Test Equipment

This section lists the test equipment needed to run performance tests. Refer to each individual test for specific setup configurations with required cables and adapters. Not all of the listed test equipment needs to be connected to perform an individual test. To run a test, only the equipment specified for that test needs to be connected.

In all test equipment configurations, cables and adapters must be properly torqued. Exceeding recommended torque values can cause damage to a cable or adapter, and can cause inaccurate test results.

 

To make this connection Use this driver or torque wrench and torque value

N8481A (all except Opt 200), N8481B, N8481H, 8481A, N8482A, N8482B, N8482H, 8482A, N8487A, 8487A, N8488A, E9304A, E9304A Opt H18

N8481A Opt 200 N8485A, 8485A, 8485D N8486AR, N8486AQ
3.5 mm (m) to 3.5 mm (f)
2.4 mm (m) to 2.4 mm (f)		 8710-1765
(8 lb-in, 5/16 inch open end)		 X   X X
3.5 mm (m) to 3.5 mm (f) 8710-1764
(8 lb-in, 20 mm open end)		     X  
Type-N (m) to Type N (f) 8710-1766
(12 lb-in, 3/4 inch open end)		 X   X  
APC-7 to APC-7 8710-1766
(12 lb-in 3/4 inch open end)		   X    
Waveguide flange UG-383/U  or Waveguide flange UG-599/U

8710-0523
(3/32 inch Balldriver-Hex)[1] with torque value 3.75 lb-in

       X

1. The Balldriver is used to tighten the screws, instead of the connector.

 

  • It is recommended to use spanners to hold the female connectors when tightening.

  • All test equipment requires a certain warmup period to ensure accurate performance. Refer to the product operating and service manual for the warmup period.

  • Models for each test equipment category are given in order of preference. Alternate or substitute models are listed after the preferred model, but should be considered as a lower priority.

  • All amplifiers should be placed in enclosures to help reduce the effect of signals radiating into adjacent equipment. Also, do not position amplifiers physically close to equipment that can radiate low-level RF signals.

Test Equipment for Performance Tests

Instrument Recommended product Alternative product
Signal Sources
Signal Generator E8257D Opt 1E1, IEU/1EA, and [550 or 567] -
Function Generator 33622A

33612A
33611A
33621A
33250A
Power Supply N5745A E3632A
(Except N8480H)
Power Supply 87422A -
Network Analyzers
PNA N5247B

N5247A/AS
N5245B
N5245A/AS

E8361C
E8361A
E8364B
E8364C

N5230A1
N5230C1
ENA E5071C2 -
Calibration Kits/Electronic Calibration Modules
50 Ω Calibration Kit 85054B
 N4690B Opt M0F
N4690D3 Opt M0F
50 Ω Calibration Kit 85032F N4690B Opt M0F, N4690D3 Opt M0F, or 85054B (50 MHz Cal Port VSWR and VSWR tests only — specific UUT models only)
50 Ω Calibration Kit 85052B N4691B Opt M0F
N4691D3 Opt M0F
50 Ω Calibration Kit 85056A N4693A Opt M0F
N4693D3 Opt M0F
50 Ω Calibration Kit 85050B -
1 Ω Calibration Kit R11644A -
1 Ω Calibration Kit Q11644A -
Electronic Calibration Module N4691BH33 Opt M0F -
Electronic Calibration Module N4694D3 Opt M0F N4694A Opt M0F
N4694A Opt 00M
Meters/Verification Kits
Power Meter

N1914B

N1914A4, 5
E4419B
N1912A6
Power Sensor
(3 required) 7, 8		 N8481A 8481A or 85055A Verification Kit (VSWR test only)9
Power Sensor
(3 required) 7		 N8481A Opt 200 8481A Opt 001 or 85051B Verification Kit (VSWR test only)
Power Sensor
(3 required) 7, 8		 N8482A
 Calibration Factor test: 8482A

