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Melchor Varela SARK-110, User Manual

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This  document  is  licensed  under  a  Creative  Commons  Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike  3.0 
Unported License. 

© Melchor Varela – EA4FRB 2011-2013 

 

 

 

 

SARK

SARK

SARK

SARK-

-

-

-110

110

110

110 

 

 

 

Vector Impedance Antenna Analyzer 

User’s Manual 

Revision 1.0 

Updated to Firmware Version 0.7.4 

Summary of Contents for SARK-110

Page 1: ...reative Commons Attribution NonCommercial ShareAlike 3 0 Unported License Melchor Varela EA4FRB 2011 2013 SARK SARK SARK SARK 110 110 110 110 Vector Impedance Antenna Analyzer User s Manual Revision 1 0 Updated to Firmware Version 0 7 4 ...

Page 2: ... 3 2 MEANS OF INPUT 9 3 3 CHANGING THE CENTER FREQUENCY 10 3 4 CHANGING THE SPAN 11 3 5 FREQUENCY PRESETS 12 3 6 USING MARKERS 13 3 7 CHANGING VERTICAL AXIS PARAMETER 17 3 8 SAVING AND RECALLING MEASUREMENTS 18 3 9 TAKING SCREENSHOTS 22 3 10 CHANGING THE OPERATING MODE 23 3 11 CHANGING THE SETTINGS 24 4 RECTANGULAR CHART MODE 34 5 SMITH CHART MODE 36 6 SINGLE FREQUENCY MODE 38 ...

Page 3: ...0 8 FIELD MODE 43 9 SPECIFICATIONS 45 10 PRECAUTIONS 50 11 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 51 12 REGULATORY WARNING 52 APPENDIX A FUNDAMENTAL PARAMETERS 53 APPENDIX B UPDATING THE FIRMWARE 56 APPENDIX C OSL CALIBRATION 57 APPENDIX D DETECTOR CALIBRATION 62 APPENDIX E SCALE PRESETS 66 APPENDIX F CALIBRATION LOADS MANUFACTURING 69 ...

Page 4: ... resolves the resistive capacitive and inductive components of a load The measurement reference plane is automatic adjusted via the Open Short Load calibration standard to enable the accurate impedance measurements at the end of an intermediate coaxial cable The user interface based on a color display has been designed to be intuitive and easy to use The graphical impedance displays provide a quic...

Page 5: ... The analyzer features an internal 2MB flash disk for the storage and recall of the measured parameters screenshots analyzer configuration and firmware updates This disk is accessible via USB so the measured parameters can be also retrieved from the PC and analyzed from the ZPLOTS spreadsheet program Let us know your suggestions in http sark110 ea4frb eu as we are highly motivated to extend this d...

Page 6: ...able test and Field Mode Good accuracy over a broad range of impedances Resolves the sign of the impedance Manual and automatic positioning tracking markers Internal 2MB USB disk for the storage of measurements screenshots configuration and firmware update Export data in ZPLOTS compatible format for further analysis on the PC Lifetime free firmware upgrades available open to community requested fe...

Page 7: ...basic functionality and about the user interface of the SARK 110 3 1 Screen Layout The following figure shows the screen layout in Rectangular Mode operating mode It shows diagram areas that are the same for all operating modes of the SARK 110 Screen layouts that show specifics for each operating mode are provided in the corresponding sections of this manual ...

Page 8: ...races 11 Markers information 3 Markers 12 Detailed measurements 4 Vertical axis labelling 13 Frequency and span settings 5 Horizontal axis labelling 14 Reference impedance setting 6 Main menu 15 Loaded impedance data file name 7 Active menu option 16 Calibration status 8 Submenu 17 Run Hold status 9 Active submenu option 18 USB Battery status ...

Page 9: ... navigate in the main menu left side of the screen The active option is highlighted with a background green color Navigator B The Navigator B is used for changing the value in the active option of the main menu for Center Span Marker1 Marker2 LeftY and RightY and to navigate in the pop up submenus Run Hold The button Run Hold is used to control the operation state of the SARK 110 Working or Pause ...

