Dare RadiGen RGN2400A User manual

DARE!! Products B.V. – Product Manual Page | 1
RadiGen®
RF Signal Generator
Product Manual
Plug-In Card for the RadiCentre®
Models:
RGN2400A
RGN2006A

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RadiGen®Product Manual
This operating manual relates to the RadiGen®RF signal generator. The RadiGen®is a plug-in card
for the RadiCentre®2-slot or 7-slot modular EMC/RF test system. For more information about the
RadiCentre® Modular Test System go to www.dare.eu.
Related models:
•RGN2400A
•RGN2006A
Please read this manual carefully before operating your new product and adhere to any safety
instructions it might contain.
Please contact DARE!! Products B.V. or your local reseller if you have any questions.
The list of our resellers can be found on: https://www.dare.eu/partners
Supplier Information
DARE!! Products B.V.
Vijzelmolenlaan 3
3447 GX, Woerden
The Netherlands
Tel.:
[phone]
Internet: www.dare.eu
Email:
[email protected]
RadiGen®manual v. 1
Published on: 2020-05-25
By: DARE!! Products B.V.

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Table of Content
Introduction...................................................................................................................................................5
Product Introduction ................................................................................................................................5
The RadiGen® Series.....................................................................................................................................6
Description and capabilities ....................................................................................................................6
RadiGen® RGN2400A – Single output....................................................................................................6
Modulation types ......................................................................................................................................7
AM modulation......................................................................................................................................7
FM modulation ......................................................................................................................................7
Pulse modulation: 200 ns – 100 s .......................................................................................................7
Explanation and examples regarding Gated Pulse Modulation .........................................................8
Explanation of Automotive Radar Pulse testing ...............................................................................8
Limitations..............................................................................................................................................8
Components ..............................................................................................................................................9
Hardware installation .............................................................................................................................10
Software Configuration ..........................................................................................................................12
.......................................................................................................................................................................13
Using the RadiGen®....................................................................................................................................14
Manual Control........................................................................................................................................14
Remote Control .......................................................................................................................................17
RadiGen®Command Set............................................................................................................................18
Understanding Command Set...............................................................................................................18
Understanding Command Replies........................................................................................................18
Commands...............................................................................................................................................19
SCPI commands...................................................................................................................................19
General commands ............................................................................................................................20
Carrier frequency commands ...........................................................................................................21
Power/Carrier amplitude commands...............................................................................................22
Output commands..............................................................................................................................23
Internal amplitude modulation (AM) commands ...........................................................................24
Internal frequency modulation (FM) commands ............................................................................25
Pulse modulation commands............................................................................................................26
Gated pulse modulation (Burst) commands ...................................................................................27
External 10MHz reference input .......................................................................................................28
Status commands ...............................................................................................................................28
RadiGen®Specifications.............................................................................................................................29
WARRANTY CONDITIONS.......................................................................................................................31
EUROPEAN DECLARATION OF CONFORMITY......................................................................................32

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WARNINGS & PRECAUTIONS
Read the contents of the product manual carefully and become familiar with the
safety markings, the product instructions and the handling of the system. Please
refer to the RadiCentre® manual for further information regarding the operation
and control of this product.
This equipment is designed to be used as a plug-in card for the RadiCentre®
Series. Do not use this card in combination with any other mainframe. Using
this product with any other mainframe can cause harm and voids warranty.
To make the RadiGen®as safe as possible, this plug-in card has its own safety
interlock system that is designed to work with the RadiCentre® series.
Only qualified maintenance personnel is allowed to perform maintenance
and/or repair the equipment.
The RadiGen®contains materials that
can be recycled to minimize material
waste. At the ‘end-of-life’, specialized companies can dismantle the discarded
system to collect the recyclable materials. If your product is discarded at its ‘end-
of-life’, please return it to DARE!! Products B.V. or your local reseller for recycling.

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Introduction
Product Introduction
The primary test signal of an EMC immunity test system is generated by a RF signal generator. It
produces a modulated or un-modulated RF signal at a certain frequency and signal level. The
RadiGen®generators are designed for EMC test purposes in order to perform fast and accurate
EMC tests without the need for external modulation sources.
RadiCentre
®
system
The RadiCentre®is a modular EMC/RF test system that serves as
the user and computer interface for all the RadiCentre® plug-in
cards and modules.
RadiMation®software
RadiMation ® is the EMC software package from DARE!! Products
B.V.
used for remote control and automated testing of the
RadiCentre®plug-in cards and modules and is sold separately.
RadiField® Electric field Generator
The patented RadiField® Triple A is no less than a revolution
in EMC immunity testing. A complete paradigm shift involves
a combination of high-level integration and a field combining
technique, making several discrete components like
combiner, coupler, power meters and cabling superfluous.
This product is sold separately.

