Search Application Notes & Cards
Learn how to configure Rohde & Schwarz products to fit your application. Search our database by product, technology, or application to find relevant technical documents.
Search Application Notes & Cards
Learn how to configure Rohde & Schwarz products to fit your application. Search our database by product, technology, or application to find relevant technical documents.
61 Results
Useful tips and tricks for your first measurement experience
Resistors, capacitors and inductors are the most basic components in electric circuits. It must be ensured that they work properly and accurately. Therefore, they need to be tested thoroughly during circuit design. This is usually done using LCR meters, which have become indispensable in the lab and in production. This application note looks at how to perform basic capacitor and inductor measurements accurately and reliably.
22-Feb-2024 | AN-No. 1GP142
The LCR meters R&S®LCX100 and R&S®LCX200 precisely measure the complex impedance and the resulting components values over a wide frequency range. Dynamic impedance measurements allow to perform these measurements while sweeping the test signal frequency or other parameters like test signal level and DC bias. This application note provides a PC-based software tool for comfortably setting the sweeps and displaying the results in numerous charts.
14-Mar-2022 | AN-No. 1GP132
All channels of DC power supplies R&S®NGL200 and R&S®NGM200 are isolated against the grounding equipment conductor and against the digital ground of the instrument. Therefore, channels can be connected in parallel for increasing the current capability, or in series for achieving higher voltages or dual-voltage supplies. In the case of parallel and serial connections it is usually desired to switch all channels simultaneously on and off for protecting the supplied circuitry and for avoiding overcurrent on other power supply channels.This application note describes how to connect and configure DC power supplies R&S®NGL200 and R&S®NGM200 for synchronized on and off switching of all channels across multiple power supplies.
15-Jun-2020 | AN-No. 1GP126
This application note proposes a digital level shifter for connecting the I2S interfaces R&S®UPP-B2 and R&S®UPV-B41 to devices under test with a logic voltage different from 3.3 V.
27-Mar-2020 | AN-No. 1GA71
Source measure units R&S®NGU401 and R&S®NGU201 are capable of precise current measurements from sub-microampere up to ampere. This application note provides a tool which generates a voltage or current sweep using the arbitrary function of the instruments. A fast log captures voltage and current values during the sweep. Subsequently the application program determines the voltage and current value for each sweep step and plots the results in an I-V curve .The tool can be utilized to characterize all kinds of two-pole devices like diodes, LEDs and solar panels.This application note can also be used in connection with DC power supplies R&S®NGM201 and R&S®NGM202.
15-Feb-2021 | AN-No. 1GP129
Applications requiring higher voltages or currents, or a stack of voltage sources with taps in-between, demand the combination of several DC power supply channels in series or in parallel.All channels of DC power supplies R&S®NGL200 and R&S®NGM200 are isolated against the grounding equipment conductor and against the digital ground of the instrument. Therefore, channels can be connected in parallel for increasing the current capability, or in series for achieving higher voltages or dual-voltage supplies.When a large number of power supply channels is used, it is desirable to have a tool for configuring all instruments and channels from one user interface, and for keeping an overview over the states and measurement values from all channels.The application program of this application note provides such a tool. The document contains background information and user manual for the software.
27-Aug-2020 | AN-No. 1GP127
This application note applies to DC power supplies R&S®NGL200, R&S®NGM200, R&S®NGP800, R&S®NGU201 and R&S®NGU401, as well as LCR meters R&S®LCX100 and R&S®LCX200. It provides an overview over ethernet-based remote services provided by the referenced R&S® instruments. These services comprise an instrument web page, VNC remote control and FTP file transfer between the instrument and a remote computer. The application note gives instructions on how to set up the instrument and the remote computer in order to be able to utilize these services.
19-May-2022 | AN-No. 1GP135
The application program of this application note provides a tool for cycling battery samples, using two-quadrant DC power supplies from Rohde & Schwarz. The batteries can be repeatedly charged and discharged while collecting information about open-circuit voltage, loaded voltage and internal resistance, depending on the charged and discharged capacity. The tool provides a variety of charts for displaying the collected data. It can be used for characterizing battery samples, as well as for creating battery models which can be used in the battery simulations of R&S®NGU201 and R&S®NGM200.This tool is meant for the use by knowledgeable experts. The application note does not provide instructions on how to properly charge and discharge batteries.
