Input Extensions (Infiniium)

Menu Path: Input > Extensions

Input Extensions are the hardware configuration and setup parameters that apply to the Keysight 89600 VSA with Keysight Infiniium Series Oscilloscopes.

To modify a hardware parameter, open the Input Extension dialog (Input > Extensions tab), click the parameter name and specify the value. For True/False values, a selected check box sets the value to True. A cleared check box sets the value to False.

Click Preset All to preset all input extension parameters across all logical instruments and channels.

Hardware Configuration Parameters

Parameter	Value	Default
CustomTrigCommand	String	<blank>
CustomTrigType	True / False	False
ExternalMixerLoAddress	String	<blank>
Hardware DDC Sample Rate	Double	NaN (when DDC is not active)
Hardware DDC Status	NotApplied / Ddc / HighResolution	NotApplied
RealEdge (High Bandwidth)	Off / On	Off
ResampleLocation	Driver / Measurement	Driver
Sample Rate Actual	Double	NaN
SampleMode	FullRate / FullRateDdc / Minimize / UserRate	FullRate; FullRateDdc if hardware-based DDC is supported
UserSampleRate	Real	1E+09
UserSCPIPreset	String	<blank>

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CustomTrigCommand

CustomTrigCommand is used to set trigger parameters on the Infiniium Series Oscilloscopes that cannot be set directly from the 89600 user interface. This parameter enables the user to take advantage of the Infiniium Series scopes extensive trigger conditioning and pattern capability.

A sequence of SCPI commands can be entered, beginning with ":TRIG" and separated by semicolons, into the CustomTrigCommand dialog box. The commands will be transmitted to the scope when the Configure dialog box is closed when the CustomTrigType is set to True. The trigger type selected in the Trigger tab of the Input Properties dialog box (Input > Trigger) is overridden when the commands are transmitted. SCPI Query commands are not supported.

CustomTrigType

When CustomTrigType is true, the trigger types can be configured by entering SCPI commands in the CustomTrigCommand hardware parameter. When this parameter is false, the trigger type is specified in the 89600 software (Input > Trigger tab).

ExternalMixerLoAddress

ExternalMixerLoAddress sets the LAN Local Area Network: A communications network that serves users within a local geographical area, typically over distances of around 100m. Wireless LANs use wireless communicaitons to network devices so there is no need for data cabling. or USB address of the LO address for external mixer configuration. The LAN or USB address of the LO for the system (such as an MXG-B) can be copied from the Keysight Connection Expert on the scope, and pasted here. Please see the External Mixer Connectivity with Infiniium Oscilloscope topic for more details.

Hardware DDC Sample Rate

Hardware DDC Sample Rate displays a read only value and is only available for oscilloscope models with hardware DDC.

When the DDC is active, this field will show the DDC sample rate.

When the DDC is not active, this field will show NaN.

Hardware DDC Status

Hardware DDC Status displays a read only value and is only available for oscilloscope models with hardware DDC.

When oscilloscope Spectrum Analysis (DDC) is active for hardware digital downconversion, this field will show DDC applied.

When oscilloscope High Resolution acquisition mode is active for hardware digital downconversion, this field will show High Resolution applied.

When hardware digital downconversion is not active, this field will show Not applied. Hardware digital downconversion is not applied if the oscilloscope does not have the necessary options present, FullRateDdc is not the selected sample mode, frequency limits are not met, the channel is a differential channel, or the instrument is simulated.

RealEdge (High Bandwidth)

The RealEdge (High Bandwidth) (default: OFF) parameter is used to select the scope Real Edge inputs. The Real Edge inputs can only be switched ON for scopes that support Real Edge inputs and the VSA Logical Channel configuration is set to use scope inputs 1 and/or 3. When HighBandwidthMode is set to OFF then oscilloscope inputs 1 thru 4 will be used. When HighBandwidthMode is set to ON, the scope Real Edge inputs are used.

