N5110B Capture Setup

Capture Setup

Capture method

This cell determines the type of memory the waveform will be saved to during capture. Your choice will depend on the waveform size and the desired playback sample rate.

Optimize Depth

With this choice, the captured waveform is saved to the hard drive. Optimizing for depth will provide virtually unlimited depth at the cost of speed. Waveform file size is limited only by the available space on the hard drive. The speed is limited to 40 MSa/s, although it is not guaranteed.

Optimize Speed

With this choice,  the waveform file contents are copied to the DRAM on board the N5101, and playback occurs from the DRAM. Optimizing for speed will allow the highest sample rates but limit the maximum depth of capture. Waveform file size is limited by the available DRAM.

Automatic Selection

With this choice, the waveform file will load into and play back from DRAM if the waveform will fit (<=512 MSamples). Otherwise, playback will occur directly from the hard drive.

Capture Depth

This cell sets the number of samples in the capture. This setting is coupled with the sample rate and capture duration settings. If the capture depth is set and the rate is changed, the capture depth will remain constant and the capture duration will be updated based on the new sample rate. If the capture duration is set and the sample rate is changed, the capture depth will change to attempt to keep capture duration constant (if this is not possible, the capture duration will be clipped at the limit).

Capture Duration

This cell sets the duration of the capture, specified in a time unit (nS, uS, S)  Capture duration is coupled with the sample rate and capture depth settings. If the capture duration is set and the sample rate is changed, the capture depth will change to attempt to keep capture duration constant (if this is not possible, the capture duration will be clipped at the limit). If the capture depth is set and the rate is changed, the capture depth will remain constant and the capture duration will be updated based on the new sample rate.

Signal Setup

Capture Sample Rate

This cell specifies the sample rate of the captured waveform. This cell controls the N5102A interface module's sample rate setting. It is read-only, and is determined by the N5102A Digital Interface Clock Rate, Serial/Parallel, and Signal Mapping settings.

Analysis Sample Rate

This cell specifies the sample rate used to analyze the waveform. This cell controls the Agilent 89601 signal analysis software's sample rate setting. When Lock Sample Rates is set to True, this is a read-only value that is equal to the capture sample rate.

Lock Sample Rates

This cell allows the user to lock the Analysis Sample Rate and Waveform Sample Rate settings.

True

With this choice, the analysis sample rate will always be the same as the waveform sample rate.

False

With this choice, the capture sample rate and the analysis sample rate are independent settings.

Trigger Setup

Trigger Type

This cell selects the source of the trigger signal.

Free Run

With this choice, capture occurs upon clicking the play button. Capture stops upon reaching the defined capture depth.

Device Bus

With this choice, capture begins upon receiving a trigger signal from a designated pin on the device breakout board. Capture stops upon reaching the defined capture depth.

SMB 4

With this choice, capture begins upon receiving a trigger signal through the SMB 4 GPIO port on the N5101A PCI card. Capture stops upon reaching the defined capture depth.
(View the SMB 4 connector location with both styles of the PCI Card Bracket)

The N5101A Baseband Studio PCI Card has an attached bracket that is also located on the rear panel of your PC. An SMB connector on this bracket can be used by the Capture feature of the N5110B Baseband Studio for Waveform Capture and Playback software. There are two versions of this bracket.
Click here for an explanation of the two brackets …

  • The GPIO bracket is the original bracket. When the SMB connector naming/numbering conventions for the N5110B software was developed, this bracket was the only bracket available. Therefore, when connectors SMB 4 is called out in the Capture feature of the software, the software is referring directly to this is connector on the bracket.

  • The 11-Hole Auxiliary Plate is a more recent version of the bracket. One of it's purposes is to provide enough SMB connectors for two PCI cards on a single bracket. With places for as many as eleven SMB connectors, the naming/numbering convention for this new bracket did not follow the naming/numbering convention for the original GPIO bracket. Therefore, when connector SMB 4 is called out in the Capture feature of the software, you should refer to the following illustration for the correct connections.

Note: One of these brackets is installed when the PCI card is installed in your PC. The most current version of this installation procedure is: N5101A Baseband Studio PCI Card Installation Guide

 

 

Magnitude

With this choice, capture begins on the first sample that has a power level greater than the level set by the  Trigger Value parameter. Capture stops upon reaching the defined capture depth.

Trigger Value

This cell sets the value to which the Magnitude trigger is compared. For IQ samples, the trigger value is defined as .  For IF samples, the absolute value of the sample is the is the trigger value. This setting is only available when Trigger Type is set to Magnitude.

Trigger Time Delay

This cell delays or advances the trigger by +/- (1000 / Sample Rate). The time delay will be rounded to the nearest 1/sample rate.

Trigger time delay is coupled with the sample rate and the trigger sample delay. If the trigger time delay is set and the sample rate is changed, the number of samples delayed will change to keep the trigger time delay constant (if the resulting delay is out of range, the time delay will be clipped at the limit). If the trigger sample delay is set and the rate is changed, the sample delay will remain constant and the time delay will be updated based on the new sample rate.

Trigger Sample Delay

This cell delays or advances the trigger by +/- 1000 samples. The time delay will be rounded to the nearest 1/sample rate.

Trigger sample delay is coupled with the sample rate and the trigger time delay. If the trigger time delay is set and the sample rate is changed, the number of samples delayed will change to keep the trigger time delay constant (if the resulting delay is out of range, the time delay will be clipped at the limit). If the trigger sample delay is set and the rate is changed, the sample delay will remain constant and the time delay will be updated based on the new sample rate.

Trigger Time Hold Off

This cell lets you configure the Agilent 89601A analyzer software to ignore trigger signals for a specified period of time. The next trigger cannot occur for the length of time specified. See the 89601A documentation for more information.

Trigger Sample Hold Off

This cell lets you configure the Agilent 89601A analyzer software to ignore trigger signals for a specified number of samples. The next trigger cannot occur for the number of samples specified.  See the 89601A documentation for more information.

Trigger Position

This cell determines the location of the trigger point in the waveform capture window. This cell is disabled (grayed out) if Trigger Type is set to Free Run.

 

 

Related Topics

Basic Capture Setup

Waveform Setup

N5102A Digital Interface