Jackson Labs PHASE STATION 53100A, User Manual, Page: 24 / 225

PhaseStation 53100A User’s Manual V1.04 25-Apr-2022 24
- Four AC- or DC-coupled SMA-F input jacks that drive the individual ADC channels.
By default, each of these input jacks is strapped to the
output jack directly beneath it. This
effectively divides the four-input 53100A into two independent two-channel “instruments” for
cross-correlated phase noise and AM noise measurements. By sending identical copies of the
reference signal to channels 1 and 2 and the DUT signal to channels 3 and 4, uncorrelated noise
in all four channels will average out over time. In principle, only the noise at the splitter input
terminations is common to the two “instruments,” corresponding to -177 dBc/Hz with a 0-dBm
input.
Note that the above describes only one of several possible measurement configurations.
A number of other measurement roles, including multichannel stability measurements, are also
possible. These are discussed in the
PhaseStation 53100A Measurement Roles section on page
131.
- Units equipped with the dual internal reference option are provided with two SMA-F output
jacks for these 100 MHz sinewave reference signals. Typical output level is +12 dBm.
- The STATUS indicator is a high-brightness RGB LED that reveals the instrument status at a
glance:
Blue Present for the first few minutes while the 53100A’s internal clock oscillator
warms up.
White e The 53100A is ready to acquire data. Stability measurements at 50 Hz and
higher bandwidths may be performed as soon as the LED turns from blue to
white, although a 30-minute warmup period is recommended. Input/reference
drift warnings may occur with shorter warmup periods.
Green A measurement is either pending or in progress. No fatal errors have occurred.
Flashing purple
Excessive power is present at either the
REFERENCE
or
DUT
inputs or at one or
more of the channel input jacks, causing signal clipping in one or more ADC
channels. An unexpected increase in signal level after measurement has begun
can cause this indication. The acquired data is questionable.
While the inputs are protected against DC potentials up to 24 volts, the
maximum recommended RF power at any front-panel input jack is +15 dBm.
Damage may occur at RF input levels greater than +20 dBm.
Flashing red
A USB data overrun has occurred. This is a fatal error. Insufficient CPU power
(or disconnection of the USB cable during a measurement) is typically
responsible. You may be able to run the measurement successfully if you
uncheck one or more of the noise or stability measurement options in the
acquisition dialog.