Linearity test: 8481A
Frequency range: 50 MHz

VSWR test: E9304A, 8482A, N8482B, N8482H or 85055A Verification Kit
Frequency range:
300 kHz to 6 GHz only
Power Sensor
(3 required) 7, 8		 N8485A 8485A or 85053B Verification Kit (VSWR test only)
Power Sensor
(3 required) 7		 N8485A Opt 033 8485A Opt 033
Power Sensor
(3 required) 7		 8485D 85053B Verification Kit (VSWR test only)
Power Sensor
(3 required) 7, 8		 N8487A 8487A or 85057B Verification Kit (VSWR test only)
Power Sensor
(3 required) 7, 8		 N8488A -
Power Sensor
(3 required) 7		 E9304A 85055A Verification Kit

Frequency range:
300 kHz to 6 GHz only (VSWR test only)
Power Sensor
(3 required) 7		 E9304A Opt H18 85055A Verification Kit

Frequency range:
300 kHz to 18 GHz only (VSWR test only)
Power Sensor
(3 required) 7		 N8486AR
 R8486A
Power Sensor
(3 required) 7		 N8486AQ
 Q8486A
Power Sensor
(3 required) 7, 8		 N8481H
 8481H
Power Sensor
(3 required) 7, 8		 N8482H 8482H (Frequency range: 100 kHz to 50 MHz) and 8481H
(Frequency range: 50 MHz to 6 GHz)
Power splitters8
Splitter 11667A
 -
Splitter 11667A Opt 002 -
Splitter 11667B -
Splitter 11667C -
Splitter 11667CH65 -
Adapters
2.4 mm (f) to Type-N (m)
 11903D
 -
2.4 mm (f) to Type-N (f) 11903B -
2.4 mm (f) to 3.5 mm (f) 11901B -
2.4 mm (f) to APC-7 11902B -
Type-N (m) to BNC (m) 1250-1473
 -
3.5 mm (f) to Type-N (m)
(2 required)		 1250-1744 -
2.4 mm (f) to 3.5 mm (m) 11901D
 -
Type-N (m) to Type-N (m)
85032-60019
 -
Type-N (m) to Type-N (f) adapter 33391C-K38 -
3.5 mm (f) to Type-N (m) 08485-60005 -
2.4 mm (f) to Type-N (m) 08487-60001 -
2.4 mm (f) to 2.4 mm (f) 85056-60006 11900B
APC-7 to Type N (m)
(2 required)		 85054-60032 11525A
WR-28 to 2.4mm (m) R281B R281A
(Calibration Factor test only)
WR-22 to 2.4 mm (m) Q281B R281A
(Calibration Factor test only)
1.85 mm (f) to 1.85 mm (f) 85058-60008 85058-60121
Attenuators
3 dB High Power Fixed Attenuator Aeroflex 40-3-43
 -
10 dB High Power Fixed Attenuator Aeroflex 40-10-43 -
3 dB Fixed Attenuator
 8491A Opt 003
 8491B Opt 003
6 dB Fixed Attenuator
(3 required)		 8491A Opt 006 8491B Opt 006
10 dB Fixed Attenuator 8491B Opt 010 8491A Opt 010
20 dB Fixed Attenuator 8491B Opt 020 8491A Opt 020
30 dB Attenuator 11708A -
10 dB Step Attenuator
 8496G
 -
1 dB Step Attenuator 8494G -
Attenuator Driver 11713B 11713A
Miscellaneous devices
Directional Coupler
 Pulsar Microwave Corporation
C4-P4-411
 -
WG22 Multihole Directional Coupler (For N8486AR Calibration Factor test)
 Flann Microwave 22132-10
 -
WG23 Multihole Directional Coupler (For N8486AQ Calibration Factor test) Flann Microwave 23136-10 -
Directional Bridge
 86205A -
Amplifier
(For N8480H linearity test)
 Mini Circuit
ZHL-100W-52
 -
Amplifier
(For linearity test of all sensors except N8480H)
 Mini Circuit
ZHL-1-2W-N
 -
Low Frequency Power Amplifier
(For N8480[B|H] calibration factor test)
 R&K Company Limited
A3000-2H-R
 -
High Frequency Power Amplifier
(For N8480[B|H] calibration factor test)		 83020A -
Filter RLC Electronics
BPF-750-50-10-5-N		 Low Pass Filter 0955-0306 and BNC (plug-m) to Type-N (f) 1250-1477 and BNC (jack-f) to Type-N (m) 1250-1476
Load 85058-60111 use with N4694A Opt M0F/N4694D3 Opt M0F 85058-60112 use with N4694A Opt 00M
Label Printer TLP 3842
(for N8480x Series Opt CFT only)		 Zebra Xi Series
(for 8480 Series and N8480x Series only)
Cables
Type-N (m to m)
(3 required)
 11500C -
Wire
(from Power Supply to Amplifier)		 - -
2.4mm (f) to 2.4mm (f)