17-Dec-2021 | AN-No. 1GP130
This application program supports the logging and fast logging functionality of the power supplies R&S® NGM200, NGU201 and NGU401. Standard logging is also supported with power supply R&S® NGL200 and NGP800. Power supplies R&S® NGA100 and NGE100 are supported in the data collection mode. Charting functionality is available for logged voltage, current and power values.
14-Nov-2019 | AN-No. 1GP122
R&S®Server-Based Testing helps reduce test times for workloads that can be parallelized. 5G New Radio (5G NR) multicarrier signals are an ideal workload because each component carrier can be analyzed independently and in parallel. In an example EVM measurement, scenario test times are reduced significantly even when receiving I/Q data from just a single instrument.
13-Sep-2021
Make more accurate power rail measurements.
09-Jul-2020
This application note demonstrates the use of the Measurement Receiver to calibrate the signal output level of a Signal Generator.Calibration in this application is a two-step process.► The absolute output level of the signal source, at a fixed level, is measured using a thermal power sensor (e.g. NRP50T), which in turn outputs its reading to the FSMR.► Output power calibration over a wider dynamic range (to lower power) is performed by connecting the FSMR to the signal source directly, and sweeping the power of the signal source.The FSMR offers a nominal total measurement uncertainty of <0.015 dB +/- 0.005 dB per 10dB step. At 1GHz, the power measurement range covers -152 dBm to +30 dBm. It is this intrinsic linearity, that the accuracy of the calibration relies upon.Absolute power measurement uncertainty, for the NRP50T thermal power sensor used in this Application Note, is 0.040 dB to 0.143 dB.This process may be repeated at multiple frequencies. Calibration values are automatically stored and managed by the FSMR. Measurement frequencies for calibrations are stored, will be automatically recalled by the FSMR, by re-selection of those frequencies.
31-Dec-2021 | AN-No. 1SL377
Well-matched RF ports are a crucial aspect to any RF system. Matched ports, for example, protect amplifier output ports from reflected power overload. This undesired reflected power could destroy the whole amplifier. Matched ports also maximize power transmission, effectively extending the battery life of wireless products such as those made for the internet of things (IoT).
05-Mar-2020
Primer
A power sensor is a fundamental measurement tool in RF engineering. However, today's marketplace is filled with myriad choices, and many are making bold claims about attributes such as measurement speed and readings per second. As a result, it can be difficult to cut through the hyperbole and determine which sensor will actually meet the requirements of a specific measurement.This primer outlines the basics of RF power sensors and highlights a few key characteristics that will help you select the best one for each application. The narrative has three parts. First, we focus on choosing the right type of sensor: multipath, wideband, average power and thermal can satisfy slightly different measurement needs. The second section covers the five major attributes of sensor performance, and what to look for relative to your requirements. Finally, we outline three ways to integrate a sensor into your measurement application.
26-May-2021
Verify and optimize your product design under realistic fading conditions in a deterministic lab environment that allows repeatable measurements using standardized and user-defined fading profiles.
27-Oct-2020
Linking EDA design simulation and hardware testing to enable an easy, straightforward process flow and first-pass design.
16-Aug-2021
CST® Filter Designer 3D, which is part of the CST Studio Suite® simulation software from Dassault Systèmes, is a complete synthesis tool for filters and diplexers. It provides a range of solutions throughout the design process of coupled resonator filters and even beyond with its VNA based tuning capability. CST Filter Designer 3D assists in tuning filter hardware, significantly reducing the time for optimizing a device to meet the expected specifications. An attractive instrument to obtain fast data reading for realtime filter tuning is the R&S®ZNB vector network analyzer from Rohde & Schwarz.
27-Nov-2019
Create and simulate detailed traffic situations for the verification of cellular V2X (C-V2X) connectivity.
18-Nov-2019
Antennas have become an integral part of consumer electronics, even in small portable devices that rely on an energy source with limited capacity. Consequently, antennas need to be physically small and power efficient.
05-Mar-2020
Over the past few years, electronics developers have developed a variety of approaches to avoid interference on high-speed signals on printed circuit boards. However, with increasing complexity and frequency, PCBs set new limits, supporting frequencies of 40 GHz and higher. Driven by the fast growing 5G market, today’s digital systems operate in these high frequency ranges that come with completely new challenges. With slope steepness’s of just a few picoseconds, any discontinuity in the impedance and impairment of the inductance or capacitance on the PCB or back drill defects on the PCB can have a massive impact on the signal quality. The industry recognizes that there is a growing need for functional high-speed testing of PCBs. The MicroCraft® E2V6151 series combined with an R&S®ZNB vector signal analyzer delivers a fully automated solution.
