AnaPico APPH40G User manual

User’s Manual – Signal Source Analyzers – v3.0 May 2019 AnaPico Ltd. - www.anapico.com – [e-mail]
User Manual
Signal Source Analyzer
APPH6040, APPH20G, APPH40G

Page 1 – Signal Source Analyzers – v3.0 May 2019 AnaPico Ltd. - www.anapico.com – [e-mail]
MANUFACTURER ADDRESS
AnaPico Ltd. of Switzerland
Europastrasse 9
8152 Glattbrugg
Switzerland
Tel.: [phone]
e-mail: [e-mail]
Website: www.anapico.com
WARRANTY
All AnaPico instruments are warranted against defects in material and workmanship for a period of two years from the
date of shipment. AnaPico will, at its option, repair or replace products that prove to be defective during the warranty
period, provided they are returned to AnaPico and provided the preventative maintenance procedures are followed.
Repairs necessitated by misuse of the product are not covered by this warranty. No other warranties are expressed or
implied, including but not limited to implied warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose. AnaPico is
not liable for consequential damages.
COPYRIGHT
This manual is copyright by AnaPico Ltd. of Switzerland and all rights are reserved. No portion of this document may be
reproduced, copied, transmitted, transcribed, stored in a retrieval system, or translated in any form or by any means.
Electronic, mechanical, magnetic, optical, chemical, manual or otherwise, without written permission of AnaPico Ltd. of
Switzerland.

Page 2 – Signal Source Analyzers – v3.0 May 2019 AnaPico Ltd. - www.anapico.com – [e-mail]
Table of Contents
GENERAL REMARKS ................................................................................................................................................ 5
VALIDITY OF THIS MANUAL ....................................................................................................................................... 5
CASING ................................................................................................................................................................. 5
DATA CONNECTIONS ............................................................................................................................................... 5
SIGNAL CONNECTIONS ............................................................................................................................................. 6
TRANSPORTATION ................................................................................................................................................... 6
SAFETY INFORMATION ........................................................................................................................................... 7
SIGNAL SYMBOL ..................................................................................................................................................... 7
LABELS ON PRODUCTS ............................................................................................................................................. 7
GENERAL SAFETY CONSIDERATIONS............................................................................................................................ 8
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS................................................................................................................................... 9
DIMENSIONS.......................................................................................................................................................... 9
CONNECTORS....................................................................................................................................................... 10
Front Panel .................................................................................................................................................. 10
Rear Panel ................................................................................................................................................... 11
MINIMUM DISTANCES ........................................................................................................................................... 12
ENERGIZING AND DE-ENERGIZING ............................................................................................................................ 13
OPERATION CONDITIONS........................................................................................................................................ 13
ENVIRONMENTAL INFORMATION.............................................................................................................................. 13
INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................................................................... 14
GENERAL FEATURES AND FUNCTIONS (MODEL OVERVIEW)........................................................................................... 14
OPTIONS ............................................................................................................................................................. 14
GETTING STARTED ................................................................................................................................................ 15
SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS......................................................................................................................................... 15
UNPACKING THE INSTRUMENT................................................................................................................................. 15
INITIAL INSPECTION ............................................................................................................................................... 15
STARTING THE INSTRUMENT.................................................................................................................................... 15
Applying Power ........................................................................................................................................... 15
Connecting to LAN via DHCP Router ........................................................................................................... 16
Direct Connectivity to Host via Ethernet Cable (no Router) ........................................................................ 16
Connecting through USB ............................................................................................................................. 16
Connecting through GPIB............................................................................................................................ 16
Using the SCPI Application Programming Interface (API) ........................................................................... 16

Page 3 – Signal Source Analyzers – v3.0 May 2019 AnaPico Ltd. - www.anapico.com – [e-mail]
Installing the APPH Graphical User Interface (APPH GUI)........................................................................... 16
Troubleshooting the LAN Interconnection................................................................................................... 17
Shutting Down the APPH............................................................................................................................. 17
Perform Firmware Upgrade ........................................................................................................................ 17
Serial Number.............................................................................................................................................. 18
USING THE GRAPHICAL USER INTERFACE (GUI) ................................................................................................... 19
STARTING THE APPH GUI...................................................................................................................................... 19
ORGANIZATION OF THE GUI ................................................................................................................................... 19
Menu Bar..................................................................................................................................................... 20
MEASUREMENT TABS (MODES)............................................................................................................................... 21
MODE:ABSOLUTE PHASE NOISE MEASUREMENT ....................................................................................................... 22
Measurement Setup.................................................................................................................................... 22
Absolute Phase Noise Measurement of a Continuous Wave (CW) Signal................................................... 23
Absolute Phase Noise of a Pulsed Signal [requires Option PULSE].............................................................. 24
The Plot Window Tabs................................................................................................................................. 25
List of Traces................................................................................................................................................ 26
Plot Windows .............................................................................................................................................. 27
Saving and Loading Traces.......................................................................................................................... 28
GENERAL MEASUREMENT SETTINGS ......................................................................................................................... 28
Number of Data Points per Trace................................................................................................................ 28
Measurement Time (using GUI) .................................................................................................................. 29
ADDITIVE PHASE NOISE MEASUREMENT.................................................................................................................... 30
Measurement Procedure............................................................................................................................. 30
Additive Phase Noise of a Pulsed Signal (with Option PULSE only) ............................................................. 31
AMPLITUDE NOISE MEASUREMENT .......................................................................................................................... 32
Measurement Procedure............................................................................................................................. 32
ABSOLUTE PHASE NOISE (HIGH DRIFT) ..................................................................................................................... 32
Measurement Procedure............................................................................................................................. 33
TRANSIENT ANALYZER MEASUREMENT...................................................................................................................... 33
Measurement Procedure............................................................................................................................. 34
FFT ANALYZER MEASUREMENT ............................................................................................................................... 35
TIME STABILITY..................................................................................................................................................... 37
SPECTRUM ANALYSIS ............................................................................................................................................. 37
VCO CHARACTERIZATION....................................................................................................................................... 38
Measurement Procedure............................................................................................................................. 39

