Lambda SR1 User manual

SR1 Audio Analyzer
Operation Manual
Stanford Research Systems
Audio
Revision 3.0.0 January, 2014
Distribution in the UK & Ireland
Lambda Photometrics Limited
Lambda House Batford Mill
Harpenden Herts AL5 5BZ
United Kingdom
E: [email protected]
W: www.lambdaphoto.co.uk
T: [phone]
F: [phone]
Characterisation,
Measurement &
Analysis

SR1 Operation Manual2
© 2014 Stanford Research Systems
Table of Contents
Foreword 0
Part I Getting Started 6
................................................................................................................................... 61Unpacking and Safety
................................................................................................................................... 8
2Manual Revision History
................................................................................................................................... 9
3Overview
................................................................................................................................... 13
4User Interface
................................................................................................................................... 19
5A Quick Example...
Part II SR1 Operation 28
................................................................................................................................... 281File Menu
.......................................................................................................................................................... 29Save SR1 Configuration
.......................................................................................................................................................... 30
Save Partial Configuration
.......................................................................................................................................................... 31
Load Configuration
.......................................................................................................................................................... 32
Print SR1 Scre e n
.......................................................................................................................................................... 33
Print Se tup
................................................................................................................................... 342Edit Menu
................................................................................................................................... 35
3Panels Menu
.......................................................................................................................................................... 36Analog Generator Panel
......................................................................................................................................................... 41
Analog Generator Units
......................................................................................................................................................... 43
Analog Generator Waveforms
.......................................................................................................................................................... 57
Digital Generator Panel
......................................................................................................................................................... 60
Digital Generator Units
......................................................................................................................................................... 62
Digital Generator Waveforms
.......................................................................................................................................................... 76
Analog Inputs Panel
.......................................................................................................................................................... 79
Digital I/O Panel
.......................................................................................................................................................... 87
Channel Status Panel
.......................................................................................................................................................... 90
Use r Status Pane l
.......................................................................................................................................................... 91
Sw eep Panel
.......................................................................................................................................................... 98
Settling Panel
.......................................................................................................................................................... 100
Monitors Panel
.......................................................................................................................................................... 102
Multitone Panel
.......................................................................................................................................................... 105
Clock Reference Panel
................................................................................................................................... 1074Analyzers Menu
.......................................................................................................................................................... 108Com m on Analyze r Fe ature s
......................................................................................................................................................... 110
Analyzer Units
.......................................................................................................................................................... 115
Time Domain Detector
.......................................................................................................................................................... 127
FFT (Single Channel)
.......................................................................................................................................................... 141
FFT (Dual Channel)
.......................................................................................................................................................... 157
THD Analyzer
.......................................................................................................................................................... 161
IMD Analyzer
.......................................................................................................................................................... 165
Multitone Analyzer
.......................................................................................................................................................... 171
Histogram Analyze r
.......................................................................................................................................................... 175
Octave Analyzer
.......................................................................................................................................................... 177
Jitter Analyzer
.......................................................................................................................................................... 183
Dig it iz e r

