JFW Industries, a leading designer and manufacturer of passive RF components and application-specific test systems, has announced a new line of remotely controlled attenuator assemblies (50PA-1174-XX) containing up to 8 attenuators. These attenuators provide attenuations from 0 to 63 dB in 0.5 dB steps and operate from 200 MHz to 8 GHz. The attenuators can be controlled individually or in groups. 1 to 8 attenuators can be added to each assembly.
These attenuators are bi-directional but are labelled with “input” and “output” because each port has a different maximum power rating. The port labelled “input” is rated for +24 dBm. The port labelled “output” is rated for +15 dBm. Model 50PA-1174-XX is available in a 19-inch rack-mount package with either 50 Ohm SMA female or N female connectors. The attenuators can be controlled manually or remotely.
Manual Attenuator Control
The manual control menu allows users to set and read the attenuation value, fade an attenuator, or perform a handover using two attenuators.
Remote Attenuator Control
The attenuator can also be remotely controlled via an Ethernet connection or a serial connection (i.e. RS-232). The network settings can be changed manually with the keypad or remotely using the NET remote command. The network interface can be set to either DHCP mode or Fixed Address mode. All new test systems are shipped from the factory in DHCP mode. An RS-232 connection to the test system is made using a null-modem type serial cable. Baud rates up to 155200 baud are available. The baud rate can be changed manually with the keypad or remotely with the SERIAL remote command.
Example Model Numbers
- 50PA-1174-01 SMA (1 attenuator with SMA female)
- 50PA-1174-02 SMA (2 attenuators with SMA female)
- 50PA-1174-04 SMA (4 attenuators with SMA female)
- 50PA-1174-08 SMA (8 attenuators with SMA female)
- 50PA-1174-02 N (2 attenuators with N female)
- 50PA-1174-04 N (4 attenuators with N female)
- 50PA-1174-08 N (8 attenuators with N female)
Future Expansion
If a customers testing needs change, they can have the 50PA-1174-XX upgraded to have additional attenuators added. This model is designed to control up to a maximum of 8 attenuators.
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