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The RadiGen® Series
Description and capabilities
The RadiGen®RF signal generator is available in two models.
•RGN2400A
•RGN2006A
By offering a broad frequency spectrum, the RadiGen® is the perfect solution for conducted and
radiated immunity test applications.
RadiGen® RGN2400A – Single output
•LF Output - Signal generation from 9 kHz up to 400 MHz.
Suitable for conducted immunity measurements.
RadiGen® RGN2006A - Dual output
The RadiGen® model RGN2006A has two independent outputs which eliminates the need of an
external RF relay1.
•HF Output – Signal generation from 9 kHz up to 6 GHz.
Suitable for radiated immunity measurements.
•LF Output- Signal generation from 9 kHz up to 400 MHz.
Suitable for conducted immunity measurements.
Accuracy
The RadiGen®RF signal generator has a frequency error of less than 10 ppm/year. For higher
frequency accuracy, the RadiGen® can be used in combination with an external frequency
reference standard. The LF-signal generator and modulators are fully digital, eliminating any drift
in the modulation accuracy.
10 MHz frequency reference output
The RadiGen®has a 10 MHz frequency reference output which is available as a BNC connector.
This output can be used to synchronize other T&M devices.
10 MHz frequency reference input
Beside this, it has a frequency reference BNC input connector for synchronization using an external
10 MHz frequency reference.
Reliability
Defects to the output attenuator and RF switches are eliminated due to the fully solid-state design
of the RadiGen®, which results in a better Mean Time Between Failures (MTBF).
1For example: one output can be connected to a conducted immunity setup while the other output
can be connected to a radiated immunity test setup. Please note only one output can be used
at the same time.

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Modulation types
AM modulation
The RadiGen® supports modulation depths of 0 to 100% and modulation frequencies from
1 Hz to 100 kHz, covering the requirements of all relevant EMC standards.
FM modulation
The RadiGen® supports frequency modulation deviations of 1 Hz to 100 kHz and modulation
frequencies from 1 Hz to 100 kHz.
Pulse modulation: 200 ns – 100 s
The RadiGen® supports pulse modulation with ON- and OFF times ranging from 200 ns to 100 s
with a resolution of 100 ns.
Pulse modulation settings
The pulse interval (on/off) of the RadiGen® can be set from 200 nanoseconds (ns) to 100 seconds.
This broad range allows for ultimate flexibility in the configuration of pulse modulation.
Gated pulse
In addition to standard pulse modulation the RadiGen® can also be used to perform gated pulse
modulation. Gated Pulse testing is necessary to perform automotive radar pulse testing as
prescribed in several automotive standards. (E.G. Ford, General Motors and PSA)

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Explanation and examples regarding Gated Pulse Modulation
Several automotive manufactures use EMC standards that define specific Radar Pulse tests. These
tests consist of a #number of pulses with a specific pulse duration and pulse repetition rate.
Explanation of Automotive Radar Pulse testing
Ford RI-114 Radar Pulse test (FMC1278) and PSA B21 7110 are using:
•Pulse Repetition Rate (PRR) = 300 Hz
•Pulse duration (PD) = 3 µs
•No. of pulses per second (N) = 50
GM GMW3097-2019 uses:
•Pulse Repetition Rate (PRR) = 300 Hz
•Pulse duration (PD) = 6 µs
•No. of pulses per second (N) = 50
The RadiGen ® plug-in card can generate the
requested RF bursts per these automotive
standards, using Gated Pulse modulation.
Normal pulse modulation must be used to set
the Pulse ON/OFF times, using respectively the
PULSe:WIDTh and PULSe:DELay command of
the RadiCentre® system user interface.
Limitations
The Pulse ON and OFF times apply to the specific limitations to the number of pulses per period
for the Gated Pulse modulation. The RadiCentre® system user interface makes use of equations to
intelligently adapt the buttons, prohibiting invalid settings. When the RadiGen®plug-in card is
controlled externally by PC-software, this limitation must be controlled by the PC-software. The
limitations are given by the following formulas.
1
1−= +
−
DelayWidth PulsePulse
msGateperiod
MAX
N
The maximum number of pulses in one burst is limited by the settings of the pulse modulation.
For example; using the Ford standard with a repetition rate of 300 Hz, a pulse width of 3µs and
period time of 1 second, results in a maximum of 298 pulses.
The formula can also be rewritten to calculate the pulse parameters:
N
PulseNmsGateperiod
MAX
Width
Delay
Pulse
)()1(
)(
⋅−−
=
N
PulseNmsGateperiod
MAX
Delay
Width
Pulse
)()1(
)(
⋅−−
=

