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AN-49-005 (December 23, 2019) M176825 (R95497) File: AN-49-005(J).doc
This document and its contents are the property of Mini-Circuits
1
Chapter 1 – General Information
1.1
Scope of the User Guide
This User Guide provides general introduction, installation instructions and operating
information for Mini-Circuits USB & RS232 programmable attenuators (RUDAT & ZVVA series)
and USB & Ethernet programmable attenuators (RCDAT series).
For information on multi-channel programmable attenuators see
1.2
Warranty
See Mini-Circuits website
http://www.minicircuits.com/support/ordering.html
information.
1.3
Definitions
Note:
A note advises on important information you may need to ensure proper operation of the equipment.
There is no risk to either the equipment or the user.
A caution advises about a condition or procedure which can cause damage to the
equipment (no danger to users).
A warning alerts to a possible risk to the user and steps to avoid it. DO NOT
proceed until
you are sure you understand the warning.
1.4
General safety precautions
There are no general safety precautions for using Mini-Circuits programmable attenuators.
1.5
Introduction
Mini-Circuits has developed three series of programmable attenuators:
•
The RUDAT and ZVVA series
,
which can be controlled via standard USB or RS232 ports
(some also support SPI), with the ZVVA providing 0dB glitch
•
The RCDAT series, which can be controlled via standard USB or Ethernet-TCP/IP (Telnet
or HTTP protocols), and some of which allow connecting multiple units in series(daisy
chain) via Mini-Circuits unique dynamic addressing function to control them all from a single
network or USB port.
The programmable attenuators come in different variations with (see section 1.8.2 for details):
•
Wide frequency ranges, from 1MHz and up to 40GHz
•
Fine attenuation resolutions, as low as 0.05 dB
•
Wide attenuation ranges, up to 120 dB
These models are “plug & play” devices which require no drivers for any of the supported
interfaces. With the supplied GUI software, or most common lab test software, you can remotely
set any attenuation level in range almost instantly. Using their Ethernet control the RCDAT
models can be controlled from almost any computer, or even a smartphone with a network
connection from anywhere in the world.
The attenuators are light, compact and can be powered from the USB bus or external power
supply, increasing system flexibility.
CAUTION
WARNING