3Contents
© 2014 Stanford Research Systems
................................................................................................................................... 1915Displays Menu
.......................................................................................................................................................... 192Graph
......................................................................................................................................................... 199
Trace Calculator
.......................................................................................................................................................... 202
Bar Ch ar t
.......................................................................................................................................................... 205
Digit iz e r Dis p lay
.......................................................................................................................................................... 212
Other Display Menu Options
................................................................................................................................... 2136Tools Menu
.......................................................................................................................................................... 214Preferences Panel
.......................................................................................................................................................... 220
Events Panel
.......................................................................................................................................................... 226
Switcher Configuration Panel
.......................................................................................................................................................... 230
Hardware Status
.......................................................................................................................................................... 231
Networking
......................................................................................................................................................... 231
Netw ork Setup
......................................................................................................................................................... 232
Netw ork Places
......................................................................................................................................................... 233
Map Netw ork Drive
......................................................................................................................................................... 233
Remov e Netw or k Dr iv e
......................................................................................................................................................... 234
Share SR1
.......................................................................................................................................................... 236
Computer Functions
......................................................................................................................................................... 236
Printers Panel
......................................................................................................................................................... 237
Ejec t Dr iv e
......................................................................................................................................................... 237
Pow er Options
......................................................................................................................................................... 238
Date Time
......................................................................................................................................................... 238
Virtual Keyboard
......................................................................................................................................................... 238
Updating SR1
................................................................................................................................... 2417Automation Menu
.......................................................................................................................................................... 242Rem ote Interface Panel
.......................................................................................................................................................... 243
Scripting Window
.......................................................................................................................................................... 252
Learning Mode
................................................................................................................................... 2538Quick Measurement Menu
.......................................................................................................................................................... 254Setup Panel
.......................................................................................................................................................... 255
SNR Pane l
.......................................................................................................................................................... 257
Reference Panel
.......................................................................................................................................................... 259
Level Panel
.......................................................................................................................................................... 261
THD+N Pan e l
.......................................................................................................................................................... 263
Frequency Response Panel
.......................................................................................................................................................... 265
Distortion Panel
.......................................................................................................................................................... 267
IMD Panel
.......................................................................................................................................................... 269
Crosstalk Panel
.......................................................................................................................................................... 271
Interchannel Phase Panel
.......................................................................................................................................................... 273
In/Out Phase
.......................................................................................................................................................... 275
Automated Measurements and Reports
................................................................................................................................... 2789Setups Menu
.......................................................................................................................................................... 279Analog-Analog
.......................................................................................................................................................... 281
Analog-Digital
.......................................................................................................................................................... 283
Digital-Analog
.......................................................................................................................................................... 285
Digit al- Dig it al
.......................................................................................................................................................... 287
Digital IO
................................................................................................................................... 28810 Help Menu
Part III SR1 Reference 291
................................................................................................................................... 2911Front Panel Description

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© 2014 Stanford Research Systems
................................................................................................................................... 2932Rear Panel Descritpion
................................................................................................................................... 296
3Specifications
................................................................................................................................... 305
4Filter Reference
................................................................................................................................... 306
5File Reference
................................................................................................................................... 310
6Hardware Reference
Index 312

Part
I
Getting Started
Audio

SR1 Operation Manual6
© 2014 Stanford Research Systems
1Getting Started
1.1 Unpacking and Safety
Removing the Instrument From Its Shipping Container
Use care in removing the instrument from its shipping container. The SR1 weighs approximately 50 lbs,
and can be awkward to handle while being removed from the box. In particular, please take care that the
front panel LCD screen is not damaged while unpacking. Retain the original packing materials in case
the unit ever needs to be returned for service.
Connecting The Power Cord
Your SR1 was shipped with a power cord appropriate to your location. SR1 operates from a 100V, 120V,
220V or 240V nominal AC power source with a line frequency of 50 or 60 Hz. Before connecting the
power cord to the rear panel power entry module, please ensure the the LINE VOLTAGE SELECTOR
card, located in the rear panel fuse holder, is set so that the correct AC input voltage value is visible.
The fuse rating should also be checked to see if it matches the line voltage setting. For 100V/120V
operation a 4A fuse is used. For 220V/240V a 2A should be installed. The instrument has a 3-wire power
cord. Be sure to connect it to a properly grounded outlet to guard against electrical shock.
After connecting the power cord to an AC power source, the unit can be turned on by pressing the power
button at the lower left of the front panel. The green power LED above the power button illuminates to
indicate the unit is on. After turning the power on the unit will take about 50 seconds to run through its
boot-up sequence before it is ready for use.
Safety
Dangerous voltages, capable of causing injury or death, are present in this instrument.
Use extreme caution whenever the instrument cover is removed. Do not remove the
instrument's cover while the power cord is connected to a live outlet. Do not expose the
instrument to rain or excessive moisture. Do not attempt to disconnect the internal
cooling fans or block the fan vents.
Service
Refer all servicing to qualified, SRS-authorized service personnel. Do not attempt to substitute parts or
perform any unauthorized modification to the instrument. Contact SRS for instructions on how to return
the instrument for authorized service, calibration, or adjustment.
Stanford Research Systems
1290-D Reamwood Ave.
Sunnyvale, CA, 94089
USA
p
hone 408.744.9040
email info
@
thinksrs.com
web www.thinksrs.com