Real Edge (High Bandwidth)	VSA Logical Ch's	Scope Inputs 1 thru 4	Scope Real Edge Inputs
Cleared (OFF)	1 thru 4	1 thru 4	OFF
Selected (ON)	1 thru 2	OFF	ON

ResampleLocation

The 89600 VSA software automatically resamples the scope input data to satisfy the data sample requirements for the current VSA measurement span. This minimizes the amount of data required and used for a particular measurement. The large data capture memory size capability of the Infiniium series oscilloscopes can exceed the 89600 VSA software internal data limit. The "ResampleLocation" parameter takes advantage of these longer time lengths by resampling in the 89600 software's driver for the Infiniium scopes (this occurs before the 89600 measurement system block). For more information on resampling and VSA theory of operation, see Application Note 150-15 Keysight Vector Signal Analysis Basics (see Product Literature). There are two ResampleLocation modes: Measurement mode and Driver (default) mode:

Measurement mode:  

When ResampleLocation is set to Measurement, the resampling of the input time data is implemented in the 89600 VSA "Measurement" system block which bypasses the "Driver" digital decimating filter system block, see the following VSA system block diagram. In "Measurement" mode, the current measurement is limited to 8.2 M pts of the scope input data. This in turn limits the VSA maximum time Record Length and either the Search Length or Result Length depending on the type of measurement.

"Measurement" mode limits the current VSA measurement to 8.2 M pts of the scope input data

Driver mode (default):  

When the ResampleLocation is set to Driver, the resampling of the input time data is implemented in the 89600 VSA software - Infiniium scope "driver" digital decimating filter system block , see preceding VSA system block diagram. In "Driver" mode, the current measurement input data is not limited to 8.2 M pts of scope data. However, there are differences in some of the 89600 VSA operation and data results:

Driver mode VSA operating differences:

• Some events may not be seen in the 89600 software traces since the raw scope data is not available to view. For example, a signal that is outside the measurement span may not be visible in 89600 traces but may still cause a trigger to occur since the scope's triggering is before the sampler.
• The Raw Main Time trace is changed to Resampled Raw Main Time when resampling occurs in the Driver.
• Recordings will store the resampled data instead of the raw scope data.
• Channel triggering may be harder to setup as the scope hardware triggers before the resampler and the data in the Resampled Raw Main Time trace is at the output of the resampler.

SampleMode

• FullRate Mode
  

  When the SampleMode is set to FullRate, the oscilloscope sample rate is set to the minimum sample rate necessary to acquire signals at the scope's full bandwidth.

  Some of the Infiniium oscilloscopes provide an anti-alias low pass filter. Others require an appropriate external anti-alias low pass filter for this mode to be free of alias exposure zones. This means that no signal anywhere in the range of the VSA's center frequency will alias upon the desired signal and corrupt the measurement. See the Keysight Infiniium Oscilloscopes with 89600B VSA Software Keysight Infiniium Oscilloscopes with 89600B VSA Software (PN 5990-6819EN) Application Note for information on specific models.

  There is a trade-off when using this mode. At the full sample rate, the maximum time record length is less than when using lower simple rates. If a longer Main Time (or Result Length for digital demodulation) is needed for more resolution in the frequency domain, then select either Maximize, Minimize or UserRate instead.

  FullRate Mode is also used to support oscilloscopes with the frequency extension license option (option MM1 or MM5). See Frequency Extension Option for more information.

  Any limitation to Main Time (or Result Length) will be indicated by the inability of the software to increase the Main Time or decrease RBW Resolution Band Width (RBW or ResBW): specifies the minimum frequency bandwith that two separate frequency spectra can be resolved and viewed seperately. For FFT (digital) based VSA's the process is equivalent to passing a time-domain signal through a bank of bandpass filters, whose center frequencies correspond to the frequencies of the FFT bins. For a traditional swept-tuned (non-digital) spectrum analyzer, the resolution bandwidth is the bandwidth of the IF filter which determines the selectivity. when Number of Frequency Points is increased.

