User Guide

Table of contents
1.Introduction ............................................................................................................................................. 2

2.User interface ......................................................................................................................................... 3

Main screen ....................................................................................................................................... 3

Menu screen ..................................................................................................................................... 5
Keypad screen .................................................................................................................................. 6
Device settings ................................................................................................................................. 7
3.Performing measurements .................................................................................................................. 9

Setting the measurement frequency range .................................................................................. 9

Calibration ....................................................................................................................................... 10
Trace display ................................................................................................................................... 11
Markers ............................................................................................................................................ 13
Time domain operation .................................................................................................................. 14
Recall calibration and settings ..................................................................................................... 17
Saving measurement data with a MicroSD card ....................................................................... 18
4.NanoVNA-APP Software ................................................................................................................... 19
User interface.................................................................................................................................. 19
5.Appendix– USB data interface .......................................................................................................... 22
Protocol description ....................................................................................................................... 22
Host to device command list......................................................................................................... 23
Register descriptions ..................................................................................................................... 23
Register descriptions (DFU mode) .............................................................................................. 25

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1.Introduction
Thank you for your trust and choosing LiteVNA. LiteVNA builds on the widely
acclaimed NanoVNA and SAA2. Now you can get a portable VNA that is as small as
the NanoVNA and capable of ultra-wide range measurements from 50 kHz to 6 GHz.
In order to minimize power consumption and size, LiteVNA uses only one mixer, which
allows S11 and S21 measurements through internal RF switching and can allows TDR
and DTF measurements through IFFT calculations.

The preparation of this manual refers to the NanoVNA User Guide of cho45.

LiteVNA Specifications

Parameter Specification Conditions

Frequency range 50kHz ~ 6.3GHz -
>70dB f < 3GHz, calibrated
System dynamic range
>50dB f >= 3GHz, calibrated
<-50dB f <3GHz, calibrated
S11 noise floor
<-40dB f >= 3GHz, calibrated
Frequency stability <0.5ppm 0℃ - 50℃
Sweep rate >550 points/s Avg=1
Sweep points (on device) 10 ~ 1001 points, adjustable -
Sweep points (USB) 1 ~ 1024 points, adjustable -
Power supply USB, 5V±0.5V 600mA MAX LiteVNA 62
USB, 5V±0.5V 1A MAX LiteVNA 64
Battery Li-polymer 3.7V 1300mAh LiteVNA 62
Li-polymer 3.7V 2000mAh LiteVNA 64
Operation ambient The battery performance
temperature -10℃ ~ 50℃
decreases below 0 ℃.
RF connectors SMA female -
Display 2.8”TFT LCD (320×240) LiteVNA 62
3.95”TFT LCD (480×320) LiteVNA 64

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2.User interface
Main screen

1. START frequency
2. STOP frequency
The START frequency and STOP frequency are shown at the bottom of the display.
You can quickly select a frequency by clicking on the start or end frequency, and
modify the frequency by moving the Jog switch, and click on the frequency again after
selecting it to bring up the on-screen keyboard for quick frequency entry. You can set
the frequency in more detail through the menu Setting the measurement frequency
range.

3. Marker
The marker position for each trace is displayed as a small numbered triangle. The
selected marker can be moved to any of the measured points in the following ways:
• Drag a marker on the touch panel , the corresponding trace will also be
selected.
• Press and hold the JOG LEFT or JOG RIGHT buttons.

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4. Calibration status
Displays the saved slot number of the calibration being used and the error correction applied.
C0 C1…: Each indicates that the corresponding calibration data is loaded.

5. Reference position
Indicates the reference position of the corresponding trace. You can change the position with:
DISPLAY →SCALE →REFERENCE POSITION.

6. Marker status
Displays the selected marker points and the frequency of the marker points.

7. Trace status
The status of each trace format and the value corresponding to the active marker are
displayed.
For example, if the display is showing: S11 LOGMAG 10dB/ 0.02dB , read it as follows:
Channel S11 (reflection)
Format LOGMAG
Scale is 10dB
Current value is 0.02dB
For the selected trace, the channel name is marked with a triangular shape in front.

8. Battery status
Display the battery voltage, when the icon turns red, please charge as soon as possible,
otherwise the battery may enter the protection state, once the battery enters the protection
state, you need to charge in the power off state to reactivate the battery.

4
Menu screen

11. Menu List

The menu can be opened by the following operations:
• When a location other than a marker on the touch screen is tapped.
• When the Jog is pressed.

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Keypad screen

12. Numeric keys

Tap a number to enter one character.

13. Back key

Delete one character. If no character is entered, the entry is canceled and the previous state is
restored.

14. Unit key

Multiplies the current input by the appropriate unit and terminates input immediately. In case of
× 1, the entered value is set as it is.

15. Input field

The name of the item to be entered and the entered number are displayed.

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Device settings
The CONFIG menu contains general settings for the device:

Saving device settings

Select CONFIG →SAVE to save general instrument settings. General device settings are data
that includes the following information:
• Touch screen calibration information
• Brightness
The CONFIG →SAVE command does not apply to calibration settings.

Display version info

Select CONFIG →VERSION to display device version information.

LCD Brightness adjustment

Select CONFIG→BRIGHTNESS, the brightness adjustment interface will pop up, move the
joystick left and right to adjust the brightness, press the joystick to exit the brightness
adjustment, save the brightness settings by CONFIG →SAVE.

Firmware update mode

CONFIG→ BOOTLOAD then select RESET AND ENTER to enter the firmware update
mode.
You can also press the Jog while powering on to enter the firmware update mode.
Then the firmware update prompt will pop up through NanoVNA-APP connected section.

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Touch panel calibration and testing
The LCD touch panel can be calibrated using CONFIG → TOUCH CAL if there is a large
difference between the actual on-screen tap position and the recognized tap position.
NOTE: Be sure to save the settings with CONFIG → SAVE.

You can then test the LCD touch panel stylus tracking accuracy by selecting CONFIG →
TOUCH TEST.
A line is drawn while dragging the stylus along the touch panel. When released from the touch
panel, it returns to its original state. Repeat & save the touch screen calibration if tracking is
incorrect.

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3.Performing measurements
The basic measurement sequence is:
1. Set the frequency range to be measured.
Use STIMILUS → START/STOP or STIMILUS →CENTER/SPAN
2. Perform calibration (and save!)
3. Connect the Device Under Test (DUT) and measure.
Note: After modifying the frequency, LiteVNA will calculate the calibration
parameters by interpolation, and we still recommend that you re-perform the
calibration if you need accurate measurements.
Setting the measurement frequency range

There are three types of measurement range settings.

• Setting the start frequency and stop frequency
• Setting the center frequency and span
• Continuous wave frequency

Setting the start frequency and stop frequency

Select and set STIMULUS → START and STIMULUS → STOP, respectively.

Setting the center frequency and span

Select and set STIMULUS → CENTER and STIMULUS → SPAN, respectively.

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Zero span
Zero span is a mode in which one frequency is sent continuously without frequency
sweep.
Select and set STIMULUS → CW FREQ.
Note that using a single frequency scan will records the reference signal after the first
scan is completed, and the internal RF switch can maintain a continuous signal output,
which is useful for some situations where a continuous signal output is required.

Temporarily stop measurement

When menu item PAUSE SWEEP is active, measurement is temporarily stopped.

Calibration
Calibration is required before you can start using it. LiteVNA will calculate the
calibration parameters by interpolation after modifying the measurement frequency, but
if you change from a narrower frequency to a wider frequency, the interpolation
calculation will no longer be accurate. Due to the errors in the interpolation calculation,
it is also recommended that you calibrate first for situations where precise
measurements are required.
The coaxial cable connected to the device under test should be connected to the
LiteVNA port before calibration. Although LiteVNA provides electrical delay
compensation and we provide the best coaxial cable possible, to minimize calibration
errors, we recommend that you calibrate at the end as close to the device under test
as possible.
The calibration procedure is as follows:
1. Reset current calibration state. Select menu item CAL →RESET and then
→CALIBRATE.
2. Connect OPEN standard to port 1 cable and click →OPEN. Wait for the current
calibration step to be completed, and the cursor will automatically move to the
next step.
3. Connect SHORT standard to port 1 cable and click →SHORT. Wait for the
current calibration step to be completed, and the cursor will automatically move
to the next step.
4. Connect LOAD standard to port 1 cable and click →LOAD. Wait for the current
calibration step to be completed, and the cursor will automatically move to the
next step.
5. Connect the THRU standard between the port 1 and port 2 cable ends, and
click

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 →THRU. Wait for the current calibration step to be completed, and the cursor
will automatically move to the next step.
6. Click →DONE.
7. In the pop-up save menu inside choose the location you need to save, save 0
will be automatically called back in the next boot.

Trace display

Up to four traces can be displayed, one of which is the selected trace.

Click on the menu DISPLAY → TRACES → TRACES n to select a trace, and click
again to turn a trace on or off.
The selected trace will be marked with a tick in front of its menu item and with a
triangle in front of the trace name in the main screen.

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 Trace format
Although each trace can have its own displayed format, you can only change the
format of the active trace.
To assign a format, set the trace to active (see above) then select: DISPLAY
→FORMAT The description and unit of measurement of each format is as
follows:
• LOGMAG : Logarithm of absolute value of measured value (dB per div)
• PHASE : Phase in the range of -180 ° to + 180 ° (90 degree default)
• DELAY : Delay (pico or nano seconds)
• SMITH : Smith Chart (Impedance scale is normalized during calibration)
• SWR : Standing Wave Ratio
• POLAR : Polar coordinate format (Impedance scale is normalized during
calibration)
• LINEAR : Absolute value of the measured value
• REAL : Real part of measured S parameter
• IMAG : Imaginary part of measured S parameter
• RESISTANCE : Resistance component of the measured impedance (ohms
per div)
REACTANCE : Reactance component of the measured impedance (ohms
• per div)

Trace channel
LiteVNA is a switch-switched T/R VNA that measures S11 (reflection, return loss) and
S21 (transmission, insertion loss).
Each trace can be set the measurement channel by clicking on the menu Display →
Channel.

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Markers

Up to 8 markers can be displayed.

Markers are selected by the menu items MARKER →SELECT MARKER →MARKER
n.
Clicking on a disabled marker menu item enables it and makes it active. Clicking on an
enabled but non-active marker activates it. Clicking on the currently active marker
disables it.

Setting frequencies from marker(s)

You can set the frequency range from the MARKER →OPERATIONS menu as
follows:
• OPERATIONS →START - Sets the start frequency to the active marker’s
frequency.
• OPERATIONS →STOP - Sets the stop frequency to the active marker’s
frequency.
• OPERATIONS →CENTER - Sets the frequency of the active marker to be the
center frequency.
• OPERATIONS →SPAN - Sets the absolute frequency span to the last two
active markers. You need to have any two markers (M1-M8) enabled for the
Span button to work. If only one marker is displayed, nothing happens.

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Time domain operation
The LiteVNA can simulate time domain reflectometry by transforming frequency
domain data.
Select DISPLAY →TRANSOFRM →TRANSFORM ON to convert measured data to
the time domain.
If TRANSFORM ON is enabled, the measurement data is immediately converted to
the time domain and displayed. The relationship between the time domain and the
frequency domain is as follows.
• Increasing the maximum frequency increases the time resolution
• The shorter the measurement frequency interval (ie, the lower the maximum
frequency), the longer the maximum time length
For this reason, the maximum time length and time resolution are in a trade-off
relationship. In other words, the time length is the distance.
• If you want to increase the maximum measurement distance, you need to lower
the frequency spacing (frequency span / sweep points).
• If you want to measure the distance accurately, you need to increase the
frequency span.
HINT – Use a lower frequency to measure a longer length and a higher frequency to
measure a shorter length and adjust accordingly for accurate results.

Time domain bandpass

In bandpass mode, you can simulate the DUT response to an impulse signal.
NOTE: The trace format can be set to LINEAR, LOGMAG or SWR.
The following is an example of the impulse response of a bandpass filter.

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Time domain low pass impulse
In low-pass mode, you can simulate TDR. In low-pass mode, the start frequency must
be set to 50 kHz, and the stop frequency must be set according to the distance to be
measured.
The trace format can be set to REAL.
Examples of Impulse response in open state and impulse response in short state are
shown below.

Open Short

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Time domain low pass step
The trace format can be set to REAL.
Example measurements of Step response are shown below.

Open Short

Capacitive short Inductive short

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Capacitive discontinuity (C in parallel) Inductive discontinuity (L in series)

Time domain window

The range that can be measured is a finite number, and there is a minimum frequency
and a maximum frequency. A window can be used to smooth out this discontinuous
measurement data and reduce ringing.
There are three levels of windowing.
• MINIMUM (no window, ie: same as rectangular window,highest resolution)
• NORMAL (equivalent to Kaiser window = 6β)
• MAXIMUM (equivalent to Kaiser window = 13β, highest dynamic range)

Setting the velocity factor in the time domain

The transmission speed of electromagnetic waves in the cable varies depending on
the material. The ratio to the transmission speed of electromagnetic waves in vacuum
is called the Velocity Factor. This is always stated in the cable specifications.
In the time domain, the displayed time can be converted into distance. The wavelength
shortening ratio used for distance display can be set with DISPLAY → TRANSFORM
→ VELOCITY FACTOR .
For example, if you measure the TDR of a cable with a wavelength reduction rate of
67%, specify 67 for the VELOCITY FACTOR. (Do not use the decimal point).

Recall calibration and settings

Up to 7 calibration datasets can be saved. LiteVNA automatically loads data with recall
0 when it starts.
Calibration data includes the following information:

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 • Frequency range setting
• Error correction at each measurement point
• Trace settings
• Marker settings
• Domain mode settings
• Electrical delay
You can save the current settings by selecting CAL → SAVE → SAVE n.
Current calibration data can be reset by selecting CAL → RESET.
CAL → CORRECTION indicates whether error correction is currently enabled. You
can deselect this to temporarily disable error correction.

Saving measurement data with a MicroSD card

You can use a MicroSD card to save measurement data in SNP format or to save
screenshots in BMP format. MicroSD card uses SPI mode and only supports smaller
than 32GB and formatted with FAT or FAT32.
Click on SD CARD in the main menu to open the Save menu..

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4.NanoVNA-APP Software
The current version of LiteVNA uses the same communication protocol as SAA2 to
ensure good compatibility with NanoVNA-APP.

User interface

1. COM port
Select the COM port to connect LiteVNA. When the connection status shows Connected,
it means LiteVNA is connected, click Connected to disconnect, click Disconnected to
reconnect. The serial port baud rate does not work when connecting via USB port.

2. Stimulus setting area

Used to set scanning parameters, including scanning frequency, scanning points, etc.

3. Scanning control
Click to stop scanning, click single scan, click for continuous scanning, click to
automatically record S2P files after each scan is completed.

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4. Trace setting
In addition to displaying real-time scanned traces, you can also display multiple stored
traces and right-click the corresponding button to import the SNP file you need to
display.

5. Save image
Click to save the current window or the current trace display window, or to copy the trace
window to the clipboard.

6. Export Data
Click to export the data in SNP or CSV format.

7. Marker point data

To display the marker point data, you can add or remove marker points by double-
clicking the left mouse button in the right trace window or by clicking the right mouse
button in the trace window and the pop-up menu appears.

8. Status Bar
Shows some settings and working status.

9. Trace format
Show the current trace format, click to select the trace format.

10. Trace window

Show the trace, right mouse click can pop up the trace setting menu. Roll the mouse
wheel in the upper part of the left axis or hold down the left button to drag to modify the
maximum value of the axis, roll the mouse wheel in the middle of the left axis to modify
the scale of the axis, hold down the left button in the middle of the left axis to drag to
move the axis as a whole, and roll the mouse wheel in the lower part of the left axis or
hold down the left button to drag to modify the minimum value of the axis。

11. Settings button

Click to open the settings window.

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12. Update firmware
LiteVNA determines whether it needs to enter update mode through the communication
protocol, the button does not work when LiteVNA is connected. If you need to update
the firmware of LiteVNA, you need to press and hold the rocker switch of LiteVNA, then
turn on the power, LiteVNA will enter the update mode, the screen will remain black,
then connect through NanoVNA-APP, the update firmware prompt will pop up, click
"Yes" to enter the firmware update interface.

13. Battery Status

The current LiteVNA communication protocol does not support passing battery information at
this time.

14. Screenshot button

Click to capture LiteVNA's screen image.

15. Communication Monitoring

Click to open the communication monitoring window, you can view or send some debugging
information

16. Calibration Button

Click to open the calibration interface, the calibration process is similar to calibrating directly
with LiteVNA, and you can save the calibration data after the calibration is completed. You can
also load the calibration data. Note that if you need to use the calibration of NanoVNA-APP, it
is recommended that you reset the calibration on LiteVNA first in order to ensure the
measurement accuracy.

17. Separate trace window

Click to bring up a separate trace window, and you can create multiple separate trace
windows.

18. Time domain velocity factor

Used to set the TDR velocity factor, some common cable factors are built in and can be
selected via the drop-down menu.

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5.Appendix– USB data interface
To ensure compatibility with current PC software, LiteVNA uses the same data
communication protocol as SAA2, appears as a USB CDC (Communications Device
Class) virtual serial port both during normal operation and in DFU mode. PC software
can issue commands and request data by sending and receiving data on the virtual
serial port. Communications protocol is identical in the two cases, with only register
layouts differing.

Protocol description
Only the host may initiate commands by sending one or more bytes on the virtual
serial port. Each command may have a different length. There is no separator
delimiting each command. The device may not send data to the host except for
replies to a host-to-device command.
The following table lists all supported commands and their byte encodings, and is
applicable both during normal operation and in DFU mode.

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 Host to device command list
All byte values in the table are in hexadecimal. B0 to B5 denote bytes 0 to 5. B0 is the opcode.
B0 B1 B2 B3 B4 B5 Name Description
00 - - - - - NOP No operation

0d - - - - - INDICATE Device always replies with ascii ‘2’ (0x32)

10 (AA) - - - - READ Read a 1-byte register at address AA.

Reply is one byte, the read value.
11 (AA) - - - - READ2 Read a 2-byte register at address AA.
Reply is 2 bytes, the read value.
12 (AA) - - - - READ4 Read a 4-byte register at address AA.
Reply is 4 bytes, the read value.
18 (AA) (NN) - - - READFIFO Read NN values from a FIFO at address AA.
Reply is the read values in order.
Each value can be more than one byte and is
determined by the FIFO being read.
20 (AA) (XX) - - - WRITE Write XX to a 1-byte register at address AA.
There is no reply.
21 (AA) (X0) (X1) - - WRITE2 Write X0 to AA, then X1 to AA+1.
There is no reply.
22 (AA) (X0) (X1) (X2) (X3) WRITE4 Write X0..X3 to registers starting at AA. There
is no reply.
23 (AA) (X0) (X1) (X2) ... WRITE8 This command is 10 bytes in total.
Bytes 2..9 correspond to X0..X7.
Write X0..X7 to registers starting at AA.
There is no reply.
28 (AA) (NN) … WRITEFIFO Write NN bytes into a FIFO at address AA.
NN bytes of data to be written into the FIFO
should follow “NN”.
There is no reply.

Register descriptions
The following table lists all registers accessible during normal operation.
All addresses are in hexadecimal.
Multi-byte integer registers are encoded in Little Endian. Lowest numbered registers contain
the least significant portions of the integer.

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Address Name Description
00..07 sweepStartHz Sets the sweep start frequency in Hz. uint64.

10..17 sweepStepHz Sets the sweep step frequency in Hz. uint64.

20..21 sweepPoints Sets the number of sweep frequency points. uint16.
22..23 valuesPerFrequency Sets the number of data points to output for each frequency.
uint16.
26 rawSamplesMode Writing 1 switches USB data format to raw samples mode and
leaves this protocol.
30 valuesFIFO Returns VNA sweep data points. Each value is 32 bytes.
Writing any value (using WRITE command) clears the FIFO.
See FIFO data format section below.
f0 deviceVariant The type of device this is. Always 0x02 for S-A-A-2.
f1 protocolVersion Version of this wire protocol. Always 0x01.
f2 hardwareRevision Hardware revision.
f3 firmwareMajor Firmware major version.
f4 firmwareMinor Firmware minor version.
Remarks sweepStartHz, sweepStepHz, and sweepPoints together set the sweep
parameters of the VNA.
Writing any value to these registers will immediately terminate the on-device UI and put the
device in “USB data mode”, where the PC has full control over VNA operation.
You can not observe user entered sweep parameters (from the device UI) by reading these
registers.
Sweep is always running and can not be paused.

FIFO data format

The values read from valuesFIFO are 32 bytes each. The following table lists the fields in
each value. All byte offsets are in hexadecimal. All multi-byte integers are encoded in Little
Endian. Lowest numbered bytes contain the least significant portions of the integer.
Bytes Name Description Type

00..03 fwd0Re Real part of channel 0 outgoing wave. int32

04..07 fwd0Im Imaginary part of channel 0 outgoing wave. int32

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08..0b rev0Re Real part of channel 0 incoming wave. int32
0c..0f rev0Im Imaginary part of channel 0 incoming wave. int32

10..13 rev1Re Real part of channel 1 incoming wave. int32

14..17 rev1Im Imaginary part of channel 1 incoming wave. int32

18..19 freqIndex Frequency index, 0 to sweepPoints - 1. uint16

1a..1f (reserved) (reserved) -
valuesFIFO is continuously being filled with new sweep data regardless of whether it is being
read.
If you wish to do on-demand sweeps, it is necessary to clear stale data before reading from the
FIFO. The FIFO can be cleared by writing (with the WRITE command) any value to the FIFO
address.
valuesFIFO returns raw values representing the in-phase and quadrature part of the
measured waves, which never have user calibration applied. You can not access the on-device
user calibrations or calibrated data over USB.
fwd0Re/fwd0Im is referred to as the reference channel. All complex values read from
valuesFIFO can be at a random phase, so you must divide (using complex division) each
value by the reference channel to get absolute phase and magnitude values.

Register descriptions (DFU mode)

The following table lists all registers accessible in DFU mode.
All addresses are in hexadecimal.
Multi-byte integer registers are encoded in Little Endian. Lowest numbered registers contain
the least significant portions of the integer.
Address Name Description
e0..e3 flashWriteStart Current flash write address. uint32.
Set this to the address to start writing at.
e4 flashFIFO Writing to this FIFO will write data into flash starting at
flashWriteStart. flashWriteStart will be incremented by the
number of bytes written.
e8..eb userArgument The user argument to pass to the program upon soft reset.
uint32.
ef doReboot Write 0x5e to initiate a soft reset.
f0 deviceVariant The type of device this is. Always 0x02 for S-A-A-2.

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f1 protocolVersion Version of this wire protocol. Always 0x01.
f2 hardwareRevision Hardware revision. Always 0x00 in DFU mode.
f3 firmwareMajor Firmware major version. Always 0xff in DFU mode.
f4 firmwareMinor Firmware minor version (of the bootloader).
Writing to flash
The procedure to write a new firmware image to flash are as follows.
1. Connect the device to the PC over USB and put the device into DFU mode.
2. Open the virtual serial port in raw mode (platform specific).
3. Write the address you wish to start flashing from to flashWriteStart.
4. Use the WRITEFIFO command to send up to 255 bytes at a time to flashFIFO.
Each WRITEFIFO command can be followed with a INDICATE command, which will
reply with ‘2’ only after the flash operation is complete.
There is no flow control on the virtual serial port and you must limit the amount of
outstanding writes to no more than 2048 bytes.
5. (Optional) Write 0x5e to doReboot to soft reset the device.

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