Getting Started 7
© 2014 Stanford Research Systems

SR1 Operation Manual8
© 2014 Stanford Research Systems
1.2 Manual Revision History
Copyright © 2009-2014 Stanford Research Systems, Inc.
All rights reserved
No part of this manual may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or
mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system
without permission in writing from Stanford Research Systems, Inc.
Manual Revision History
Version Date Author Comments
1.0 1/06 jahan Original Version
2.0 7/09 ajm Preliminary Version shipped with first SR1s
2.1 10/09 ajm 2nd Preliminary version
2.2 12/09 ajm Complete Through Tools Menu
2.3 1/10 ajm Complete Manual
2.4 3/10 ajm For SR1 v 1.1
2.5 3/10 ajm Minor Printing Corrections
2.6 5/10 ajm Updated for SR1 v1.1.6
2.7 7/10 ajm Updated for SR1 v1.2
2.8 6/11 ajm Updated for SR1 v1.4
3.0 1/14 ajm Updated for SR1 v2.1.13
Copyright and Trademark Acknowledgements
Windows is a trademark of the Microsoft Corporation
Apache Xerces
Copyright 1999-2007 The Apache Software Foundation
This product includes software developed at The Apache Software Foundation (http://www.apache.org/).
Portions of this software were originally based on the following:
- Software copyright (c) 1999, IBM Corporation., http://www.ibm.com.
- Software copyright (c) 1999, Sun Microsystems., http://www.sun.com.
- Voluntary contributions made by Paul Eng on behalf of the Apache Software Foundation that were
originally developed at iClick, Inc., software copyright (c) 1999.
NI-Device
Copyright © 2009 National Instruments Corporation, All Rights Reserved
FastReport
Copyright © 2009 Fast Reports, Inc., All Rights Reserved

Getting Started 9
© 2014 Stanford Research Systems
1.3 Overview
SR1 is versatile and complex instrument capable of making a wide a variety of precision audio
measurements in both the analog and digital domains. The following is a brief introduction to the different
pieces of SR1 and their capabilities.
Measurement Setups
SR1 includes pre-configured setups for many common audio measurements. To get up and running
quickly, see the Setups Menu.
Generators
SR1 contains precise and flexible analog and digital audio generators. Each generator is built around
several core waveforms which can be either generated individually or combined in the generator and
output as a composite signal. For the Analog Generator, the core waveforms include Sine, Low-Disortion
Sine, Phased Sine, Noise, USASI Noise, Squarewave, Ramp (triangle), FFT Chirp, Multitone, Arbitrary,
and Constant (offset). The analog generator can be output either as a balanced or unbalanced signal and
ouputs a maximum peak output voltage of 20 V (unbalanced) or 40 V (balanced).
The Digital Generator offers the same core waveforms as the analog generator and additionally offers a
number of waveforms optimized for digital interface testing including Digital Constant, Digital Counter,
Walking Bits, and a J-test waveform designed to test the jitter susceptibility of devices.
Analog Inputs
SR1 offers both balanced and unbalanced analog inputs with full scale input ranges from 160 Vrms down
to 62 mVrms. SR1's analog inputs are autoranging, meaning that for most input signals, the analyzer
automatically sets the input range without any user interaction.
Digital Audio Inputs and Outputs
SR1 has 2 sets of XLR and BNC connectors and is compatible with both consumer and professional
digital audio signals from 50 mVpp up to 10.2 Vpp. All significant parameters of the digital audio carrier
signal are measured including signal amplitude, digital audio effective sampling frequency, and input/
output delay. Status bits are fully decoded in both the the professional and consumer standards. User
bits are also displayed in raw binary format.
Several impairment signals can be applied to the output digital audio carrier including Common Mode
Sinewave, Normal Mode Noise, and Jitter. Jitter waveforms include Sine, Square, Noise, and Bandpass
Noise with a peak jitter amplitude of ~13UI.
Analyzers
There are 8 different types of Analyzers in SR1, summarized below.
Time Domain Detector Makes wideband amplitude, ratio, and THD+N measurements. The time
domain detector signal chain includes bandpass or notch filters, bandwidth
limiting filters, and a variety of different weighting filters. Peak, RMS and
Quasi-Peak responses are selectable
FFT (1 ch) Provides single-channel FFT functionality.Measurements include power
spectrum, time record, phase. Both zoom (changing the FFT frequency
range) and heterodyne (moving the FFT frequency range) are included.
FFT (2 ch) Provides dual-channel FFT functionality.Measurements include power
spectrum and time record for both channels, plus frequency response

