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U1810B USB Coaxial Switch SPDT

Technical Overviews

Description

The Keysight Technologies, Inc. U1810B is a USB-powered SPDT coaxial switch, operating from DC to 18 GHz, and supports the standard plug-and-play functionality of typical USB devices. The unique combination of excellent RF performance with the convenience of USB connectivity presents an invaluable alternative for users to increase the efficiency of their test systems. No additional power supply is required and the Type-N common input connector provides a rugged and robust connection with the instrument ports. A push-button on the switch casing allows for direct toggling of the two output ports without the need for any software interface. In addition, the bundled soft front panel provides an alternative virtual interface to control the U1810B. Users also have the option to control the switch through commonly used software programming platforms such as C#, C++, LabVIEW, VEE, etc.

Key Features and Benefits

  • USB plug-and-play eliminates the need for additional power adapters or drivers, simplifies complex test setup
  • Excellent insertion loss repeatability of 0.03 dB to 1 million cycles and 0.1 dB to 2 million cycles, ensures measurement accuracy
  • 2 million cycles operating life, reduces cost-of-test and ensures reliability of the test system
  • Excellent isolation (> 70 dB at 18 GHz), minimizes cross-talk between channels to ensure signal integrity
  • Instant switch toggling via the push-button on the casing facilitates quick test setup validation

Applications

The U1810B USB switch is a single-pole double-throw (SPDT) relay which consists of one common port and two output ports. It routes signals from one input to two output paths. The following figure shows the SPDT relay schematics of an RF circuit state. Compared to conventional switch designs where all the connector ports are on the same plane, Keysight’s U1810B USB switch design helps users to simplify test setup without using additional RF cables. Figure 1 below shows a conventional switch connected to a measuring instrument. Both methods require extra RF cable(s) to be connected between the switch and the instrument. If a rigid cable is used, the length and bend angle of the cable has to be taken into consideration during the cable design. If a semi-rigid or flexible cable is used, the cable has to be fixed during measurement, any slight movement of the cable will change the mismatch and affect the measurement accuracy.

Using U1810B with a Network Analyzer

Below is an application example where the U1810B is used with a network analyzer to measure two devices under test (DUT) with 1 connection, either in frequency or time domain. Similarly, the U1810B can be used to switch between the DUT and the reference unit for calibration or compensation. In a traditional test calibration process, the user needs to remove the reference unit from the network analyzer after the calibration and connect the DUT to the network analyzer to complete a measurement. The U1810B helps to eliminate the time and resource to change the connection between the DUT and reference unit.

Using U1810B with Keysight’s FieldFox Handheld RF Analyzer

At a cell site, the USB switch can be used to perform return loss, cable loss, and DFT (distance-to-fault) measurements on two cables.

Using U1810B with a Keysight’s Wireless Communications Test Set

Mobile phone manufacturing test typically requires RF and non-RF testing. During non-RF testing, the wireless test set is idle. With the U1810B USB switch, it helps to reduce the idle time of the wireless test set by switching to DUT 2 for testing, before it switches back to DUT 1 to continue the RF test.

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