Page 10: ... analyzer state and settings The stored state is recovered automatically after powering on the unit 3 3 Changing the Center Frequency The center frequency adjustment is provided by the Center menu option of the main menu There are two methods for setting the frequency either by pressing the button Select to activate the frequency edit dialog or by using the Navigator B The pop up frequency edit di...

Page 11: ...iplier The frequency multiplier can be changed from the pop up frequency edit dialog Note the span range will be automatically adjusted in case the resultant upper or lower frequency is outside the operating limits 3 4 Changing the Span The span frequency adjustment is provided by the Span menu option of the main menu There are two methods for setting the span either by pressing the button Select ...

Page 12: ...other button The screenshot below shows the span edit dialog showing the frequency multiplier position in digit 6 so set to 100 kHz The second method for changing the span is simply by using the Navigator B when the Span option is active The span will change according the current span frequency multiplier The span frequency multiplier can be changed from the pop up span edit dialog 3 5 Frequency P...

Page 13: ...ually positioned by the user or operate in an automatic tracking mode The markers indicate the horizontal and vertical position of the point they are positioned on The horizontal position of a marker is shown by a dotted vertical line which extends from the top to the bottom of the measurement diagram The markers information window in blue background shows the frequency or distance in cable test m...

Page 14: ...d by pressing the button Select Available options are Enable for activating or deactivating the marker Select for selecting or deselecting the marker and Tracking for selecting the tracking mode see screenshot below The Select option activates or deactivates the display of the detailed parameters at the marker position The screenshot below shows the Marker1 in select state ...

Page 15: ...RB 2011 2013 The automatic tracking feature makes the positioning of the markers easier so helping the user to speed up the measurements The following tracking modes are available Peak Min p Peak Max P Absolute Min m Absolute Max M Value Cross Any X Value Cross Up Value Cross Down v ...

Page 16: ...shall be specified As for example you could set the Marker 1 to automatically track the minimum SWR values in the trace Marker1 Tracking Peak Min SWR and the Marker 2 to track the crosses on the 50 ohm impedance value Marker2 Tracking Cross Any Z 50 0 Or you could program the unit to detect the bandwidth by setting Marker1 Tracking Cross Down SWR 2 0 and Marker2 Tracking Cross Up SWR 2 0 The Navig...

Page 17: ...f Z at 50 ohm 3 7 Changing Vertical Axis Parameter The SARK 110 in the Rectangular Mode mode is able to display two traces from any of the available parameters for the vertical axis There are two methods to change the parameter either by pressing the button Select to activate the pop up parameters list box or by using the Navigator B The pop up parameters list box is activated by pressing the butt...

Page 18: ...8 Saving and Recalling Measurements The SARK 110 has the capability to store the measurements to the internal disk and recall them either to review the data later in the analyzer screen or to be recovered from the USB disk to be further analyzed by the ZPLOTS Excel application available at http www ac6la com zplots html Data file operations are available through the Store option of the main menu A...

Page 19: ...e name has the format sark_xxx csv where xxx is an automatically assigned number The user can change the file name by using the Navigator B to change the character value and the Navigator A to change the character position Notice that the character position is highlighted in inverse video The selection is validated by pressing the button Select Pressing any other button will cancel the operation ...

Page 20: ...ch 15th 2013 20 EA4FRB 2011 2013 To retrieve the stored data it is necessary to select the Load data file list box option A second pop up list box will be displayed with the list of the available files Once the file is selected the data will be loaded and plotted ...

Page 21: ...lete All options When selecting the Delete File option a pop up list box will be displayed with the list of available files The Navigator B will be used to navigate the files and the button Select to delete the file When selecting the Delete All option all user files will be deleted A confirmation dialog box will be activated to prevent the accidental deletion ...

Page 22: ... for the file name By default the file name has the format sark_xxx bmp where xxx is an automatically assigned number The user can change the file name by using the Navigator B to change the character value and the Navigator A to change the character position Notice that the character position is highlighted in inverse video The selection is validated by pressing the button Select Pressing any oth...

