Pickering 41-180 User manual

Page (1)
3GHz PROGRAMMABLE STEP ATTENUATOR 41-180
pickering
Issue 4.1 May 2017
User Manual
3GHz Programmable Step Attenuator Module
(Model No. 41-180)
pickeringtest.com pickering

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© COPYRIGHT (2017) PICKERING INTERFACES. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
No part of this publication may be reproduced, transmitted, transcribed, translated or stored in any form, or by
any means without the written permission of Pickering Interfaces.
Technical details contained within this publication are subject to change without notice.
ISO 9001
Reg No. FM38792

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TECHNICAL SUPPORT
For Technical Support please contact Pickering Interfaces either by phone, the website or via e-mail.
WARRANTY
All products manufactured by Pickering Interfaces are warranted against defective materials and workmanship for a period of
three years, excluding programmable power supplies, from the date of delivery to the original purchaser. Any product found to be
defective within this period will, at the discretion of Pickering Interfaces be repaired or replaced.
Products serviced and repaired outside of the warranty period are warranted for ninety days.
Extended warranty and service are available. Please contact Pickering Interfaces by phone, the website or via e-mail.
ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY
Pickering Interfaces operates under an environmental management system similar to ISO 14001.
Pickering Interfaces strives to full all relevant environmental laws and regulations and reduce wastes and releases to the
environment. Pickering Interfaces aims to design and operate products in a way that protects the environment and the health and
safety of its employees, customers and the public. Pickering Interfaces endeavours to develop and manufacture products that can
be produced, distributed, used and recycled, or disposed of, in a safe and environmentally friendly manner.
Worldwide Technical Support and Product Information
pickeringtest.com
Germany
Tel: [phone]
E-mail: [email protected]
Sweden
Tel: [phone]
E-mail: [email protected]
USA
Tel: (West) [phone]
Tel: (East) [phone]
E-mail: [email protected]
Czech Republic
Tel: [phone]
E-mail: [email protected]
France
Tel [phone]
E-mail [email protected]
Pickering Interfaces Headquarters
Stephenson Road Clacton-on-Sea CO15 4NL United Kingdom
Tel: [phone]
E-Mail: [email protected]
China
Tel: [phone]
E-mail: [email protected]

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MEANING / DESCRIPTION SYMBOL
PROTECTIVE EARTH (GROUND)
To identify any terminal which is intended for connection to an external conductor for
protection against electric shock in case of a fault, or the terminal of a protective earth
(ground) electrode.
DANGEROUS VOLTAGE
To indicate hazards arising from dangerous voltages.
WARNING / CAUTION
An appropriate safety instruction should be followed or caution to a potential hazard
exists.
Refer to the relevant instructions detailed within the product manual.
HEAVY
If this product is heavy reference should be made to the safety instructions for
provisions of lifting and moving.
STATIC SENSITIVE
To indicate that static sensitive devices are present and handling precautions should
be followed.
!
kg
SAFETY SYMBOLS
PRODUCT SAFETY
The following safety symbols may be used on the product and throughout the product documentation.

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Copyright Statement ...................................................................II
Technical Support and Warranty................................................III
Product Safety .............................................................................IV
Contents (this page)....................................................................V
Warnings and Cautions ..............................................................VII
Section 1
Technical Specication...............................................................1.1
Section 2
Technical Description .................................................................2.1
Functional Description..........................................................2.1
Cascading Attenuators .........................................................2.2
Section 3
Installation....................................................................................3.1
Pre Operation Checks...........................................................3.1
Hardware Installation ............................................................3.2
Software Installation .............................................................3.2
Section 4
Programming Guide....................................................................4.1
Programming Options For Pickering PXI Cards.................4.1
Programming The Module ....................................................4.3
Using Pickering Drivers in LabVIEW ...................................4.4
Programmable Attenuator Soft Front Panel .......................4.5
Section 5
Connector Information................................................................5.1
Section 6
Trouble Shooting.........................................................................6.1
Section 7
Maintenance Information............................................................7.1
Calibration..............................................................................7.2
CONTENTS

