Agilent Technologies N4880A User manual

Getting Started
with the
Agilent N4880A
Reference Clock Multiplier
If you need more detailed information on
the N4880A, refer to the Online Help of your
Reference Clock Multiplier N4880A.
For more information, visit
The Help also offers printable versions of the
User Guide.
www.agilent.com/find/n4880
You only need a few minutes to get started
with the N4880A.
This Getting Started Brochure helps you to
quickly install and operate the instrument.

Notice
2
Safety Summary
Services and Support
Any adjustment, maintenance, or repair of this
product must be performed by qualified personnel.
Contact your customer engineer through your local
Agilent Technologies Service Center. You can find
a list of local service representatives on the Web at:
http://www.agilent.com/find/techsupport
Operating personnel must not remove instrument
covers. Component replacement and internal
adjustments must be made only by qualified
personnel.
Instruments that appear damaged or defective
should be made inoperative and secured against
unintended operation until they can be repaired by
qualified service personnel.
The following general safety precautions must be
observed during all phases of operation of this
instrument. Failure to comply with these precautions
or with specific warnings elsewhere in this manual
violates safety standards of design, manufacture,
and intended use of the instrument.
Agilent Technologies Inc. assumes no liability for
the customer's failure to comply with these
requirements.
Before operation, review the instrument and manual
for safety markings and instructions. You must follow
these to ensure safe operation and to maintain the
instrument in safe condition.
This product is a Safety Class 1 instrument
(provided with a protective earth terminal).
The protective features of this product may be
impaired if it is used in a manner not specified in
the operation instructions.
All Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs) used in this
product are Class 1 LEDs as per IEC 60825-1.
Environmental Conditions
Verify that all safety precautions are taken.
The power cable inlet of the instrument
serves as a device to disconnect from the
mains in case of hazard.
The instrument must be positioned so that
the operator can easily access the power
cable inlet. When the instrument is rack-
mounted the rack must be provided with
an easily accessible mains switch.
Before Applying Power
To minimize shock hazard, the instrument chassis
and cover must be connected to an electrical
protective earth ground. The instrument must be
connected to the ac power mains through a
grounded power cable, with the ground wire firmly
connected to an electrical ground (safety ground)
at the power outlet. Any interruption of the
protective (grounding) conductor or disconnection
of the protective earth terminal will cause a
potential shock hazard that could result in
personal injury.
Do not operate the instrument in the presence of
flammable gases or fumes.
Do Not Operate in an Explosive Atmosphere
General Safety Precautions
General
Ground the Instrument
This instrument is intended for indoor use in an
installation category II, pollution degree
2 environment. It is designed to operate within
a temperature range of 5 – 40 °C (40 – 105 °F)
at a maximum relative humidity of 95% and
at altitudes of up to 2000 meters.
Refer to the specifications tables for the ac mains
voltage requirements and ambient operating
temperature range.
Do Not Remove the Instrument Cover
This product is marked with a warning
symbol when it is necessary for the user
to refer the instructions in the manual.
Instrument Markings
Revision 2.0, March 2012
Manual Part Number
N4880A-91011
Printed in Germany
Agilent Technologies, Deutschland GmbH
Herrenberger Str. 130
71034 Boeblingen, Germany
Revision
© Agilent Technologies, Inc. 2012
Copyright
Technology Licenses
The hardware and/or software described in this
document are furnished under a license and may
be used or copied only in accordance with
terms of such license.
The material contained in this document is provided
“as is,” and is subject to being changed, without
notice, in future editions. Further, to the maximum
extent permitted by applicable law, Agilent disclaims
all warranties, either express or implied, with regard
to this manual and any information contained herein,
including but not limited to the implied warranties of
merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose.
Agilent shall not be liable for errors or for incidental
or consequential damages in connection with the
furnishing, use or performance of this document or
of any information contained herein. Should Agilent
and the user have a separate written agreement with
warranty terms covering the material in this document
that conflict with these terms, the warranty terms in
the separate agreement shall control.
Restricted Rights Legend
Warranty
U.S. Government Restricted Rights.
Software and technical data rights granted to
the federal government include only those rights
customarily provided to end user customers.
Agilent provides this customary commercial license
in Software and technical data pursuant to FAR 12.211
(Technical Data) and 12.212 (Computer Software) and,
for the Department of Defense, DFARS 252.227-7015
(Technical Data - Commercial Items) and
DFARS 227.7202-3 (Rights in Commercial Computer
Software or Computer Software Documentation).
All front-panel connectors of N4880A are very sensitive
to Electrostatic Discharge (ESD).
We urgently recommend to operate the instrument in
an electrostatic safe environment.
There is a high risk of instrument damage causing
expensive repairs when connecting a not fully
discharged device or cable to a front-panel connectors
or when touching a connector.
Please follow these instructions:
Before connecting any coaxial cable to the connectors,
short the center and outer conductor with ground.
Before touching the front-panel connectors, discharge
yourself by touching the properly grounded frame of
the instrument.
ESD Sensitive Device