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© 2014 Stanford Research Systems
(transfer function), and interchannel phase. Zoom (changing the FFT
frequency range) is supported in the dual-channel analyzer.
THD Analyzer Makes frequency selective Total Harmonic Distortion (THD) measurements,
both ratio and absolute. Includes the ability to measure only selected
harmonics.
IMD Analyzer Makes standard Intermodulation Distortion measurements including
SMPTE/DIN, CCIF (difference frequency), and DIM/TIM.
Multitone Analyzer Makes single-shot multitone measurements allowing fast measurements of
common audio parameters including noise, distortion, and level.
Jitter Analyzer Measures the jitter of the digital audio carrier in both the time and frequency
domain including variable high and low pass filtering.
Histogram Analyzer Creates histograms of the analog and digital audio input signals.
Octave Analyzer Displays 1, 1/3, and 1/12 fractional octave spectra.
Each type of analyzer has a corresponding panel with the appropriate controls for that analyzer and
readouts for the analyzer's measurements. At any instant, there are two active analyzers, designated A0
and A1. The user can select the type of A0 and A1 from any of the allowed analyzer types. Each
analyzer has controls which set the input domain to analog or digital audio and select the appropriate
input channel.
For analog inputs SR1 offers an additional choice between two Analog-to-Digital converters, each
optimized for different measurements. The high-bandwidth (Hi BW) 16-bit ADC operates at a fixed
sampling rate of 512 kHz. The high-resolution (Hi Res) ADC is a 24-bit converter which operates at fixed
sampling rates of 128 kHz and 64 kHz and and variable rates which can be synchronized with the digital
audio output or input signal to perform cross-domain measurements.
Sweeps and Free Run
SR1 operates in two different measurement modes: free-run and sweep. In free-run mode the analyzers
make continuous measurements and continually updates the measurement results on the analyzer
panels.The second mode, sweep mode, requires that several options be set. First, a sweep source must
be configured which determines whether SR1 will be sweeping an internal parameter (e.g. generator
frequency) over a specified range, an externally measured parameter (e.g. input frequency), or at regular
time intervals. Once the sweep source is configured the user must select the measurements (up to 6)
that will be recorded during the sweep. Swept measurements must be settled to be included in the
sweep meaning that the transient variability of the measurement must drop below a user set value before
being included in the sweep result. Sweep sources and data are setup on the Sweep Panel, while
Settling parameters are set in the Settling panel.
Displays
Three different types of displays are available for graphically displaying measurement data. The graph is
the main display type and is capable of displaying many different live and off-line data traces both.
Graphs include cursors for reading out absolute and delta values, the ability to export to bitmap and
Windows Metafiles, movable onscreen annotations, and a variety of data calculations (smoothing,
linearity, maximum and minimum, etc.) for manipulating data. The Bar Chart is a simpler display
optimized for displaying a single measurement value which reports the instantaneous value of the
measurement as well as maximum, minimum, and standard deviation. The Digitizer Display is designed
to work with the optional digitizer and displays various measurements calculated by the digitizer
including full-color eye diagrams.