Huber and Suhner
Sucoflex 101_PE
(Used with Q/R281B)

8120-6164
2.4 mm (m) to 2.4 mm (f)
(Used with Q/R281A)

3.5mm (m) to 3.5mm (m)
11500E
 -
3.5mm(m) to 3.5mm(m)
(2 required)		 5062-6656 -

Table Footnotes

  1. N5230A and N5230C Options: The calibration application supports any option that covers the entire frequency range of the DUT.

  2. E5071C Options: This calibration application supports any option that covers the entire frequency range of the UUT.

  3. D-model ECals can only be used with the following network analyzer models and firmware versions:

  4. N1914A power meters with serial number prior to MY53040007 require Service Note N1914A-07 which fixes a power supply ground loop. The ground loop injects noise into the measurement circuits which can cause unstable measurements at low (-30 dBm) power levels.

  5. N1914A power meters require minimum firmware version A.01.15 or above to fix a power linearity accuracy issue.

  6. N1912A power meters require minimum firmware version A.05.10 or above to fix a power linearity accuracy issue.

  7. For each power sensor model, three units are required to be used as the test equipment below:

    Supported power sensor options:

    *Power sensor Opt 033 is required if the UUT is the N8485A Opt 033.

    When ordering a new STD or CFT Power Sensor from Keysight to be used with the N7800A Series applications, order with Option 1A7. The 1A7 option provides an ISO17025 calibration and includes calibration data. When re-calibrating your STD or CFT power sensor for use with the N7800A Series applications, we recommend the Keysight ISO17025 calibration.

  8. Refer to Required Calibration Data section for the calibration options that meet the TME requirement on the test equipment’s calibration data.

  9. Refer to the individual performance test help for more power sensor models supported.

Calibration Data Validation

Standard Checks

To ensure data integrity for measurements carried out with Test Management Environment (TME), the following verification checks are carried out at the beginning of each test run. The checks are only performed on devices that require calibration data which directly affect the test results. If you are unable to meet the calibration requirements for these devices contributing to the measurement uncertainty only, you may still produce valid reports using the standard report format option which does not contain any measurement uncertainty information.

You are still required to enter calibration factors other than the default, but uncertainty related data is not required to produce standard format reports.

The following table lists the standard checks performed by default:

Device Parameter name and description Limits A failure affects:
Power Sensor CalFactor (%)
The calibration factor, as a percentage
 Must be ≥10% and ≤150% at all points
Must not be 100% (the default) at all points
 All tests that require a power sensor
Uncertainty (%)[1]
The uncertainty of the calibration factor, as a percentage		 Must be >0 and ≤10% at all points Tests that require a power sensor are also guard-banded by measurement uncertainty
Reflection Coefficient Magnitude
The magnitude of the reflection coefficient		 Must be >0 and <0.5 at all points Tests that require a power sensor are also guard-banded by measurement uncertainty
Reflection Coefficient Phase (Degree)
The phase of the reflection coefficient, as a degree		 Must be ≥–180° and ≤180° at all points
Must not be 0° (the default) at all points		 All tests that require a power sensor, except for Linearity test
Reflection Coefficient Uncertainty
The uncertainty of the reflection coefficient magnitude 		Must be non-zero at all points Tests that require a power sensor are also guard-banded by measurement uncertainty
Reflection Coefficient Phase Uncertainty (+/– Degree)
The uncertainty of the reflection coefficient phase, as a degree		 Must be >0° and ≤180° at all points Tests that require a power sensor are also guard-banded by measurement
Power Splitter
(Port 2)[2]
 Source Match
The magnitude of the equivalent source match
 Must be >0 and ≤0.5 at all points
 All tests that require a power splitter
Source Match Phase (Degree)
The phase of the equivalent source match, as a degree		 Must be ≥–180° and ≤180° at all points
Must not be 0° (the default) at all points		 All tests that require a power splitter
Source Match Uncertainty
The uncertainty of the equivalent source match magnitude		 Must be non-zero Tests that require a power splitter are also guard-banded by measurement uncertainty
Source Match Phase Uncertainty (Degree)
The uncertainty of the equivalent source match phase, as a degree		 Must be >0° and ≤180° at all points Tests that require a power splitter are also guard-banded by measurement uncertainty

 

1) TME expects the power sensor calibration factor uncertainty to be absolute uncertainty.

2)  The calibration data needed for power splitter is the Port 2 data. In the Calibration Factor test, the physical port of the power splitter with the Port 2 calibration data should be the test port which will be connected to Standard Power Sensor, Verification Power Sensor, or UUT.

Failure to comply with the Calibration Factor (%), Reflection Coefficient, Reflection Coefficient Phase (Degree), Source Match or Source Match Phase (Degree) limits will result in the test data being labeled Invalid in both the TME interface and any report format produced from the data.

Failure to comply with the Cal Factor Uncertainty (%), Reflection Coefficient Uncertainty, Reflection Coefficient Phase Uncertainty (Degree), Source Match Uncertainty or Source Match Phase Uncertainty (Degree) limits will result in the data being labeled Invalid in the TME interface if Guard-banding is On, and in any report format, other than standard, produced from the data. If the Reflection Coefficient Phase Uncertainty (Degree) or Source Match Phase Uncertainty (Degree) is not available, please keep the default value ”0”. The application will calculate the worst case phase uncertainty and uses it to calculate the overall uncertainty.

Required Calibration Data

When running a test that required the calibration data, the test will check if all the required calibration data exists.  If it is not, an error message will be prompted to ask you to enter the data.

In the situation where you choose to run the VSWR and Calibration Factor with additional frequency points, the test setup verification in the said tests will only verify the factory predefined data points.

If the calibration data of the additional frequency points for the power splitter or standard power sensor are not available, linear interpolated calibration data will be generated and used for those points when calculating calibration factor and the associated uncertainty.

, where y is the calibration data and x is the frequency associated with the calibration data.

Table 1 lists the UUT factory predefined frequency points at which the calibration data is required for the external test equipment (ETEs) for each UUT model.

Table 2 lists the equipment that needs to be calibrated at the specific frequency points listed in Table 1.

Please have your ETEs calibrated at those frequency points and enter the calibration data in TME before you run any test.

