Batboard

Wowbagger wrote:

KL770 wrote:When is Aeroflex going to release the patch for the 3920 Autotest II USB support on the Motorola APX7000 series of radios?

It's being worked on now - there are some technical issues that are blocking the work, but they are being worked on. I cannot give you an ETA, because of those issues.

And as a quick side question related to this one, will there be a time where i can use USB cables with the ASTRO25 lines as well?

CTAMontrose wrote: And as a quick side question related to this one, will there be a time where i can use USB cables with the ASTRO25 lines as well?

Real Soon Now. Integration and testing were being done when I went on vacation two weeks ago. (now, if we can only keep Marketing from demanding "just one last little change"....)

Thats excellent news.. we just upgraded our 3920 and are looking to add APX7000 autotest II and Phase II TDMA. We were going to purchase X2 TDMA, but i see that motorola has canceled that option now. Hopefully we wont be X2 for very long...

Can someone tell me the visual and electrical difference of the old style and new style gen IF on a 1600? Looking at a couple of repaired units and one has the "old style" one has the "new style". Just wondering if the new style was worth more, a better performer, or???? And how do I tell them apart if I am looking at the board?

Thanks!

Bob

It took a while for the right person to get back to me, but:

Basically, the new Gen and the New IF module should be regarded as a matched set - you don't want to try mixing and matching as the proper alignment is Not A User Serviceable Item. The improvement is to prevent clipping in AM mode.

Short of looking at the board revision you aren't going to tell the parts apart.

I have a IFR 1900 BSA.....the FIND feature in the Spectrum Analyzer does not function..any ideas?
Also does anyone one know the calibration password for the unit ?
It also fails the AM Modulation self-test...though it generates AM Mod just fine...any ideas?
Thanks for any help

Len

I have a version 5 IFR 1900CSA and just wondering how you go about doing a screen capture.

I am guessing you have to have an IFR software utility you load on your pc and also need to
know which ports on the back to use, the "host" rs232 port or the other rs232 port.

bk3562 wrote:I have a IFR 1900 BSA.....the FIND feature in the Spectrum Analyzer does not function..any ideas?
Also does anyone one know the calibration password for the unit ?
It also fails the AM Modulation self-test...though it generates AM Mod just fine...any ideas?
Thanks for any help

Len

IIRC, you have to set the width to search and the level to search for, like on the COM-120B.

fineshot1 wrote:I have a version 5 IFR 1900CSA and just wondering how you go about doing a screen capture.

I am guessing you have to have an IFR software utility you load on your pc and also need to
know which ports on the back to use, the "host" rs232 port or the other rs232 port.

I'm not sure the 1600/1900 had a screen cap - I think they can dump to a serial Epson printer.

Wowbagger wrote:

fineshot1 wrote:I have a version 5 IFR 1900CSA and just wondering how you go about doing a screen capture.

I am guessing you have to have an IFR software utility you load on your pc and also need to
know which ports on the back to use, the "host" rs232 port or the other rs232 port.

I'm not sure the 1600/1900 had a screen cap - I think they can dump to a serial Epson printer.

Well that sure is surprising, oh well i guess i will have to make due and scan in the printouts.

Thanks Wowbagger

fineshot1 wrote: Well that sure is surprising, oh well i guess i will have to make due and scan in the printouts.

I will check with the lead on that project, as I am not the world's authority on the 1600.

I know it can be done on the 120 because I wrote the code to do it, but the 120 has a few things the 1600 doesn't that make that easier.

P.S. Yes, the 1600 can only do dumps to a printer, not to a file.

I have a COM-120B and need the calibration password to enter the calibration section
and any info to calibrate the 10mhz timebase would be greatly appreciated.
I'll be using a gps frequency standard for a reference.
Thanks for any help.

I'm looking for the internal power supply main connector pinout (voltages) for the IFR AN930 spectrum analyzer. I have one that is DOA - A repair manual or schematic is unobtainable from Aeroflex tech support.

I finally obtained the calibration Password for the COM 120B in my previous post.
Thanks,
Dave
WA5IKQ

Question on 2975 - Can you do a screen capture of the current display?

It is not obvious from the front panel. But, in the Help Section at the bottom of the topic list is Stored Images. In that directory are tens of stored GIF files that look like work done in the past. ie: Spec A sweeps, UHF xmitter tests, etc. It looks like the service monitor is storing them with the date & time in the file names. However, I did not deliberately save these images.

How do I save a current display, and how do I retrieve them from the machine to paste into a report?

Thank you.

If your instrument firmware is new enough - all you have to do is push the front panel "HOLD" button. The instrument captures the screen at that instant and creates a file that you can download through the ethernet connection.