25-Mar-2020
Many applications in aerospace and defense as well as in mobile communication require a defined magnitude and phase relation between several signals, for example, to design a smart antenna array and it's distribution network, or to ensure accurate phase alignment between different transmitter or receiver chains of T/R modules. Magnitude can be measured with spectrum analyzers or power meters. For phase measurements, a vector network analyzer is the easiest, fastest and most accurate instrument.This application note shows how to measure the phase accurately between several signals using vector network analyzers of the R&S®ZNA, R&S®ZNB and R&S®ZNBT families.
11-Jul-2019 | AN-No. 1EZ82
Load pull is a powerful method for characterizing RF power amplifiers through impedance variation. Load pull enables model extraction and validation as well as performance, ruggedness and efficiency testing.
02-Sep-2020
Performing precompliance measurements on power supplies requires using a line impedance stabilization network (LISN) for results that can be compared to limit values. While LISNs are standard in any precompliance lab, often no LISN is available for early R&D testing. If high accuracy is not your goal and you just need a simple tool for debugging, you can build your own LISN. Rohde & Schwarz oscilloscopes with powerful FFT analysis, are ideal for optimizing EMI filters or debugging unwanted emissions during development.
14-Jan-2021
NGM200, NGL200 The R&S®NGL200 and R&S®NGM200 can simulate battery cells when testing battery management systems and replace far more expensive dedicated battery simulators. Testing battery management systems with Rohde & Schwarz power supplies NGM200, NGL200 The R&S®NGL200 and R&S®NGM200 can simulate battery cells when testing battery management systems and replace far more expensive dedicated battery
08-Jun-2020
10BASE-T1S Ethernet enables the integration of diverse sensors into an automotive-Ethernet vehicle supply system, for example short-range radar sensors for detecting blind spots or ultrasonic sensors for the parking assistant. For reliable operation of the functions, data transmission over 10BASE‑T1S Ethernet must be assured at all times and in every climatic environment. Functionality must be tested during development and in production. Only 10BASE-T1S Ethernet interfaces that have passed compliance testing in line with IEEE 802.3cg can be deployed in vehicles. Consequently, vehicle manufacturers and their suppliers need measuring equipment that allows them to perform these tests quickly and reliably.
15-May-2020
Using VISA (Virtual Instrument Software Architecture) several interfaces allow communication between your computer and instruments. This application note describes the usage of both - R&S® VISA- NI VISA running on Microsoft Windows 10™ with the following connection types: ► USB VCP (Virtual Com Port), also called USB CDC (Communications Device Class) ► USB TMC (Test and Measurement Class)► Ethernet Raw Port Socket► Ethernet in general e.g. VXI11 or HislipAll the examples are shown using the R&S® HMC8042 unless otherwise stated. There may be some difference when integrating other devices. As example some interface types are not available on every unit.This application note does not claim to be complete. All information has been compiled with care. However, errors can’t be ruled out.
28-Oct-2021 | AN-No. 1SL374
With the R&S®Pulse Sequencer radar simulation software, users can easily and intuitively create scenarios for simulation of angle of arrival (AoA). Together with multiple coupled R&S®SMW200A vector signal generators, this solution allows quick and thorough performance characterization of all types of direction finding equipment such as devices that use amplitude comparison, interferometric or time difference of arrival (TDOA) techniques. This document describes our test solution for testing devices that use amplitude comparison techniques.
02-Apr-2020
Phase difference is the key parameter when characterizing direction finding (DF) scenarios. To analyze DF equipment, the phase difference needs to be determined before measuring other parameters such as the bearing. The R&S®VSE-K6A multichannel pulse analysis software in combination with a Rohde & Schwarz oscilloscope provides phase difference measurements even in challenging environments, utilizing the test equipment’s advanced trigger capabilities.
02-Mar-2021
Measuring and optimizing the characteristics of individual elements within an antenna array for beamforming performance of Qualcomm 5G mmWave modems SDX50 and SDX55.
25-Feb-2020
Thanks to their multichannel capability, oscilloscopes are ideal for multichannel applications such as the analysis of MIMO signals (e.g. 5G NR, WLAN), multi-antenna radar signals and differential high-speed digital signals (e.g. USB 3.x). These applications require the oscilloscope channels to be tightly aligned. This means the channel-to-channel residual skew has to be measured accurately so that it can be compensated. The channel-to-channel phase mismatch is reduced to a minimum, which plays a crucial role in achieving reliable measurement results.
06-May-2020