Table 1

Frequency (GHz) N8481A, N8481A Opt 200, 8481A, N8481B,
N8481H		 N8482A*, N8482B,
N8482H		 8482A* N8485A N8485A Opt 033 8485A, 8485D 8487A, N8487A N8488A N8486AR N8486AQ E9304A* E9304A Opt H18*
0.000009                     X X
0.00003                     X X
0.00005                     X X
0.0001
   X X               X X
0.0003   X X               X X
0.0005   X X               X X
0.001   X X               X X
0.003   X X               X X
0.005   X X               X X
0.01 X X X X X     X     X X
0.02               X        
0.03 X X X X X     X     X X
0.04               X        
0.05 X X X X X X X X     X X
0.1
 X X X X X X X X     X X
0.3 X X X X X X X X     X X
0.5 X X X X X X X X     X X
0.8                     X X
1 X X X X X X X X     X X
1.2                     X X
1.5 X X X X X X         X X
2 X X X X X X X X     X X
2.5   X X                  
3 X X X X X X X X     X X
3.5   X                    
4 X X X X X X X X     X X
4.2   X X                  
5 X X   X X X X X     X X
6 X X   X X X X X     X X
1 GHz step X     X X X X X       X
12
 X     X X X X X       X
12.4
 X     X X X X         X
13
 X     X X X X X       X
1 GHz step
 X     X X X X X       X
18 X     X X X X X       X
1 GHz step
       X X X X X        
26
       X X X X X        
26.5
       X X X X   X      
27         X   X X X      
1 GHz step         X   X X X      
33         X   X X X X    
34             X X X X    
34.5             X X X      
35             X X X X    
1 GHz step             X X X X    
40             X X X X    
1 GHz step             X X   X    
50             X X   X    
1 GHz step               X        
70               X        

* N8482A, 8482A, E9304A, and E9304A Opt H18 Opt Z2092B-208 VSWR test, the start frequency point is 10 MHz.

You can order the following options to calibrate the test equipment to meet the TME requirement on the test equipment's calibration data.

Test equipment Calibration option1
N8480 Series, 8480 Series H84
11667A H85 or H86
11667B H85 or H86, H87
11667C H85 or H86
11667CH65 H70
  1. H85 is the minimum calibration requirement.
    H86 calibrates at more frequency points than that of H85.
    H87 calibrates up to 33 GHz, and is only required to calibrate the N8487A Opt 033 power sensor

 

Table 2

Equipment type Performance test
VSWR Linearity Calibration Factor
N8481A/8481A
/N8481B/N8481H		 N8481A Opt 200 N8482A/8482A
/N8482B/N8482H		 N8485A/8485A
/8485D		 N8485A Opt 033 N8487A
/8487A		 N8488A N8486AR
/N8486AQ		 E9304A
/E9304A Opt H18
StandardPowerSensor1
   UUT models, N8481A, N8482A, N8485A, 8481A, 8482A, 8485A, 8487A, 50 MHz only + + +
Range 2		 +   + + + +
StandardPowerSensor2
         +
Range 1		            
StandardPowerSensorExtendedFrequency1             +        
VerificationPowerSensor1
     + + +
Range 2		 +   + + + +
VerificationPowerSensor2
         +
Range 1		            
VerificationPowerSensorExtendedFrequency1             +        
BuriedPowerSensor1
     + + +
Range 2		 +   + + + +
BuriedPowerSensor2
        +
Range 1		            
BuriedPowerSensorExtendedFrequency1             +        
LinearityReferencePowerSensor   UUT models:
8485D, E9304A, E9304A Opt H18,
N8487A, N8488A, N8481B,
N8482B, N8481H,
N8482H, N8486AQ, N8486AR, 50 MHz only
                  
Splitter1
     +   +
Range 2		           +
Splitter2
         +
Range 1		            
PowerSplitter1 3.5 mm F           + +        
PowerSplitter1 2.4 mm F               +      
PowerSplitter1 1.85 mm F                 +    
PowerSplitter1 APC7 F       +              
Network Analyzer 1-Port Cal Verification Device 1 +
All UUT models, except N8481A Opt 200 and N8485A Opt 033[*]		                    
Network Analyzer 1-Port Cal Verification Device 2 +
N8481A Opt 200 and N8485A Opt 033		                    

+Refer to Table 1 for the required frequency points.

Range 1: 100 kHz to 50 MHz

Range 2:

* If an E9340A power sensor is used, the frequency points 2.5 GHz, 3.5 GHz, and 4.2 GHz are not required.

