In addition to the main function, power electronic circuits very often have to provide other essential functions such as interfacing with submodules to fulfill system design requirements. Power designs therefore include bus communications in combination with a microcontroller. This can easily lead to more complex designs that may have a negative impact on the conducted emission measurements. Sometimes these auxiliary functions generate emissions infrequently, making it challenging to locate and isolate the root cause. An instrument with a very fast FFT analysis capability is essential to find infrequent events efficiently.

03-Mar-2023

The R&S®CMX500 radio communication tester is ideal for analyzing VoNR and VoLTE voice quality and performance in mobile devices.

21-Feb-2023

This paper describes the characterization of aluminum electrolytic capacitors specifically used in AC-DC power converter applications. It will be discussed why this capacitor technology is critical regarding lifetime and why it cannot be substituted simply by any another capacitor technology. Different aging effects of the capacitor will be discussed. Usage of the capacitor in different AC-DC converter topologies will be presented. Simulation circuits will be used to analyze the capacitor in more detail before suitable measurements will be performed to demonstrate a real example of a switching-mode power supply (SMPS).After the introduction into the aluminum electrolytic capacitor basics and theory, this paper will also present all important and possible measurements of capacitor parameters, like capacitance, equivalent series resistance (ESR) and ripple current. This includes in-circuit measurement which can be performed with an oscilloscope. An LCR-bridge is used to obtain high accuracy measurements in addition. A comparison between the two measurement methods will be presented. Furthermore, the required measurement hardware for the in-circuit measurements and the bridge measurement will be discussed and presented.Lastly, two different lifetime calculation methods are presented and a real example is used to compare the advantages and disadvantages of the different methods.Thanks to Mr. Frank Puhane from Würth eiSos GmbH & Co. KG who provided me with all aluminum electrolytic capacitor samples including the prepared capacitor with build-in temperature sensors to perform all measurements. Furthermore, his great expertise was very beneficial and helpful to create this premium application note.

07-Feb-2023 | AN-No. 1SL388

Radar technology is essential for state-of-the art and future vehicles on the path to full autonomous driving. Radar sensors deliver critical information about the surrounding traffic environment or monitor the interior of the vehicle. As safety-relevant parts, radar sensors must adhere to specifications and regulations.

12-Dec-2022

An offline AC/DC switching converter has no separate bias power supply that provides power to the control integrated circuit itself. Here, an auxiliary primary winding and discrete components are added to supply power to the control circuit. Verifying this circuitry is essential and requires accurate and detailed signal level and timing measurements. The startup sequence takes a long time, which needs to be taken into consideration in the measurement and requires an instrument with sufficient memory.

23-Nov-2022

This application note is about creating your own battery model for the R&S®NGM200 and R&S®NGU201, beyond the standard models provided within the battery simulation option NGM-K106 and NGU-K106. To get to a battery model, a few steps are required. To determine the parameters for the battery model, it is necessary to discharge a battery using a selected method, to record the data and to calculate the model on this basis. With this software, a connection can be established to the instrument, batteries can be measured using various measurement methods, and a model can then be created from these measurements. These models, which are determined from the measurements, can then be simulated with the power supply, thus creating a digital twin of the battery. Using these, test scenarios can be carried out in a safe and reproducible environment.

21-Nov-2022 | AN-No. 1GP136

This document is divided in two parts and starts with an introduction in AC-DC conversion principles in general. It will present the most common circuits used for different power levels. The switching mode power supply (SMPS) converter will be the main focus as they are used everywhere in the electronics. Especially the flyback converter design in different flavors are highlighted. Nevertheless, all measurements are also applicable for other SMPS converter designs operating at higher power levels.In the second part of this document, most relevant testing methods and procedures of an AC-DC converter are highlighted. For each testing section, a fundamental part will be upfront discussed and it is followed by a presentation of a suitable measurement method. In this second part, the device under test (DUT) is considered as black box device and thus the structure is similar. Therefore, the testing parts consists of methods related to input tests, output tests and a combination of both like efficiency. Of course, some test performed at the output of the converter are also relevant for DC-DC converter, e.g. the validation of the output ripple.

