Via Bravo Real Time Display
Via Bravo Real Time Display
Via Bravo Real Time Display
(Version 1.00)
VIA Bravo: Real Time Display provides chart plotting and archiving of
VSWR, Return Loss (RL ), Impedance, Resistance, Reactance, Phase Angle,
Reflection Coefficient Angle, Reflection Coefficient Magnitude data
and
remote analyzer commanding
written for use with the
AEA Wireless, Inc.
VIA Bravo analyzer.
First Time Hitachi MRI Use - Via Bravo Unit Quick Setup
Connect Power Adapter
Connect the BNC tuning cable
(Note: Any good BNC cable will do since the Bravo unit will calibrate the cable. You do
not have to use a half wave cable. Try to use the shortest cable necessary to set up and
obtain results. Sweep with No Cable are useful for Transmitter Tuning at the RF Amp
otherwise generally a cable is necessary for Receiver Coil tuning. Your Laptop Serial
connection cable in most cases is long enough to reach from the Equipment Room to the
Magnet Room where the Laptop is set up.)
Connect the Com Port Cable to the Serial port on the Via Bravo and the Com Port on the
Laptop.
Turn on the Via Bravo Unit
Set the analyzer center frequency
This can be done using the keypad on the front of the analyzer,
Set the analyzer width settings using the WIDTH up/down selection keys.
(+/-800 KHz when tuning most receive coils; +/-400 KHz when tuning Transmitter
Coils in order to obtain good Q readings.
Select Network Analyzer Settings With or Without a Cable and Calibrate the Cable
Select F2
>Instrument Mode
>Vector Impedance Meter
>SWEEP With or Without Cable depending on your Bravo Unit setup.
Calibrate
OPEN <ENTER> (No Termination on BNC Cable)
SHORT <ENTER) (With Shorted Termination on BNC Cable)
50 Ohm <ENTER> (With 50 Ohm Load Termination on BNC
Cable)
You are now ready to connect to the Coil being tested. You can turn on your backlight display
under F2 > Backlight Control > Continuous.
(Note: With the BACKLIGHT ON you will need to keep the handheld unit out of the magnet. You
shouldnt need to have it inside the magnet anyway; since it will oscillate when inside the magnet,
make a lot of noise and could blow a fuse. This doesnt happen when the backlight is OFF
however as a rule just keep the unit outside of the Magnet.)
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Installation from CD
1. Insert VIA Bravo RTD CD into the CD-ROM drive.
2. The program will install automatically.
When finished loading reboot and power up.
After the VIA RTD Software is installed on the computer,
Bring up the RTD Software to open.
Click on the HELP pull-down menu.
Click on the REGISTRATION menu item. This will bring up a new window that asks for a
REGISTRATION NAME and NUMBER.
The correct information is as follows:
REGISTRATION NAME = HMSA (all caps)
REGISTRATION NUMBER = 48419876.
When this information is typed in and you click on OK, the software will say "Registered to
HMSA" in the upper left corner.
Next Retrieve the Analyzer Setup Setting Under the Menu with Analyzer > Get Analyzer Setup
or use the keyboard setup ( Ctrl+h)
To set up the analyzer for the typical Hitachi Coil Tuning Display:
* First select the Chart > Left Plot Type:
Impedance.
(Note: Noise filters are available on both the handheld and the laptop
menus. The handheld filters are under F3 and the Laptop under Chart >
Noise Filter) (Note: The Noise Filters in the Laptop and the Via Bravo
Handheld Unit operate independently. Raw data is sent to both
individually and both units use the same filter software individually. So
either unit can have filters turned ON or OFF without affecting the other.)
Manual Scaling
Set the Scale using Chart > Manual Scaling and set the Maximum
values to provide a full display of the waveform.
When finished, before Closing out of the software. Hit CTL-S. This will stop the
continuous acquisition before shutting down.
The VIA Bravo RTD is used to control the AEA VIA Bravo analyzer. This analyzer is capable
of computing VSWR, Return Loss (RL), Impedance, Resistance, Reactance, Phase Angle,
Reflection Coefficient Angle, and Reflection Coefficient Magnitude for any given frequency
within the range of the analyzer. The VIA Bravo RTD is used to retrieve these values (for a
single sweep, or continuously) from the analyzer, visually graphing the values for the user.
Also, the data can be archived for subsequent analysis.
The VIA Bravo RTD will retrieve data from the analyzer based upon the current analyzer
center frequency and width settings. The data retrieved from the analyzer is presented in
several different formats. First, the data is plotted graphically. Second, the data is presented
into a report. Last, the raw data is available in a tabular format. For archival purposes, all of
the aforementioned formats of the analyzer data may be saved to disk storage.
Change the analyzer's width setting from 1.562 kHz to 32000 kHz depending upon the
analyzer center frequency.
Set the left and right plot types.
Set the analyzer display backlighting and contrast, and the audio mode and volume.
Document charts:
Print the chart graph, or a report of the data to your printer. A printer setup facility is also
included.
Save the chart graph in one of many common graphics format: GIF, JPEG, Bitmap, PNG,
PCX, Meta, or Enhanced Meta file. This feature is useful for historical storage and
incorporation into end user reports or documents.
Save the chart data to a file for retrieval by the VIA Bravo RTD at a later date.
View or Print a report of the charts raw data values.
Export the chart data as comma delimited text, or XML file allowing, for example, import into
a spreadsheet for further analysis.
Speed keys allow for quick execution of common program commands without having to
access the menu items with the mouse. See the Help|Keyboard menu for more details.
The program settings can be customized to your environment, e.g., the comm. port used,
step size, analyzer type, charts displayed, chart, etc. These preferences can easily be saved
so later sessions can continue with the same settings by pressing the Ctrl+y keys or select
the Settings|Save Settings menu item.