Page 4 – Signal Source Analyzers – v3.0 May 2019 AnaPico Ltd. - www.anapico.com – [e-mail]
REMOTELY PROGRAMMING THE APPH................................................................................................................ 40
ACCESS VIA LAN................................................................................................................................................... 40
USING AND CONFIGURING VXI-11........................................................................................................................... 40
USING THE USB-TMC INTERFACE WITH VISA............................................................................................................ 41
USING THE USB-TMC INTERFACE WITH IVI DRIVERS .................................................................................................. 41
USING THE GPIB INTERFACE ................................................................................................................................... 41
MAINTENANCE AND WARRANTY INFORMATION................................................................................................. 42
ADJUSTMENTS AND CALIBRATION ............................................................................................................................ 42
REPAIR ............................................................................................................................................................... 42
WARRANTY INFORMATION ..................................................................................................................................... 42
EQUIPMENT RETURNS............................................................................................................................................ 42
APPENDIX A .......................................................................................................................................................... 43

Page 5 – Signal Source Analyzers – v3.0 May 2019 AnaPico Ltd. - www.anapico.com – [e-mail]
General Remarks
The instruments described in this manual are signal source analyzers, that analyze electromagnetic signals
from 5MHz up to 40 GHz with a power from -10 dBm up to +23 dBm. The exact range depends on the chosen
model and options. The instruments can perform different types of measurements, such as absolute and
additive phase noise, amplitude noise, transient analysis, spectrum monitoring and VCO characterization.
They can be used in a variety of applications such as research and development or manufacturing and testing
of electronic components.
Options, such as low noise internal references, amplitude measurements, measurements of pulsed signals or a
GPIB interface can be added.
Validity of this Manual
This manual is valid for the following instruments and their extended versions:
•APPH6040 (only serial numbers ending in a number greater than 0300)
•APPH20G (only serial numbers ending in a number greater than 0300)
•APPH40G
Casing
The instrument is available as a benchtop case.
Figure 1: APPH20G in 3U benchtop case
Data Connections
The instrument may only be connected to a network or a computer by using a shielded LAN or USB cable.
Unless shorter lengths are prescribed, a maximum length of 3 m must not be exceeded for the LAN and the
USB connection.

Page 6 – Signal Source Analyzers – v3.0 May 2019 AnaPico Ltd. - www.anapico.com – [e-mail]
Signal Connections
In general, all connections between the instrument and another device should be made as short as possible
and must be well shielded. It is recommended to use high-quality cables with low loss especially for
frequencies above 20 GHz.
Transportation
The instruments must only be transported with the packaging supplied by the manufacturer. The instrument
can be lifted or transported in any orientation.

Page 7 – Signal Source Analyzers – v3.0 May 2019 AnaPico Ltd. - www.anapico.com – [e-mail]
Safety Information
The following information is important to prevent personal injury, loss of life or damage to the instrument.
Please read them carefully. If the instrument is used in a manner not specified by this manual, the protection
provided by the instrument may be impaired.
Signal Symbol
In this manual, the following symbols are used to warn the reader about risks and dangers.
DANGER denotes a hazard for personal health or life.
WARNING denotes a risk or danger, that could damage the
instrument.
Labels on Products
The following labels are on the products. Familiarize yourself with the meaning of each of the labels before
using the product.
Direct Current (DC)
Alternating Current (AC)
Earth (Ground)
EU label for separate collection of electrical and electronic waste.
Caution, general danger zone. Attend the manual and/or a notice on the device.

Page 8 – Signal Source Analyzers – v3.0 May 2019 AnaPico Ltd. - www.anapico.com – [e-mail]
General Safety Considerations
FCC notice
This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class A device, pursuant to Part 15
of the FCC Rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference
when the equipment is operated in a commercial environment. This equipment generates, uses, and can
radiate radio frequency energy and, if not installed and used in accordance with the instruction manual, may
cause harmful interference to radio communications.
Operation of this equipment in a residential area may cause harmful interference in which case the user will be
required to correct the interference at his or her expense.
notice
The instrument meets the EMC directive and the Low Voltage Directive described in the CE declaration in
Appendix A.
If products or their components are mechanically and/or thermally
processed in a manner that goes beyond their intended use,
hazardous substances (heavy-metal dust such as nickel) may be
released. For this reason, the product may only be disassembled or
opened by specially trained personnel. Improper disassembly may
be hazardous to your health. National waste disposal regulations
must be observed.

Page 9 – Signal Source Analyzers – v3.0 May 2019 AnaPico Ltd. - www.anapico.com – [e-mail]
Technical Specifications
Dimensions
Dimensions of the 3U benchtop case:
A = 467mm
B = 153mm
C = 518mm
D = 341mm
E = 400mm
Weight: 10 kg