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WARNINGS AND CAUTIONS
WARNING - HAZARDOUS ENVIRONMENTS SYMBOL
This product is not specically designed for use in hazardous environments, for example in explosive
atmospheres. If the product is to be used in hazardous environments we recommend that the user
ensures suitable protective measures are taken.
!
WARNING - DANGER OF ELECTRIC SHOCK SYMBOL
This module may contain hazardous voltages. Before removing the module from the rack remove all
supplies and disconnect user I/O signals.
Unused slots in the PXI/LXI chassis are populated with blanking plates to prevent access to user
I/O signals that may be present. Blanking panels are available to order from Pickering in a variety
of slot widths. If the product is not used in this manner for example by using an extender card then
additional care must be taken to avoid contact with exposed signals.
CAUTION - HANDLING OF ELECTROSTATIC-SENSITIVE DEVICES SYMBOL
Certain semiconductor devices used in this equipment are liable to damage due to static voltage.
Observe the following precautions when handling these devices in their unterminated state, or
sub-assemblies containing these devices:
1. Persons removing sub-assemblies from equipment using these devices must be earthed by a
wrist strap and a resistor at the point provided on the equipment.
2. Soldering irons used during the repair operations must be low voltage types with earthed tips and
isolated from the mains voltage by a double insulated transformer.
3. Outer clothing worn must be unable to generate static charges.
4. Printed Circuit Boards (PCBs) tted with these devices must be stored and transported in
anti-static bags.
CAUTION - PRODUCT DOCUMENTATION SYMBOL
Suitably qualied & trained users should ensure that the accompanying documentation is fully read
and understood before attempting to install or operate the product.
!
SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS
SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS
All cleaning and servicing requires the equipment to be isolated and disconnected from the power source and user I/O
signals (refer to the Maintenance Section).
• Appropriate manual handling procedures should be followed as dictated by the weight of the individual module or
the combined weight of the modules & chassis.
• Should a fault occur with the module or chassis, immediately isolate and disconnect the incoming power to the
chassis and the user I/O signals.
• Ensure the equipment is installed, operated and maintained by trained and authorised personnel.
• For suitably equipped products in the event of an emergency press the red “emergency stop” button situated on
the front of the unit.

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Page 1.1
3GHz PROGRAMMABLE STEP ATTENUATOR 41-180
pickering SECTION 1 - TECHNICAL SPECIFICATION
SECTION 1 - TECHNICAL SPECIFICATION
pickeringtest.com
41-180
DC to 3GHz Programmable Attenuator
●DC to 3GHz Attenuator
●1dB Attenuation Resolution Ideal for
Optimizing Signal Levels in Measuring Systems
●Maximum Attenuation 63dB
●Single or Dual Version in One PXI Slot
●Use of Switched Resistive Attenuator Pads
Ensures High Linearity and True DC Coupled
Operation
●Input and Output Connector Savers Easily
Replaced if Damaged
●VISA, IVI & Kernel Drivers Supplied for
Windows
●3 Year Warranty
The 41-180 Programmable Attenuator Module is ideal for
conditioning the output level of special to type sources, saving
the systems integrator the time and effort of providing a
variable output level. The use of a PXI solution for variable
attenuation requirements minimizes the need for components
and cables located outside the PXI chassis, saving time and
development costs for systems integrators.
The input and output connectors of the attenuators can be
interchanged and the design allows the user to change the
front panel connectors quickly and easily in the event of
damage occurring. The attenuators can be connected in series
to increase the total available attenuation.
The 41-180 Programmable Attenuator Module is available
with either one or two independently programmable
attenuators in a single width 3U PXI module. Each attenuator
uses high reliability mechanical switches to operate binary
weight attenuator pads, providing attenuation values from 0
to 63dB in 1dB steps. Attenuator operating time is typically
just 5ms, ensuring fast setting times.
The module is ideal for conditioning the signal levels from
devices under test and ensuring that other measuring
instruments are operating close to their optimum operating
point for noise and linearity. The use of mechanically switched
attenuators ensures broad operating bandwidth and freedom
from non-linear behavior that might degrade the signals being
measured.
The attenuators can be used for back-to-back testing of RF
products, allowing the signal levels to be adjusted to quantify
the path loss that can be inserted before the communication
efficiency degrades, providing a quick indication of receiver
sensitivity.
ISSUE 7.1 MAY 2017
16dB Pad 1dB Pad 2dB Pad
16dB Pad 16dB Pad 8dB Pad
4dB Pad
PORT A
PORT B
ATTENUATOR 1
RL1 RL2 RL3
RL7 RL6 RL5
RL4
16dB Pad 1dB Pad 2dB Pad
16dB Pad 16dB Pad 8dB Pad
4dB Pad
PORT A
PORT B
ATTENUATOR 2
RL8 RL9 RL10
RL14 RL13 RL12
RL11
Dual DC to 3GHz Attenuator Block Diagram

