WIRELESS TELECOM GROUP BOONTON 4540 Series User manual

PN: 98406000A
4540 Series
RF Power Meters
Quick Start Guide
V 1.02

4540 Power Meter
Quick Start Guide
PN: 98406000A © Copyright 2008 Boonton Page 2
CONTENT
SAFETY SUMMARY 3
LIMITED WARRANTY 4
4540 GETTING STARTED 5
CONTROLLING THE 4540 POWER METER 6
REAR PANEL 12
4540 OPERATION 15
INITIALIZATION 15
CALIBRATION 16
UPDATING FIRMWARE 18
MENU TREES 19
POWER MEASUREMENTS 28
MODULATED MODE 28
PULSE MODE 30
STATISTICAL MODE 32
4540 SPECIFICATIONS 34
ORDERING INFORMATION 35
4540 SENSORS 37
PEAK 37
CW 38
SENSOR COMPATIBILITY 39
GLOSSARY 40
CONTACT 42

4540 Power Meter
Quick Start Guide
PN: 98406000A © Copyright 2008 Boonton Page 3
SAFETY SUMMARY
The following general safety precautions must be observed during all phases of
operation and maintenance of the Boonton 4540 RF Power Meter. Failure to comply
with these precautions or with specific warnings elsewhere in this manual violates
safety standards of design, manufacture, and intended use of the instruments.
Boonton Electronics Corporation assumes no liability for the customer’s failure to
comply with these requirements.
INSTRUMENT MUST BE GROUNDED
To minimize shock hazard, the instrument chassis and cabinet must be
connected to an electrical ground. The instrument is equipped with a three
conductor, three prong AC power cable. The power cable must either be
plugged into an approved three-contact electrical outlet or used with a three-
contact to a two-contact adapter with the (green) grounding wire firmly
connected to an electrical ground at the power outlet.
DO NOT OPERATE THE INSTRUMENT IN AN EXPLOSIVE
ATMOSPHERE
Do not operate the instrument in the presence of flammable gases or fumes.
KEEP AWAY FROM LIVE CIRCUITS
Operating personnel must not remove instrument covers. Component
replacement and internal adjustments must be made by qualified
maintenance personnel only. Never replace components or operate the
instrument with the covers removed and the power cable connected. Even
with the power cable removed, dangerous voltages may be present. Always
remove all jewelry (rings, watches, etc.) and discharge circuits before
touching them. Never attempt internal service or adjustment of the 4540
unless another person, capable of rendering first aid and resuscitation, is
present.
DO NOT SUBSTITUTE PARTS OR MODIFY INSTRUMENT
Do not substitute parts or perform any unauthorized modification of the
instrument. Return the instrument to Boonton Electronics for repair to insure
that the warranty and safety features are maintained.

4540 Power Meter
Quick Start Guide
PN: 98406000A © Copyright 2008 Boonton Page 4
LIMITED WARRANTY
Boonton Electronics warrants its products to the original Purchaser to be free from
defects in material and workmanship and to operate within applicable specifications
for a period of one year from date of shipment for instruments, probes, power
sensors and accessories. Boonton Electronics further warrants that its instruments
will perform within all current specifications under normal use and service for one
year from date of shipment. These warranties do not cover active devices that have
given normal service, sealed assemblies which have been opened, or any item
which has been repaired or altered without Boonton’s authorization.
Boonton’s warranties are limited to either the repair or replacement, at Boonton’s
option, of any product found to be defective under the terms of these warranties.
There will be no charge for parts and labor during the warranty period. The
Purchaser shall prepay inbound shipping charges to Boonton or its designated
service facility and shall return the product in its original or an equivalent
shipping container. Boonton or its designated service facility shall pay shipping
charges to return the product to the Purchaser for domestic shipping addresses. For
addresses outside the United States, the Purchaser is responsible for pre-paying all
shipping charges, duties and taxes (both inbound and outbound).
THE FOREGOING WARRANTIES ARE IN LIEU OF ALL OTHER WARRANTIES,
EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE IMPLIED
WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR
PURPOSE. Boonton will not be liable for any incidental damages or for any
consequential damages, as defined in Section 2-715 of the Uniform Commercial
Code, in connection with products covered by the foregoing warranties.

4540 Power Meter
Quick Start Guide
PN: 98406000A © Copyright 2008 Boonton Page 5
4540 GETTING STARTED
Congratulations and thank you for choosing Boonton. Your new 4540 Power Meter
ranks among the most powerful instruments in its class. Our new family of Boonton
CW and Peak Power Meters currently consists of the single channel 4541 and the
dual-channel 4542. For simplification both instruments are referred to in this manual
as 4540.
4540 Front Panel
The Boonton 4540 Series Power Meter is the instrument of choice for capturing,
displaying and analyzing RF power in both the time and statistical domains.
Applications include pulsed RF signals such as radar, TDMA and GSM,
pseudorandom or noise-like signals such as CDMA, WLAN and WiMAX.
The 4540 Series is available as a single or dual channel RF Power Meter that can
measure modulated or CW signals using peak and average Boonton Power sensors.
The 4540 Series has three operating modes: Pulse, Statistical, and Modulated/CW.
Features include:
• High Bandwidth Wide Dynamic Range Sensors
• Intuitive User Interface
• 4” color LCD display
• 200 psec. time resolution
• Statistical analysis including CCDF
• Text view of 2x 15 time and power measurements parameters simultaneously
• GPIB, USB and LAN standard

4540 Power Meter
Quick Start Guide
PN: 98406000A © Copyright 2008 Boonton Page 6
CONTROLLING THE 4540
On / Standby
Pressing the On/Standby key switches the power meter between on
and standby modes. When in standby, some circuitry remains powered
to reduce drain on the battery used to maintain the instrument’s real-
time clock. The instrument’s current operating state is automatically saved before
entering standby.
Control Keys
Control keys allow maneuvering through the menus of the 4540. All keys are multi
functional and provide functionality depending on the current status of the
instrument. An additional <Fn> key is not necessary, since the system will
automatically assume the wanted function.
Esc / Stop / Local
Aborts any operation in progress when in Menu Mode or Zero/Cal Mode.
Pressing Esc / Stop / Local while the instrument is running causes the
process to stop. Pressing it when already stopped will clear the screen and
reset all measurement values. Pressing Esc / Stop / Local when the
instrument is in remote mode (the GPIB, LAN or USB has control of the
instrument and keyboard entry is disabled) will return it to local mode (the instrument
is under keyboard control) unless the local lockout command, LLO, has been issued
by the controller.
Pressing the Esc / Stop / Local key performs ONE of the following prioritized
operations, depending upon the current instrument state. The list is evaluated from
the top, and once a condition is met, its action is taken and the rest of the list is
ignored.
•Enters Local control mode if the instrument is in Remote control mode (unless
the Local Lockout remote command has been sent)
•Aborts a sensor Cal, Zero or Autocal operation that is in progress
•Clears error message and queue if any errors are present (red error message
text shown)
•Aborts display of report screen or error dialog being shown
•Aborts any numeric input or menu pick list entry that is in progress
•Deselects any selected menu button
•Stops measurement acquisition if running
•Clears acquired measurement if acquisition is already stopped

4540 Power Meter
Quick Start Guide
PN: 98406000A © Copyright 2008 Boonton Page 7
Menu / Menu Off
Places the instrument in Menu Mode to allow navigation of the menu
structure. Menu soft keys appear at the right side of the screen. Pressing
and holding Menu / Menu Off while already in Menu Mode switches the
menu display off and provides larger screen area for measurements, thus
allowing larger display in text mode and higher resolution in graph mode.
Graph / Text
Pressing Graph / Text places the instrument in Graph Mode to display the
current measurement waveforms (traces) in a graphical format. Pressing
Graph / Text while in Graph Mode toggles to numeric/text display of the
measurement.
Cal / Zero
Places the instrument in Sensor Zero/Calibration Mode and displays a menu to allow
automatic sensor offset and gain adjustments using the built-in 50MHz calibrator or
an external calibrator, as well as to permit control of the internal or external
calibrator.
•Pressing the Cal / Zero key displays the sensor calibration menu for the most
recently active calibration channel, or the first active channel. If no channels
are active, the menu defaults to Channel 1.
•Pressing the key again will display the menu for the next active channel, if
any.
A channel is considered “active” if it is installed in the instrument and a sensor is
connected. The calibration menu contains soft keys for sensor Zero, Fixed cal or
Autocal, as well as submenus to permit selection and control of the built-in or
external RF calibrator
Enter / Run
Activates a menu selection or completes update of a parameter in Menu Mode or
Zero/Cal Mode. Pressing Enter/Run while stopped in measurement mode will start
(or restart) the measurement process.
Pressing the Enter / Run key performs ONE of the following prioritized operations,
depending upon the current instrument state. The list is evaluated from the top, and
once a condition is met, its action is taken and the rest of the list is ignored.
•Completes a numeric or menu pick list entry that is in progress
•Starts measurement acquisition if stopped
•Clears and restarts measurement acquisition if already running

4540 Power Meter
Quick Start Guide
PN: 98406000A © Copyright 2008 Boonton Page 8
Measurement Channels
4541 consists of one, 4542 of two measurement channels. Both
systems are optionally available with the sensor and calibrator
connectors located on the rear panel. Such a configuration can be
beneficial for rack mount ATE applications The measurement
channels provide an RF range from 1 MHz to 110 GHz and offer a
dynamic range of -55 dBm to +20 dBm for Peak Power
measurements and -70 dBm to +44 dBm for CW Power
measurements. Actual measurements are dependent on the
sensors used. Both channels support a variety of Boonton Power
Sensors. A comprehensive list is provided in chapter 4540
Sensors (page 35-37). Sensors connected to the 4540 are
automatically detected.
Do not connect other components or power sensors of other manufacturers
to the measurement inputs. Damage will occur.
Calibrator Output
All 4540 series Peak Power Meters provide a build-in 50 MHz, -60 dBm to +20 dBm,
0.1 dB step calibrator. The calibrator allows automatic sweeping as well as manual
setting of output values. It is used to automatically calibrate sensor offset and
linearity, and can also be used as a general purpose calibration signal source.
Display
The quarter VGA display of the 4540 has a
resolution of 320x240 pixels. It provides a
detailed reading especially when in Graph
Mode. The display of the soft keys functions
can be switched on or off during
measurements. Switching off or hiding the soft
key functions increases the display area for
waveforms by another 25%. A VGA monitor
can be connected via the VGA connector found
on the rear panel of the 4540. The full screen
content will be displayed with a 320 x 240
resolution.

4540 Power Meter
Quick Start Guide
PN: 98406000A © Copyright 2008 Boonton Page 9
Soft keys
The five Menu Soft Keys are used to navigate the menu
hierarchy and to view or modify instrument settings. These keys
are active only when the menu is displayed. Each key has a
corresponding “menu box”, that changes depending upon which
menu is visible. Pressing the soft key may perform any one of
several operations, depending on the particular menu. In some
cases, the pressing the key will cause that menu item to become
“active” – the menu box will appear to be pressed in.
•Action: causes an action to be initiated, for example
“AutoCal Start”. The menu box flashes briefly when
pressed and the selected action occurs.
•Submenu: navigates down one level in the menu tree to a submenu of the
current menu. The current path down into the menu hierarchy is shown in the
Path display at the top of the screen.
•Toggle: pressing the key will toggle a value between two or more fixed
values, for example “On” or “Off”. The menu box flashes briefly when
pressed, and the selected item will toggle to the next value.
•Picklist: pressing the key will display a pop-up box showing a list of values
that may be selected for the menu parameter. The ▲and ▼(up and down
arrow) keys may be used to move the selector between values. Pressing
Enter accepts the selection, and Esc aborts.
•Numeric Entry: pressing the key selects the menu item for entry. The menu
box appears depressed and numeric entry is now active for that item. The ▲
and ▼keys can be used to increment or decrement the current value, or the
numeric keypad can be used to enter a new value directly. Pressing the
menu softkey again will deselect the menu item. See the “numeric entry”
section below for more details.

4540 Power Meter
Quick Start Guide
PN: 98406000A © Copyright 2008 Boonton Page 10
Up and Down Arrow Keys
Pressing the ▲or ▼key performs ONE of the following prioritized
operations, depending upon the current instrument state. The list is
evaluated from the top, and once a condition is met, its action is
taken and the rest of the list is ignored.
•Increments or decrements a numeric entry menu parameter, either by a
default value, or by one digit place when in digit editing mode.
•Scrolls the selector up and down a menu picklist
•Scrolls through available display “pages” or a the displayed table of
measurements and parameters in text mode
•Scroll between the first-level submenus in the menu hierarchy. For example,
if the Trigger menu is selected, pressing ▼will move directly to the Time
menu, which is adjacent to the Trigger menu in the tree. This eliminates the
need to return to the top of the tree and select the Time menu from there.
Left and Right Arrow Keys
Pressing the ◄or ►key performs ONE of the following prioritized
operations, depending upon the current instrument state. The list is
evaluated from the top, and once a condition is met, its action is
taken and the rest of the list is ignored.
•When menu containing a numeric parameter is selected, the ◄and ►keys
may be used to highlight a particular digit to edit.
•The ◄key serves as a “Previous” key during menu operation, and will
navigate back to the next higher menu in the hierarchy unless the user is in
digit editing numeric entry mode

4540 Power Meter
Quick Start Guide
PN: 98406000A © Copyright 2008 Boonton Page 11
Numeric Entry
There are three ways to modify the value of a selected numeric
menu item.
•Default Increment/Decrement – Pressing the ▲or ▼keys
will increment or decrement the parameter by a default value.
In most cases, this default is fixed. At other times, it may
depend upon the current state instrument state, such as the
display or time base settings. If the key is held, the increment/decrement will
auto repeat slowly, then at an increasing rate. The display and trace is
updated each time the value changes, so it is possible to view the effects of
changing the parameter in real time without needing to press Enter.
•Single-digit Increment/Decrement – this mode allows the parameter’s value to
be incremented or decremented by a selectable amount by highlighting the
desired digit. The mode is entered by pressing the ◄key, which will display
a cursor under the rightmost (least significant) digit. Pressing ◄or ►moves
the digit cursor, and pressing ▲or ▼will increment or decrement the
highlighted digit by one. Pressing ◄beyond the leftmost digit will add leading
zeroes to permit the number to become larger. Again, the display is updated
each time the value changes, so the changes will be visible in real time –
there is no need to press Enter each time.
•Direct Entry – The numeric keypad can be used to directly enter numbers.
Key in the desired number and press Enter to input a new value in the current
or default units. When parameters need to be entered in different units or
with unit prefixes (such as milliseconds or microseconds), entries are
completed by pressing the soft keys showing the desired units rather than the
Enter key.

4540 Power Meter
Quick Start Guide
PN: 98406000A © Copyright 2008 Boonton Page 12
4540 Rear (Interface) Panel
Main Power Switch
The 4540 accepts any AC power from 90 to 264 V (47
to 63 Hz). No voltage switching is required. Power
consumption is maximal 70 VA. Switching the power
on sets the 4540 into Standby-Mode. To start the
instrument, press also the green [On] button at the
front panel. The fuse is a 1.0 A T type.
Never use different fuses than specified. Damage may occur.
Fan
The 4540 Power Meters is an instrument designed for
performance. While the power consumption is minimized, the
components of the instrument generate heat that needs to be
removed. The 4540 fan is pushing cold air into the system. The
heated air leaves at the air vents right and left side of the 4540.
Never interrupt the air stream by placing other articles
too close to the fan or the vents. Always keep 15 cm/ 4
inches free space for the fan and 5 cm / 2 inches for
each side vent.

4540 Power Meter
Quick Start Guide
PN: 98406000A © Copyright 2008 Boonton Page 13
Rear Panel Measurement and Calibrator
Connectors (Optional)
The 4540 can be ordered with measurement
channel(s) and/or the calibrator output mounted
on the rear panel. This is usually handy when
the instrument is integrated in systems like ATE.
Communication interfaces.
4540 comes standard with LAN (Ethernet), USB and GPIB
interface. All interfaces can be used to remote control the
instrument. When either GPIB, LAN or USB assume control of
the instrument, the keyboard entry is
automatically disabled. A remote sign will be
shown at the lower right side of the
screen during remote operation.
Pressing Esc / Stop / Local when the instrument is
in remote mode will return it to local mode
(the instrument is under keyboard control).
LAN allows DHCP or fixed (IP / Subnet) setting mode.
USB is compatible to V 1.1 and 2.0
GPIB interface supports AH1, SH1, T6, LE0, SR1, RL1, PP0, DC1, DT1, C0, and
E1.
LAN, USB and GPIB ports are also used for 4540 firmware updates.

4540 Power Meter
Quick Start Guide
PN: 98406000A © Copyright 2008 Boonton Page 14
VGA Out
Information displayed at the front screen is also provided at the
VGA Out interface. VGA out allows to connect any VGA, SVGA
and XVGA monitors. The resolution is equivalent to the 4540
screen resolution 320 x 240 pixels.
Trigger In
When [Trigger Source External] is selected, power measurements can
be triggered by external events. The trigger level can be set between -
5V and +5 V, thus supports a variety of logic level signals.
Never exceed +/- 10V DC at this input or instrument
damage will occur.
Multi I/O
The rear-panel BNC connector is a programmable analog output is
available for connection to an external chart recorder or other device.
The output voltage range is unipolar or bipolar 10 volts. The output
produces a voltage proportional to signal level, or a logic level status
voltage for signaling when the RF power is above or below preset “alarm limit”
thresholds. Recorder output parameters can be configured through the menu. The
connector will be used in the future for special instrument functions.

4540 Power Meter
Quick Start Guide
PN: 98406000A © Copyright 2008 Boonton Page 15
4540 OPERATION
INITIALIZATION
The procedures presented in this section will initialize the Boonton 4540 and pre-
pares it for operation. Steps 1 through 3 should be performed every time you turn on
the instrument. Step 4 only needs to be performed when you wish to return the
instrument operation to a known state. This usually occurs after turning the
instrument on or at the beginning of a new test.
Step Procedure
1. If the main power is off, press the power switch located on the rear panel.
Then press the Pwr On key at the front panel. After a self-check, the
instrument will execute the application program. A brief initialization screen
will appear which shows the instrument name, model number, and software
version. During that period the fan varies its speed and relays are audibly
switching, this is normal. After several moments the main measurement
screen will appear. If it is necessary to change the sensor installed on the
instrument, perform Steps 2 and 3.
2. Connect the sensor to the sensor cable by aligning the red mark on each part
and pressing the connectors together firmly.
When selecting a sensor, be sure you know the power range.
Extended operation beyond the sensor’s specified upper power limit
may result in permanent change of characteristics or damage.
3. Connect the sensor cable to the Channel 1 input (holding the red mark UP).
When the sensor is connected, the instrument will download the factory
installed calibration data from the sensor memory. In general, when any
sensor error message occurs, disconnect and reconnect the sensor and
press [Esc]. If the message persists, refer the problem to Boonton Electronics
for technical support.
4 . Press the Factory Defaults soft key in the MAIN / MORE / SETUP sub-menu
to initialize the default operating parameters of the 4540 Power Meter.
Note: The Factory Defaults soft key does not affect parameters selected for the
GPIB Bus, RS-232, display colors, or the printer configurations.

PN: 98406000A
2. Select Calibrator: Internal
4540 OPERATION
CALIBRATION
Power sensors require calibration before they can be used. Calibration ensures most
accurate power measurements. The 4540 Power Meter reminds users when sensor
calibration is due. This can happen if it has not yet performed or after a period of
time in which temperature changes may have occurred.
The 4540 comes with a built in calibrator but also allows for utilizing an
external calibrator. To prepare for the internal calibrator, ensure that the
following settings are selected.
1. Choose the Calibration menu by pressing the [Cal] button.
3. Select: Cal Output: On

4540 Power Meter
Quick Start Guide
PN: 98406000A © Copyright 2008 Boonton Page 17
Performing Calibration
1. Connect the sensor 1 to Channel 1 of the 4540.
2. Connect the sensor 2 to Channel 2 of the 4540 – if applicable.
Note: To ensure accurate calibration of Peak power sensors it is strongly
recommended to allow a warm-up and stabilization period of at least 3 minutes,
after a sensor has been connected to a powered-on instrument. For best
possible calibration we recommend to extend this period to 15 minutes.
Calibrating Sensor 1
3. Connect sensor 1 to the Cal Out connector.
4. Press Cal Button to select the Calibration Menu
5. Display shows the cal menu with “CH1>Calibration” at the top.
6. Press AutoCal Start
Calibration of sensor
connected to CH1 is performed
7. Disconnect Sensor 1 from
Cal Out
On a 4542 dual channel
system with two sensors
Calibrating Sensor 2
8. Connect Sensor 2 to the
Cal Out connector.
9. Press Cal Button again to
select the Calibration Menu
10.Display shows the cal menu with “CH2>Calibration” at the top.
11.Press AutoCal Start
Calibration of sensor connected to CH2 is performed
12.Disconnect Sensor 2 from Cal Out
Note: AutoCal selects calibration points based on the dynamic range of the
connected sensor. AutoCal will extend the calibration range typically about 3dB of
the sensor specification.

4540 Power Meter
Quick Start Guide
PN: 98406000A © Copyright 2008 Boonton Page 18
4540 OPERATION
FIRMWARE UPDATE
The Firmware of the 4540 is updated periodically. New firmware versions are free
and can be downloaded from our Web site. Firmware of 4540 Power Meters can be
easily field updated via USB, Ethernet or GPIB Bus.
Requirements:
PC
Web access to download the firmware
USB:
USB cable (V1.1 and V2.0)
Ethernet:
2 Ethernet cables
Hub or Switch
or
PC direct
Cross Wired Ethernet Cable
or
any LAN connection
GPIB:
PC with GPIB interface
GPIB Cable
Downloading software and the latest 4540 firmware is available at our Web site:
http://www.boonton.com/software/support-software.html
This URL will offer a form that needs to be filled out. It links to a page to download a
zip file: Upd4540_YYYYMMDD.zip
This zip file contains the installer utility (Installer4540.exe), the update data file
(Upd4540_YYYYMMDD.btn, and installation instructions (Upd4540.txt)
We strongly recommend update your 4540 RF Power Meter always with the
latest firmware. This provides best possible performance, optimal reliability
and extended feature set of the instrument.

4540 Power Meter
Quick Start Guide
PN: 98406000A © Copyright 2008 Boonton Page 19
4540 OPERATION
MENU TREES
Boonton’s 4540 is a designed for best performance but at the same time for
ergonomic aspects and user convenience. Thus, menus of the systems are not rigid
but take particular configurations and measurement conditions into account, this
includes measurement modes and sensors connected. Also the sensor type, CW or
Peak, determines different menu presentation. Soft keys may change – in a way that
the instrument assumes what the user wants to press next.
Boonton made the menu structure of the 4540 as intuitive as possible, offering
manual operation of the 4540 with as few as possible key strokes – independent of
the mode. Users who worked with the unit became comfortable within minutes and
became excited about the swift way to operate this power meter and perform
measurements.
The example shows the Main menu twice. The first screen shot refers to a
modulated measurement that a user may have selected, the second presentation
refers to a statistical measurement. Soft keys change in a way that the user would
expect. Modulated measurement
provides Trigger and Time sub-
menus, while statistical
measurements present the Stat
Mode menu.

4540 Power Meter
Quick Start Guide
PN: 98406000A © Copyright 2008 Boonton Page 20
MENU TREE: MAIN
Main
Channel
Measure
Trigger
Time *
More
Channel 1
Channel 2
On / Off
Mode
Clear
Single Sweep
Mode
Source
Level
Slope
Hold off
Auto Pk-Pk | Auto | Normal | Free Run
CH 1 | CH 2 | Ext
Num. Input: -50 to + 20 dBm
+ | -
Num. Input: 0 us to 1s (0.01us resolution)
Time Base
Position
Trig delay
Position Cntrl
Num. Input: 10 ns to 1 min / Div
Middle | Right | Left
Num. Input: 0 ns to 100 us (dep. on time base setting)
Preset | Vernier
et sqq.“Channel” tree
et sqq.“Channel” tree
et sqq.” Main / More” tree
+/- 30 div
or
Stat * Horiz. Scale
Horiz. Offset
Term Options
Cursors
Num. Input Up/Dn: 0.1 to 5 dB / Div
Num. Input: -50.00 to +50.00 dB
et sqq.”Stat Mode” tree
et sqq.”Stat Mode” tree
or
Pulse | Modulated | Statistical
* Depends on Measurement Mode Pulse & Modulated: Time, Statistical: Stat
Auto Setup