• FullRateDdc Mode (UXR models with firmware version 10.12 or later; maximum hardware DDC bandwidth depends on scope license options present)

  When the SampleMode is set to FullRateDdc, the full ADC Analog-to-Digital Converter sample rate of the oscilloscope is used. But, the hardware-based digital down converter (DDC) is used when possible. FullRateDdc is an active selection if the connected scope supports the oscilloscope DDC option. Otherwise, it will be grayed out and not selectable.

  The FullRateDdc selection seamlessly chooses whether to use the oscilloscope's hardware based real-time DDC, frequency extension, or normal mode of operation. It assumes that everything is possible with any of these modes, except for the following:

  • Bandwidth limits are different for each
  • Frequency range may be different

  The mode of operation used by the oscilloscope (DDC, frequency extension, or normal) is based upon the Center Frequency and Span, with the following conditions:

  • When more than one mode supports the above parameters, the priority is: DDC, normal, frequency extension
  • When changing from the normal mode of operation to the frequency extension mode for cases when the frequency extension allows a higher center frequency than the normal mode, the point at which the mode changes is when the center frequency becomes greater than normal mode bandwidth - max frequency extension bandwidth / 2. This prevents display blanking and ensures the full span is valid at the specified center frequency.

  When using the FullRateDdc sample mode, the ResampleLocation will be limited to the Driver selection (the Measurement selection is disabled).

  The capture memory in the oscilloscope is after the real-time DDC, so a much larger capture length in terms of time can be achieved when it can be used compared to when it cannot be used because the real-time DDC can frequency shift, filter, and decimate in real-time before sending the data to the limited length capture memory.

  The scope hardware DDC uses spans that are powers of 2. The software based DDC in the VSA software supports arbitrary resampling so it can achieve the user-requested span. But to do that, the VSA software will request a wider span from the oscilloscope when the exact span is not possible, then resample and decimate in the VSA software. The result can have side effects:

  • The maximum capture length at the analysis part of the VSA software will be reduced by approximately the ratio of the VSA user entered span to that of the oscilloscope power of 2 DDC span used.

  The Hardware DDC Sample Rate input extension parameter in the VSA software indicates when the path through the real-time hardware-based DDC in the oscilloscope is active and being used, and if used, displays the DDC output sample rate.

  FullRateDdc can work either with the frequency extension option present or not. If the frequency extension option is not present, then it will use the normal mode of operation when the hardware DDC cannot be used (based upon the requested center frequency, span, and trigger type).

  Baseband is not supported with the hardware based DDC and so will always use the normal mode.

• Minimize Mode

  When the SampleMode is set to Minimize, the scope's sample rate is set to the smallest value possible for proper IF subsampling with the current center frequency / span combination. Depending on the center frequency / span combination, the IF subsample rate can be less than the full sample rate available in the scope. When it is much less than the full rate, significant increases in Main Time are possible.

  Minimize mode gives the largest values of Main Time on the operating region curves. However, it produces less spreading of the out-of-band alias exposure zones. Use Minimize when there are no out-of-band signals and the longest Main Time values are desired.

  For S-Series, V-Series, and X-Series oscilloscopes, Minimize mode will be coerced to Full Rate mode. The current API 1) Access Preamble Indicator, or 2) Application Programming Interface prevents VSA from controlling the front end anti-alias filters. Therefore, Minimize mode is not valid for these scope series.

  See the Keysight Infiniium Oscilloscopes with 89600B VSA Software (PN 5990-6819EN) Application Note for more information on signal aliasing.

• UserRate Mode

  When the SampleMode is set to UserRate, the sample rate is specified using the UserSampleRate input extension.

Sample Rate Actual

Sample Rate Actual displays a read only value of the actual oscilloscope sample rate in Sa/sec.

UserSampleRate

UserSampleRate selects the scope sample rate when SampleMode is set to UserRate. The actual sample rate selected will be the highest sample rate that is less than or equal to the user requested sample rate, up to and including the FullRate sample rate. By controlling the scope sample rate, you can directly influence the update rate of the VSA. This is because sample rate directly affects the number of points the scope must transfer to the VSA. Certain measurements can be made significantly faster by limiting the scope sample rate due to reduced data transfer requirements.

UserSampleRate can also be used to increase the maximum acquisition time available from the scope by specifying a lower sample rate. A lower sample causes fewer samples to be taken per second, which means a longer time record can fit in the capture memory of the scope.

The following table specifies the possible sample rates when using the Infiniium Series Oscilloscopes with the 89600 Software.

Sample Rates for Infiniium Oscilloscopes with the 89600 Software

Sample Rate	Infiniium Model Numbers
256 GSa/s	UXR0051AP, UXR0252AP, UXR0254AP, UXR0402A, UXR0402AP, UXR0404A, UXR0404AP, UXR0502A, UXR0504A, UXR0592A, UXR0592AP, UXR0594A, UXR0594AP, UXR0702A, UXR0702AP, UXR0704A, UXR0704AP, UXR0802A, UXR0804A, UXR1002A, UXR1004A, UXR1102A, UXR1104A UXR0051BP, UXR0252BP, UXR0254BP, UXR0402B, UXR0402BP, UXR0404B, UXR0404BP, UXR0502B, UXR0504B, UXR0592B, UXR0592BP, UXR0594B, UXR0594BP, UXR0702B, UXR0702BP, UXR0704B, UXR0704BP, UXR0802B, UXR0804B, UXR1002B, UXR1004B, UXR1102B, UXR1104B
128 GSa/s	UXR0104A, UXR0134A, UXR0164A, UXR0204A, UXR0254A, UXR0334A UXR0104B, UXR0134B, UXR0164B, UXR0204B, UXR0254B, UXR0334B
160 GSa/s	X95004Q7, X96204Q7, all Z-Series models ≥ 50GHz
80 GSa/s 6	X91304, X91604, X92004, X92504, X92804, X93204, X92004Q, X92504Q, X93304Q, all V-Series, all Z-Series models ≤ 33GHz
40 GSa/s 1	90804, 91204, 91304
20 GSa/s 2	90404, 90604, 9404, all S-Series models (2 channels)
16 GSa/s 2	all EXR models, all MXR models
10 GSa/s	90254, 9254, all S-Series models (4 channels)
5 GSa/s	9064
4 GSa/s 1,4
2.50 GSa/s 3
2.25 GSa/s 3
2 GSa/s5
1.25 GSa/s 3
1 GSa/s
500 MSa/s
400 MSa/s 3, 5
250 MSa/s
200 MSa/s
125 MSa/s
100 MSa/s
50 MSa/s
40 MSa/s
25 MSa/s
20 MSa/s
10 MSa/s
5 MSa/s
4 MSa/s
2.5 MSa/s
2 MSa/s
1 MSa/s
1 Not available when > 2 channels are active, except for Series 90000 scopes. 2 Not available for 9404 scope when > 2 channels are active. 3 Only available for Series 9000 scopes. 4 Not available for 9064 Scopes. 5 Not available for 9064 scopes when > 2 ch's are active. 6 Not available when oscilloscope channels 1 & 2 or 3 & 4 are active at the same time, except 90000Q Series and Z-Series scopes. 7 Only applies to RealEdge inputs.

UserSCPIPreset

UserSCPIPreset is useful for setting parameters on the Infiniium Series Oscilloscope that cannot be set directly from the 89600 user interface.

SCPI commands can be entered separated by semicolons. SCPI Query commands are not supported.

Whenever the 89600 VSA needs to preset the scope it will send these user SCPI commands followed by other commands from the VSA. Be aware that the VSA preset will overwrite conflicting user SCPI commands.

To enter SCPI preset commands, follow these steps:

1. Make sure that the Infiniium oscilloscope is specified as the Logical Instrument in the Analyzer Configuration. Click Utilities > Hardware > Configurations.
2. On the Input > Extensions tab, type in the SCPI commands separated by semicolons in the UserSCPIPreset parameter text box.

For detailed information on SCPI commands for the Infiniium Series scopes, refer to scope programming documentation.

For more information, see the Keysight Infiniium Oscilloscopes with 89600B VSA Software (PN 5990-6819EN) Application Note.