Tip:

To enter the Device (power splitter or power sensor) calibration data into TME, follow these steps if electronic copy of the calibration data is available:

  1. Add and map the required Device in Configure Test Stations.
  2. Click the Device icon then the Edit Cal Data button.
  3. Click the Export button and select csv as the saved file format.
  4. Open the exported csv file. Copy and paste the matching calibration data into the csv file.
  5. Check the unit of the data in each column matches that required in TME.
  6. Check the frequency is in ascending order.
  7. Click the Import button in the Calibration Data Editor to import the updated csv file.
  8. Enter the proper Cal Due Date and Trace Number.
  9. Click Save on the toolbar or the OK button.

TME Calibration Options

Z2092B-208 Option

Z2092B-208 is a predefined TME calibration option for the Z2092B-207 power sensor test system. The Z2092B-207 power sensor test system with Option Z2092B-208 has a network analyzer lower frequency limit of 10 MHz. If this option is selected during the order creation of an N8482A unit under test (UUT), a limited calibration will be performed on the UUT.

VSWR will only be measured from 10 MHz to 6 GHz. The determination of Calibration Factor assumes that the UUT meets its VSWR specifications for frequencies below 10 MHz. This results in higher Calibration Factor uncertainty for this limited calibration below 10 MHz.

The calibration data of the splitters and standard and verification power sensors is still required for the full frequency range of 100 kHz to 6 MHz. (See Table 1 for the required calibration data.)

Power Sensor Label Printing

TME supports two types of power sensor labels:

  1. Power Sensor Calibration Data Label (08481-80115) — the Keysight 08481-80115 power sensor label for the 8480 Series sensor

  2. Power Sensor Calibration Data Label (N8481-84306) — the Keysight N8481-84306 power sensor label for the N8480 Series CFT sensor

There is no Calibration Data Label required for the E9304A, N8488A, and the N8480 Series Opt STD power sensors in this calibration application.

The data on the sensor label will include the model number and serial number of the sensor as well as the calibration data (frequency, calibration factor, and rho) for the predefined frequencies.

To print or view the label, go to the Test Reports tab, select one of the label templates from the Report Template’s drop down list, then select the desired Calibration Factor test run. Finally click the Create Report button to view the label. You can either print the label directly from the TME report viewer or save the report to a pdf file then print it from a pdf viewer.

The TME report viewer will only use the default printer. If you would like to print the label from the report viewer, please set the default printer to the desired label printer before creating the label report in TME.

Printer Setup

  1. The driver for the Zebra printers can be downloaded from Zebra Technologies. The information of the discontinued printers can be found here.

  2. To set the printing preferences, please select the Printers and Faxes submenu from the Start menu, then double-click on the printer. Select the Printing Preferences... from the Printer menu. Configure the printer settings through the Printing Preferences dialog box.

  3. Please recalibrate the printer after changing the media or ribbon.

  4. Please check the printer settings after changing the media.

  5. The TLP 3842 printer prefers an approximately 1/8” gap between labels.  The 08481-80115 label has an approximately 1” gap and was not supported for the TLP 3842.

The following printer settings were tested on Zebra 90 XiII and TLP 3842. Please set the Gap/Mark Height, Size, and Paper Format accordingly. You may also need to adjust the Speed, Darkness, and Tear Off Adjustment for your particular printer. For the other printer settings, please use the default values.

N8481-84306 Label — Printer Settings

  TLP 3842 Zebra 90 XiII

Gap/Mark Height

0.12”

NA

Size

1.5" × 3.5" (Width × Height)

1.5" × 3.5" (Width × Height)

Paper Format

Rotate 180

No Rotate

Speed

1.5"/s

2

Darkness

15  (TLP 2844)
7  (TLP 3842)

15

Tear Off Adjustment

N/A

–0.08”
Media Thermal Transfer
Label with Gaps		 Thermal Transfer
Web Sensing

 

08481-80115 Label — Printer Settings

  Zebra 90 XiII

Gap/Mark Height

NA

Size

3.5" × 5" (Width × Height)

Paper Format

Rotate 180

Speed

2

Darkness

15

Tear Off Adjustment

–0.39”
Media Thermal Transfer
Web Sensing