Rev 1.1 | SC5520A & SC5521A
Hardware Manual
SignalCore, Inc.
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ERRORS, SOFTWARE AND HARDWARE COMPATIBILITY PROBLEMS, MALFUNCTIONS OR FAILURES OF
ELECTRONIC MONITORING OR CONTROL DEVICES, TRANSIENT FAILURES OF ELECTRONIC SYSTEMS
(HARDWARE AND/OR SOFTWARE), UNANTICIPATED USES OR MISUSES, OR ERRORS ON THE PART OF THE USER
OR APPLICATIONS DESIGNER (ADVERSE FACTORS SUCH AS THESE ARE HEREAFTER COLLECTIVELY TERMED
“SYSTEM FAILURES”). ANY APPLICATION WHERE A SYSTEM FAILU
RE WOULD CREATE A RISK OF HARM TO
PROPERTY OR PERSONS (INCLUDING THE RISK OF BODILY INJURY AND DEATH) SHOULD NOT BE SOLELY
RELIANT UPON ANY ONE COMPONENT DUE TO THE RISK OF SYSTEM FAILURE. TO AVOID DAMAGE, INJURY,
OR DEATH, THE USER OR APPLICATION DESIGNER MUST TAKE REASONABLY PRUDENT STEPS TO PROTECT
AGAINST SYSTEM FAILURES, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO BACK-UP OR SHUT DOWN MECHANISMS.
BECAUSE EACH END-USER SYSTEM IS CUSTOMIZED AND DIFFERS FROM SIGNALCORE'S TESTING PLATFORMS,
AND BECAUSE A USER OR APPLICATION DESIGNER MAY USE SIGNALCORE PRODUCTS IN COMBINATION WITH
OTHER PRODUCTS IN A MANNER NOT EVALUATED OR CONTEMPLATED BY SIGNALCORE, THE USER OR
APPLICATION DESIGNER IS ULTIMATELY RESPONSIBLE FOR VERIFYING AND VALIDATING THE SUITABILITY OF
SIGNALCORE PRODUCTS WHENEVER SIGNALCORE PRODUCTS ARE INCORPORATED IN A SYSTEM OR
APPLICATION, INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, THE APPROPRIATE DESIGN, PROCESS AND SAFETY LEVEL
OF SUCH SYSTEM OR APPLICATION.
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Physical Description
Unpacking
All SignalCore products ship in antistatic packaging (bags) to prevent damage from electrostatic discharge
(ESD). Under certain conditions, an ESD event can instantly and permanently damage several of the
components found in SignalCore products. Therefore, to avoid damage when handling any SignalCore
hardware, you must take the following precautions:
1.
Ground yourself using a grounding strap or by touching a grounded metal object.
2.
Touch the antistatic bag to a grounded metal object before removing the hardware from
its packaging.
3.
NEVER touch exposed signal pins. Due to the inherent performance degradation caused
by ESD protection circuits in the RF path, the device has minimal ESD protection against
direct injection of ESD into the RF signal pins.
4.
When not in use, store all SignalCore products in their original antistatic bags.
Remove the product from its packaging and inspect it for loose components or any signs of damage. Notify
SignalCore immediately if the product appears damaged in any way.
Nomenclature
The name “
UHFS
” shall be used
in this document in reference to both the SC5520A and SC5521A, unless
the context requires using SC5520A or SC5521A explicitly. The SC5520A is a PXIe platform module while
the SC5521A is a USB/Serial platform module.
Setting Up and Configuring the UHFS Device
Integration of the UHFS modules require attention to maintain effective cooling. Inadequate cooling can
cause the temperature inside the RF housing to rise
above the maximum for this product, leading to
improper performance, reduction of product lifespan or complete product failure. SignalCore suggests
providing either moderate airflow across the RF housing, or if active cooling is not an option, using thermal
