Quasonix nanoTX User manual

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Quasonix, Inc.
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Installation and Operation Manual
nanoTX™ Telemetry Transmitter
Quasonix, Inc.
6025 Schumacher Park Dr.
West Chester, OH 45069
05 August, 2019
Revision 3.3.5
Specifications subject to change without notice.
All Quasonix products are under U.S. Department of Commerce jurisdiction; not covered by ITAR

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Table of Contents
1Introduction ............................................................................................................................................7
1.1 Description...................................................................................................................................7
1.1.1 Nomenclature..........................................................................................................................7
1.2 Model Number Field Codes.........................................................................................................9
1.2.1 Frequency Band......................................................................................................................9
1.2.2 Clock and Data Interface.........................................................................................................9
1.2.3 Serial Control Interface..........................................................................................................10
1.2.4 ARTM Tier 0 (PCM/FM) ........................................................................................................10
1.2.5 ARTM Tier I (SOQPSK-TG)..................................................................................................10
1.2.6 ARTM Tier II (Multi-h CPM)...................................................................................................11
1.2.7 Legacy...................................................................................................................................11
1.2.8 Output Power.........................................................................................................................11
1.2.9 Packages...............................................................................................................................12
1.2.10 Automatic Carrier Wave Output Option - AC ........................................................................12
1.2.11 Baud Rate Option –BRx.......................................................................................................12
1.2.12 CP07 Control Protocol Option –C7 ......................................................................................12
1.2.13 Convolutional Encoder Option –CE .....................................................................................12
1.2.14 Clock-free Baseband Interface Option –CF.........................................................................13
1.2.15 Dual Power Option –DP.......................................................................................................14
1.2.16 Frequency Offset Option –FO..............................................................................................14
1.2.17 GPS Notch Option –GN .......................................................................................................14
1.2.18 High Bit Rate Option –HR ....................................................................................................14
1.2.19 Internal Clock and Data Option –ID......................................................................................15
1.2.20 Limited Current Option - LC ..................................................................................................15
1.2.21 Forward Error Correction / Low Density Parity Check (LDPC) Option –LD.........................15
1.2.22 Forward Error Correction / Low Density Parity Check (LDPC) Option –LD6.......................15

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1.2.23 Low Bit Rate Option –LR......................................................................................................15
1.2.24 Modulation Scaling Option –MS...........................................................................................15
1.2.25 Hardware Preset Option –PS2, PS4, PS8, or PS16............................................................16
1.2.26 Power Output Option –PW020.............................................................................................16
1.2.27 Spacecraft Tracking and Data Network Option –STDN.......................................................16
1.2.28 Variable FIFO Depth Option –VF.........................................................................................16
1.2.29 Variable Power Option –VP..................................................................................................16
1.2.30 Wide Input Voltage Range Option –WV...............................................................................16
2Accessories..........................................................................................................................................17
2.1 Fan-cooled Heat Sink................................................................................................................17
2.2 Pre-wired 15 Pin Nano-D TTL Connector..................................................................................18
2.3 Pre-wired 21 Pin Nano-D...........................................................................................................18
2.4 15 Pin Nano-D Wiring Harness .................................................................................................19
2.5 21 Pin Nano-D Wiring Harness .................................................................................................19
2.6 MMCX to SMA Adapter Cable...................................................................................................20
2.7 Ruggedized Handheld Programmer..........................................................................................21
2.8 USB to Serial Converter Cable..................................................................................................21
3Installation Instructions ........................................................................................................................22
3.1 Mechanical.................................................................................................................................22
3.1.1 01AA Package.......................................................................................................................22
3.1.2 01AB Package.......................................................................................................................25
3.1.3 01PE Package.......................................................................................................................28
3.1.4 01PD Package.......................................................................................................................32
3.2 Thermal......................................................................................................................................35
3.3 Electrical ....................................................................................................................................35
3.3.1 TTL Clock and Data Baseband.............................................................................................35
3.3.1.1 Pin Information..................................................................................................................36