Page 1.2 3GHz PROGRAMMABLE STEP ATTENUATOR 41-180
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SECTION 1 - TECHNICAL SPECIFICATION
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Typical VSWR Versus Frequency With
No Attenuation Set
Typical Insertion Loss Versus Frequency With
No Attenuation Set
Attenuation Accuracy Versus Frequency With
8dB of Attenuation Set
Attenuation Accuracy Versus Frequency With
32dB of Attenuation Set
Attenuation Accuracy Versus Frequency With
48dB of Attenuation Set
Attenuation Accuracy Versus Frequency With
63dB Set

Page 1.3
3GHz PROGRAMMABLE STEP ATTENUATOR 41-180
pickering SECTION 1 - TECHNICAL SPECIFICATION
pickeringtest.com
Product Order Codes
Single DC to 3GHz Attenuator 41-180-021
Dual DC to 3GHz Attenuator 41-180-022
Latest Details
Please refer to our Web Site for Latest Product Details.
www.pickeringtest.com
General Characteristics
Frequency range: DC to 3GHz.
Maximum Input Power: 1 Watt continuous.
Input Impedance: 50Ω, DC coupled.
VSWR (SMA connector): Less than 1.5,
typically less than 1.3
RF Connectors: SMA, input and output
connections are interchangeable.
Versions with SMB connectors
can be made available.
Contact Life (each pad): Typically 1x107operations.
At max power 1x106operations.
Switching Time (each pad): Typically 2ms.
Maximum 4ms.
Attenuation
The attenuator is made up of 1, 2, 4, 8 and 16dB (3 off)
switched pads, attenuation is set to 0dB with no power
applied.
Insertion Loss (0dB set): Typically 3.6dB at 3GHz
Attenuation Range: 0 to 63dB in 1dB steps
relative to 0dB condition.
Attenuation Accuracy (individual pads measured in 50Ω
system referenced to 0dB condition):
Attenuator
Pad
DC to 1GHz 1GHz to 3GHz
Maximum Typical Maximum Typical
1dB ±0.05dB ±0.05dB ±0.3dB ±0.12dB
2dB ±0.1dB ±0.08dB ±0.35dB ±0.2dB
4dB ±0.2dB ±0.15dB ±0.5dB ±0.4dB
8dB ±0.2dB ±0.15dB ±0.48dB ±0.4dB
16dB ±0.24dB ±0.24dB ±0.96dB ±0.5dB
Power Requirements
+3.3V +5V +12V -12V
0100mA 200mA 0
Width and Dimensions
Single width 3U PXI/CompactPCI instrument module.
3D models for all versions in a variety of popular file formats
are available on request.
Connectors
PXI bus: 32-bit P1/J1 backplane connector.
RF Signals: Front panel SMAconnectors. Versions with
SMB connectors can be made available.
Dual DC to 3GHz Programmable Attenuator
41-180-022
Mating Connectors & Cabling
For connection accessories for the 41-180 module please
refer to the 90-011D RF Cable Assemblies data sheet
where a complete list and documentation can be found for
accessories, or refer to the Connection Solutions catalog.

