

ZTVX-unit must be mounted to maintain minimum of 1U (1.75”) clearance above top

panel and below bottom panel with unobstructed access to room ambient airflow for proper

operation.

Additionally, due to weight, box must be supported by means other than the front panel.
This can be facilitated by side rails or by a shelf, sufficiently secured to a standard, high grade,
19 inch equipment rack.

Rear Panel Safety Blocks

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Rear Panel Grounding Stud

The rear panel of the ZTVX-unit is constructed with a #10-32 x ½” long grounding stud to ground
the box.

Figure 7: Rear Panel Grounding Stud

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