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© 2014 Stanford Research Systems
Digitizer (Optional)
The optional digitizer digitizes the digital audio carrier signal at an 80 MHz sampling rate. The digitizer
calculates the overall clock rate of the signal as well as jitter as a function of time and probability
density for pulse width, pulse amplitude, input amplitude, and jitter amplitude. The digitizer also
calculates the spectra of both the carrier signal as well as the jitter signal. Finally the digitizer calculates
an eye diagram which shows the probability of the carrier signal as a function of amplitude and time. The
off-line measurements made by the digitizer complement the real-time jitter measurement capabilities of
the Jitter Analyzer.
Remote Interfacing
SR1 Supports a variety of remote interfaces:
IEEE-488.2 (GPIB)
SR1 has a rear-panel IEEE-488 connector and fully supports the IEEE-488.2 standard. All instrument
features can be set and queried from the remote interface.
Serial
GPIB commands may also be sent over the rear-panel serial connector which supports baud rates up to
115.2 kBaud.
TCP/IP
GPIB commands may also be sent over a TCP/IP network via the rear-panel ethernet connector. SR1
follows the VXI-11 standard for the transmission of commands over TCP/IP.
COM
SR1 is fully COM enabled allowing applications such as Visual Basic to set and query instrument
internals. COM enabled applications may also control and query the instrument remotely over ethernet.
Not that firewall settings may need to changed to fully enable this functionality.

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Getting Started 13
© 2014 Stanford Research Systems
1.4 User Interface
The SR1 audio analyzer user interface is based on software that runs on the Microsoft Windows
operating system. As such, the basic user interface, based on standard Windows menus and controls,
should be familiar to most users who have used Microsoft Windows. The same software that runs on the
instrument is available for free download from Stanford Research Systems (www.thinksrs.com) and can
be run on any Windows PC. While no measurements can be made while running on a PC, this mode is
perfect for offline viewing of saved datafiles or simply becoming familiar with the software.
Like all Windows software, operating SR1 requires a pointing device and a means of entering text and
numeric data. The instrument provides several options depending on the intended environment.
External Mouse and Keyboard Control
SR1 can be used with an external mouse and keyboard. The mouse and keyboard must be connected
to the rear-panel connectors before the instrument is turned on to be properly recognized by the
instrument. Operation with an external mouse and keyboard is convenient when SR1 will be used in a
benchtop environment.
Using the Trackpad
For situations where it's inconvenient to use an external mouse (e.g. rackmount), SR1 has a front-panel
trackpad which can be used as a pointing device. (Note that the trackpad is always active, even when an
external mouse is connected.) To use the trackpad, drag your finger over the surface of the pad to move
the cursor on the screen. To "left-click" gently tap your finger. To "double-click" tap your finger twice.
Finally, to "right-click" tap your finger in the upper-right triangle (colored in a lighter shade of gray).
Using the Front-Panel Keypad
The front-panel keypad provides a convenient way to enter numeric values as well to access some
commonly used SR1 functions without having to reach for the mouse or keyboard.

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Standard Function of Keypad Keys
Key Function
Numeric Entry Keys
Numbers 0-9 Enters the corresponding digit at the current cursor position.
. (Decimal Point) Enters the decimal point at the current cursor position.
±Changes the sign of the number in the current entry field.
Backspace. Deletes the character to the left of the cursor.
Exp Inserts the "E" character at the current cursor position allowing entry in
scientific notation: e.g. 1.2E3
Esc Aborts numeric entry and returns the value in the selected field to the
previous value.
micro inserts the "u" modifier at the cursor position, interpreted as x10-6.
milli inserts the "m" modifier at the cursor position, interpreted as x10-3.
kilo inserts the "k" modifier at the cursor position, interpreted as x103.
Mega inserts the "M" modifier at the cursor position, interpreted as x106.
Enter Finishes entering the new value.
Function Keys
Page Rotates through the seven pages of the page control on the SR1 screen.
(Tab Left/Right)
Moves the control with "focus" either to the next or previous control.
Sweep Starts a Sweep. Equivalent to pressing the button on the speedbar.
Pause Pauses and resumes both sweeps and free-run mode. Equivalent to pressing
the and buttons on the speedbar.
Run Starts free-run mode. Equivalent to pressing on the speedbar.
Translate graph left/right. Once pressed, the keys will move the
data in the current graph left and right. Press "Esc" to exit this mode.
Zoom X-axis. Once pressed the keys will zoom the X-axis in and
out. Press "Esc" to exit this mode.
AutoScale. Autoscales the X and Y axes of the currently selected graph.
Max Moves the active cursor in the current graph to the position corresponding to
the maximum value displayed in the graph.
Cursor If the selected graph cursor is off, this key turns cursors on. If they are on,
this key toggles the active cursor between the two cursors.
Alt Selects the Alt function (written in Green above the keys) for the keypad
keys.
Alt-Function Keys
Menu Moves focus to the main menu. Once Menu is pressed, the knob and enter
keys can be used to access the main menu selections without using a
pointing device.
Sticky Normally, the knob varies whatever control on the screen currently has focus.
Press Sticky to "Stick" the knob to the current control. Even when focus is
moved to a different control the knob continues to modify the sticky control.
The sticky control is drawn with a yellow background. Press sticky again to