Page 23: ...re menu Besides they can be reviewed on the PC because they are available in Windows bitmap compatible format Note the bitmap files use a significant amount of disk 188KB per image 3 10 Changing the Operating Mode The analyzer provides different operating modes The operating mode pop up list box is activated by pressing the button Select when the Mode option is active see screenshot below ...

Page 24: ...tion The selection is validated by pressing the button Select Pressing any other button will cancel the selection 3 11 Changing the Settings The configuration menu provides access to several setup options of the SARK 110 The setup pop up list box is activated by pressing the button Select when the Setup option is active see screenshot below ...

Page 25: ...3 25 EA4FRB 2011 2013 The Navigator B is used to navigate the setup option The selection is validated by pressing the button Select Pressing any other button will cancel the selection Setup Calibration The calibration features are accessible through the Calibration submenu ...

Page 26: ...he synthesizer change the frequency while measuring with an accurate frequency counter or zero beating with WWV When exactly 10 MHz output is obtained press the button Select to permanently store the setting It will be possible to get back to the default setting by pressing Setup Detector Calibration See Appendix D Setup Computer Control The SARK 110 can be remotely controlled from a PC via an USB...

Page 27: ...2013 27 EA4FRB 2011 2013 Setup Scale The SARK 110 provides three pre defined scale values Normal High and Low This setting defines the maximum and minimum values for each parameter on the Y axis see Appendix E This configuration affects only to the Rectangular Chart mode ...

Page 28: ...SARK SARK SARK SARK 110 110 110 110 User s Manual Rev 1 0 March 15th 2013 28 EA4FRB 2011 2013 Setup Z0 This setting allows changing the reference characteristic impedance ...

Page 29: ...edefined values After power off the analyzer operation can be resumed by either pressing the button Select or powering off and powering on using the Power Switch Setup Cable VF The length measurements in the cable test mode require the proper setting of the cable velocity factor This setup allows the programming of the cable velocity factor from a set of predeterminated values for popular coaxial ...

Page 30: ...SARK SARK 110 110 110 110 User s Manual Rev 1 0 March 15th 2013 30 EA4FRB 2011 2013 Setup Average Filter This setup allows the enabling of a smoothing filter for the Rectangular Chart Smith Chart and Field modes ...

Page 31: ...al Rev 1 0 March 15th 2013 31 EA4FRB 2011 2013 Setup SWR Circle This setup allows changing the constant impedance circle in the Smith Chart The circle is defined by the VSWR value In the screenshot below the circle has been changed for a VSWR of 5 0 ...

Page 32: ...32 EA4FRB 2011 2013 Setup Reset Factory Defaults The Reset Factory Defaults options allow resetting the analyzer to the default settings Setup About The about screen displays copyright information the release information of the analyzer firmware and the disk space information ...

Page 33: ...SARK SARK SARK SARK 110 110 110 110 User s Manual Rev 1 0 March 15th 2013 33 EA4FRB 2011 2013 ...

Page 34: ...2 3 2 7 6 4 4 5 8 14 13 12 9 10 3 11 1 Diagram 8 Markers information 2 Traces 9 Detailed measurements 3 Markers 10 Frequency and span settings 4 Vertical axis labelling 11 Reference impedance setting 5 Horizontal axis labelling 12 Calibration status 6 Main menu 13 Run Hold status 7 Active menu option 14 USB Battery status ...

Page 35: ... positionable markers or in automatic tracking mode are available providing more information about the ploted points and which are useful for indicating characteristic points in the plot The analyzer performs the measurements and updates the plot continuously unless it is stopped by pressing the button Run Hold In this case the results of the measurements are kept in the internal memory and plotte...

Page 36: ...ith Chart Mode 1 Diagram 8 Markers information 2 Trace 9 Detailed measurements 3 Markers 10 Frequency and span settings 4 Constant impedance circle 11 Reference impedance setting 5 Frequency start and end 12 Calibration status 6 Main menu 13 Run Hold status 7 Active menu option 14 USB Battery status ...