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Components
The RadiGen®signal generator (plug-in card) is delivered with the following items:
•RadiGen®plug-in card - model: RGN2400A or RGN2006A.
The RF signal generator plug-in card needs to be inserted into the RadiCentre
system before it can be used. The plug-in card cannot be operated without using
the RadiCentre® modular test system (model CTR1004B or CTR1009B).
NOTE: The RadiGen® cannot be used in combination with the 1-slot RadiCentre®
model CTR1001S.
Supporting documentation consists of:
•A USB stick containing:
•the (digital) User Manual
•the Quick Start Guide
•Optional, the calibration certificate of the signal generator

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Hardware installation
Step 1
Choose an empty slot in the RadiCentre® in which you want to install the plug-in card. When using
the RadiGen® in combination with the RadiField® make sure the RadiGen® and the RadiField®
plug-in cards are positioned close together to enable easy RF cable connection.
Remove the blind panel from the slot by un-
screwing the screws on the panel (two on top and
two at bottom).
Step 2
Insert the plug-in card in the rail of the empty slot as shown in the picture 1 - A. Position the plug-
in card into the slot and slowly push it until the end, using the lower part of the plug-in card.
Step 3
When it has reached the end, gently push and secure the plug-in card into the backplane socket.
Step 4
When the plug-in card is inserted correctly into the backplane socket, fix it by tightening the four
screws at the top and the bottom of the plug-in card (shown at B).
Step 5
After installation of the plug-in card connect the AC mains power cord on the back of the
RadiCentre® and switch ON the RadiCentre® by touching the front touch screen at any point.
When connected properly, the RadiGen® plug-in card should be recognized and shown
automatically on the front screen of the RadiCentre®.
A
2
3
4
1
B

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Step 6
Connect the RadiCentre® with your PC using any of the
available interfaces of the RadiCentre® system;
- USB
- Ethernet
- IEEE-488 (optional)
Be noted that the RadiCentre® can only be controlled by
one PC at the same time.
Step 7
The attached part is the hardware interlock protection plug, which has a safety function!
Please make sure that this interlock is internally shorted and
plugged into the interlock connector at the backside of the
RadiCentre® as shown here.
In case the hardware interlock pug is used in series with your interlock system (for example door
switch of the anechoic chamber) and/or emergency stop circuitry, please cut the RED shorting wire
and connect the open ends to your interlock system.
Interlock Plug

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Software Configuration
In order to control the RadiGen®from a computer, one can use either custom made software, third
party software or the RadiMation®EMC software package from DARE!! Products (sold separately).
If the RadiGen®is operated manually, this chapter can be skipped.
How to configure the RadiGen® in RadiMation®
1. First start the latest version of RadiMation®; (Link to download page for latest version)
2. Select at the top menu bar the button ‘Device’ followed by clicking ‘Configure’;
3. In the configuration screen select ‘Device Drivers’ and Select ‘Signal Generators’ as
driver type;
4. Click the ‘Add’ button to open the selection of available drivers in RadiMation®;
5. Enter ‘DARE’ in the search bar which will show all available RadiGen® drivers;
6. Select the correct driver, double click it and press ‘OK’.
1. Select the recently added RadiGen® driver
2. Select ‘Advanced’
3. Click on the tab ‘RadiCentre®’
4. Under device identification select the RadiCentre slot
number the RadiGen® plug-in card is installed in
5. When the correct slot number is chosen, continue to
set the communication of the RadiGen® (next page)
Ook hier voorbeeldscherm aanpassen naar RadiGen
How to connect the RadiGen® to the RadiCentre®

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1. Click on the tab ‘Communication’
2. Select the PC interface that you want to use,
for example
a. GPIB
b. RS-232
c. TCPIP
d. USB
e. VISA
3. When these steps are done, continue to the
next steps for checking the communication of
the RadiGen®
Important Information:
If you encounter problems with the configuration of your Radi-Product in RadiMation®, please consult the
RadiMation® support team by email: [email protected]
RadiMation can be downloaded for free at: https://www.dare.eu/emc-test-software/radimation-download
We also advise you to visit the RadiMation® Wiki where most FAQ are answered! https://wiki.dare.nl/
How to check if the RadiGen® is properly connected to RadiMation®
1.
Select ‘Devices’ in the top menu bar
2. Open ‘Device Drivers’ and select Device driver Type: ‘Signal Generators’
3. Double click the recently configured RadiGen or click ‘Edit’.
4. Finally select the ‘Check’ button on the right side of the opened screen.
5. When correctly configured, RadiMation will show you the following Message (5):
How to setup the communication of the RadiGen® to the RadiCentre®

