- Pico Technology offers the PicoSource AS108 synthesizer for signal generation up to 8GHz.
This compact module, which is controlled by a PC via a USB interface, is a source of continuous sinusoidal signals (CW) with scalable, ramp and jump swept parameters and AM, FM and ØM modulations in a frequency range from 300 kHz to 8 GHz.
Amplitude, phase and frequency, based on IQ modulation, can be controlled and adjusted from a Windows user interface, DLL programming or a user-defined list of parameters. List mode can be used to emulate common modulation schemes such as QPSK, QAM, ASK and FSK. Trigger inputs/outputs can be used to synchronize scans, hops and list mode, either on a’sweep start’ or’next point’ basis.
The PicoSource AS108 module is provided with PicoSynth 2 software, providing a compatible user interface for touch screens to control parameters such as amplitude, frequency, phase, scanning and hopping parameters. The units of measurement can be selected according to the type of application. The user can also define a custom increment size for each parameter and multiple instruments can be controlled via USB from a single PC with multiple instances of the application.
PicoSynth 2 also offers a DLL library for remote control of the device from programs in C and compatible languages, as well as C++, C#, Python, LabVIEW and MATLAB, all supported by Pico with SDK code examples available for download from the Internet.
# Main specifications :
- Frequency range: 300 kHz to 8 GHz
- Frequency resolution: 0.1 Hz from 300 kHz to 125 MHz – 10 Hz from 125 MHz to 4 GHz – 20 Hz to more than 4 GHz
- Output power range: 15 dBm to +15 dBm
- Output power resolution: 0.1 dBm
- Typical phase noise : −100 dBc/Hz at 1 GHz and 10 kHz offset
- Frequency stabilization time: 50 μs typical
- Output amplitude stabilization time: at ±1 dB, 25 μs maximum – at ±0.1 dB, 200 μs maximum
- Power supply from 12 to 15 V