Page 1.4 3GHz PROGRAMMABLE STEP ATTENUATOR 41-180
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SECTION 1 - TECHNICAL SPECIFICATION
pickeringtest.com
Programming
Pickering provide kernel, IVI and VISA (NI & Keysight) drivers
which are compatible with all Microsoft supported versions of
Windows and popular older versions. For a list of all supporting
operating systems, please see: www.pickeringtest.com/os
The VISA driver is also compatible with Real-Time Operating
Systems such as LabVIEW RT. For other RTOS support
contact Pickering. These drivers may be used with a variety of
programming environments and applications including:
Pickering Interfaces Switch Path Manager
MTQ Testsolutions Tecap Test & Measurement Suite
National Instruments products (LabVIEW, LabWindows/
CVI, Switch Executive, MAX, TestStand, VeriStand, etc.)
Microsoft Visual Studio products (Visual Basic, Visual C+)
Keysight VEE Mathworks Matlab Marvin ATEasy
Drivers for popular Linux distributions are available, other
environments are also supported, please contact Pickering
with specific enquiries.
Operating/Storage Conditions
Operating Conditions
Operating Temperature:
Humidity:
Altitude:
0°C to +55°C
Up to 90% non-condensing
5000m
Storage and Transport Conditions
Storage Temperature:
Humidity:
Altitude:
-20°C to +75°C
Up to 90% non-condensing
15000m
PXI & LXI Chassis Compatibility
Compatible with all chassis conforming to the 3U PXI and
3U cPCI specification. Compatible with Legacy and Hybrid
peripheral slots in a 3U PXI Express chassis.
Compatible with Pickering Interfaces LXI Modular Chassis.
For information on driving your switching solution in an LXI
environment refer to the LXI Product Guide.
PXI & CompactPCI Compliance
The module is compliant with the PXI Specification 2.2. Local
Bus, Trigger Bus and Star Trigger are not implemented.
Uses a 33MHz 32-bit backplane interface.
Safety & CE Compliance
All modules are fully CE compliant and meet applicable EU
directives: Low-voltage safety EN61010-1:2001,
EMC Immunity EN61000-6-1:2001, Emissions EN55011:1998.
Please refer to the 200 page
Pickering Interfaces “Connection
Solutions” catalog for the full list
of connector/cabling options,
including drawings, photos and
specifications. Available in either
print or as a download.
Alternatively our web site has
dynamically linked connector/
cabling options, including pricing,
for all Pickering PXI modules.
Ever wondered what PXI is all
about?
Pickering Interfaces’ “PXImate”
explains the basics of PXI
and provides useful data for
engineers working on switch
based test systems.
The PXImate is available free
on request from the Pickering
website.
“The Big PXI Catalog” gives
full details of Pickering’s entire
range of PXI switch modules,
instrument modules and
support products.
At over 500 pages, the Big
PXI Catalog is available on
request or can be downloaded
from the Pickering website.
The “PXI
Module Map”
- a simple fold-
out selection
guide to all
Pickering’s
1000+ PXI
Modules.
The “Cables &
Connectors
Map” - outlines
the cable and
connector
options
available
for all PXI
Modules.
Latest Details
Please refer to our Web Site for Latest Product Details.
www.pickeringtest.com

Page 2.1
3GHz PROGRAMMABLE STEP ATTENUATOR 41-180
pickering SECTION 2 - TECHNICAL DESCRIPTION
SECTION 2 - TECHNICAL DESCRIPTION
FUNCTIONAL DESCRIPTION
The 41-180 Programmable 0 to 63 dB Attenuator Module which forms part of the System 40 PXI RF Instrumentation
range comprises either one or two independently programmable attenuators in a single width 3U PXI module. Each
attenuator comprises seven attenuator pads ranging in value from 1 dB to 16dB. A combination of attenuator pads
are mechanically switched-in to provide attenuation values from 0 to 63 dB in 1 dB steps.
The signal paths are bi-directional so that the input can be applied at Port or Port B.
16dB Pad 1dB Pad 2dB Pad
16dB Pad 16dB Pad 8dB Pad
4dB Pad
PORT A
PORT B
ATTENUATOR 1
16dB Pad 1dB Pad 2dB Pad
16dB Pad 16dB Pad 8dB Pad
4dB Pad
PORT A
PORT B
ATTENUATOR 2
RL1 RL2 RL3
RL7 RL6 RL5
RL4
RL8 RL9 RL10
RL14 RL13 RL12
RL11
Figure 2.1 - Schematic Diagram

Page 2.2 3GHz PROGRAMMABLE STEP ATTENUATOR 41-180
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SECTION 2 - TECHNICAL DESCRIPTION
The attenuators can be connected in series to increase the total available attenuation. The signal paths are
bi-directional so that the input can be applied at Port or Port B. A typical example of modules connected in series is
shown in Figure 2.2
ATTENUATOR 2
PORT B
PORT B
PORT A
PORT A
ATTENUATOR 1
ATTENUATOR 2
PORT B
PORT B
PORT A
PORT A
ATTENUATOR 1
IN/OUT
IN/OUT
Figure 2.2 - Typical Series Connection Of Attenuator Modules
The attenuation value is set via a soft panel which allows the operator to set the value using a sliding scale (which
automatically switches-in the required attenuator pads), or manually switch-in the desired attenuator pads to set the
value (refer to Figure 3.4).
CASCADING ATTENUATORS