Page 37: ...in a Smith Chart diagram As in the Rectangular Mode mode the measurements are performed continuously unless it is stopped by pressing the button Run Hold The impedance measurement data and marker positions are preserved when changing to the Rectangular Mode mode and vice versa For example you can set the markers at the zero reactance points of the plot where the plot crosses the X axis in the Smit...

Page 38: ...ctive menu option 3 Circuit equivalent series 11 Detailed measurements 4 Series resistance and equivalent capacitance 12 Detailed measurements extended 5 Parallel impedance complex form 13 Reference impedance setting 6 Circuit equivalent parallel 14 Calibration status 7 Parallel resistance and equivalent capacitance 15 Run Hold status 8 Frequency setting 16 USB Battery status ...

Page 39: ...ic form in the display The analyzer performs the measurements continuously unless it is stopped by pressing the button Run Hold The measurement can be resumed at any moment by pressing again the button This mode provides the capability of VSWR audio feedback When activated by the menu option Audio the analyzer produces beeps of different duration as indication of the VSWR The audio is produced onl...

Page 40: ...RB 2011 2013 7 Cable Test Mode 1 Diagram 8 Detailed measurements 2 Traces 9 Markers information 3 Markers 10 Reference impedance setting 4 Vertical axis labelling 11 Calibration status 5 Distance start and end 12 Run Hold status 6 Main menu 13 USB Battery status 7 Active menu option ...

Page 41: ...he step and impulse responses are ploted in the display providing information about the location and the nature of the fault The impulse response trace red trace gives an indication of the location of the fault The step response trace green trace provides an indication about the cause of the fault As in the other modes the measurements are performed continuously and controlled by the button Run Ho...

Page 42: ...onse Impulse Response Unity reflection Unity reflection Open Unity reflection 180º Unity reflection 180º Short Positive peak Positive level shift Resistor R Z0 Negative peak Negative level shift Resistor R Z0 Positive then negative peaks Positive peak Inductor Negative then positive peaks Negative peak Inductor ...

Page 43: ...5th 2013 43 EA4FRB 2011 2013 8 Field Mode 1 Diagram 7 Frequency and span settings 2 Trace 8 Reference impedance setting 3 Vertical axis labelling 9 Calibration status 4 Start and stop frequency 10 Run Hold status 5 Main menu 11 USB Battery status 6 Active menu option ...

Page 44: ...v 1 0 March 15th 2013 44 EA4FRB 2011 2013 The Field Mode is equivalent to the Rectangular Chart mode but with a more visible presentation aimed for the operation on the field In this mode only one trace is ploted and the markers feature is not available ...

Page 45: ...tance return loss phase reflection power quality factor equivalent capacitance equivalent inductance Operating Modes Rectangular Chart Smith Chart Single Frequency Cable Test FDR Mode Field Mode Rectangular Chart Mode Graphical plot of two user selected parameters Adjustable center frequency and frequency span Display detailed parameters for center frequency or any of the two marker positions Pres...

Page 46: ... recall functions Adjustment of reference impedance Single Frequency Mode Display all parameters for a single frequency Presets for radio amateur bands Graphical representation of series and parallel impedance equivalent Adjustment of reference impedance Usable as a precise RF signal generator with 1 Hz resolution VSWR Audio feedback Cable Test Mode Measurement for 25 50 75 and 100 ohm systems Max...

Page 47: ...wn Interface Full color 3 TFT LCD 400 240 4 dedicated buttons 2 navigation keys USB Mini B receptacle Storage 2 MB internal disk FAT compatible USB Mass Storage Screenshot save and recall feature Measurement data save and recall feature Measurement data file compatible with ZPlots program Calibration Automated Open Short Load calibration 256 calibration points Calibration settings stored in disk ...

