Perform an ECal User Characterization


This example performs a user-characterization and stores it to both the ECal module memory and PNA disk memory.  It also demonstrates the use of the EXPort, CLEar, IMPort and ‘KNAMe:INF?’ commands.

It then performs two 2-port cals: the first using the characterization from module memory, then using the characterization from disk memory.

Note: This example requires that channel 1 be already calibrated.

The SCPI commands in this example are sent over a COM interface using the SCPIStringParser object. You do NOT need a GPIB connection to run this example.

This VBScript (*.vbs) program can be run as a macro in the PNA. To do this, copy the following code into a text editor file, such as Notepad, and save it on the PNA hard drive as ECal.vbs.

Learn how to setup and run the macro.

See all ECal User Characterization SCPI commands

See Other SCPI Example Programs

Option Explicit

Dim pna

Set pna = CreateObject("AgilentPNA835x.Application")

Dim scpi

Set scpi = pna.ScpiStringParser

' Substitute here the model number and serial number of your own ECal.

' Note that this example corresponds to a 4-port ECal module with

' serial number 00001. If you have a 2-port ECal module, their model

' numbers are '5x5' numbers -- for example, 'N4691-60001'.

Dim ecalModelNum

ecalModelNum = "N4433A"

Dim ecalSerialNum

ecalSerialNum = "00001"

scpi.Parse "SENS1:CORR:CKIT:ECAL:CHAR:ID '" & ecalModelNum & "," & ecalSerialNum & "'"

MsgBox "ECal module to be characterized is: " & scpi.Parse("SENS1:CORR:CKIT:ECAL:CHAR:ID?")

' Set which user characterization number (1-12) the new characterization

' will be stored to in the ECal module when it is done.  If you intend to

' store your user characterization just to PNA Disk Memory and NOT the

' ECal module's memory, then omit this command.

Dim characterizationNumber

characterizationNumber = 1

scpi.Parse "SENS1:CORR:CKIT:ECAL:CHAR:CNUM " & CStr(characterizationNumber)

' The following commented-out lines of code show how you can access

' the list of connector type names you can set for the ports of an

' ECal when you user-characterize it.  However, please note that if

' you are writing the user characterization to the ECal module's memory,

' as of yet only the Factory Defined set of connector choices will work

' properly (see SENS:CORR:CKIT:ECAL:CHAR:CONN:CAT?). If you will be saving

' your characterization to just PNA Disk Memory only, then all connector

' names returned by this query will work,

' user-defined connector names as well as factory-defined.

 

'Dim connTypeList

'connTypeList = scpi.Parse("SENS:CORR:CKIT:ECAL:CHAR:CONN:CAT?")

'MsgBox connTypeList

 

' For each port of the ECal module, specify which connector type

' is at the end of the adapter (or cable or fixture) that is

' connected to that port of the ECal for the characterization

' (must be one of the connector types that is included in the

' list that "SENS:CORR:CKIT:ECAL:CHAR:CONN:CAT?" returns).  The

' default is "No adapter", which assumes you are characterizing that

' port of the ECal "as is" (nothing attached to it).  So in this

' example, Ports C and D of the ECal are being characterized to just

' the ECal's connectors.

scpi.Parse "SENS1:CORR:CKIT:ECAL:CHAR:CONN:PORT1 'APC 3.5 male'" ' ECal Port A

scpi.Parse "SENS1:CORR:CKIT:ECAL:CHAR:CONN:PORT2 'APC 3.5 male'" ' ECal Port B

' As with the connector types, the information set in these next

' few properties also gets stored within the characterization.

' Set the name of the person and/or company that is producing

' this characterization.

scpi.Parse "SENS1:CORR:CKIT:ECAL:CHAR:DESC:USER 'John Doe, Acme Inc.'"

' Set user-specified description of the PNA being used.

scpi.Parse "SENS1:CORR:CKIT:ECAL:CHAR:DESC:VNA 'SN US12345678'"

' Set descriptions of what you have connected to the ECal module's

' ports for the characterization.