Installing the Agilent N4880A
3
Inspect Shipment
Check if the Agilent N4880A shipping container
contains the following standard deliverables:
Power Requirements Connections of the N4880A
The N4880A is controlled by the J-BERT
via USB. Using a J-BERT be certain to connect it to
a USB port on its rear side otherwise operation is not
guaranteed and install the included software package
before connecting the N4880A to your J-BERT or PC.
The N4880A is a reference clock multiplier. It provides
a multiplying phase locked loop (PLL) which enables
users to lock the pattern generators of J-BERT or
ParBERT to a lower rate reference clock. The N4880A
supports reference clock rates for PCI Express 1 to 3,
MIPI M-PHY and UHS-II standards.
There are three connectors on the front panel. All of
them are 3.5 mm SMA female. Two of them are the
input channel which can also be used single ended.
One is the output channel.
For clock multiplication, its Reference Clock Input has
to be connected to the Clock Out of the DUT. Its Clock
Output has to be connected to the Clock In of
J-BERTs PG or clock module of ParBERT.
N4903B or a
PC
The respective ports are at the front
side of the instruments.
All data and clock input and output connectors of the
BERT PG and RCM that are not used in your test setup
must be terminated with 50 Ohm.
The instrument can operate from any single-phase
AC power source supplying 100 – 240 V in the
frequency range from 50 – 60 Hz.
The maximum power consumption is 80 VA.
The power supply automatically adapts to the
applied AC power (Auto Selection) and monitors
the AC power range.
The mains plug can only be inserted in a socket
outlet that provides protective earth contact. Any
interruption of the protective earth contact inside or
outside the instrument makes any operation of the
instrument dangerous. Intentional interruption is
prohibited.
Ventilation Requirements
Do not cover the ventilation holes.
Make sure that there is adequate clearance of 50 mm (2 in) at the rear and one side
of the instrument to ensure adequate air flow. If the air flow is restricted, the internal
operating temperature will be higher, reducing the instrument's reliability.
Power Cable USB Cable
If the contents are incomplete, if there is mechanical
damage, or if the instrument does not work within its
specifications, notify the nearest Agilent office. The
Agilent office will arrange for repair or replacement
without awaiting settlement.
Agilent
Reference Clock Multiplier
connected to
J-BERT N4903B
N4880A
For the complete content of your delivery
please refer to the Box Contents List.
In addition, the box will contain the
USB flash drive, with N4880A installer
and documentation.
Box Contents List
BoxContents List Contents
BoxContents ListContents
BoxContents ListContents
BoxContentsListContents
BoxContentsListContents
BoxContentsList Contents
BoxContentsList Contents
Box ContentsList Contents
USB Flash Drive
A his guide:
- DUT Device Under Test
- BERT Bit Error Ratio Tester
- ED Error Detector
- PG Pattern Generator
- RCM Reference Clock Multiplier
- USB Universal Serial Bus
bbreviations used in t

Installing the Agilent N4880A
4
Hardware Overview
Unused inputs and outputs have to be terminated
with 50 Ohm.
Front Panel Rear Panel
1. USB Interface Connector (device type for remote
access)
2. Firmware update button
3. FAN outlet
4. Power Connector (100 – 240V~ 50/60Hz 80VA max.)
1. Power Switch
2. Status LEDs
Lock State Signals the lock state of the PLL
Green when the PLL is locked
Red when the PLL is unlocked
Activity Flashes green when the instrument
is connected to the graphical user-
interface
Constantly green when device is up
and running
Red when there is a selftest error
POWER Constantly green when instrument
is ON (powered)
Red when instrument is
OFF (in power standby mode)
3. CLOCK OUT Clock Output
4. REFERENCE CLOCK IN Non-Inverted data input
/REFERENCE CLOCK IN Inverted data input
Software Requirements
Pre-requisites for installing the Agilent N4880A software:
The supported Operating System are:
- Windows XP SP3 English (32 bit)
- Windows Vista SP2 English (32 bit)
- Windows Vista SP2 English (64 bit)
- Windows 7 SP1 English (32 bit)
- Windows 7 SP1 English (64 bit)
Ensure that you have .NET 2.0 with Service Pack 2
installed on your system.
For using the J-BERT SCPI remote extension J-BERT
firmware version 7.20 or newer is necessary.
Hardware Revision
To find out the hardware revision of your N4880A,
check the corresponding entry shown in the
about screen of the graphical user interface.

5
Installing the Agilent N4880A
Open the Help menu
and click About.
3
Controlling the N4880A Remotely
The software revision must be
7.20 or later. If it is lower, you
need to update the software.
For details refer to the User
Guide.
www.agilent.com/find/n4903
Look out for the Agilent
IO Control icon in the
Windows task bar.
5
If you see this icon,
the revision of the
Agilent IO Libraries
Suite is 15.5 or later.
You may wish to connect a keyboard and
mouse to your J-BERT N4903B.
This is not mandatory but convenient
and should be done when the instrument
is switched off.
1
Open the Utility menu
and click Minimize GUI.
4
Switch on the J-BERT
N4903B.
2
You can use the Agilent
Connection Expert which
makes it easy to configure
USB instruments for SCPI.
In case, you want to use the N4880A with its J-BERT SCPI
remote programming extension be sure to update your
J-BERT firmware to revision 7.20.