Page 48: ...t measurement for precise phase measurement Two synchronized 12 bit analog to digital converters Processor 72Mhz STM32 MCU 256KB Flash 48KB SRAM RF Output Connector type MCX Output power 10 dBm 50 ohm load Power 3 7V 1000mAh Internal Lithium Polymer battery USB for operation and charging Automatic Power Off functionality disabled 5 10 or 30minutes Autonomy 2 5 hours Charge time 3 5 hours Operating...

Page 49: ...SARK SARK SARK SARK 110 110 110 110 User s Manual Rev 1 0 March 15th 2013 49 EA4FRB 2011 2013 Weight 300g Pack List SARK 110 x 1 Battery x 1 MCX to BNC adapter pigtail x 1 Screwdriver x 1 ...

Page 50: ...o do so may damage the unit Notice that powerful active transmitters nearby may induce a high RF field on the antenna 3 The antenna port is ESD protected However excessive static build up on an antenna may cause damage to the unit when connected As a precaution discharge the antenna before connecting and disconnect after operation 4 This product emits a low power RF signal during the active measur...

Page 51: ... using the DesignSpark PCB tool Product information available at www designspark com pcb The analyzer firmware has been developed using the Lite edition of the Atollic TrueSTUDIO for STM32 Product information available at www atollic com FAT File System provided by ChaN FatFs module The STM32 firmware and USB library are provided by STMicroelectronics Many thanks to Dan Maguire AC6LA for this grea...

Page 52: ...nergy and has not been tested for compliance with the limits of computing devices pursuant to subpart J of part 15 of FCC rules which are designed to provide reasonable protection against radio frequency interference Operation of this equipment in other environments may cause interference with radio communications in which case the user is required to take whatever measures may be required to corr...

Page 53: ...arallel reactance Reactance value of the parallel impedance Zs Magnitude of the series Impedance Represents the absolute magnitude of the ratio of the voltage difference amplitude to the current amplitude 2 2 X R Z Zs Impedance Angle It gives the phase difference between voltage and current expressed in degrees VSWR Voltage Standing Wave Ratio It is a measure of how efficiently radio frequency pow...

Page 54: ...ho It is the measure of the absolute magnitude of the ratio of the amplitude of the reflected wave to the amplitude of the incident wave Rho Reflection Coefficent Angle It is the measure of the angle of the ratio of the amplitude of the reflected wave to the amplitude of the incident wave RhoR RhoI a Ph tan Ref Pwr Percentage of Reflected Power 100 2 Rho RPwr Q Quality Factor It is defined as the ...

Page 55: ... Cs Series Capacitance Equivalent series capacitance at the measurement frequency Ls Series Inductance Equivalent series inductance at the measurement frequency Cp Parallel Capacitance Equivalent parallel capacitance at the measurement frequency Lp Parallel Inductance Equivalent parallel inductance at the measurement frequency ...

Page 56: ...file e g SARK110 VAA APP dfu to the USB disk 3 Power off the SARK 110 and power on the unit pressing the button Run Hold simultaneously 4 From the Device Firmware Upgrade screen the user will be prompted to install the firmware file 5 If there are several firmware files they could be selected by using the Navigator B 6 The firmware upgrade will start after pressing the button Select 7 Once complet...

Page 57: ...ng an open circuit a short circuit and a calibrated load with the value of the reference impedance connected to the external test fixture The analyzer performs a series of measurements with these loads calculate error coefficients and these are stored in a file that automatically loads each time you run the analyzer These error coefficients are used to correct the measured values The product inclu...

Page 58: ...K SARK SARK SARK 110 110 110 110 User s Manual Rev 1 0 March 15th 2013 58 EA4FRB 2011 2013 The calibration procedure is as follow Connect the open load Press the button to continue or the button to cancel ...

Page 59: ...ual Rev 1 0 March 15th 2013 59 EA4FRB 2011 2013 The calibration progress will be shown in the display bar Connect the short circuit load Press the button to continue or the button to cancel The calibration progress will be shown in the display bar ...

Page 60: ...SARK 110 110 110 110 User s Manual Rev 1 0 March 15th 2013 60 EA4FRB 2011 2013 Connect the reference load Press the button to continue or the button to cancel The calibration progress will be shown in the display bar ...

