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Octave

The Octave is a complementary solution for enhancing the OPX capabilities by up- and down-converting its analog outputs, creating a seamless RF front-end OPX. With the Octave, one can have up to five RF outputs and two combined RF inputs operating in a frequency band of 2GHz to 18GHz. The following page describes Octave's block diagram and port specifications. For a detailed user manual, see the Octave guide

Octave_Diagram

Octave Block Diagram

In the diagram, one can see all the internal and external connections of the octave. It shows the three synthesizers and their connections to the five upconverters and two downconverters. The diagram also shows all the internal routing one can configure to perform specific experiments Using the following diagram one can plan the connections to and from an octave to best match one's experiment.

Octave_user_diagram-1

Requirements if using external LO

The synth to up-converters internal connectivity entails the following requirements:

  • If both up-converters 2 and 3 are being utilized, with one using an internal LO and the other using an external LO, the configuration must be set up as follows: up-converter 2 will utilize the external LO, and up-converter 3 will use the internal LO.
  • If both up-converters 4 and 5 are being utilized, with one using an internal LO and the other using an external LO, the configuration must be set up as follows: up-converter 4 will utilize the external LO, and up-converter 5 will use the internal LO.
  • If both up-converter 1 and down-converter 1 are being utilized, with one using an internal LO and the other using an external LO, the configuration must be set up as follows: down-converter 1 will utilize the external LO, and up-converter 1 will use the internal LO.

Octave Front Panel

OctaveFront

RF Outputs (RF 1-5) RF Inputs (RF 1/2 in) Digital Inputs (Trig 1-5) IF Inputs (I/Q 1-5) IF Outputs (IF out 1/2)
Power rating -40 to +10 dBm -40 to -20 dBm 3.3V (LVTTL) ±0.5 V or 4 dBm ±0.5 V or 4 dBm
Bandwidth ±350 MHz ±350 MHz pulse width > 4ns ±350 MHz ±350 MHz
Impedance 50 Ω 50 Ω High Z 50 Ω 50 Ω
Frequency range 2-18 GHz 2-18 GHz - ±350 MHz ±350 MHz

Octave Back Panel

OctaveBack

LO Synth Clock in Clock out IF LO Dig & Aux & Qsync
Function External LO signal input Internal synthesizer output Clock input Clock output External low frequency LO Future features
Frequency range 2-18 GHz 2-18 GHz 10, 100, 1000 MHz 1 Ghz ±350 MHz -
Power rating 12-15 dBm 12-15 dBm Up to 0 dBm 0 dBm 10 dBm -
Impedance 50 Ω 50 Ω 50 Ω 50 Ω 50 Ω -

Important

  • Ports synth 1/2/3 should always be kept terminated to 50Ω when not in use
  • For best performance, one should maintain a space of 1/3U at least above each octave
  • Network should only be connected to Ethernet 2
  • Use only the supplied power supplier