6
Installing the Agilent N4880A
Installing the Agilent N4880A Software
Connect the USB stick shipped with
your N4880A to your J-BERT or PC.
1
Install the Driver when
the dialog pops up.
3
Once installation is finished depending on your
system a reboot may be necessary. Otherwise,
the Reference Clock Multiplier may not be found
when plugged in.
4
Connect the via
USB to the corresponding J-BERT or PC.
Reference Clock Multiplier
5
Install the N4880A software package before connecting
the device with your computer otherwise there can be
connection problems. The latest N4880A software can
be found at www.agilent.com/find/n4880.
The device driver is installed via the installation
program and can also be found in the “Driver”
folder inside the installation directory.
Be certain that .NET 2.0 with Service Pack 2 is already
installed on your system.
Execute the N4880A software installer
and follow the onscreen steps.
2

7
In case of problems, please refer to
the User Guide of your N4880A.
Installing the Agilent N4880A
Establish the USB Connection
Keep the user interface of
the Serial BERT N4903B
minimized.
1
Connect the N4880A to
mains and switch it on.
2
Connect the USB cable between the
USB port of the N4880A and one of
the rear USB ports of your N4903B.
3
Depending on your Windows version,
when you connect the N4880A for the
first time, the Windows Found New
Hardware Wizard appears. .
Select Install the software automatically
and follow the onscreen steps.
4
Click Next until
the wizard finishes.
5
Windows will automatically
identify the N4880A as
N4880A Reference Clock Multiplier.
The
the latest versions of Windows.
installation is automatically done on
Rear panel view of N4903B
Rear panel view of N4880A

8In case of problems, please refer to
the User Guide of your N4880A.
Operating the Agilent N4880A
Operation Example of PCIe with J-BERT
The raphical user interface controls and monitors
the connected Reference Clock Multiplier. For complete details, refer to the User Guide.
N4880A Reference Clock Multiplier g
Set BERT Clock Divider in the J-BERTs Pattern Generator.
Follow the given instructions to set Clock Divider on J-BERT:
a. Switch to PG - Setup > Bit Rate Setup.
b. Keep the Clock Source as External.
c. Select the Divider value as displayed on
N4880As user interface.
3
Supply 100 MHz to the
Reference Clock In Port
4
If the supplied Reference Clock
is correct the PLL Lock status
light shows green.
5
4
2
3
5
Select BERT Clock Frequency.
2
1
B
C
On the N4880A GUI, select PCIe tab.
1

9
Operating the Agilent N4880A
Operation Example of UHS-II with J-BERT
On the N4880A GUI, select UHS-II tab.
1
Set BERT Clock Frequency inside
the allowed range.
2
Set the BERT Clock Divider in the J-BERTs
Pattern Generator. For hardware revision 1 of
the N4880A, additionally use a pattern in your
J-BERT with doubled bits to effectively divide
the output clock by an added factor of 2.
3
Supply the necessary Reference Frequency
to the Reference Clock In Port.
4
The Reference Clock Frequency and the
BERT Clock Frequency are co-dependent
in this mode, therefore the Reference
Clock Frequency will adjust accordingly.
Operation Example of MIPI with J-BERT
On the N4880A GUI, select MIPI tab.
1
Select Reference Clock Frequency.
2
Select BERT Clock Frequency.
3
Set BERT Clock Divider in the
J-BERTs Pattern Generator.
4
Supply the necessary Reference Frequency
to the Reference Clock In Port.
5
Changing the Reference Clock Frequency
will adjust the BERT Clock Frequency to
the nearest possible value if the originally
selected is not possible for the chosen
Reference Clock Frequency.
In case of problems, please refer to
the User Guide of your N4880A.

10
Operating the Agilent N4880A
Typical Connection Setup of Agilent N4880A
Set J-BERTs Data Out to the
needed values for the DUT.
6
Configure the N4880As user interface as
explained on pages 7 and 8 of this guide.
7
Set Clock Divider on J-BERT.
8
Measure DUT with Error Detector.
9
Connect J-BERTs PG Data Out
with the DUTs Data In.
1
Connect J-BERTs PG CLK In
with the N4880As CLK Out.
2
Connect J-BERTs ED Data In
with the DUTs Data Out.
3
Connect J-BERTs ED CLK In
with the J-BERTs Trigger Out.
4
Connect N4880As CLK In
with the DUTs CLK OUT.
5
This completes the basic information
on N4880A. In case of problems, please refer to
the User Guide of your N4880A.
CLK IN PG
DATA OUT PG
TRIG OUT
CLK IN ED
DATA IN ED
CLK OUT
CLK OUT REF CLK IN
DUT
N4880A
J-BERT N4903B
5
1
2
3
4
DATA OUT DATA IN