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3.3.2 Signal Timing.........................................................................................................................37
4Operating Instructions..........................................................................................................................38
4.1 Power-on Operation...................................................................................................................38
4.2 nanoTX™ Serial Control Protocol .............................................................................................38
4.2.1 Command Set: Standard and Optional Commands..............................................................39
4.2.1.1 Additional Command Set Details ......................................................................................57
4.2.1.1.1 Internal Clock Rate –IC ..........................................................................................57
4.2.1.1.2 Input Source Selection Command - IS....................................................................57
4.2.1.1.3 Low Density Parity Check (LDPC) Command –LD ................................................60
4.2.1.1.4 System Status Command –SY...............................................................................61
5RF Output Notes..................................................................................................................................62
5.1 Troubleshooting the RF on a Quasonix Transmitter .................................................................62
6Performance Specifications.................................................................................................................65
6.1 RF Output ..................................................................................................................................65
6.2 Electrical Current .......................................................................................................................65
6.3 Environmental Specifications.....................................................................................................65
6.3.1 EMI Performance...................................................................................................................65
6.4 Carrier Frequency Tuning..........................................................................................................66
6.5 Carrier Frequency Error.............................................................................................................66
6.6 Bit Error Rate.............................................................................................................................67
6.7 Modulated RF Power Spectrum ................................................................................................67
6.8 Phase Noise Power Spectrum...................................................................................................69
6.9 Baseplate Temperature.............................................................................................................70
6.10 Vibration and Shock...................................................................................................................70
6.10.1 Vibration Testing....................................................................................................................72
6.10.2 Shock Testing........................................................................................................................75
7Maintenance Instructions.....................................................................................................................79
8Product Warranty.................................................................................................................................80
8.1 Quasonix Limited Warranty Statement......................................................................................80

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8.1.1 Extended Warranties.............................................................................................................81
9Technical Support and RMA Requests................................................................................................82
10 Appendix A –Preset Option.............................................................................................................83
12 Appendix B –Acronym List..............................................................................................................84
List of Figures
Figure 1: Model Number Construction Description for nanoTX™ and nanoPuck™.....................................7
Figure 2: CCSDS 131.0-B-1 Rendering of Basic Convolutional Encoder Diagram....................................13
Figure 3: Fan-cooled Heat Sink and Power Supply....................................................................................17
Figure 4: Fan-cooled Heat Sink with nanoTX™..........................................................................................17
Figure 5: Pre-wired 15 Pin NANO-D with 36" Pigtails.................................................................................18
Figure 6: Pre-wired 21 Pin Nano-D with 36" Pigtails ..................................................................................18
Figure 7: 15 Pin Nano-D Cable Harness ....................................................................................................19
Figure 8: 15 Pin Nano-D Cable Male Harness Pins ...................................................................................19
Figure 9: 21 Pin Nano-D Cable Harness ....................................................................................................20
Figure 10: MMCX to SMA Adapter Cable...................................................................................................20
Figure 11: Ruggedized Handheld Programmer..........................................................................................21
Figure 12: USB to Serial Converter Cable..................................................................................................21
Figure 13: 1.275 in3nanoTX™–01AA Package........................................................................................22
Figure 14: 15-Pin nano Pin Numbering.......................................................................................................23
Figure 15: Outline Drawing, nanoTX™Telemetry Transmitter –01AA Package.......................................24
Figure 16: 1.275 in3nanoTX™ - 01AB Package ........................................................................................25
Figure 17: 21-Pin nano Pin Numbering.......................................................................................................26
Figure 18: Outline Drawing, nanoTX™Telemetry Transmitter –01AB Package.......................................27
Figure 19: 1.35 in3nanoPuck™ - 01PE Package.......................................................................................28
Figure 20: 16-pin nanoPuck Top Pin Numbering........................................................................................28
Figure 21: Outline Drawing, nanoPuck™Telemetry Transmitter –01PE Package...................................31
Figure 22: 1.35 in3nanoPuck™ - 01PD Package.......................................................................................32
Figure 23: 16-pin nanoPuck Bottom Pin Numbering ..................................................................................32
Figure 24: Outline Drawing, nanoPuck™Telemetry Transmitter –01PD Package...................................34
Figure 25: Male 15-pin Nano-D Connector.................................................................................................35
Figure 26: Baseband Signal Timing............................................................................................................37
Figure 27: nanoTX™ Welcome Message ...................................................................................................39

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Figure 28: PCM/FM (Tier 0) PSD and Mask...............................................................................................68
Figure 29: SOQPSK-TG (Tier I) PSD and Mask.........................................................................................68
Figure 30: Multi-h CPM (Tier II) PSD and Mask .........................................................................................69
Figure 31: Phase Noise Limit Curve ...........................................................................................................70
Figure 32: Vibration / Shock Testing System..............................................................................................71
Figure 33: nanoTX™Mounted for Z-axis Testing.......................................................................................71
Figure 34: nanoTX™Mounted for X-axis Testing.......................................................................................72
Figure 35: nanoTX™Mounted for Y-axis Testing.......................................................................................72
Figure 36: TIMTER™ Vibration Profile .......................................................................................................72
Figure 37: Z-axis Vibration Spectrum .........................................................................................................73
Figure 38: Y-axis Vibration Spectrum .........................................................................................................74
Figure 39: X-axis Vibration Spectrum .........................................................................................................74
Figure 40: Shock Pulse, Z-axis Positive .....................................................................................................75
Figure 41: Shock Pulse, Z-axis Negative....................................................................................................76
Figure 42: Shock Pulse, Y-axis Positive.....................................................................................................76
Figure 43: Shock Pulse, Y-axis Negative....................................................................................................77
Figure 44: Shock Pulse, X-axis Positive .....................................................................................................77
Figure 45: Shock Pulse, X-axis Negative....................................................................................................78
List of Tables
Table 1: Model Configuration Example.........................................................................................................9
Table 2: Frequency Band Codes ..................................................................................................................9
Table 3: Clock and Data Interface Codes...................................................................................................10
Table 4: Serial Control Interface Codes......................................................................................................10
Table 5: ARTM Tier 0 Codes ......................................................................................................................10
Table 6: ARTM Tier I Codes .......................................................................................................................10
Table 7: ARTM Tier II Codes ......................................................................................................................11
Table 8: Legacy Codes...............................................................................................................................11
Table 9: Output Power Codes.....................................................................................................................11
Table 10: Power Supply DC Input Current at Standard Input Voltage .......................................................12
Table 11: Package Codes...........................................................................................................................12
Table 12: Standard Bit Rates Compared to Low/High Rate Options..........................................................14
Table 13: nanoTX™ 01AA Pin Assignments ..............................................................................................23
Table 14: nanoTX™ 01AB Pin Assignments ..............................................................................................26

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Table 15: nanoPuck™ 01PE Pin Assignments (N4 Top) ...........................................................................29
Table 16: nanoPuck™ 01PE Pin Assignments (N6 Top) ...........................................................................30
Table 17: nanoPuck™ 01PD Pin Assignments (N3 Bottom) ......................................................................33
Table 18: TTL Baseband Connector Pinout................................................................................................36
Table 19: Standard and Optional User Commands....................................................................................40
Table 20: DC Input Current at Standard Input Voltage...............................................................................65
Table 21: nanoTX™ Environmental Specifications ....................................................................................65
Table 22: nanoTX™ EMI Compatibility.......................................................................................................66
Table 23: Carrier Frequencies (MHz) .........................................................................................................66
Table 24: Transmitter BER Specifications..................................................................................................67
Table 25: K and m Values per Waveform...................................................................................................67
Table 26: Random Vibration Spectrum.......................................................................................................73

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1 Introduction
1.1 Description
This document describes the Installation and Operation of Quasonix’ nanoTX™ and nanoPuck™ Multi- mode
Digital Telemetry Transmitters. The nanoTX™ and nanoPuck™ are designed to transmit airborne telemetry data
from a test article to ground stations. The transmitters are developed, manufactured, and supported by:
Quasonix, Inc.
6025 Schumacher Park Drive
West Chester, OH 45069
CAGE code: 3CJA9
1.1.1 Nomenclature
The nanoTX™ and nanoPuck™ models are available in a number of variations, depending on the options specified
at the time of order. The type of features and modes installed in each unit are identified in the model number, as
depicted in Figure 1. Package field codes are listed in Table 11. Detailed information for packages other than 01AA
is located in the TIMTER™ Transmitter Packages document, available at the Quasonix web site. For questions
about specific packages, please contact Quasonix.
Figure 1: Model Number Construction Description for nanoTX™ and nanoPuck™
In this manual, the words Terminal Control and Serial Control have the same meaning and are used synonymously
throughout this manual. Serial control originates from configuring the transmitter from a computer’s legacy RS-
232/422 serial communications (COM) port. Terminal Control reflects the more generic case where the transmitter
could be controlled by other standard computer interfaces such as Ethernet.
QSX-V S B 2 1 1- 1 0 05- - 04 -04AB -CF
Transmitter Part Numbering Example
PCM/FM
SOQPSK-TG
Legacy
Standard
Prefix
Frequency Band Code
(refer to page2 forlist)
Clock andData
Interfacecode
(refer to page4
forlist)
Serial Control Interface
2 = RS-232
T= TTL
Mode:
1= Enabled
0=Not enabled
ARTM CPM
Options, separated
by hyphens
(example clock
free)
PackageCode
(refer to page 3)
Pinout Code
(Contact
Quasonix)
PowerCode
(refer to table
this page)

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Information in this manual applies to all nanoTX™ and nanoPuck™ models, unless otherwise specified. Other
TIMTER™ transmitter models are covered in separate user manuals, available for download from the company
website: www.quasonix.com.
The nanoTX™ and nanoPuck™ are available with the following software and hardware options. Refer to section 1.2
for detailed descriptions of each option.
•AC Automatic carrier wave output
•BRx Non standard baud rate for serial protocol
•C7 Quasonix interpretation of IRIG 106-17 Appendix 2-C serial control protocol
•CE Convolutional encoder (includes NRZ-M encoding)
•CF Clock-free baseband interface
•DP Dual power (Ability to set a low and a high setting, hardware controlled*
•FO Frequency Offset
•GN GPS notch filters to meet 115 dBm in 3 kHz band at L1 and L2 –Include this hardware option
with order
•HR Increases max bit rate up to 46 Mbps (23 Mbps for PCM/FM) (20 Mbps max for Clock Free
mode)
•ID Internal Clock and Data can be saved as a power-up default
•LC Low current in the RF Off state, 10 mA (hardware option)
•LD LDPC forward error correction encoding
•LD6 Extended LDPC
•LR Decreases min bit rate to 50 kbps (25 kbps for PCM/FM) (50 kbps min for Clock Free mode)
•MS Modulation scaling
•PS Enable hardware presets (specify 2, 4, 8, or 16 –PS2, PS4, PS8, PS16)
•PW020 RF Output 20 mW (+13 dBm)
•STDN Supports Spacecraft Tracking and Data Network (PM/BPSK) mode
•VF Variable FIFO Depth
•VP Variable power (32 settings, spanning 24 dB), software controlled*
•WV Wide input voltage range
Refer to Table 19 in section 4.2.1 for detailed descriptions of each option. Due to input connector pin count
limitations, certain combinations of options are not available. Please contact Quasonix for support in ordering
nanoTX™ options or for information regarding upgrades to nanoTX™ units that you may already own.
The model number identifies the configuration of the unit. For example, model number QSX-VSTT-1100-01-N1-
01AA-CF-WV defines a unit configured as follows:

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Table 1: Model Configuration Example
Identifiers
Description
QSX
Quasonix Product
V
Variable bit rate
S
S band
T
TTL clock and data interface
T
TTL serial control interface code
1100
Tier 0 present, Tier I present, Tier II absent, Legacy absent
01
1 Watt RF output
N1
Pinout code
01AA
nanoTX™package code
CF
Clock-free baseband interface option
WV
Wide Voltage option
1.2 Model Number Field Codes
1.2.1 Frequency Band
Frequency band codes are listed in Table 2. All frequency bands may be tuned 0.5 MHz above or below the stated
frequency.
Table 2: Frequency Band Codes
Frequency
Band
Code
Band
Minimum
Frequency
Maximum
Frequency
Default
Frequency
Tuning
Steps
A
Lower S
2200.5 MHz
2300.5 MHz
2250.5 MHz
0.5 MHz
N
Upper S
2300.5 MHz
2394.5 MHz
2370.5 MHz
0.5 MHz
S
S
2200.5 MHz
2394.5 MHz
2370.5 MHz
0.5 MHz
1.2.2 Clock and Data Interface
Clock and data interface codes are listed in Table 3.