Getting Started 15
© 2014 Stanford Research Systems
exit sticky mode.
Local Upon receipt of a command from one of the remote interfaces SR1 is placed
in "Remote" mode. Using this key returns the unit to local control.
Ref AutoReference. The contents of the currently focused control is examined. If
it is a frequency, the frequency is moved to the frequency reference of the
selected analyzer. The analyzer, A0 or A1 is selected by pressing the
keys after pressing "Ref". If the contents of the currently focused
window is not a frequency then the contents of the A and B levels for the
selected analyzer will be transferred to the dBrA and dBrB references (either
analog or digital, depending on the analyzer input.)
Hex,
Hex Digits A-F
Hex Entry mode. Places a "0x" character in the currently focused control to
begin hexadecimal entry. In this mode, the "A", "B", "C","D","E", and "F"
characters above the micro, milli, kilo, meta, Exp, and Page keys are active
allowing the entry of a hexadecimal value. Hex Entry mode is terminated
when "Enter" is pressed.
Generator After pressing this key press to open the analog generator panel or
to open the digital generator panel.
Analyzer After pressing Analyzer press to open the A0 panel or to open the
A1 panel.
Alpha Calls up the virtual keyboard.
Translate graph up-down. Once pressed, the keys will move the
data in the current graph up and down. Press "Esc" to exit this mode.
Zoom Y-axis. Once pressed the keys will zoom the Y-axis in and
out. Press "Esc" to exit this mode.
Autoscale X, Y After pressing the key, use the keys to select autoscale of either
the the X or Y axis.
Min Moves the active cursor in the current graph to the position corresponding to
the minimum displayed value in the graph.
Help Brings up the online help.
Using the Knob
Turning the knob modifies the currently focused control. If the control is a unit entry control, the knob
increments and decrements its value with an appropriate resolution. If the control is a drop-down list the
knob cycles through the entries in the list. Three different knob acceleration profiles can be selected
from the preferences panel. A control can be selected as "Sticky" in which case the knob will continue
to control it even though focus is given to another control. When cursors on a graph are active the knob
controls the active cursor position.
Using the Virtual Keyboard
For situations where it's necessary to enter text into a control and an external keyboard is not available
the Virtual Keyboard can be selected from the SR1 keypad or from the Tools Menu. The virtual keyboard
offers the full functionality of a standard PC keyboard but can be operated with just a mouse or the
trackpad.

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Keyboard Shortcuts
A number of keyboard shortcuts are available (using either an external keyboard or the virtual keyboard)
to simplify the execution of common functions.
Key Sequence Action
<Ctrl> 1-7 Select the designated page (1-7) on the page control as the active page.
<Ctrl> D Opens the digital generator panel.
<Ctrl> G Opens the analog generator panel.
<Ctrl> I Opens the digital i/o panel.
<Ctrl> A Opens the analog inputs panel.
<Ctrl> M Opens the monitors panel.
<Ctrl> W Opens the sweep controller panel.
<Ctrl> T Opens the scripting window.
<Ctrl> [ Opens the A0 analyzer panel.
<Ctrl> ] Opens the A1 analyzer panel.
F4 Auto-reference analyzer A0. Moves the current A0 level A and B values to the dBrA
and dBrB reference values.
<Ctrl> F4 Auto-reference analyzer A1.Moves the current A1 level A and B values to the dBrA
and dBrB reference values.
F12 Emergency shutoff. Turns off all channels of the analog and digital generators.
<Ctrl> F12 Restore generators. Turns on generator channels that were turned off with F12.
Scripting Window Shortcuts
<Ctrl> S Save the current script.
<Ctrl> O Open a script.
<Ctrl> N Create a new script.
<Ctrl> C Copy selected text to the clipboard.
<Ctrl> X Cut selected text and copy to the clipboard.
<Ctrl> V Paste clipboard text at the cursor location.
<Ctrl> F Brings up the dialog for finding text in the script.
<Ctrl> R Brings up the dialog for finding and replacing text in the script.
<Ctrl> P Prints the current script.