14-Nov-2022 | AN-No. 1SL387

A step by step HOW TO guide to perform manual and automated wireless coexistence testing

At the end of the year 2020, there were over 20 Billion internet of things (IoT) products in the world operating using the licensed and unlicensed frequency bands. This growth trend is projected to keep steady over the coming years as more and more people adopt to a smarter and more connected lifestyle. This will result in a much busier and challenging RF environment than the one we have today. In order to understand the complexity of the RF spectrum, a white paper was published in 2021 from Rohde & Schwarz, which featured RF spectrum activity at multiple locations observed at different times of the day. The locations were selected based on population densities and the amount of known RF transmitters & their frequencies at those locations. It was also concluded that the ISM bands on average have higher channel utilization since most IoT devices take advantage of the unlicensed spectrum. The paper recommended, that while performing wireless coexistence testing, the test conditions should reflect the operational RF environment that the device is intended to operate in. Otherwise, the characterization of RF performance would only reflect ideal case which doesn’t exist in real world operation. Since it is not always possible to test all devices in the real world, relevant test methodologies need to be setup to replicate the real world as much as possible.This will help us get a better understanding of how the receiver of the RF device will behave under different RF conditions. It is also recommended to perform measurements in order to understand the behavior of the device in the future when the spectrum will get even more challenging. Therefore, a through characterization of the capability of the RF receiver to handle in-band and out-of-band interference signals in also of interest.In terms of regulatory compliance requirements for ensuring wireless coexistence performance, the ANSI C63.27 is currently the only published test standard that provides guidance on how to perform coexistence testing on devices. The test complexity is based up on risk imposed on the user’s health in the event of a failure caused by an or a plurality of interference signal. The standard also gives device manufacturers guidance regarding test setups, measurement environments, interference signal types and strategy, performance quality measurement parameters for physical layer using key performance indicator (KPI) and application layer parameters for end-to-end functional wireless performance (FWP).In this application note, the guidance provided by the ANSI C63.27-2021 version regarding test setup, measurement parameter and interference signal have been followed. It will give the reader a clear idea on how to configure standardized test instruments from R&S in order to generate the wanted signal as well as unintended interference signals and conduct measurement to monitor device performance in terms of PER, ping latency and data throughput.This application note provides step-by-step instruction on how to perform measurements using conducted and radiated methodology. Both manual and automated instrument configuration approach is explained in this document.The automation scripts are written using python scripting language and are available for download with this application note, free of charge. Official required to run the scripts are available on the PYPI database.

10-Nov-2022 | AN-No. 1SL392

High-speed serial interfaces often transmit data with differential signaling and differential probes that can be used to access signal traces. In addition to differential inputs, these probes have a ground connection.

02-Nov-2022

For several years, vehicle manufacturers and government agencies have sought ways to increase road safety, manage traffic efficiently and, in the future, make driving more comfortable, convenient and safe. Vehicle-to-everything (V2X) is a new generation of information and communication technology that connects vehicles to everything and can support these objectives. V2X is designed to offer low-latency vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V), vehicle-to-roadside infrastructure (V2I) and vehicle-to-pedestrian (V2P) communications to add a new dimension to future driver assistance systems.Cellular V2X (C-V2X) is defined as the communications standard by 3GPP in Release 14 and uses LTE technology as the physical interface for communications.The LTE C-V2X Scanner provides customers an opportunity to verify, test, and optimize ITS traffic systems that are being deployed or are already established. The scanner accomplishes this by passively listening to PC (5.9GHz) messages that are being broadcast from RSU (roadside units), vehicles or any other C-V2X enabled device. Traditional scanner measurements regarding RF signal power and quality such as RSRP, RS-CINR and RSSI, are provided for each physical channel (PSCCH and PSSCH) as well as decoded ITS message content for all three regions (North America, EU, China).

