AutoCal ®
36581NNF, 36581KKF,
36582KKF
Automatic VNA Calibrator
User’s Guide
Automatic Calibrator for Anritsu 360B and
37000 Series Vector Network Analyzers or
MS462XX Series Vector Network Measurement Systems
MARCH 2007 10410-00199
COPYRIGHT 2007, ANRITSU CO. REVISION: E
Table of Contents
General Information
Introduction .....................1-1
Description .....................1-1
Calibrations .....................1-3
System Requirements ................1-4
Definitions .....................1-5
Thru .......................1-5
Isolation .....................1-5
VNA Measurement Averaging Factor .....1-6
VNA Video IF Bandwidth ...........1-6
Characterization File ..............1-6
Performance Specifications .............1-7
Operation
Introduction .....................2-1
Physical Setup....................2-1
Controller Setup...................2-3
Loading Software ................2-3
Software Operation .................2-4
Software Interface ................2-4
Starting AutoCal ................2-5
Using AutoCal HELP ..............2-5
Automatic Calibration Procedure ..........2-8
Manual Control ...................2-8
Pin Depth Specifications ..............2-9
Pin Depth Examples ..............2-10
i
WARRANTY
TheAnritsu product(s) listed on thetitle pageis (are)warranted againstdefects
in materials and workmanship for one year from the date of shipment.
Anritsu’s obligation covers repairing or replacing products which prove to be
defective during the warranty period. Buyers shall prepay transportation
charges for equipment returned to Anritsu for warranty repairs. Obligation is
limited to the original purchaser. Anritsu is not liable for consequential
damages.
LIMITATION OF WARRANTY
The foregoing warranty does not apply to Anritsu connectors that have failed
dueto normal wear.Also, the warranty does not apply to defects resulting from
improper or inadequate maintenance by the Buyer, unauthorized modification
ormisuse,or operationoutsidethe environmentalspecificationsof theproduct.
No other warranty is expressed or implied, and the remedies provided herein
are the Buyer’s sole and exclusive remedies.
TRADEMARK ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Windows is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation.
AutoCal is a registered trademark of Anritsu Company.
NOTICE
Anritsu Company has prepared this manual for use by Anritsu Company
personnel and customers as a guide for the proper installation, operation and
maintenance of Anritsu Company equipment and computer programs. The
drawings, specifications, and information contained herein are the property of
Anritsu Company, and any unauthorized use or disclosure of these drawings,
specifications, and information is prohibited; they shall not be reproduced,
copied, or used in whole or in part as the basis for manufacture or sale of the
equipment or software programs without the prior written consent of Anritsu
Company.
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iii
How to Use this Manual
This manual describes how to setup the AutoCal ® calibrator and how
to access the on line HELP documentation. After setup, nearly all oper
ation is guided by the associated software, running on a standard Per
sonal Computer. Most of the documentation necessary to understand
and use the AutoCal calibrator is provided on line, following the standard form for HELP used with the Windows operating system.
This manual describes (1) the physical requirements, including test
hardware, software, and computer resources necessary to setup a measurement and (2) how to start and use the software to control the calibration.
First-time users and maintenance supervisors should read the general
material in Chapter 1. This chapter describes the basic operation of the
instruments, and the performance specifications.
Important Usage Note
Refer to the MS462XX Operation Manual when using AutoCal with
the MS462XX Vector Network Measurement System. The serial en
abled 37000 series VNA with firmware version 3.37 or later offers an
internal serial AutoCal control interface, therefore a separate PC is not
required. Consult the 37000 VNA Operation Manual for more details.
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Chapter 1
General Information
Introduction
This chapter provides a general description of the AutoCal calibrators,
including specifications, setup, and the use of the associated software
and online documentation. This series has five models, as shown
below. Throughout this manual, the term AutoCal will refer to the
series. Individual models will be referred to by model number. The
36581NNF/1 and KKF/1 are for use with the MS462XX Vector
Network Measurement System (VNMS).
Model Switch Freq. Range Connector.
36581NNF Electronic 40 MHz-18 GHz N (Male)-N (Female)
36581KKF Electronic 40 MHz-20 GHz K (Male)-K (Female)
36582KKF Mechanical 40 MHz-40 GHz K (Male)-K (Female)
36581NNF/2 Electronic 10 MHz-9 GHz N (Male)-N (Female)
36581KKF/2 Electronic 10 MHz-9 GHz K (Male)-K (Female)
Description
The AutoCal module is controlled by a Personal Computer and
appropriate software, a 37000 series Vector Network Analyzer (VNA)
equipped with a serial interface and firmware version 3.23 or later, or
any MS462XX VNMS. The AutoCal module provides an automatic
system for fast, repeatable high-quality calibrations of a VNA.
1-1
Chapter 1 General Information
The AutoCal module is inserted between the VNA test ports to
perform the calibration.
The electronic AutoCal modules use solid state electronic switches to
exchange the internal calibration standards. Note that these units have a
lower frequency limit (18 and 20 GHz). The mechanical modules use
electro-mechanical actuators to exchange the standards and have the
highest frequency limit, but have a small non-repeatability error. The
mechanical modules contain internal standards used to measure port
isolation; the electronic modules do not contain isolation standards and
require a manual operation to perform this measurement.
A standard serial RS-232 interface extender is used to connect the
AutoCal module to the PC host controller, VNA, or VNMS. The GPIB
interface (IEEE488.2) is used to control the VNA. The VNA must be
either an Anritsu model 360B or a member of the Anritsu 37000 series.
Power is supplied by a connecting cable from a universal power supply
(+5 Vdc, +15 Vdc, -15 Vdc for the electronic modules; +5 Vdc,
+24 Vdc for the mechanical modules). A power on-off switch is not
provided.
Test Port Cable Converters (Anritsu series 36583) are used during and
after the calibration process to establish the desired test port connector
type and sex.
The host PC controller runs under the Microsoft Windows operating
system and requires an internal National Instruments GPIB interface
card.
Refer to the MS462XX Operation Manual when using AutoCal with a
MS462XX VNMS.
1-2
Chapter 1 General Information
Calibrations
Four types of calibrations can be performed using AutoCal:
One-Port: S
on the indicated port of the VNA and are equivalent to the traditional
Open-Short-Load calibrations. Note that an S
available with the 360B.
Full 2-Port: This type is equivalent to the traditional
Open-Short-Load-Thru (OSLT) calibration.
Thru Update: This type is a new form of calibration which is used to
update an existing 12-term calibration in the VNA. This calibration
could have been performed using any method of calibration which
yields 12 terms (LRL, LRM, AutoCal, or OSLT). Due to cable
movement and aging, the calibration may have degraded over time. The
Thru Update refreshes the calibration by measuring a Thru connection
and updating the Transmission Tracking and Load Match calibration
constants.
Adapter Removal: This calibration measures the characteristics of
male-male or female-female test port cables for subsequent
measurement of non-insertable devices. An adapter is required for this
calibration. Adapter Removal requires two calibration procedures in
order to calculate the parameters and electrical length of the adapter.
NOTE: If a full frequency range calibration is not
required, modify the VNA Setup Menu to reflect only
the needed range. This will be useful when calibrating
a 40 GHz VNA below 20 GHz with a 20 GHz AutoCal
module.
1-Port and S221-Port are 1-port calibrations performed
11
1-Port calibration is not
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1-3
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