Broadband Signal Analysis Upgrade

 

Dear Customer,

 

Thank you for purchasing the Term-LAB Broadband Signal Analysis Upgrade. This upgrade adds numerous new capabilities to your Term-LAB measurement system.

 

The following instructions assume that you already have a working copy of the Term-LAB software installed on your computer. In addition, it is assumed that your Term-LAB system has already been registered on the Term-LAB website and has been successfully activated. If you are installing Term-LAB for the very first time, please follow the instructions in the Term-LAB manual and then skip to the Feature Activation section below. (You do not need to update Term-LAB if this is a brand new installation.)

 

Term-LAB Update Instructions

 

You must update your Term-LAB application in order to utilize the new Broadband Signal Analysis features.

 

  1. Use the Windows “Add/Remove Programs” utility to uninstall your existing Term-LAB program. (Do not uninstall Instacal or the AZ-Tech drivers program.) To access the Add/Remove Programs utility, press the Windows Start button and then select Control Panel.
  2. Insert the Term-LAB CDROM into your CDROM drive. A menu for the CD should appear in a browser on your screen.
  3. Select “Install Term-LAB” from this menu. Windows will ask you if you want to open the file or save it to your hard drive. Select “Open” to launch the installer.

 

Feature Activation

 

In order to access the Broadband Signal Analysis features, you must first enter the activation code for this upgrade.

 

  1. Run Term-LAB.
  2. From the Term-LAB pull-down menu, select “Tools / Hardware Configuration”.
  3. Click on the “Feature Activation” tab.
  4. Press the “Broadband RTA” button.
  5. Term-LAB will request the activation code for this feature. Please enter the code shown below. If no code is shown, please call 800-655-0010 or 208-773-3371 for the Broadband RTA Activation Code.

 

Broadband RTA Activation Code: _____________________________

Using the Broadband RTA

 

The Term-LAB RTA uses the soundcard in your computer for both data acquisition and the generation of audio signals. Soundcards typically have impressive specifications and are ideally suited for applications such as the Term-LAB RTA. Term-LAB can monitor any signal that can be “recorded” on your soundcard.

 

Typical inputs include…

 

  • Microphone In
  • Line In
  • Optical In
  • CDROM Audio
  • Midi Synth
  • S/PDIF-In
  • CD Digital
  • CD Audio
  • Wave/MP3
  • TAD-In
  • Aux In

 

Getting Started

 

To use the Term-LAB RTA, you will need to connect the device you wish to monitor to the appropriate input on the soundcard. If you are going to use the microphone that accompanied your Term-LAB RTA upgrade, connect it to the microphone input on the soundcard at this time. You can also connect the outputs of devices such as source units, equalizers, crossovers, etc. to the Line-In jack on the soundcard.

 

If you plan on using the Term-LAB Function Generator, you will need to connect the Line-Out (or Speaker-Out) jack on the soundcard to the appropriate input jacks in your sound system. (The Aux-In input on your source unit, for example.)

 

Once you have made the appropriate connections, you are ready to start taking measurements.

 

Basic Operation

 

The easiest way to learn how to use the Term-LAB RTA is to simply start playing with it. We recommend that you insert a music CD into your computer’s CDROM and start playing the music on the CD. This music will be used as the input source for Term-LAB while experimenting with the various settings and controls the program has to offer.

 

Once you have music playing on your computer, use the following procedure to start using the Term-LAB RTA.

 

  1. Launch Term-LAB.
  2. Click on the RTA tab at the top of the screen.
  3. At the bottom of the screen, you will see a button labeled, “Sound Control Panel”. Press this button to launch the Window’s “Sounds and Audio Devices Properties” application. (This is what you use to control the inputs and outputs of the soundcard.)
  4. Click on the “Audio” tab at the top of this window.
  5. Click on the “Volume” button in the “Sound Recording” frame. This will open the “Recording Control” panel.
  6. From the Recording Control pull-down menu, click on “Properties”. You will now see a window that allows you to enable or disable various recording volume controls. Enable (check) all of the controls and then click “OK”.
  7. To select an input for use with the Term-LAB RTA, click on the “Select” checkbox under the desired input. (You may need to try each input until you find the desired source.) Minimize the Recording Control panel.
  8. In the Term-LAB program, click on the “Start” button in the lower left side of the screen to start the analyzer. If you have the correct input selected (in the Sound Recording control panel), you should see information displayed in the various Term-LAB RTA windows. If you do not see anything, maximize the Sound Recording audio panel and try selecting a different input. (Leave the Term-LAB analyzer running while you are trying various inputs.)

 

Display Adjustment

 

Once you have the Term-LAB RTA working, you may wish to experiment with the settings for the various displays.

 

To display the Broadband RTA Options panel, press the “Options” button at the bottom of the Term-LAB screen.

 

Because of the numerous combinations of settings that may be used to configure the displays, it is difficult to provide definitive instructions with regards to each setting. The user is encouraged to experiment with each control setting and observe the impact of that setting on the associated display.

 

Signal Generation

 

Operation of the Function Generator is straightforward. The button bar at the top of the Generator panel is used to control the frequency range multiplier. The “Coarse” knob is used for coarse frequency adjustments and the “Fine” numeric spin window is used to specify the desired frequency exactly. The “Amplitude” numeric spin window is used to control output level.

 

To turn the function generator on or off, press the “Gen” button at the bottom of the Term-LAB screen. When the green “LED” is on, the generator is on.