21-Oct-2022 | AN-No. 8NT07

With IT and OT environments converging, security concerns relating to devices and applications deployed in networked test labs, especially in T&M environments, are growing. The demands on IT security here are manifold and include, for example, remote access to in-house infrastructures, equipment rented from external providers, and the continuous deployment of devices across different time zones.

18-Oct-2022

1SL391 audio, breakthrough, ETSI EN 301 489 Audio Breakthrough Assembly and Test Setup 1SL391 audio, breakthrough, ETSI EN 301 489 Related products

11-Oct-2022 | AN-No. 1SL391

The need for an objective evaluation of mobile network quality and performance drives two fundamentally different approaches, crowdsourcing and mobile network testing. The crowdsourcing market is highly saturated. More than 20 companies have a significant focus on crowdsourcing mobile network measurements. To get measurement results, they use different concepts that serve different purposes. This application card describes the structure of the crowdsourcing space and analyzes the pros and cons of both approaches.

06-Oct-2022

In the satellite sector, components, subsystems and entire satellites must be qualified in a thermal vacuum chamber before they can be used in space. This qualification proves that equipment can not only survive but also function in the harsh conditions encountered during launch and in space.

05-Oct-2022

Ensures compliance of IEEE 802.3bj/by/cd/ck cables with fast automation and easy testing.

04-Oct-2022

For measurements of non-connectorized devices, test fixtures, probes or other structures are used to adapt from the coaxial interface of the test setup to the device under test (DUT). For accurate measurements of the DUT, these lead-ins and lead-outs need to be characterized, so that their effects can be mathematically removed, i.e. de-embedded from the measurement results.This application note provides practical hints to accurately characterize and de-embed these lead-in and lead-out structures with R&S Vector Network Analyzers ZNA, ZNB, ZNBT and ZND. As de-embedding is also essential in other test equipment like oscilloscopes, etc., this guide also describes, how lead-ins and lead-outs can be accurately characterized with a VNA and then exported as an S-Parameter file to be used by other test instruments.

19-Sep-2022 | AN-No. 1SL367

This document provides some technical background and guidance on how to optimize the measurement of one of the key performance parameters of WLAN transmitters - the Error Vector Magnitude (EVM).

IEEE 802.11be Extremely High Throughput (EHT), also known as Wi-Fi 7, is the latest amendment of the IEEE 802.11 standard and is still under development. This amendment focuses mainly on improved throughput. To do so, the most notable changes currently implemented are:► New modulation scheme: 4096-QAM (4K-QAM)► Larger bandwidth: 320 MHz► Support for 16x16 MU-MIMO► Enhanced resource allocation in OFDMAThis places special demands on the measurement equipment.

06-Sep-2022 | AN-No. 1EF114

Broadband amplifiers are necessary for generating the field strengths required for most EMC radiated immunity tests. This Educational Note provides a brief overview of the role of amplifiers in EMC testing as well as a discussion of the parameters and characteristics which have the greatest influence on amplifier performance.Register now to download the Educational Note.

01-Aug-2022

In order to allow users to quickly generate different reports, ELEKTRA provides several ways or supporting the user. This application note describes the various methods and their benefits. It is not a how-to step-by-step guide, but shows the principles of operation.

27-Jul-2022 | AN-No. 1SL384

The R&S®CMP200 radio communication tester together with the R&S®CM-Z300A time of flight kit provides an accurate setup for time of flight measurements – in validation, calibration and certification.

27-Jul-2022

RF components, On-wafer, Early wafer-level qualification, Early wafer-level qualification of RF components ensures quality and saves money On-wafer qualification of RF components RF components, On-wafer, Early wafer-level qualification, Early wafer-level qualification of RF components ensures quality and saves money On-wafer qualification of RF components RF components, On-wafer, Early wafer-level

14-Jul-2022

With continuously increasing data rates, signal integrity in high speed digital designs becomes more and more demanding

08-Jul-2022

The R&S®RF Ports Alignment Software together with the R&S®SMW-K545 option provides a standard and tailored solution for calibrating and aligning the amplitude, group delay and phase between the RF ports of multiple coupled dual-path or single-path R&S®SMW200A vector signal generators. In addition, the R&S®Pulse Sequencer Software supports users to calculate the required signals for interferometric direction finding (DF) test cases. The R&S®SMW200A signal generator hardware together with the aforementioned software packages enables precise angle of arrival (AoA) simulation for testing the true performance of interferometric direction finders or emitter location systems.