System Requirements:
Setup:
1. Ensure the PC RS-232 serial port is set up as follows:
XON/XOFF, no parity, 8 data bits, 1 stop bit
Baud rate of: 4800, 9600, 19200, 28800, or 57600
The analyzers serial port has a fixed configuration, except for the baud rate. Check your
manual for more details. Make sure the communication port on your PC has been set up
to match the settings of the analyzer.
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Set the analyzer baud rate to match the PC communication port baud rate setting.
Start the VIA Bravo RTD program.
Select the serial port baud rate from the Settings|Baud Rate menu. Check the status bar to
confirm setting.
Select the serial port port setting from the Settings|Comm Port menu. Check the status bar to
confirm setting.
File
Load Chart Data
The chart contents (Frequency,
SWR, RL, Impedance, Resistance,
Reactance, Phase Angle, Reflection
Coefficient Angle, and Reflection
Coefficient Magnitude values) can
be loaded from a disk file. This file
would have been created by using
the Save Chart feature.
Save Chart Data
The chart contents (frequency,
SWR, and RL , Impedance,
Resistance, Reactance, Phase
Angle, Reflection Coefficient Angle,
and Reflection Coefficient
Magnitude values) can be saved to
a disk file. At a later date, you can
use the Load Chart Data feature to
retrieve the chart data for
subsequent viewing within the VIA
Bravo RTD.
Export Chart Data
Export the chart data values as a
comma delimited, or XML text file.
In This feature allows for use of the
chart data by any external program
capable of reading the text file
created (spreadsheet or word
processing program).
Export Chart Graph
Export the chart graph as an image
to a file. This feature allows for use
of the chart graph by any external
program capable of reading the image file created. Common graphics
formats supported are: GIF, JPEG, bitmap, PNG, PCX, meta, or
enhanced meta file.
Print Setup
Allows you to change the printer properties, e.g. select the printer,
properties, and page orientation. The initial settings are taken from your
TM
MS Windows default printer settings, with the exception of the print
orientation (which is set by the VIA Bravo RTD to landscape).
Print Chart Graph
Prints the chart graph.
Exit
Terminates execution of the VIA Bravo RTD program.
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Analyzer
This menu provides all the various
setup functions the Handheld
Analyzer uses in its interface with
the PC software.
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Center Frequency
Sets the analyzer center frequency.
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Chart
This Menu primarily deals with
display readout functions
manipulating how the data is
displayed on the chart for viewing.
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Data ->
Displays the Chart Data
Window.
Clear Data
Youll need to refresh
the Chart Graph any
time you manually
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Right Plot Type-> This is the same as the Left Plot Type:
Z
A
R
X
RCA
RCM
VSWR
RL
None
Next
Plots the data values based upon the plot type selected. For
example, selecting the Z plot type causes the Z data to be
plotted within the chart graph. The right y axis of the chart graph
is labeled appropriately. Selecting the Next item selects the plot
type in the order appearing in the menu.
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Update Time
A quick way to update the date and/or time included with the chart title.
Full Scaling
Scales the vertical axis to the default maximum and minimum values for
the associated data component.
Auto Scaling
Scales the vertical axis to the maximum and minimum values within the
chart data table.
Manual Scaling
Scales the vertical axis to the maximum and minimum values entered by
the user in the Manual Scaling pop-up box.
View 3D
Provides a slight offset between the displayed charts. This feature is
very useful when comparing charts with similar curves. The offset is
applied to the visual chart curves only. The chart data remains
unchanged.
Background Color Scaling
Turns on/off the chart graph background color scaling. Background color
scaling should be turned off if using 16 or 256 colors.
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Report
Preview
Displays the entire data set (in tabular format) for the chart
graph.
Print
Prints the report to the printer.
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Save Settings
Saves the current program settings so subsequent program
usage will be restored. This includes the communications port
selected, windows visible, placement and size of the visible
windows, etc
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Report Preview
Ctrl+F1
Ctrl+F2
Ctrl+F3
Ctrl+F4
Ctrl+F5
Ctrl+F6
Ctrl+F7
Ctrl+F8
Comm Port 1
Comm Port 2
Comm Port 3
Comm Port 4
Comm Port 5
Comm Port 6
Comm Port 7
Comm Port 8
Shft+F1
Shft +F2
Shft +F3
Shft +F4
Shft +F5
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About
Displays program version and copyright information.
Contact:
VIA Bravo: Real Time Display was written exclusively by Michael A. Pawlowski
([email protected]). Comments/questions can be sent to the vendor by e-mail: [email protected]. For technical assistance please telephone 1-760-798-9687, or FAX 1-760-7989689.
Copyright 2003 Michael A. Pawlowski
All Rights Re served
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The various data values retrieved from the analyzer for the sweep will be displayed:
The chart graph will be update with the data retrieved from the analyzer.
The area to the left of the chart graph will be updated with the data values
associated with the sweep center frequency.
In the Chart Data window you should see values retrieved from the analyzer for
the frequency entered.
To set up the analyzer for the typical Hitachi Coil Tuning Display:
* First select the Chart > Left Plot Type: Impedance.
* Next select the Chart > Right Plot Type: Phase
Angle.
* Then select the Chart > Fc Data Display:
Left/Right/Q
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Labels:
View the chart discrete data values within the chart graph by pressing the chart toolbar
button with the "L" in a yellow box. This feature is especially useful when zooming in on
a small area within a chart.
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Panning:
The panning feature requires a little manual dexterity. Using the mouse, double click and
hold the right mouse button within the chart area. While still holding the right mouse
button, move the mouse to the left, right, up or down to pan the chart within the graph.
Panning only works on a zoomed chart.
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