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Using the RadiGen®
Manual Control
Once the RadiCentre® is switched on, the RadiGen® can be activated from the ‘main’ screen of the
RadiCentre®, using the touch screen.
Use the RadiGen®‘status’ button in the main
screen to access the control screen of the
RadiGen®(shown on the right). All parameters
of the generator can be manually controlled
from this screen. The buttons in this screen
are divided over separate rows. The top row
contains buttons regarding the frequency
setting, output power and the ‘Carrier’ On/Off
button.
Buttons
Each button on the RadiCentre® has as specific use and can be followed up by another screen for
an additional action. On the next page, all buttons will be explained by following the numbers
displayed on the picture below.

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No.
Usage
1
Frequency: | The frequency button is used to set the desired carrier frequency of the RadiGen®.
When selected it will pop-up another screen. The new screen shows a numpad and some other
options, which will be explained further on page 15 of this manual).
2
Level | The level button defines the carrier output amplitude of the RadiGen® signal generator. This
can be set in the same way as the frequency button.
3
Carrier | The carrier can be selected (toggled) between:
-On – Carrier signal is generated
-Off – No carrier signal is being generated
Toggling of the carrier signal can be achieved by tapping the carrier button.
4
Down/up | Under Frequency and Level there are four buttons. Two stating down and two stating up.
The ‘down’ and ‘up’ buttons can be selected to quickly change the frequency or level without the use
of the numpad. The step size can be set in the frequency and level menu and is displayed in the right
corner of the frequency and level buttons.
5
Modulation type | The button modulation type can be tapped to change the modulation type from
AM to FM or the other way around. Make sure that when one of the types is selected the other signal
is turned OFF.
6
Pulse On time | The pulse on time button is used to define the duration time for which the pulse is
active. The pulse can be turned off by pressing point 14 Pulse.
7
Pulse count | The pulse count is the amount of pulses used within the specified time frame.
8
LF output | This button needs to be selected if you want to make use of the Low frequency (LF) output
of the RadiGen® RGN2006A instead of the High Frequency (HF) output . Only one of these settings
works at the time, therefore in this picture only HF output is in use.
9
HF output | when this button is selected (as shown in the picture) the Full band / High frequency
range is operational and ready for use. Note that only one of the HF or LF outputs can be active at the
same time.
10
Frequency | This frequency is specifically for the modulation of the generated signal. This can be
changed to modify the modulation of the current selected frequency and type of modulation (AM or
FM).
11
Depth |
The Depth button shows the depth of the modulation of the AM signal which can be used to
change to depth of the modulation, when selected.
12
State | - The State button shows if the modulation is ‘On’ or ‘Off’ and can be used to activate the AM
or FM modulation.
13
Pulse OFF time | This shows the duration the pulse is OFF which can be changed to longer or shorter
and turned off by selecting the Pulse button shown at number 14.
14
Pulse | Turns the Pulse On or Off by tapping it.
15
Gating pulse | States (and can change) the pulse gating period of the duration in which the pulses are
generated.
16
Pulse Gating | The button which can be selected to turn the pulse gating On or Off.
17
Show Smart
| Pressing this button will show the active settings and display
readings of the
instruments that are active in the other slots of the RadiCentre® modular test system.

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Numeric Pad
By pressing the ‘Frequency’ or ‘Level’ button, a
numeric pad window will appear which can be
seen on right side of this page. On the numeric
pad new values can be entered for the selected
parameter. After selecting the desired unit (for
example “dBm”), the control screen will appear
again. The numeric pad is used for multiple values
and functions in the same way. Be aware that
when parameters are changed the valid range
may change.
Number Usage
1
This button shows the actual level of the chosen parameter. This level and + / - sign
can be changed using the numpad as shown below at point 2.
1.1 The valid range shows the minimum and maximum values that can be selected.
2
The numpad to set the correct value and + /- sign.
3
The down and up button which changes the step size (see at point 6).
4
Exit the numeric screen.
5
Clears the settings of the actual level (point 1).
6 Indicates the actual step size.