08-Jul-2022

Solutions and Tipps for NR FR1 in TDD Downlink Mode

5G New Radio (NR) is a radio technology specified by 3GPP and was first released in 3GPP release 15. It is designed to target three use cases, i.e. enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), massive machine type communication (mMTC) and ultra-reliable low latency communication (URLLC). Among these three use cases, eMBB represents actually a further evolution of mobile broadband communication from LTE standard. According to the technical performance requirement defined by IMT-2020, by deploying 5G technology, peak data rates of eMBB application are expected to reach 20 Gbps in downlink (DL) and 10 Gbps in uplink (UL) direction, respectively. Typical use cases of eMBB are data hungry applications, such as high resolution 8K video streaming, virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR) etc.Verification of a 5G capable user equipment (UE) with respect to its achievable maximum data throughput under controllable and deterministic test conditions is an essential process during the design phase of the product. Performance centric verification through identification of the data throughput bottleneck, product benchmarking against a golden device enhances tremendously the user experience in the end.This document focuses on 5G NR frequency range 1 (FR1) with TDD duplex mode in E-UTRAN New-radio Dual Connectivity (ENDC) operating mode. As 5G NR physical layer offers a plethora of flexibility, the motivation here is to provide a kind of guideline of relevant parameter settings to stimulate device under test (DUT)'s max throughput capacity. The status quo of the R&S solutions at the time when the application note is created are described. Shown feature sets are constantly evolving, so the screenshots used and the parameters shown may change.

07-Jul-2022 | AN-No. 1SL379

Create and simulate detailed traffic situations for the verification of cellular V2X (C-V2X) connectivity

30-Jun-2022

With all these new flexibilities introduced with 5G, the radio access has become more complex to understand and analyze. More network interfaces and RAN configuration parameters have to be managed and the RAN and in particular the connection control, mobility and measurement reporting are decisive for the network performance. It will be vital for the system experts and radio engineers to gain knowledge and evolve their methods and tools to facilitate the work to optimize and troubleshoot 5G and 4G RAN performance. Thus, tools are needed that allow for easier understanding of the message flows in the radio protocols. The R&S®ROMES4 KPIs and Smart Events will help doing the work much easier and quicker. They are defined for a key set of LTE, EN-DC and NR RRC connection control and mobility procedures where the performance is crucial to achieve high quality network performance. Trouble shooting problematic cases and optimization of RAN protocols are key drivers to improve the mobile network performance with R&S®ROMES4.

28-Jun-2022 | AN-No. 8NT06

Autonomous and semi-autonomous vehicles rely on a complex hardware and software architecture to gather and exploit information from numerous radar sensors. To generate reliable data, the sensors require an unobstructed view of the surroundings. The bumpers or radomes mounted in front of the sensors must not impair radar functionality. This requires extensive testing of the deployed plastic parts and their underlying polymer structure. The R&S®QAR50 is the ideal tool to characterize the material properties of polymers and their influence on the quality of the radar signal at an early design stage and in quality control of material development.

24-Jun-2022

The validated UWB PHY test suite for the R&S®CMP200 radio communication tester simplifies FiRa™ Consortium PHY conformance testing.

21-Jun-2022

This application note provides basic information about settling time measurements and describes how frequency settling time measurements can be easily and convenient performed using a modern spectrum analyzer with integrated signal analysis capabilities.The analog demodulation measurement application R&S®FSxx-K7 performs frequency and phase settling time measurements using a modern wideband concept, and results are obtained easily and convenient with an integrated settling time measurement capability.

18-Jun-2022 | AN-No. 1EF112

The R&S®CMX500 radio communication tester is ideal for testing the maximum possible IP throughput for mobile device transmitters and receivers.

13-Jun-2022