Phase Noise

 

 

Phase Noise test stations are also a headache to put together. Unlike a Combo Mod test rack, Phase Noise is relatively straightforward and clean inside. No rat’s nest of wires and cables to contend with. Combo Mod has so much gear jammed into it that there is no room left inside for the computer monitor. The only way to include it is by mounting an adjustable swivel arm platform to one side of the test station. That requires adding sections of 2 inch steel square tubing to the rack subframe, drilling holes through the side cover, and bolting it down. Real pain in the neck. All I can say about that is, I got it done. Only two more of those to go…

Fortunately I don’t have to do any mechanical rework with Phase Noise. I ran into a different sort of hassle though. In order for Phase Noise test stations to take complicated measurements they require both a Unix workstation and a regular old PC. The Unix station runs a master test executive that our software engineers wrote. It controls and communicates with each instrument in the rack via GPIB. The PC is necessary to run a special phase noise measurement suite. Where we run into trouble is the PC and the Unix stations like to barf on each other when certain conditions in test code arise. Anyway that’s not my problem. My problem is the system has to use only one mouse, one keyboard, and one monitor. To set this up properly I have to add a switchbox that connects one set of input devices to both machines. I have to build three Phase Noise stations and I only have one of those special switch boxes. Ugh.

~ by factorypeasant on March 20, 2006.