Per the Aeroflex release notes:

Version 1.9.1 Feature/Function enhancements --
...
* Screen Capture Functions: Using the front panel HOLD key or through the web-server that is supplied standard on all 2975 units, test professionals can capture spectrum displays, oscilloscope displays, or any currently displayed front screen displays. In addition, with the integral web-server file management function, users can catalog graphic files and extract screen shots in an easy to use GIF format.
...

XMO is correct. That "Stored images" is where screen saves show up. You can also initiate a screen save from the web server.

Confirmed. Thx!

I own an IFR COM 120B but it does not have the tracking generator installed in it. I use this to help the locak ham groups tune repeaters and duplexers. How would I go about installing or getting it installed in it. I can't find it listed on the internet anymore?

Adam

I like my 2975 as it is the most capable monitor we have at this location, but there are a couple of "quirks" that have always puzzled me.

First off, why when I turn the generator off, when using the T/R port, do all of the indicator lights on the front panel (T/R port, GEN port, Shift) turn on sometimes? If I turn the generator off again, they will all go out. Most of the time, the lights work correctly. Has anybody else seen this?

The other one is, why are the GEN and ANT ports TNC's, when the antennas the monitor came with have BNC connectors? I have made special test cables to use with these ports that I don't (can't) use anywhere else. I have to adapt the antennas whenever I use them on the monitor.

Another one is why, when I'm in the Duplex screen (as I am 95% of the time), and I hit the RF FREQ soft key, why does it sometimes take me to the receiver freq and other times to the generator freq?

I'm just curious, as it seems that the controls should just work in the same way every time. I'm sending the unit back to Aeroflex for calibration soon and I am going to miss it while it is gone...

ajbfkj wrote:I own an IFR COM 120B but it does not have the tracking generator installed in it. I use this to help the locak ham groups tune repeaters and duplexers. How would I go about installing or getting it installed in it. I can't find it listed on the internet anymore?

Adam

Contact service. Give them your serial number and current options. They can then sell you the option to turn on the tracker option (it's just a software option). If and only if they refuse to sell you the option (and I confirm with them that they won't sell the option) then I will give you the code.

What was the result of the above inquiry? Are they still selling the option, or is there any way at this point for us hams to turn on the options at this point in time? The last time I called a few years ago, IFR wanted more for the tracking generator and related options than the actual cash value of a clean used 120B. I would up buying a loaded HP8920A for much less. But I still prefer the ease of use of the 120B.

Hi Guys

Great wealth of information here.

I just obtained an IFR2398 and all the manuals. It had an RWB fault, but it just took a recalibration to solve that problem. I've worked through the manuals, but I still have some questions, mostly workflow related.

I am measuring some RF pre amps, and sweeping them with the tracking generator. What is the best way to use the Reference Level? In my mind, I thought I could set a line or Marker point where the gain would be 0db, then turn on the MMIC preamp and be able to move the Marker to the new point and see the delta and my be have a screen that would show before and after.

I need to find a PCMCIA card that I can dump prints to. I gather that if I use a PCMCIA card with an SD card option, that might work if formatted currently?

Thirdly, are the passwords for the service/options area public knowledge?

Lastly, is Easyspan still available? If not, are there other options?

I believe that this unit if fully loaded (other than the EMC module and the battery).

That's going to be a fun one. That was done by some external contractors for us, not in-house: so there's not as much experience left around on that (as in "don't ask me 'cause I don't know!"). IIRC the PCMCIA was set up for the old type 1 flash devices, not IDE style devices, so finding a card will be tricky and finding a PC that will read it will be equally tricky.

As for work-flow - sorry, but I have zero experience with that model.

NP... thanks for getting back to me. Yep, I have learned the Type 1 PCMCIA issue.

Hi guys,

I got a IFR COM-120A and noticed some strange behavior :
1. Powers up
2. One beep
3. Two beeps
4. Welcome screen (screen shows calibration expired)
5. A screen with "SYSTEM FAILURES DETECTED!" appears after about 45 seconds :
- RF LEVEL METER FAILURE
- DISTORTION METER FAILURE
some other 2
what's strange is that sometimes a list with 4 meters is shown and at the next restart only 2 of them or a group of the same 4 meters
what's even stranger is that I can use the RF generator, RF Receiver, etc.

The unit has only 268 hours of run time, last calibration was made 1998.
I was ready to send the unit in for calibration, but I didn't expect to run into these errors.

Please let me know if it's a simple thing or I should return the unit to the original owner, or it can be repaired without paying a lot.

Also, be gentle with me I'm no expert, just a radio amateur which wants a monitor for the club.

Thanks!