Page 61: ...SARK SARK SARK SARK 110 110 110 110 User s Manual Rev 1 0 March 15th 2013 61 EA4FRB 2011 2013 Press the button to apply the calibration settings or the button to cancel ...

Page 62: ...ration but this is provided anyhow For the calibration it is required the following test loads 0 50 100 and 200 ohm These loads need to have good precission and stability and should be properly implemented in order to have the minimum stray impedance Before performing the operation it is highly recommended backing up the detcalib dat file that contains the factory adjustments The calibration opera...

Page 63: ...ev 1 0 March 15th 2013 63 EA4FRB 2011 2013 Connect the short load Press the button to continue or the button to cancel The calibration progress will be shown in the display bar Connect the 50 ohm load Press the button to continue or the button to cancel ...

Page 64: ...ress the button to continue or the button to cancel Connect the 200 ohm load Press the button to continue or the button to cancel The calibration is completed The calibration coefficients are shown in the bottom part of the screen for information Press the button to apply the calibration settings or the button to cancel ...

Page 65: ...SARK SARK SARK SARK 110 110 110 110 User s Manual Rev 1 0 March 15th 2013 65 EA4FRB 2011 2013 ...

Page 66: ... Presets Normal Min Max Scale Rs 10 1000 Log Xs 500 500 Linear Rp 10 1000 Log Xp 500 500 Linear Zs 10 1000 Log Zs 90 90 Linear SWR 1 00 25 00 Log Rl 40 0 Log Rho 0 1 0 Linear Rho 180 180 Linear Rp 0 100 Linear Q 0 20 Linear Cs 10000 10000 Linear Ls 10000 10000 Linear Cp 10000 10000 Linear Lp 10000 10000 Linear ...

Page 67: ...Max Scale Rs 10 5000 Log Xs 2500 2500 Linear Rp 10 5000 Log Xp 2500 2500 Linear Zs 10 5000 Log Zs 90 90 Linear SWR 1 00 100 00 Log Rl 80 0 Log Rho 0 1 0 Linear Rho 180 180 Linear Rp 0 100 Linear Q 0 50 Linear Cs 100000 100000 Linear Ls 100000 100000 Linear Cp 100000 100000 Linear Lp 100000 100000 Linear ...

Page 68: ... Low Min Max Scale Rs 0 250 Linear Xs 125 125 Linear Rp 0 250 Linear Xp 125 125 Linear Zs 0 250 Linear Zs 90 90 Linear SWR 1 00 10 00 Log Rl 20 0 Log Rho 0 1 0 Linear Rho 180 180 Linear Rp 0 100 Linear Q 0 20 Linear Cs 1000 1000 Linear Ls 1000 1000 Linear Cp 1000 1000 Linear Lp 1000 1000 Linear ...

Page 69: ... The calibration loads can be manufactured out from BNC plugs such as shown in the image below Following are the parts list required to build the different loads Short Part Part number Source Description BNC Connector 171 9311 Mouser BNC Plug Solderless W Strain Relief 0 Ohm N R N R Solder wire between screw terminal and ground contact ...

Page 70: ...ef R 49 9 Ohm 989 1152 1 ND DigiKey RES PREC 49 9 OHM 250MW 1 0805 100 ohm Part Part number Source Description BNC Connector 171 9311 Mouser BNC Plug Solderless W Strain Relief R 100 Ohm P100DACT ND DigiKey RES 100 OHM 1 8W 1 0805 SMD 200 ohm Part Part number Source Description BNC Connector 171 9311 Mouser BNC Plug Solderless W Strain Relief R 200 Ohm P200DACT ND DigiKey RES 200 OHM 1 8W 1 0805 S...

Page 71: ... 110 110 User s Manual Rev 1 0 March 15th 2013 71 EA4FRB 2011 2013 Open Part Part number Source Description BNC Connector 171 9311 Mouser BNC Plug Solderless W Strain Relief Not required N R N R Just leave the connector as it is ...

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