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Using the Network Analyzer
This guide walks through the process of setting up WaveForms' Network Analyzer instrument and plotting some data. The user interface of the instrument is briefly described.
1. Opening the Network Analyzer
1.1
Plug in your <test & measurement device>, then start WaveForms and make sure your device is selected.
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1.2
Once the Welcome page loads, in the instrument panel at the left side of the window, click on the Network button to open the Network Analyzer instrument.
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1.3
Once the Network instrument opens, the window contains the plot plane split horizontally into two subplot planes, the control bar above the plot planes, and the configuration panel to the right of the plot plane.
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2. Using the Network Analyzer
This section walks through setting up the Network Analyzer to plot data from the Wavgen channels.
2.1 Hardware Setup
Connect the <test&measurement device>'s scope channel 1 pin (orange wire) to the device's wavegen channel 1 output pin (yellow wire). For devices that use differential input channels, such as the Analog Discovery Studio with MTE cables, make sure to connect the scope channel 1 negative pin (orange wire with white stripes) to the ground pin associated with wavegen channel 1 (black wire).
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2.2 Run the Network Analyzer
By default, the Network Analyzer uses the <test&measurement device>'s wavegen channel 1 as the source signal and does not need any further configuration from the wavegen instrument window. From the control bar, click Run to continuously sweep the connected network port(s). While sweeping, Run button will now display Stop. Click Stop to end sweeping the network port. Click Single (to the left of Run) to sweep the network port only once. With the wavegen connected to the scope channel 1 input, the plot planes should show channel 1 (yellow traces) as a flat 0db magnitude plot, channel 2 (blue traces) magnitude plot increasing from -50dB to 40dB, and channel 2 phase plot decreasing from 90 degrees to 0 degrees.
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2.3 Plot Plane Axes
By default, the top plane is the magnitude response of the network port in decibels (from +10dB to -90dB) and the bottom plane is the phase response of the network port in degrees (from +180° to -180°). These respective values are on the left side vertical axis and are adjusted using the configuration panel.
The bottom axis is shared by both plots and by default is frequency from 1kHz to 1MHz. This axis can be adjusted using the control bar. Alternately, hover a mouse over an axis or plot plane and scroll the mouse wheel to scale that parameter.
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2.4 Data Cursors
To take a quick measurement of the plotted magnitude and phase at a given frequency, click the “Quick Measure: Vertical” button located at the top right corner of the top plot plane. Move the cursor over the plot pane and observe the values displayed. Click once to set that cursor, click a second time to generate a second, differential cursor, then click a third time to place the differential cursor. A fourth click or unclicking the “Quick Measure: Vertical” button will remove these cursors.
To place one or more single-ended or differential cursors, click the Add Cursor button in the bottom left plane. The first click will generate a single ended cursor and repeated clicks will generate additional differential cursors referenced to the first cursor. To change the differential cursors to single ended, click the triangle icon on that cursor's button on the bottom of the plane plot and change reference to “none”. Additionally, selecting “Remove” will delete the cursor from the plot plane.
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