GIGA-TRONICS Industrial Partner

Giga-tronics 8500A Peak Power Meters Simple Type: Power Meter

The Giga-tronics 8500A Series Peak Power Meters (PPM) are designed for the analysis and power measurement of pulsed RF and microwave signals produced by microwave component devices. The PPM converts RF energy to dc voltage by using balanced (dual Schottky diode), zero-biased, detectors with very fast rise times. The dc voltage is measured with an autoranging dc amplifier, and an A/D converter provides the digitized voltage to a MC68000 microprocessor. The microprocessor accomplishes the required log functions, diode linearization, frequency response, and other mathematical functions. The PPM can measure the power in both single and repetitive pulses as well as the power in a CW signal. Power measurements are presented on an Electro Luminescent (EL) screen to display both alphanumeric and graphic information. Modes of operation are indicated both by information on the display and by LED lights on the front panel. Changes in mode or test parameters can be accomplished with the front panel keypad or, for some operations, the large spin knob on the front panel, which can be used as an analog adjustment for certain parameters. GPIB (IEEE Bus) setup and measurement operation are standard in the 8500A power meters. It enables various other functions, such as reporting of errors, malfunctions, operational status, and self test diagnostics. The Model 8501A has a single detector input; Model 8502A has dual detector inputs for making ratio measurements. All technical and operation descriptions in this manual apply equally to both models unless otherwise stated. Performance specifications for the Series 8500A are in Sectio n 1.2. Detector specifications are contained in Appendix D. Options, if any will be detailed in Appendix E. Power requirements are 100/120/220/240 Vac ±10%, 48-400 Hz. See Section 2.2 for Safety Precautions and details to set the voltage and install the correct fuse for the area in which the instrument will be used.