Page 3.1
3GHz PROGRAMMABLE STEP ATTENUATOR 41-180
pickering SECTION 3 - INSTALLATION
Page 3.1
REED RELAY MODULE 40-110/115/120/125
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kg
PREOPERATION CHECKS (UNPACKING)
1. Check the module for transport damage and report any damage immediately to Pickering Interfaces.
Do not attempt to install the product if any damage is evident.
2. Position the chassis relative to any other equipment the module(s) will connect with. Ensure the chassis is not
connected to the electrical supply.
3. Ensure that the designated area for the chassis containing the module is of at and solid construction to
withstand and support the combined weight of the module(s) and chassis.
SECTION 3 - INSTALLATION
!
Refer to the Warnings and Cautions at the front of this manual
Modular products require installation in a suitable PXI/LXI chassis. The module is designed for indoor use only.
Figure 3.1 - Installing the Module into a PXI/cPCI/LXI Chassis
PXI / LXI Chassis

Page 3.2 3GHz PROGRAMMABLE STEP ATTENUATOR 41-180
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SECTION 3 - INSTALLATION
Page 3.2 REED RELAY MODULE 40-110/115/120/125
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SECTION 3 - INSTALLATION
SOFTWARE INSTALLATION
First install the appropriate Pickering PXI switch card drivers by running the installer program Setup.exe (provided
in a compressed zip le), either from the CD-ROM supplied, or by downloading the latest version from our website
pickeringtest.com - the recommended method. Setup is accompanied by a ReadMe le containing
additional installation information. A single installation covers all cards in the System 40, System 45 and System
50 ranges.
When installation completes, the installed drivers’ ReadMe le is offered for display. It can also be displayed
later using a shortcut on the Programs>>Pickering menu.
If you are not a LabVIEW user you should choose the “full” version, and once that has been installed run
the LabVIEW Runtime Engine installer via the shortcut on the Programs>>Pickering menu. In the absence of
LabVIEW the Runtime Engine is required to support the Pickering Test Panels application.
!
HARDWARE INSTALLATION
ELECTRICAL CONNECTION (CHASSIS)
1. The chassis must be electrically installed in accordance with local regional electrical codes by a qualied
engineer.
2. The chassis must be grounded.
Electrostatic discharge can damage the components on the module. To avoid such damage in handling the
board refer to page VII.
Ensure that there is adequate ventilation.
The module should be installed in accordance with the following procedure:
1. Ensure that the system is turned OFF but still connected to mains so that it remains grounded.
2. Choose an appropriate slot in the rack.
3. Remove the blanking plate for the chosen slot.
4. Ensure that the injector/ejector handle is in its downward position. Align the module with the card guides on
the top and bottom of the slot.
Do not raise the injector/ejector handle whilst inserting the module as the module will not insert properly.
5. Hold the handle whilst slowly sliding the module into the card guides until the handle catches on the injector/
ejector rail (refer to Figure 3.1).
6. Raise the injector/ejector handle until the module rmly seats into the backplane. The front panel of the
module should be ush with the front panel of the chassis.
7. Secure the front panel of the module using both screws to the chassis front panel mounting rails.
8. In a system employing a remote control interface to connect an external controller to a PXI chassis or to link
multiple chassis, power-up the system as follows:
a. For a system comprising an external controller and one chassis, power up the chassis before powering up
the external controller.
b. For a system comprising more than one chassis, turn ON the last chassis in the system followed by the
penultimate, etc, and nally turn ON the external controller or chassis containing the system controller.
9. For Pickering Interfaces modular LXI installation there is no requirement to use any particular power up
sequence.

