Refer to the following sections for information about setting up an RF signal generator instrument in InstrumentStudio.

Generating RF Signals with an RF Signal Generator

Create an RF signal generator panel to monitor and configure RF signal generator settings in InstrumentStudio.

  1. Add an RF signal generator device to your panel.
  2. Select a mode of operation within the device panel.
    • Continuous Waveform (CW)—Configures the RF signal generator to output a continuous waveform at the specified frequency and the specified level.
    • Arbitrary Waveform (Arb)—Configures the RF signal generator to output a complex signal according to the waveform and the waveform settings that are specified in an external file.
    • Script—Configures an RF signal generator to output a sequence of multiple waveforms according to the instructions specified in the script text. For more information on scripting, see NI-RFSG User Manual at ni.com/docs.
  3. Specify the type of signal to generate.
    • If you want to generate a CW signal, specify the signal settings by opening the Instrument Settings () dialog box.
    • If you want to generate an arbitrary waveform, click the Add Waveform button next to Select Waveform. Then select a waveform file. Specify the signal settings by opening the Instrument Settings () dialog box.
  4. Select Run and set the output to On. The signal generates with the settings you specify.
    Note
    • The panel will already be running in CW mode, and you only need to set output to On to output a generated waveform. In Arb mode, you must first select a waveform, then press Run.
    • The panel will continue running and generate the waveform continuously unless you set Waveform repetition mode is to Finite when configuring your signal settings. When set to Finite, the panel will output the specified number of repetitions and then stop.

Arbitrary Waveform Properties

Settings and values associated with waveforms generated in Arbitrary Waveform mode.

When changing a waveform, waveform property values update to reflect the settings for that waveform. When downloading a waveform from file, the property values are automatically populated with the values found in the file. Any changes made to the waveform properties only affect the selected waveform.

Debugging Test Programs

Waveform properties were introduced in the NI-RFSG 20.7 driver. Prior to that release, only a subset of these properties was available, and they applied globally to all waveforms. When debugging a test program that still utilizes these global properties, the global values will be shown for the selected waveform. Any subsequent edits in InstrumentStudio will only apply to the selected waveform.

The following table shows legacy property names that map to new RFSG property names:
Global Property Name RFSG Arbitrary Waveform Property Name
IQ Rate IQ Rate
Peak Power Adjustment PAPR
Pre-filter Gain Run time Scaling
Signal Bandwidth Signal Bandwidth

Waveform Properties in Script Mode

Settings and values associated with waveforms generated in Script mode.

When operating in Script mode, the following sets of properties are present:
  • The properties under the Script section correspond to the global properties that are used for the selected script.
  • The properties under the Waveforms section correspond to the waveform properties and show the values for the selected waveform.

Waveform properties take precedence over the global properties.

Performing RF Signal Generator Self-Calibration

Self-calibrate an RF signal generator device to ensure accurate measurements.

The accuracy of a device will naturally drift over time. Self-calibration ensures more accurate measurements by compensating for board level temperature variations and device degradation, as well as ensuring that the device operates within ranges defined in your test specifications.

Performing Self-Calibration

  1. In the device panel, open the instrument header menu ().
  2. Click Device Slot » Calibration » Self Calibrate... to begin self-calibration.
    Note InstrumentStudio will warn you that the process may take several minutes to finish, and will lock the instrument until the process completes.
  3. Click Continue to proceed.

Performing Self-Calibration Range

This mode of calibration completes more quickly than general self-calibration.
Note This calibration is only valid until you restart your system.
  1. In the device panel, open the instrument header menu ().
  2. Click Device Slot » Calibration » Self Calibrate Range....
  3. Under Steps to omit in the dialog box, select any steps you want InstrumentStudio to skip during the self-calibration process.
  4. Under Ranges, enter the values for the desired ranges of self-calibration.
  5. Click Continue to proceed, or Cancel to cancel the operation.

Checking Calibration History

  1. In the device panel, open the instrument header menu ().
  2. Click Device Slot » Calibration » History.

RF Signal Generator Status

An RF signal generator can be in one of the following states:
  • Generating Output—Signal generation is running and being output on this channel. Generating can also mean the channel is waiting for a trigger.
  • Not Generating Output—Signal generation is stopped on this channel.
  • Unknown—Signal generation status is unknown.
Note The panel must be running and the output set to On for the RF signal generator to output the waveform. Output stops when closing an RF signal generator panel except when monitoring an external session.

De-embedding RFSG Devices

De-embedding refers to the process of removing the effects of test fixture cabling and components. Applying de-embedding to an RF signal ensures more accurate results when reading data from your RF device. Once applied, the de-embedded signal you see at the device port matches the requested signal settings.

De-embedding

To access de-embedding properties, open the RF device Instrument Settings dialog box (), click the RF tab, and scroll down to De-embedding. The following are options you can configure to apply de-embedding your RF device:

  • Type—Specifies the type of de-embedding you want to use.
    • None—De-embedding is disabled.
    • Scalar—De-embeds the signal using the gain term.
    • Vector—De-embeds the signal using the gain term and reflection term.
  • Status—Displays whether an S2P table is loaded into the device session.
  • Load table from S2P file—Loads an S2P file into the device session to use for de-embedding.
    Note
    • S2P tables are used to incorporate S-parameters into signal de-embedding. S-parameters characterize the effects of a linear network on a signal when it passes from one port to another. Refer to the installed RF driver documentation for more information.
    • You must configure de-embedding for each port when using multi-port modules.