Raz

It probably needs to be calibrated - it's failing the power on loopback test (you can initiate this from the settings menu as well).

It also *could* be a failure on the control board, causing issues talking to the RF boards. Try going into duplex from a cold start, set up input and output on TR, set TX and RX to FM, set the frequencies to the same value, and hit the PAIR button so they will track. Try tuning around while listening to the signal (turn on GEN1 at 3kHz deviation and 1kHz rate). If the tone breaks up, you may need the control tray looked at.

Wowbagger wrote:It probably needs to be calibrated - it's failing the power on loopback test (you can initiate this from the settings menu as well).

Will a calibration solve the "FAIL" tests?
I remember someone said on this topic that it's a problem with a leaked smt caps.

Wowbagger wrote: It also *could* be a failure on the control board, causing issues talking to the RF boards. Try going into duplex from a cold start, set up input and output on TR, set TX and RX to FM, set the frequencies to the same value, and hit the PAIR button so they will track. Try tuning around while listening to the signal (turn on GEN1 at 3kHz deviation and 1kHz rate). If the tone breaks up, you may need the control tray looked at.

I did as you suggested and the tone is constant while tuning around.

Thanks.

Then it *could* be caps on the baseband tray, or it could be a cal issue.

The best thing I can suggest is to do the same thing the BIST would do, and report the results:
Duplex mode, TX freq 105 MHz, RX freq 105MHz + 2.5 kHz, output TR -40 dBm, input TR, no attenuation.
Gen 1 to FM mode, 3 kHz deviation, 1 kHz rate, triangle wave.
Receiver FM, 15 kHz IF.

Give me the readings of the RF error meter, the deviation meter, the distortion meter, the AF counter.

That will let me tell if you are just a bit out of cal or you have a serious problem on the baseband tray.

Wowbagger wrote:Give me the readings of the RF error meter, the deviation meter, the distortion meter, the AF counter.

Please see the readings here http://i48.tinypic.com/t9ul8l.jpg
Thanks for your time.

Regards,
Raz

Everything looks to be in spec. I'd suggest this: let the unit warm up, then power it down and immediately power it back up. If it passes self test, I'd suspect it may be the serial line drivers on the CPU (I had the same issue on my unit - when cold it would fail, it would work when hot). If that seems to be the case, you can contact Service to get it looked at, or just run with it.

If it continues to have the issue, then I'd say it's just a cal issue, and unless you want to spend the money getting it properly calibrated, just run with it.

Wowbagger, thanks a lot for all the tips and details.
I've noticed that once it warms up the self test starts showing PASS for some meters, but never for all.

Anyway, because of so many uncertainties, I'll return the unit to the original owner and get a working/calibrated one instead.

Again, thank you for all the help.

Regards,
Raz

Is there anyone left at the company that remembers what a 1000S is and how to work on it?

I don't think so.

One of the local schools has one that the CRT goes out after about half hour. The shop teacher is hesitant to let the students work on it because it has "lethal" voltages inside.

Hello Wowbagger,

Wowbagger wrote:If it continues to have the issue, then I'd say it's just a cal issue, and unless you want to spend the money getting it properly calibrated, just run with it.

I've returned the COM-120A and got a COM-120B instead. Since the sale was in US, I've also sent it in for calibration, just to make sure I can rely on the unit.
Received the monitor two weeks ago and thought, ok, it's a newer model, freshly calibrated, let's buy a new battery for when I'll need some on-site checks. I've bought a Yuasa NPH 5-12 (the previous COM-120A has the same model) and plugged it in.
There is a note in the manual : "...always allow a discharged battery to recharge in Stand-by Mode". That's exactly what I did.
Few hours later, there was some smoke smelling from the back of the unit. Got out the battery and powered on the monitor. Bang! On the "synthesizers" screen, all items were "UNLOCKED", the front green led was flashing. Sending the unit in for repairs was not an option, so the next morning I took out the PSU and did the repair myself (1 x 47 μF tantalum cap toasted) :

http://i46.tinypic.com/2dkilhe.jpg
http://i45.tinypic.com/18lxlu.jpg

The unit works fine now, but I have a few questions :

1. Should I avoid using/charging the battery while AC power is on?
2. Is the COM-120A/B/C series prone for such failures or it's just the age of the unit?
3. What's the best/recommended way to supply power to the unit? using the 12V DC at the back or the regular 100 - 240V AC?
4. Where can I get EasySpan/EasySweep software from? Since it's an option, do I have to pay for it?
5. What's the memory limit for the PCMCIA flash card? Will a 350Mb card work?

I love the unit, it's exactly what I need for my amateur work, but anytime I have to use it becomes scary the thought that could fail on me.

