Quonset Microwave QM1004-8-12-100 User manual

Quonset Microwave
www.quonsetmicrowave.com
QM1004-8-12-100
Combined RF Upconverter/Downconverter
Option 100: Internal Common LOs
User Manual
Revision 2.0.0, June 2021

QM1004-8-12-100 Combined RF Upconverter/Downconverter User Manual
Notices
© 2021 Quonset Microwave
No part of this manual may be repro-
duced in any form or by any means
(including electronic storage and re-
trieval or translation into a foreign
language) without prior permission
and written consent from Quonset
Microwave as governed by United
States and international copyright
laws.
Manual Part Number
1004-009-21
Edition
Revision 2.0.0, June 2021
Printed in the USA
Quonset Microwave
315 Commerce Park Road
Unit 3
North Kingstown, RI 02852 USA
Warranty
The material contained in this docu-
ment is provided "as is," and is sub-
ject to be changed, without notice, in
future editions. Further, to the maxi-
mum extent permitted by applicable
law, Quonset Microwave disclaims
all warranties, either expressed or
implied, with regard to this man-
ual and any information contained
herein, including but not limited to the
implied warranties of merchantability
and fitness for a particular purpose.
Quonset Microwave shall not be li-
able for errors or incidental or conse-
quential damages in connection with
the furnishing, use, or performance
of this document or of any informa-
tion contained herein. Should Quon-
set Microwave and the user have a
separate written agreement with war-
ranty terms covering the material in
this document that conflict with these
terms, the warranty terms in the sep-
arate agreement shall control.
Technology Licenses
The hardware and/or software de-
scribed in this document are fur-
nished under a license and may be
used or copied only in accordance
with the terms of such license.
Restricted Rights Legend
U.S. Government Restricted Rights.
Software and technical data rights
granted to the federal government
include only those rights customar-
ily provided to end user customers.
Quonset Microwave provides this
customary commercial license in
Software and technical data pur-
suant to FAR 12.211 (Technical
Data) and 12.212 (Computer Soft-
ware) and, for the Department of De-
fense, DFARS 252.227-7015 (Tech-
nical Data - Commercial Items) and
DFARS 227.7202-3 (Rights in Com-
mercial Computer Software or Com-
puter Software Documentation).
Safety Notices
CAUTION
ACAUTION notice denotes a haz-
ard. It calls attention to an operat-
ing procedure, practice, or the like
that, if not correctly performed or ad-
hered to, could result in damage to
the product or loss of data. Do not
proceed beyond a CAUTION notice
until the indicated conditions are fully
understood and met.
WARNING
A WARNING notice denotes a haz-
ard. It calls attention to an oper-
ating procedure, practice, or the
likes that, if not correctly per-
formed or adhered to, could result
in personal injury or death. Do not
proceed beyond a WARNING no-
tice until the indicated conditions
are fully understood and met.
Quonset Microwave Revision 2.0.0 i

QM1004-8-12-100 Combined RF Upconverter/Downconverter User Manual
Restricted Rights Legend
The Software and Documentation have been developed entirely at private expense. They are delivered
and licensed as "commercial computer software" as defined in DFARS 252.227-7013 (Oct 1988), DFARS
252.211-7015 (May 1991), or DFARS 252.227-7014 (Jun 1995), as a "commercial item" as defined in FAR
2.101(a) or as "restricted computer software" as defined in FAR 25.227-19 (Jun 1987) (or any equivalent
agency regulation or contract clause), whichever is applicable.The End User has only those rights pro-
vided for such Software and Documentation by the applicable FAR or DFARS clause or the Quonset
Microwave standard software agreement for the product involved.
General Warranty
The material contained in this document is provided "as is," and is subjected to being changed, without
notice, in future editions. Further, to the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, Quonset Microwave
disclaims all warranties, either expressed or implied with regard to this manual and any information con-
tained herein, including but not limited to the implied warranties of merchantability and fitness for a partic-
ular purpose. Quonset Microwave shall not be liable for errors or for incidental or consequential damages
in connection with the furnishing, use, or performance of this document or any information contained
herein. Should Quonset Microwave and the user have a separate written agreement with warranty terms
covering the material in this document that conflict with these terms, the warranty terms in the separate
agreement shall control. Duration and conditions of warranty for this product may be superseded when
the product is integrated into (becomes part of) other Quonset Microwave products. During the warranty
period, Quonset Microwave will, at its option, either repair or replace products which prove to be defective.
The warranty period begins on the date of delivery or on the date of installation if installed by Quonset
Microwave.
Product Safety
The following general safety precautions must be observed during all phases of operation of this device.
Failure to comply with these precautions or with specific warnings elsewhere in this manual violates
safety standards of design, manufacture, and intended use of this device. Quonset Microwave assumes
no liability for the customer’s failure to comply with these requirements.
Safety Notices
CAUTION
ACAUTION notice denotes a hazard. It calls attention to an operating procedure, practice, or the like
that, if not correctly performed or adhered to, could result in damage to the product or loss of data. Do
not proceed beyond a CAUTION notice until the indicated conditions are fully understood and met.
WARNING
A WARNING notice denotes a hazard. It calls attention to an operating procedure, practice, or the
likes that, if not correctly performed or adhered to, could result in personal injury or death. Do not
proceed beyond a WARNING notice until the indicated conditions are fully understood and met.
Quonset Microwave Revision 2.0.0 ii

QM1004-8-12-100 Combined RF Upconverter/Downconverter User Manual
Personal Safety Considerations
This is a Safety Class I product (provided with a protective earthing ground incorporated in the power
cord). The mains plug shall only be inserted in a socket outlet provided with a protective earth contact.
Any interruption of the protective conductor, inside or outside the product, is likely to make the product
dangerous. Intentional interruption is prohibited. If this product is not used as specified, the protection
provided by the equipment could be impaired. This product must be used in a normal condition (in which
all means of protection are intact) only.
No operator serviceable parts inside. Refer servicing to qualified personnel. To prevent electrical shock,
do not remove covers. For continued protection against fire hazard, replace the line fuse(s) only with
fuses of the same type and rating (for example, normal blow, time delay, etc.). The use of other fuses or
material is prohibited.
General Safety Information
The following general safety precautions must be observed during all phases of operation of this prod-
uct. Failure to comply with these precautions or with specific warnings elsewhere in this manual or any
manual associated with this product violates safety standards of design, manufacture, and intended use
of the product. Quonset Microwave assumes no liability for the customer’s failure to comply with these
requirements.
WARNING
BEFORE APPLYING POWER TO THIS PRODUCT OR MAKING ANY CONNECTIONS TO THIS PROD-
UCT ensure that all instruments are connected to the protective (earth) ground. Any interruption
of the protective earth grounding will cause a potential shock hazard that could result in personal
injury or death.
CAUTION
∙Use this device with the cables provided.
∙Do not attempt to service this device. This device should be returned to Quonset Mi-
crowave for any service or repairs.
∙Do not open the device.
User Environment
This instrument is designed for indoor use only.
Quonset Microwave Revision 2.0.0 iii

QM1004-8-12-100 Combined RF Upconverter/Downconverter User Manual
Markings
The following markings may appear on the equipment or in any related documentation.
J
ESD Sensitive
This marking indicates that a device, or part of a device, may be susceptible
to electrostatic discharges (ESD) which can result in damage to the product.
Observed ESD precautions given on the product, or in its user documentation,
when handling equipment bearing this mark.
Part 15
This marking indicates that the device complies with applicable sections of part
15 of the FCC rules.
This marking indicates that the device conforms with applicable EC directives.
This marking indicates that the device complies with the Virtual Instrument Soft-
ware Architecture (VISA) specification.
This marking indicates that the device complies with the Standard Commands
for Programmable Instrumentation (SCPI) specification.
This marking indicates that the device complies with the USB Test & Measure-
ment Class (USBTMC) and the USB 488 subclass specifications.
This marking indicates that the device communicates over the Universal Serial
Bus (USB).
This marking indicates that the device communicates over Ethernet.
Quonset Microwave Revision 2.0.0 iv

QM1004-8-12-100 Combined RF Upconverter/Downconverter User Manual
Revision Control
Revision Description of Changes Date
2.0.0 Initial Release 06/03/2021
Quonset Microwave Revision 2.0.0 v

QM1004-8-12-100 Combined RF Upconverter/Downconverter User Manual
Quonset Microwave Revision 2.0.0 vi

QM1004-8-12-100 Combined RF Upconverter/Downconverter User Manual
Contents
Notices .................................................. i
Manual Part Number . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . i
Edition............................................. i
Warranty............................................ i
Technology Licenses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . i
Restricted Rights Legend . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . i
Safety Notices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . i
Restricted Rights Legend . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ii
General Warranty . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ii
ProductSafety .............................................. ii
SafetyNotices ............................................ ii
Personal Safety Considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iii
General Safety Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iii
User Environment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iii
Markings ............................................... iv
Revision Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . v
1 Overview 2
1. Input/Output Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
2. General Description . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
3. System Block Diagram . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
2 Firmware Updates 8
1. Introduction.............................................. 9
2. Firmware Update Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
3. PIC Firmware Updates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
3 Remote Operation 11
1. Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
1.1 USB Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
1.2 Command Syntax . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
1.2.1 Mnemonic Forms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
1.2.2 Using a Semicolon(;) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
1.2.3 Using Whitespace . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
1.2.4 Using "?" Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
1.2.5 Using "*" Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
1.3 Diagram Syntax Conventions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
1.4 Default Units . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
1.5 Status Reporting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
1.6 SCPI Data Types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Quonset Microwave Revision 2.0.0 vii

QM1004-8-12-100 Combined RF Upconverter/Downconverter User Manual
1.6.1 <boolean>Definition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
1.6.2 <character_data>Definition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
1.6.3 <NAN>Definition................................... 15
1.6.4 <non-decimal numeric>Definition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
1.6.5 <NRf>Definition ................................... 15
1.6.6 <NR1>Definition................................... 15
1.6.7 <NR2>Definition................................... 15
1.6.8 <NR3>Definition................................... 16
1.6.9 <numeric_value>Definition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
1.6.10 <string>Definition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
1.7 Input Message Terminators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
1.8 Compliance Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
1.8.1 IEEE-488.2 Compliance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
1.8.2 USBTMC Compliance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
1.8.3 VISA Compliance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
2. VISA Descriptors and Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
2.1 USBTMC ........................................... 19
2.1.1 VISA Descriptors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
2.1.2 USBTMC VISA Code Example . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
4 Control Commands 20
1. Command Quick Reference Guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
1.1 Common (*) Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
1.2 FREQuency Subsystem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
1.3 POWEr Subsystem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
1.4 STATus Subsystem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
1.5 SYSTem Subsystem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
2. FREQuency Subsystem Command Reference . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
2.1 FREQuency:LO1:DIVider . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
2.2 FREQuency:LO1:EXTernal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
2.3 FREQuency:LO1:LOCK . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
2.4 FREQuency:LO1:PLLMode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
2.5 FREQuency:LO2:EXTernal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
2.6 FREQuency:LO2:LOCK . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
2.7 FREQuency:LOCK . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
2.8 FREQuency:REFerence:EXTernal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
2.9 FREQuency:REFerence:FREQuency . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
2.10 FREQuency:REFerence:LOCK . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
2.11 FREQuency:TUNE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
2.12 FREQuency:TUNErACTual . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
3. POWEr Subsystem Command Reference . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
3.1 POWEr:CH1:ATTENuation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
3.2 POWEr:CH2:ATTENuation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
3.3 POWEr:LNA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
3.4 POWEr:RF .......................................... 41
4. STATus Subsystem Command Reference . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Quonset Microwave Revision 2.0.0 viii

QM1004-8-12-100 Combined RF Upconverter/Downconverter User Manual
4.1 STATus:OPERation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
4.2 STATus:OPERation:CONDition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
4.3 STATus:OPERation:ENABle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
4.4 STATus:PRESet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
4.5 STATus:QUEStionable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
4.6 STATus:QUEStionable:CONDition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
4.7 STATus:QUEStionable:ENABle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
5. SYSTem Subsystem Command Reference . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
5.1 SYSTem:BOOTstate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
5.2 SYSTem:CURRent . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
5.3 SYSTem:ERRor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
5.4 SYSTem:FIRMware . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
5.5 SYSTem:LOADstate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
5.6 SYSTem:READstate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
5.7 SYSTem:SAVEstate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
5.8 SYSTem:SERialNUMber . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
5.9 SYSTem:USBPID . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
5.10 SYSTem:VERSion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
6. IEEE 488.2 Command Reference . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
6.1 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
6.2 *CLS.............................................. 63
6.3 *ESE <NRf>......................................... 64
6.4 *ESR?............................................. 65
6.5 *IDN? ............................................. 66
6.6 *OPC ............................................. 67
6.7 *RCL <NRf>......................................... 68
6.8 *RST.............................................. 69
6.9 *SAV <NRf>......................................... 70
6.10 *SDS <NRf>......................................... 71
6.11 *SRE <NRf>......................................... 72
6.12 *STB? ............................................. 73
6.13 *TST? ............................................. 74
6.14 *WAI.............................................. 75
5 Windows Control GUI 76
1. Overview............................................... 77
Index 77
Quonset Microwave Revision 2.0.0 ix

QM1004-8-12-100 Combined RF Upconverter/Downconverter User Manual
List of Tables
1.1 Input Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
1.2 Output Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
2.1 PIC Firmware Revision History . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
3.2 Default Units . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
4.1 Common (*) Commands Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
4.2 FREQuency Subsystem Commands Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
4.3 POWEr Subsystem Commands Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
4.4 STATus Subsystem Commands Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
4.5 SYSTem Subsystem Commands Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
4.6 Comparison between Integer and Fractional PLL modes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
4.7 Error Codes and Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
4.8 IEEE 488.2 Common commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
4.9 *ESE bit mapping . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
4.10 *ESR? mapping . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
4.11 *OPC mapping . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
4.12 *SRE bit mapping . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
4.13 *STB? mapping . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
Quonset Microwave Revision 2.0.0 x

QM1004-8-12-100 Combined RF Upconverter/Downconverter User Manual
List of Figures
1.1 QM1004-8-12-100 Combined RF Upconverter/Downconverter system . . . . . . . . . . . 5
1.2 QM1004-8-12-110 Upconverter Block Diagram . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
1.3 QM1004-8-12-110 Downconverter Block Diagram . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
2.1 CCSLOAD: PIC Programming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
5.1 Windows® Control GUI . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
Quonset Microwave Revision 2.0.0 1

QM1004-8-12-100 Combined RF Upconverter/Downconverter User Manual
1
Overview
In This Chapter
1. Input/Output Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
2. General Description . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
3. System Block Diagram . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Quonset Microwave Revision 2.0.0 2

QM1004-8-12-100 Combined RF Upconverter/Downconverter User Manual
1. Input/Output Specifications
Table 1.1: Input Specifications
Parameter Min Typ Max Unit
External CMOS Reference Input
Frequency 10 250 MHz
Power Level 3.3 Vp-p
External LO1 Input
Frequency 12.9 16.4 GHz
Power Level 1 20 dBm
External LO2 Input
Frequency 5.65 GHz
Power Level 5 20 dBm
Upconverter IF Input
Frequency 750 1250 MHz
Power Level (absolute maximum)
LNA On 23 dBm
LNA Off 26 dBm
Downconverter RF Input
Frequency 8 12 GHz
Power Level (absolute maximum) 20 dBm
Quonset Microwave Revision 2.0.0 3

QM1004-8-12-100 Combined RF Upconverter/Downconverter User Manual
Table 1.2: Output Specifications
Parameter Min Typ Max Unit
LO1 Output
Frequency 12.9 16.4 GHz
Power Level 0 dBm
LO2 Output
Frequency 5.65 GHz
Power Level 2 dBm
100 MHz Reference Output
Frequency 100 MHz
Power Level -550 500 mVp-p
Type: Sine Wave
10 MHz Reference Output
Frequency 10 MHz
Power Level -800 550 mVp-p
Type: Square Wave
Upconverter RF Output @ 0 dB attenuation
Frequency 8 12 GHz
Gain: LNA On 20 dB
Gain: LNA Off 5 dB
Maximum Output Power Level 20 dBm
Downconverter IF Output @ 8 dB (minimum)
attenuation
Frequency 750 1250 MHz
Gain 30 dB
Maximum Output Power Level 5 dBm
Quonset Microwave Revision 2.0.0 4

QM1004-8-12-100 Combined RF Upconverter/Downconverter User Manual
2. General Description
The QM1004-8-12-100 is a Combined RF Upconverter/Downconverter housed in a 1U box. The QM1004-
8-12-100 is controlled either through the onboard USB or TCP/IP connection. The QM1004-8-12-100
delivery kit contains a user manual, Windows Control GUI, power supply, and USB A-A cable. A model
of the QM1004-8-12-100 is shown below in Fig. 1.1.
Figure 1.1: QM1004-8-12-100 Combined RF Upconverter/Downconverter system
The QM1004-8-12-100 Combined RF Upconverter/Downconverter has been equipped with Option -110,
which adds two independent Local Oscillator (LO) sources, making the QM1004-8-12-100 a self con-
tained system, requiring only the externally applied RF or IF signals for proper operation. The Local
Oscillators (LOs) in the QM1004-8-12-100 are locked to a common internal 100 MHz reference. The user
has the option of supplying their own reference through the BNC connector located on the back panel of
the QM1004-8-12-100.
Quonset Microwave Revision 2.0.0 5

QM1004-8-12-100 Combined RF Upconverter/Downconverter User Manual
3. System Block Diagram
Block diagrams for the QM1004-8-12-100 Combined RF Upconverter/Downconverter are shown in Fig-
ures 1.2 and 1.3. Internal attenuators in the upconverter and downconverter blocks are controlled digitally
via a microcontroller, which interfaces to a PC through USB or TCP/IP. The microcontroller outputs basic
status messages on a 32-character Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) mounted on the faceplate of the unit.
An internal 100 MHz reference clock is phase-locked to all of the internal LOs, with a BNC-F connector
providing the option for LOs to lock to a user-provided 10-250 MHz external reference. Two additional
BNC-F connectors output an internally-generated 10 MHz and 100 MHz reference for use by external test
equipment. Switching between the internal and external LO reference clocks is controlled either by the
microcontroller or a reference selector switch. The 12.9-16.4 GHz LO1 and 5.65 GHz LO2 outputs are
provided for external phase locking, multi-channel or MIMO applications, and diagnostic purposes.
Figure 1.2: QM1004-8-12-110 Upconverter Block Diagram
Figure 1.3: QM1004-8-12-110 Downconverter Block Diagram
The QM1004-8-12-110 uses a two-stage high-side conversion, as illustrated in Figure 1.3. As with any
frequency conversion architecture, spurious signals (or spurs) will appear in the output on both upconver-
sion and downconversion as a result of the frequency mixing process. This issue is particularly prevalent
on upconversion, because the RF output has a wide frequency range (8-12 GHz) compared to downcon-
version (0.75 - 1.25 GHz).
In the QM1004-8-12-110 design, the largest in-band spur occurs at 9.3 GHz for a 1.0 GHz input tone.
For a -10 dBm input with upconversion LNA ON, this spur occurs at around -30 dBc. The spur level is
lowered (non-linearly) by lowering the input signal. This 9.3 GHz spur, which moves ±250 MHz as the
input frequency is varied from 0.75 - 1.25 GHz, is exactly 2x the IF1 center frequency of 4.65 GHz. The
Quonset Microwave Revision 2.0.0 6

QM1004-8-12-100 Combined RF Upconverter/Downconverter User Manual
RF Up Stage mixer simply passes the 2x IF directly to the output. Because this signal is "in-band", there
is no amount of filtering that can get rid of this spur without changing the frequency plan, including the
IF1 filter and fixed LO2. The only way this spur may be reduced in the current design is by either lowering
the input IF signal power, by lowering the LO2 power (consult factory for details), or by adjusting the RF
tunable filter in the RF Up Stage (consult factory).
The second source of spurs in the upconversion is the direct LO1 leakage in the RF output. Due to the
fact that the LO1 power is typically much higher than the IF1 input, direct leakage of LO1 through the RF
Up Stage mixer is unavoidable. Fortunately, the LO1 leakage is out of band, and may be filtered with an
external lowpass or bandpass filter.
Harmonics of the RF upconversion output are also present. Fortunately, these also are out of band, and
may be filtered out.
Quonset Microwave Revision 2.0.0 7

QM1004-8-12-100 Combined RF Upconverter/Downconverter User Manual
2
Firmware Updates
In This Chapter
1. Introduction.............................................. 9
2. Firmware Update Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
3. PIC Firmware Updates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Quonset Microwave Revision 2.0.0 8

QM1004-8-12-100 Combined RF Upconverter/Downconverter User Manual
1. Introduction
The QM1004-8-12-100 Combined RF Upconverter/Downconverter is continually being improved and may
require firmware updates to correct problems in previous firmware versions or to add new features that
were not yet implemented in previous firmware versions. Table 2.1 details Firmware Revisions that have
been released and which features they fixed or introduced.
Table 2.1: PIC Firmware Revision History
PIC Firmware Version Reason To Update
v1.0.0 N/A (Initial Release)
2. Firmware Update Files
The required files to perform firmware updates are uploaded onto the Quonset Microwave FTP server
and need to be downloaded and extracted to a location on the computer performing the update prior to
continuing.
Firmware updates can be obtained by clicking the following link and navigating to the download link in the
Software tab:
http://www.quonsetmicrowave.com/QM1004-8-12-p/qm1004-8-12.htm
The zip files contain the necessary *.hex files required to perform the PIC firmware updates.
Quonset Microwave Revision 2.0.0 9