Getting Started 17
© 2014 Stanford Research Systems
Unit Entries
The Unit Entry is a type of control used extensively throughout SR1 that allows entry of numeric data in
a range of different units. The example below shows the generator amplitude control for example. When
the down-arrow is clicked, a the current value of the
entry is shown in the drop-down list expressed in each of the allowed units. Selecting a different unit
makes it the current unit for subsequent entries. To enter a new value into a unit entry first click
anywhere on the current text, and then enter a new numeric value followed by an optional modifier
character. The allowed modifiers are:
Character Modifier Numeric Value
ffemto x10-15
ppico x10-12
nnano x10-9
umicro x10-6
mmilli x10-3
kkilo x103
Mmega x106
Ggiga x109
Ttera x1012
(Note that the front-panel keypad contains dedicated keys for the unit-modifiers just to the right of the
Enter key.) To complete the entry press the "Enter" key on the front panel or an external keyboard. To
abort the entry press the "Esc" key on the keypad or keyboard.
Sometimes the precision of the value represented by a unit entry may exceed the number of digits
displayed. To see the value of any unit entry displayed with full double precision hold the cursor over the
unit entry— the full double precision value will be shown as a "hint."
Unit Displays
Unit Displays are the controls with a black background and green text which are used to display
measurement results and other quantities whose value can't be changed by the user. As with unit
entries, the units of the unit display can be changed by using the mouse or trackpad to click on the
at the right of the control and select a unit from the drop-down list. Right-clicking the Unit Display brings
up a menu which offers some more options:

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Normally the Unit Display auto-selects the appropriate unit-modifier for the currently displayed value. For
instance 1.2x10-6 Vrms would be displayed as 1.2 Vrms. There are situations where it might be
desirable to lock the unit-modifier selection. For instance we might want the display to readout as
0.0012 mVrms. To do this, select the appropriate modifier from the right-click menu. Select "Auto" from
the right-click menu to return to normal operation.
The second feature offered by Unit Displays is selected in the bottom half of the right-click menu. In
"Standard" mode, the Unit Display displays each new value that is sent to it . If one of the other modes
are selected, the current value of the display is saved as the "reference" and subsequent updates are
displayed as follows:
Mode Operation
Standard Each update to the Unit Display's value is displayed.Data is displayed in Green.
Max Updates are displayed only if they are greater than the reference value. When the
data exceeds the reference that data becomes the new reference value. Data is
displayed in Red.
Min Updates are displayed only if they are less than the reference value. When the
data is less than the reference that data becomes the new reference. Data is
displayed in Blue.
Delta The difference between the update value and the reference value is displayed.
Data is displayed in Purple.
To reset the reference double-click the display.
Like unit entries, it is possible to see the value represented by a unit display with full double precision by
holding the cursor over the unit display— the double precision value will be shown as a "hint."