Thanks in advance for your answer.

Best regards,
Raz

Hello everyone

I have a IFR COM-120B with less than 300 hours of use, was calibrated last year (25 MAY 2011 by Aeroflex), now it shows CALIBRATION EXPIRED on start up screen

Exist a possibility to not show this message on power on?

Thanks

mvrx wrote: 1. Should I avoid using/charging the battery while AC power is on?

I wouldn't worry. The Vicor module that does the heavy lifting has way more capacity than the unit needs.

mvrx wrote: 2. Is the COM-120A/B/C series prone for such failures or it's just the age of the unit?

Just the age. We got bit by the "capacitor plague" just like everybody else.

mvrx wrote: 3. What's the best/recommended way to supply power to the unit? using the 12V DC at the back or the regular 100 - 240V AC?

Use what you have. If you have 110VAC use that. If you are in a mobile use 12V - just make sure you don't try to run during vehicle starts (you won't hurt anything, but the unit will shut down).

mvrx wrote: 4. Where can I get EasySpan/EasySweep software from? Since it's an option, do I have to pay for it?

From sales, and yes. (point of interest: Not long ago I helped them do the needed code archeology to dig those files up.)

mvrx wrote: 5. What's the memory limit for the PCMCIA flash card? Will a 350Mb card work?

Absolutely NOT. There are 2 kinds of PCMCIA flash card: the type that "look like" a hard disk (present an IDE interface to the system), and the type that just look like a bunch of flash devices on the ISA bus. The COM-120B only knows how to talk to the latter.

PY2YVO wrote:Hello everyone

I have a IFR COM-120B with less than 300 hours of use, was calibrated last year (25 MAY 2011 by Aeroflex), now it shows CALIBRATION EXPIRED on start up screen

Exist a possibility to not show this message on power on?

Thanks

Not easily. You have to know the service code (NO I WILL NOT TELL YOU WHAT IT IS) and then you have to basically update the calibration date.

Just ignore it - or send it in for a recal.

Is there a specific part number for a version 5 IFR 1900CSA operation manual

fineshot1 wrote:Is there a specific part number for a version 5 IFR 1900CSA operation manual

You're probably going to have to contact Aeroflex Tech Pubs on that one, since it's a discontinued product.

Wowbagger wrote:

fineshot1 wrote:Is there a specific part number for a version 5 IFR 1900CSA operation manual

You're probably going to have to contact Aeroflex Tech Pubs on that one, since it's a discontinued product.

The reason i am asking is because i sometimes see them go on ebay and i
did not think they would help me in that scenario.

Oh, Tech Pubs will gladly sell you a manual, even for a Fleabay unit.

Wowbagger wrote:Oh, Tech Pubs will gladly sell you a manual, even for a Fleabay unit.

I think you misunderstood - i meant that i sometimes see operations manuals for ifr 1900 on
ebay and they usually include the part number but i have no way to know if those part numbers
are for a version 5 ifr 1900 which is what i have.

I see. Sorry, but right now it's a bit tough for me to look up that info. However, the operations of that family really haven't changed significantly since its introduction - if you get any 1900 manual you should be good.

Wowbagger wrote:I see. Sorry, but right now it's a bit tough for me to look up that info. However, the operations of that family really haven't changed significantly since its introduction - if you get any 1900 manual you should be good.

ok - thanks

Hi , buddy has a 1900 that no longer displays anything but a flat line on the display. Any thoughts? , thanks

Is there a 3920 bug list. I have a couple I could add to it. The last update fixed some things and broke some things.

The best suggestion I can give you is to contact customer service and give them the report. We don't make the internal bug tracking system visible to the world (something I am trying to change), so it's not like you could make your own Bugzilla entries.

Making your bug tracking system open does have some issues: your competitors will use it against you ("Look at how many bugs they have" - something that happens all the time when Microsoft mentions the issue counts for their software), it can show weaknesses in your processes ("Look at how many times this bug has been reopened", "Look at how long this bug has been unfixed>"), and you can get a lot of chaff ("Y cant i use ur box 2 tune my car's engine?") that you then have to deal with. But I am trying, because I think the benefits (e.g. your situation) outweigh the costs.

pax wrote:Hi , buddy has a 1900 that no longer displays anything but a flat line on the display. Any thoughts? , thanks

More detail, please: by "flat line" do you mean that the analyzer only displays a flat line, or do you mean the whole display only shows a single flat line?

The former would be the digitizer is having issues, the latter would suggest the flex cable from the video tray to the flat panel has come loose.

maybe interesting to connect an external monitor and see if the display information is intact.
Believe the 1900's were VGA video out for the most part