Page 4.1
3GHz PROGRAMMABLE STEP ATTENUATOR 41-180
pickering SECTION 4 - PROGRAMMING GUIDE
SECTION 4 - PROGRAMMING GUIDE
PROGRAMMING OPTIONS FOR PICKERING INTERFACES PXI CARDS
Software drivers are supplied for Microsoft Windows operating systems, with specic support for the following
development environments:
●Microsoft Visual Studio (VB, C++, C#)
●Borland C++
●National Instruments LabWindows/CVI
●National Instruments LabVIEW and LabVIEW RT
Windows drivers are supplied in the form of Dynamic Link Libraries, which should also be usable in any other
development environment that supports them.
Some recent drivers developed for the LXI platform are capable of addressing both PXI and LXI domains. Such
duality may be of help to users considering future migration from PXI based systems to LXI based systems, or
indeed systems containing both PXI and LXI components.
Programming for PXI
A number of different Windows drivers are available to meet particular system requirements, and should none of
these be suitable there is also the option of register-level programming. Drivers are generally ‘universal’, handling all
models in the System 40, 45 and 50 ranges; however some models that are not compliant with the Ivi Swtch class
cannot be used with the pi40iv IVI driver. The pipx40 and Pilpxi drivers are also applicable to certain models in the
System 41 (PXI Instruments) range - see these drivers’ System 41 support list.
Please note that this documentation is available in its most up-to-date form as HTML help les, fully hyperlinked for
easy access - both pipx40 and Pilpxi documents are included in the Pipx40vpp software installation.
IVI Driver for Windows - pi40iv
The pi40iv IVI (Interchangeable Virtual Instrument) driver supports all Pickering Interfaces PXI switch cards that
are consistent with the Iviswtch class model - as are the great majority of cards in the System 40/45/50 ranges. It
integrates well with LabWindows/CVI and LabVIEW, and is fully compatible with Switch Executive. It is also usable
in general-purpose programming environments such as Visual C++ and Visual Basic.
Prior installation of the VISA and IviEngine from National Instruments are required for the correct installation and
operation of this driver.
VISA Driver for Windows - pipx40
The pipx40 driver conforms to the VISA (Virtual Instrument Software Architecture) standard for programmable
instrumentation. Instrument control environments such as LabVIEW and LabWindows/CVI are based on VISA, and
pipx40 support libraries are provided for them.
Prior installation of VISA from National Instruments is required for the operation of this driver.
Where VISA is available, pipx40 can also be used in general-purpose programming environments such as Visual
C++ and Visual Basic. When IVI is not a system requirement this driver will often yield faster operation than the
pi40iv driver.
Direct I/O Driver for Windows - Pilpxi
The Pilpxi driver accesses cards directly, without using the VISA software layer, while offering similar overall
functionality to pipx40. It is most commonly used in general-purpose programming environments such as Visual
C++ and Visual Basic. Operating speed of the VISA and Direct I/O drivers is generally comparable.

Page 4.2 3GHz PROGRAMMABLE STEP ATTENUATOR 41-180
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SECTION 4 - PROGRAMMING GUIDE
Register-level Programming
Where the supplied drivers are not suitable, register-level programming can be employed - for example:
●If the functionality of the supplied drivers does not meet the application requirements
●If security considerations demand full source-code for the application
●In development environments that have alternate mechanisms for accessing PCI bus
●For operating systems other than Windows
Programming for LXI
When Pickering PXI cards are inserted into an LXI Modular Chassis a different set of drivers is available.
IVI Driver for Windows - pi40iv
The pi40iv IVI also supports LXI inserted cards simply by changing the resource string to address string to the
appropriate address.
Direct I/O Driver for Windows - Piplx
The piplx driver is based on the PXI Direct I/O driver pilpxi, but with added functionality to deal with the added need
to address the chassis using an IP address. It integrates well with LabWindows/CVI and LabVIEW, and is fully
compatible with Switch Executive. It is also usable in general-purpose programming environments such as Visual
C++ and Visual Basic.
Please note that this driver may also be used in the PXI domain. If the addressed card is in the local computer PCI/
PXI system, commands will be passed through to the PXI Direct I/O driver. This mechanism allows the piplx driver
to be used for both PXI and LXI cards.
The LXI format offers additional interface options not available in PXI :
.NET
A .NET native driver is also available. Once again this may be used for both LXI and PXI card control.
SOAP
Pickering LXI products include a SOAP interface which is usable from a wide variety of platforms and languages.
SSH
Pickering LXI products include an SSH interface which allows remote command line access to control cards, or,
using a suitable package, programmatic control.
The user is advised to visit the Pickering web site for further details of all the above drivers, where documentation,
example programs, and further help with driver choice are available.
LabVIEW, LabWindows/CVI and Switch Executive are trademarks of National Instruments Corporation.
General Pickering Card Architecture
With most drivers, before programming a Pickering card it is important to understand the basic architecture of
Pickering cards.
The switches on a Pickering card are organized into logical sub-units, each sub-unit containing a set of objects of
similar type and use. These objects may be switches, digital outputs, digital inputs, resistors, power supplies etc,
depending on the nature of the specic card.
For example a simple matrix card will usually contain a single sub-unit containing the switches arranged in a
2-dimensional array. However a similar card with additional isolating relays connected to the matrix will contain
additional sub-units containing those isolation relays.
Low level drivers include functions to allow the programmer to query the card to ascertain the number of sub-units,
and the size and type of each sub-unit.
For full details of the driver functions available the programmer should refer to the documentation provided.