Getting Started 19
© 2014 Stanford Research Systems
1.5 A Quick Example...
In this example we'll use the analog generator to create a signal with a known amount of distortion and
we'll use the Time Domain Detector to measure the distortion and the FFT analyzer to look at the
distortion in the frequency domain. To begin, turn on SR1 and wait for the instrument to finish its startup
sequence. No external cables will be necessary for this demo. Feel free to use the front panel trackpad
and keypad keys to control the instrument, or if you've got an external mouse and keyboard you can
those. We won't go into excruciating detail on how to select items and use the controls because they're
standard Windows controls and their operation should be familiar.
Start out by using the speedbar at the top of the SR1 screen to open the Analog Inputs panel and the
Analog Generator panel, and from the Analyzers menu, set Analyzer 0 to Time Domain Detector. These
three panels may automatically open when SR1 is powered up.
SR1 Spee dbar
Note that the icons for the Analog Inputs panels and the Analog Generator panel are both orange.SR1
uses orange to denote items associated with the analog domain and blue to denote items associated
with the digital audio domain. Most panels have color bars under the title of the panel indicating the
domain associated with the panel.
The three panels you've just opened should look like this:
Now let's configure the instrument for this example. On the Analog Inputs panel, change the Input
Source for both channels from BNC to GenMon. With the inputs set to GenMon the Ch. A analog input
is directly connected to the Ch. A generator output and the Ch. B analog input is directly connected to
the Ch. B generator output. Leave the "Auto" box checked for each of the range controls. With Auto
Range on, SR1 automatically adjusts the range to the optimum value for the current input signal. Note
that the ranges are set to their minimum value (62.5 mVrms) and the Input Level indicators are showing
blue (below half scale). That's because the generator hasn't been set up yet.

SR1 Operation Manual20
© 2014 Stanford Research Systems
Take a look at the Analog Generator panel. We haven't selected any waveforms yet, so the tab control at
the bottom only contains the configuration tab. By default, the generator is in "Mono" mode which
means that the same waveform will be output on the A and B channels. We can adjust the channel
amplitudes separately, but the waveform is the same. (In "Stereo" mode we can select different
waveforms for A and B but we don't need to do that for this example.) Now press the "New" button on the
Analog Generator panel. This brings up the menu of available waveforms. From the Sine submenu
choose "Normal Sine". After the Sine waveform shows up in the tab control set an amplitude of 1Vrms.
Note how the range controls on the Analog Input panel both move to the 1 Vrms input range and the
Input Level indicators turn green, indicating the ranges are optimally adjusted. (The Input Level indicators
are also visible at the bottom right of the SR1 screen.) Now we can add a little bit of distortion to the
signal. Press the "New" button again on the Analog Generator panel and once again select a "Normal
Sine". This time set the frequency to 2 kHz and the amplitude to 1 mVrms. We've just illustrated a key
feature of the SR1 generator's architecture— the ability to combine several waveforms in the generator.
The 1 kHz 1 Vrms signal and the 2 kHz 1 mVrms signals are added in the generator. Using this
technique an almost infinite variety of waveforms can be created in the generator to suit almost any test
situation.
Now let's measure the properties of the signals just created. Look at the Time Domain Detector panel
and change the source from Digital A to Analog A. The "Converter" field will read "HiRes" indicating that
the analyzer is using SR1's 24-bit High-Resolution converter. The current sampling rate for this converter,
64 kHz, is displayed in the "Fs" field next to the converter selection. SR1 uses two high quality analog-
to-digital converters (ADCs) for analysis of analog signals— a 24bit high-resolution converter that can
operate over a variety of sampling rates and a 16 bit high-bandwidth converter that operates at a fixed
sampling rate of 512 kHz giving the instrument an analog bandwidth of 200 kHz. The differences between
the two converters will be discussed in detail later but for now we can leave the converter selection at
"HiRes."
Press the button at the top left of the screen to start the measurements. Note that the Status
Indicator at the bottom left of the screen. SR1 operates in two distinct measurement modes. In "Free
Run" mode, which we just started, all the analyzers make continuous measurements and continuously
update the results on the analyzer panels and displays. This mode is useful for benchtop exploration like
we're doing now. "Sweep" mode is a more structured measurement mode in which the instrument
sweeps a certain parameter and only measures data at certain defined values of that parameter. Sweep
mode is more useful for repetitive testing to standards. We'll do a sweep at the end of this demo as an
example. For now observe how in Free-Run mode the analyzer's level and amplitude displays are
continuously updated.
To measure the "distorted" sine signal we've created, select "THD+N Ratio" as the Measurement in the
Time Domain Detector. Change the units of the Amplitude display to dB, and the three panels should
appear as they do below: