A Guide to CMT Software Families and VNA Series
Copper Mountain Technologies (CMT) provides a variety of Vector Network Analyzers (VNA) to accommodate a wide range of test and measurement needs. The CMT VNA line covers a wide span of frequencies starting from 20 kHz, and extending to 20 GHz, with 1-port, 2-port or 4-port configurations. 2-port VNAs are further divided into two groups: one capable of measuring 2-port 1-path measurements, and the other capable of full 2-port 2-path measurements. This application note summarizes the families of each CMT VNA available as of Q1 2016, and identifies differences among installing the particular VNA application needed for all the instrument types. The names of the COM server and legacy aliases are enumerated and the procedure for selecting demo mode after the installation is complete is demonstrated.
Using Copper Mountain Technologies VNAs in a Linux Environment
Historically, test and measurement applications have been developed primarily with Windows operating systems. In fact, many conventional test equipment devices contain embedded PCs running Windows or Embedded Windows. Unlike such conventional instruments, USB-driven vector network analyzers from Copper Mountain Technologies contain no operating system and in principle the instrument is agnostic to the operating system hosting the USB connection. The purpose of this application note is to describe the configuration of Linux for running the VNA program, and performing automated testing, in a Virtual Windows environment.
An Undergraduate VNA Lab Cirriculum: Lab 1
Copper Mountain Technologies VNAs are a great fit for undergraduate educational laboratories, and have been adopted by professors at many universities in the US and around the world. Because of their small size and affordability, it is practical to allow undergraduate students to get valuable hands-on time with VNA measurements. In partnership with students at Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, Copper Mountain Technologies has developed a 6-part series of VNA laboratory lessons which can serve as a starting point for educators developing an RF educational lab experience.
What makes a good VNA?
Everyone knows that a good VNA should have both excellent hardware performance and an easy to use software interface with useful post-processing capabilities. But there are numerous VNAs in the market with different performance levels; some of them are economy grade, and others are truly laboratory test grade. So what separates the best from the rest? This application note focuses on the particular components and design aspects that maximize the performance of a VNA, in part by comparing modern VNAs with designs of the last century.
Why USB VNAs? How CMT Analyzers Improve Workflow and Security
USB VNAs increase productivity and lower costs for test, quality control, and design applications, capitalizing on the ever-increasing performance of personal computers. Engineers using this format can downsize their equipment and experience significant productivity gains at a fraction of the cost of traditional analyzers.
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Getting Started with the CMT VNA: Top 10 Tips and Tricks
The examples created in this document are based on the S5048, but apply to most of the Copper Mountain Technologies VNAs in a similar way. These tips will help you use your VNA with ease and help you get more intuitive results.