Page 4.3
3GHz PROGRAMMABLE STEP ATTENUATOR 41-180
pickering SECTION 4 - PROGRAMMING GUIDE
Using The Direct Driver or VISA Driver
This section provides some code fragments which show how to control the Attenuator using the Direct Driver or the
VISA Driver.
Once the drivers are installed the manual “Sys40Prg.pdf” and driver help les which fully describes these functions
can be found in the Pickering folder(s) or the Pickering entries on your Start Menu.
The card must be opened before use and closed after using the following function calls:
Direct Driver - Open with PIL_OpenCards or PIL_OpenSpeciedCard and close with PIL_CloseCards or
PIL_CloseSpeciedCards respectively.
VISA Driver - Open with pipx40_init, and close with, pipx40_close.
Using PILPXI (Direct)
There are a number of functions provided specically for controlling and interrogating Pickering attenuator
instruments as follows:
PIL_AttenType(); - get attenuator sub-unit information (in string format)
PIL_AttenInfo(); - get attenuator sub-unit information (numeric format)
PIL_AttenSetAttenuation(); - set attenuation value
PIL_AttenGetAttenuation(); - get attenuation value
PIL_AttenPadValue(); - get the attenuation value associated with a numbered pad
This example shows how to set the attenuation assuming the instrument/card handle “CardNum” is already obtained:
DWORD SubNum = 1; //set the channel/pad parameter to channel 1
oat Atten = 8.25; //set the attenuation parameter to 8.25dB
PIL_AttenSetAttenuation(CardNum, SubNum, Atten); //set the attenuation
Using PIPX40 (VISA)
There are a number of functions provided specically for controlling and interrogating Pickering attenuator
instruments as follows:
pipx40_attenGetType() - Get attenuator sub-unit information (in string format)
pipx40_attenGetInfo() - Get attenuator sub-unit information (numeric format)
pipx40_attenSetAttenuation() - Set attenuation value
pipx40_attenGetAttenuation() - Get attenuation value
pipx40_attenGetPadValue() - Get the attenuation value associated with a numbered pad
This example shows how to set the attenuation assuming the instrument handle “vi” is already obtained:
ViUInt32 subUnit = 1; //set the channel/pad parameter to channel 1
ViReal32 atten = 8.25; //set the attenuation parameter to 8.25dB
pipx40_attenSetAttenuation(vi,subUnit,atten); //set the attenuation
PROGRAMMING THE MODULE

Page 4.4 3GHz PROGRAMMABLE STEP ATTENUATOR 41-180
pickering
SECTION 4 - PROGRAMMING GUIDE
USING PICKERING DRIVERS IN LabVIEW
Most Pickering drivers include a LabVIEW wrapper to permit full operation of the Pickering product from the LabVIEW
environment. These wrappers are normally installed to the current LabVIEW folder system during installation of the
Pickering driver.
The process of controlling a Pickering product normally consists of the following steps:
1. Open a control session on the product
2. Use functions in the library to operate the product
3. Close the control session
Following is a simple example of the use of the most common Pickering drivers:
Figure 4.4 - Example Use of Pickering Drivers in LabVIEW
To download LabVIEW examples, please go to:
http://wiki.pickeringtest.net/Using+Pickering+Drivers+in+LabView