' Port A of the ECal

scpi.Parse "SENS1:CORR:CKIT:ECAL:CHAR:DESC:PORT1 '3.5 mm adapter, SN 00001'"

' Port B of the ECal

scpi.Parse "SENS1:CORR:CKIT:ECAL:CHAR:DESC:PORT2 '3.5 mm adapter, SN 00002'"

' Note that the "SENS:CORR:CKIT:ECAL:CHAR:" INITiate, ACQuire and SAVE

' ("CHAR:SAVE" but not "CHAR:DMEMory:SAVE") commands can all each take a significant

' amount of time to execute/complete.  If you are looking at this example to

' leverage this functionality into a SCPI via GPIB or SCPI via SICL-LAN

' (VXI-11.2/11.3) application, then you could issue the "*CLS" and "*ESE 1" commands

' as shown in the commented-out lines below, and use your I/O libraries' Serial Poll

' function to repeatedly read the status byte until you detect bit 5 (weight of 32)

' in that byte is set.  That will happen when the command you are pairing with

' ";*OPC" has completed its operation.  But that technique only works for the GPIB

' and SICL-LAN interfaces.  If you need to use the TCPIP Socket or COM

' ScpiStringParser (as is used in this example) SCPI interfaces where there's

' no "built-in" Serial Poll type of function, to ensure your program operates in a

' synchronized manner it will need to wait on the "*OPC?" reply (and not time out)

' before proceeding to the next line of your program.  In that event, we recommend

' you execute these commands on a thread of execution separate from your program's

' user interface thread.

' Of the "SENS:CORR:CKIT:ECAL:CHAR:" INITiate, ACQuire and SAVE commands, the SAVE

' command takes the longest amount of time to complete (unless you've set up your

' measurement channel to have a very slow sweep time, in which case the ACQuire

' command could take longer).  For an ECal that is a N469x, N4432A or N4433A, or an

' 8509x or N4431x produced by Keysight in 2005 or later, the SAVE command can take a

' maximum of approximately 4 to 5 minutes to complete (that corresponds to a

' characterization that will result in the ECal's memory becoming completely filled).

' For an 8509x or N4431x ECal that was produced in 2004 or earlier, the SAVE command

' can take a maximum of 9 to 10 minutes to complete (again that corresponds to a

' characterization that will result in the ECal's memory becoming completely full).

' Begin a user characterization on Channel 1.

' If you will be storing this characterization to the ECal module's memory, then

' the boolean argument to this command is optional (but if you choose to include it

' for that case then you must specify it as 1 or ON).  If you will be storing this

' characterization to PNA disk memory ONLY, then you should specify 0 or OFF for

' that argument.  In this example we will be storing the characterization to both

' module memory and PNA disk memory, so we can just omit the argument and let it

' default to 1.

scpi.Parse "SENS1:CORR:CKIT:ECAL:CHAR:INIT"

Dim numSteps

numSteps = CLng( scpi.Parse("SENS1:CORR:CKIT:ECAL:CHAR:STEP?") )

Dim opcReply

'Dim statusByte

' Measure the steps.

' Note: prior to measuring the steps you must already have a calibration of the

' necessary number of ports applied to the channel (which in this example is Channel 1).

' Otherwise an error will be reported to the SCPI error queue.

Dim i

For i = 1 To numSteps

   ' Display the step's description.

   MsgBox scpi.Parse("SENS1:CORR:CKIT:ECAL:CHAR:DESC? " & i)

   ' Clear the instrument's Status Byte.

'   scpi.Execute "*CLS"

   ' Enable for the OPC bit (bit 0, which has weight 1) in the instrument's

   ' Event Status Register, so that when that bit's value transitions from 0 to 1

   ' then the Event Status Register bit in the Status Byte (bit 5 of that byte,

   ' weight 32) will become set.

'   scpi.Execute "*ESE 1"

   ' Issue the ACQuire command

   opcReply = scpi.Parse("SENS1:CORR:CKIT:ECAL:CHAR:ACQ STAN" & CStr(i) & ";*OPC?")

'   scpi.Execute "SENS1:CORR:CKIT:ECAL:CHAR:ACQ STAN" & CStr(i) & ";*OPC"

'   Do

      ' here is where if you leverage this example into an environment where

      ' you are using SCPI via GPIB or SICL-LAN, that in this loop you could do a

      ' Serial Poll via that interface to read the status byte into this

      ' statusByte variable.  Then this If statement would detect when bit 5 is set.

'      If ( (statusByte/32) Mod 2) Then Exit Do

      ' And note that normally you would want to have your program do some other

      ' processing (for example, check for user input from keyboard/mouse, for

      ' a cancellation request) here in this loop.

'   Loop

   MsgBox "ACQuire is complete"

Next

MsgBox "Now the user characterization will be saved to the ECal module and to PNA disk memory"

'scpi.Execute "*CLS;*ESE 1"

' Save the user characterization to the ECal module's memory.

opcReply = scpi.Parse("SENS1:CORR:CKIT:ECAL:CHAR:SAVE;*OPC?")

'scpi.Execute "SENS1:CORR:CKIT:ECAL:CHAR:SAVE;*OPC"

'Do

   ' again here you could do a Serial Poll to get statusByte if using GPIB or SICL-LAN

'   If ( (statusByte/32) Mod 2) Then Exit Do

'Loop

' Save the user characterization to PNA Disk Memory.

Dim characterizationName

characterizationName = "test"

opcReply = scpi.Parse("SENS1:CORR:CKIT:ECAL:CHAR:DMEM:SAVE '" & characterizationName & "';*OPC?")

Dim pnaDiskMemCalKitName

pnaDiskMemCalKitName = GetCalKitName(characterizationName)

' Exporting the characterization from PNA disk memory into a file.

' The file can be used for loading the characterization into PNA disk memory on another PNA.

scpi.Parse "SENS:CORR:CKIT:ECAL:EXP '" & pnaDiskMemCalKitName & "'"

' Demonstrating that the characterization can be cleared from PNA disk memory and

' then re-loaded (IMPorted) from the file that was created by the  '"SENS:CORR:CKIT:ECAL:EXP".

scpi.Parse "SENS:CORR:CKIT:ECAL:DMEM:CLE '" & pnaDiskMemCalKitName & "'"

scpi.Parse "SENS:CORR:CKIT:ECAL:DMEM:IMP 'C:/Program Files/Keysight/Network Analyzer/ECal User Characterizations/" & pnaDiskMemCalKitName & ".euc'"

Dim moduleMemCalKitName

moduleMemCalKitName = GetCalKitName("User " & CStr(characterizationNumber))

MsgBox "Information about the characterization from ECal module memory = " & scpi.Parse("SENS:CORR:CKIT:ECAL:KNAM:INF? '" & moduleMemCalKitName & "'")

MsgBox "Information about the characterization from PNA disk memory = " & scpi.Parse("SENS:CORR:CKIT:ECAL:KNAM:INF? '" & pnaDiskMemCalKitName & "'")

MsgBox "User characterization is complete.  Now we will calibrate using it.  First we will use it from ECal module memory."

DoTwoPortCal moduleMemCalKitName

MsgBox "Now we will calibrate using the characterization from PNA Disk Memory."

DoTwoPortCal pnaDiskMemCalKitName

MsgBox "Example has completed"

'

Function GetCalKitName(characterizationName)

Dim calKitName

calKitName = ecalModelNum

If Len(characterizationName) > 0 Then calKitName = calKitName & " " & characterizationName

calKitName = calKitName & " ECal " & ecalSerialNum

GetCalKitName = calKitName

End Function

 

Sub DoTwoPortCal(calKitName)

' Specify the DUT connector for each PNA port to be calibrated (DUT connector = ECal characterization's connector)

scpi.Parse "SENS1:CORR:COLL:GUID:CONN:PORT1 'APC 3.5 male'"

scpi.Parse "SENS1:CORR:COLL:GUID:CONN:PORT2 'APC 3.5 male'"

' Specify the "cal kit" for each of those ports

scpi.Parse "SENS1:CORR:COLL:GUID:CKIT:PORT1 '" & calKitName & "'"

scpi.Parse "SENS1:CORR:COLL:GUID:CKIT:PORT2 '" & calKitName & "'"

' This results in a calibration sequence of a single "connection step"

scpi.Parse "SENS1:CORR:COLL:GUID:INIT"

' Acquire the cal connection step

opcReply = scpi.Parse("SENS1:CORR:COLL:GUID:ACQ STAN1;*OPC?")

' Again here instead of waiting for opcReply you could do a Serial Poll to get statusByte if using GPIB or SICL-LAN

'scpi.Execute "SENS1:CORR:COLL:GUID:ACQ STAN1;*OPC"

'Do

' If ( (statusByte/32) Mod 2) Then Exit Do

'Loop

' Conclude the cal and turn it on

scpi.Parse "SENS1:CORR:COLL:GUID:SAVE"

End Sub


Last Modified:

18-Sep-2009

Updated with new User Char commands (9.0)

25-Nov-2008

New topic (8.33)