Jackson Labs PHASE STATION 53100A, User Manual

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PhaseStation 53100A User’s Manual V1.04 25-Apr-2022 117
Masks Menu
The Masks menu is almost entirely user-configurable. It consists of a list of
mask definitions
for optional
use in TimeLab. Masks are useful in production test applications where fast, reliable, and repeatable
pass/fail judgments are required. You can also use mask testing for proof-of-performance verification of
the 53100A and other instruments supported by TimeLab.
At startup, Timelab constructs the Masks menu based on the
contents of the user-editable file masks.txt . The folder’s location
will vary from one Windows version to the next. For example, in a
typical Windows 7 installation on drive C: it can be found at
C:\Users\Public\Documents\TimeLab\Masks at the command
prompt, or Libraries→Public Documents→TimeLab→Masks in
Explorer.
Generally, the easiest way to read and modify masks.txt is by
selecting the last entry on the Masks menu, Mask→Edit mask
definitions . This option will open masks.txt in Windows Notepad. You can then create your own mask
definitions, edit existing masks, remove masks from the menu, or simply review the mask-testing
features and capabilities in the current version of TimeLab.
Important
: To preserve any user-created mask definitions, your existing masks.txt file will not be
overwritten when a new copy of TimeLab is installed. The only exceptions to this rule occur when new
features are introduced that render the mask file format incompatible with newer versions of TimeLab.
In such cases, the TimeLab setup program will make a backup copy of
masks.txt
in the same directory,
under the name
masks_backup.txt
. Keep in mind that
you will then need to transfer any user-created
mask definitions from masks_backup.txt to the new masks.txt file.
In addition to the example user mask definitions in masks.txt , TimeLab also provides standard
performance test masks for the PhaseStation 53100A and TimePod 5330A instruments, as well as
numerous predefined masks corresponding to telecom industry standards. These mask definitions are
stored in a separate file,
standard_masks.txt
, which is overwritten with the latest version at installation
time. Consequently, user-created mask definitions should not be added to
standard_masks.txt
.
Clear mask selection
The first command on the Masks menu simply deselects any currently-selected masks,
removing its limit line(s) from the applicable measurement views.
Figure 55: User-defined mask entries