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Example of the ‘pulse on time’ numeric window
The step size for the parameters
switched on in the control screen can be
set from this configuration screen. By
selecting one of the step buttons, a
numeric pad appears where the new
value can be entered. By pressing the
unit, the value will be entered.
Example of the RadiGen®configuration screen
Remote Control
The RadiGen® can be controlled remotely through the interfaces of the RadiCentre®:
1. Ethernet
2. USB
3. GPIB (optional)
The exact communication protocol can be found in the RadiCentre® manual. The specific
commands for the RadiGen®are shown in chapter 5 “RadiGen®Command Set”.

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RadiGen®Command Set
The commands listed in the following tables can be used to control the RadiGen®plug-in card. For
use in the RadiCentre®CTR1004B or CTR1009B, a prefix must be used for each command. This
prefix, or device number, corresponds with the slot number of RadiCentre®. Please refer to the
RadiCentre®manual for more information on the ‘Device number’ of a module.
Understanding Command Set
The command tables contain the ‘full’ commands. These commands can also be entered in several
shorter versions.
Example 1 - [:SOURce]:FREQuency?
Requesting the state of the carrier frequency can be entered as followed:
•[:SOURce]:FREQuency?
•[:SOURce]:FREQ?
•[:SOUR]:FREQuency?
•[:SOUR]:FREQ?
•:FREQuency?
•:FREQ?
Example 2 - [:SOURce]:FREQuency<space><value>
Setting the state of the carrier frequency (to, for example: 50.000.000 Hz) can be entered
as followed:
•[:SOURce]:FREQuency 50000000
•[:SOURce]:FREQ 50000000
•[:SOUR]:FREQuency 50000000
•[:SOUR]:FREQ 50000000
•:FREQuency 50000000
•:FREQ 50000000
Understanding Command Replies
The replies from the RadiGen®are always preceded by the command that they reply to.
Example 3 – reply to :OUTPut:SELECTed?
This command returns the current active output. The reply can be: ‘1’ (= main output is
selected) or ‘2’ (= secondary output is selected). The reply will be given as:
•‘OUTPut:SELECTed 1’ or ‘OUTPut:SELECTed 2’

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Commands
The following tables show the various commands for the RadiGen®.
SCPI commands
Command Description & Reply
:*CLS
Clears the status byte and event status enable register
STB (Status Byte) and ESR (Event Status Enable Register) are set
to 0
:*ESE?
ESE (Event Status Enable)
Returns the result of the standard event enable register
Reply: <value> = number from 0 - 128
:*ESE<space><value>
ESE (Event Status Enable)
Set bits in the standard event status enable register
<value> = number from 0 - 128
:*ESR?
ESR (Event Status Enable Register)
Returns the ESR
Reply: <value> = number from 0 - 128
:*IDN?
Requests the device identification, this consists of:
<company name>, <model number>, <firmware revision>
For example: DARE!!, RadiGen RGN2400A, 1.0.0
:*OPC?
Queries whether the last command has been executed
Reply: ‘0’ = not executed
Reply: ‘1’ = executed
:*RST Reset all parameters to their specified default values
:*SRE?
SRE (Service Request Enable)
Reads the current state of the service request enable register
Reply: <value> = number from 0 - 128
:*SRE<space><value>
SRE (Service Request Enable)
This command enables bits in the service request register
<value> = number from 0 - 128
:*STB?
STB (Status Byte Query)
Reads the value of the instrument status byte
Reply: <value> = number from 0 - 128

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General commands
Command Description & Reply
:SVERsion?
Requests the current software version
For example: ‘:SVERSION 1.0.0’
:HVERsion?
Requests the current hardware version
For example: ‘:HVERSION 1’
[:SENSe]:TEMPerature?
Requests the temperature of the attenuators and internal 10
MHz reference on the PCB board (in °C)
For example: ‘:TEMPERATURE 41.0 / :TEMPERATURE 40.9’
:SYSTem:PRESet Resets all the user parameters. This command does the same as
*RST
:SYSTem:SAVECONfiguration
Saves the following system parameters of the outputs into
memory:
- Frequency
- Amplitude
- AM frequency
- AM depth
- AM state
- FM frequency
- FM dev
- FM state
- PM delay
- PM width
- PM state
- BM number
- BM period
- BM state
These settings will be loaded as default when RadiGen is started
again
:SYSTem:IDNUmber?
Requests the system ID number of the plug-in card including
header command
For example: ‘:SYSTEM:IDNUMBER 1.44.65.178.27.0.0.207’
:ID_number?
Requests the system ID number without header command
For example: ‘1.44.65.178.27.0.0.207’
:SYSTem:BUSAddress?
Requests the bus address
For example: ‘:SYSTEM:BUSADDRESS 0’