[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]

spectrum analyser suggestions



Dear list,

Last week I asked for suggestions regarding a replacement for our HP3561A spectrum analyser. I promised to post a summary of responses, and, in no particular order, here they are. I will try out a few options, & I'll let anyone who cares know what we decide on

bob



**********************************************************************************************
My Daqarta software uses a standard PC sound card to do spectrum analysis,
color spectrograms, synchronous averaging (for evoked potentials, etc) and
stimulus signal generation.  The cost is US$99 for a lifetime license, 
entitling you to all upgrades.  The next version (v3.50, in about a month) will 
add a pop-up voltmeter, frequency counter, spectral peak tracking,
and peak super-resolution.  

Note that it only supports standard 16-bit stereo cards at present.

Since Windows sound cards provide no calibration information (and
Windows provides no way to access it even if they did), you will need
to do the calibration yourself.  Daqarta can calibrate the attenuator
step sizes with its Auto-Calibration option, but you will need to provide
an absolute full-scale range calibration using an external known
signal level.  (But the Help does discuss some "tricks" to use a cheap 
DMM if you have no test equipment.)  Once calibrated, Daqarta keeps
track of all ranges and levels, and can display in Volts or User Units,
including SPL if you provide a frequency response file.

   D A Q A R T A
Data AcQuisition And Real-Time Analysis
           www.daqarta.com
Scope, Spectrum, Spectrogram, Signal Generator
    Science with your sound card!

**********************************************************************************************

I'm still happy with the two-channel Stanford Research SR780

I bought  ...
(from Michael Akeroyd: maa@xxxxxxxxxxxxx)

*********************************************************************************************************



Dear Bob,
 
we use a stanford research SR780 which works very well.
 
Cheers, Lutz
 
PD Dr. Lutz Wiegrebe
Dept. Biologie II
Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München
Großhadernerstr. 2
82152 Martinsried, Germany
phone: +49 89 2180 74 314
fax:   +49 89 2180 99 74 314

*********************************************************************************************************

Dear Bob,
 
we use a stanford research SR780 which works very well.
 
Cheers, Lutz
 
PD Dr. Lutz Wiegrebe
Dept. Biologie II
Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München
Großhadernerstr. 2
82152 Martinsried, Germany
phone: +49 89 2180 74 314
fax:   +49 89 2180 99 74 314

*********************************************************************************************************

**********************************************************************************************
The following is a link to an Ono Sokki, which, incidentally, appears to have a touch screen rather than buttons..

This looks good - 4 channel, 24bit, 40 kHz FFT real time rate, Windows 
XP and lots of connections !



http://www.onosokki.net/catalog/viewProduct.cfm?ProductID=78&a=1&CategoryIDTrail=4,27

It's different from their CF 5210 FFT Analyser, which Mike Stone (in Brian Moore's group) says they found very unreliable & disappointing

*************************************************************************
We have happily used an Ono-Sokki CF-350Z for about 14 years, which was 
an update of an older Ono-Sokki model (which we also still have two of).



What the current status of these instruments is, I don't know, but they 
have been very useful and pretty much trouble-free.

(From Stuart Rosen)



Yours  -- Stuart



***************************************************************************************************
Bob,



We have the Agilent one you mention & I really like it - it's solid & doesn't

crash like some of the PC/windows ones I've come across. The down side 
was that
I think we had to pay extra for mic. inputs etc.

I've also used ones by Ono-sokki in the past which have been good, but BIG - I

haven't used recent ones though.

What I have found in the past is that prices are often negotiable if you have

two or three alternatives.



We also have a LeCroy WaveRunner 64Xi oscilloscope which has built in FFT as a

Maths function, for straight forward spectral measurements it is OK - I 
haven't

really used it in anger - but it runs on windows!
(B.B. We (Bob's lab) use LeCroy Waverunner scopes - they're great if you can get over the fact that they're only 12-bit)

(from Richard Baker)
*********************************************************************************************************
've got an HP 35670A and it is a nice instrument but unless you feel
you really, really need the physical interface of a spectrum analyzer,
I suggest you get a laptop computer with a data acquisition interface.
You'll get more channels, high resolution (20 or 24 bit), higher bandwidth, and  the data will already be on a computer.


Besides the physical size, the big problem with the HP35670a is the difficulty in getting data in/out.
You
only have a 3.5" floppy disk and HPIB - there is no other way to get
data in or out.  The analyzer is only 16 bit and you are limited in
your bandwidth.  Because of that reason, I use my HP almost exclusively
as a function generator/simple meter and do my data acquisition with my
laptop.


A similar two channel analyzer is available from Stanford Research SRS 780 and 785
http://www.thinksrs.com/products/SR785.htm
Similar performance to the HP 35670A but about half the price.


If I were looking for a new analyzer I would instead a rugged laptop and one of the following DAQ systems
national instruments (espcially the USB 9233) with the sound and vibration labview kit. 
http://www.ni.com
IOtech (several products)   http://www.iotech.com/
DataTranslation (several products) 
http://www.datx.com/products/dataacquisition/usb/default.htm


Ralph

-- 
Ralph T. Muehleisen
Assistant Professor, Civil and Architectural Engineering
Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago, IL 60616

tel: 312-567-3545    fax: 312-567-3519
email: muehleisen@xxxxxxx    url:http://acoustics.iit.edu/muehleisen



*********************************************************************************************************
*********************************************************************************************************
Hi Bob,



We've been using a 2-channel HP 35670A analyzer for about 15 years.

It's been a great instrument -- very robust, accurate, well-documented, 
easy-to-use.

Recently though we've been relying more and more on PC/Matlab analysis.

The flexibility (mainly in displaying results) wins in many cases, 
especially when you

want to do specialized measurements repetitively. The tradeoff is in 
SNR, unless you get

an external audio interface (which would still be far less expensive 
than the HP).



Regards,

Pat



 Patrick M. Zurek

 President



 Sensimetrics Corporation

 48 Grove St.

 Somerville, MA 02144

 Tel: 617-625-0600 x237

 Fax: 617-625-6612

 email: pat@xxxxxxxx

 web: www.sens.com



*********************************************************************************************************
Hi Bob,



You might take a look at


www.praat.org

and

http://www.phon.ucl.ac.uk/resource/sfs/



Best,



Heriberto (avelino@xxxxxxxxxxxx)
*************************************************************************************

 






Praxis, via Liberty Instruments…fantastic!

 

Professor David W. Smith

Depts. of Psychology and Otolaryngology

Center for Smell and Taste

Center for Hearing Research

(NB this is a software solution)
*********************************************************************************************************
Hi Bob,



We've been using a 2-channel HP 35670A analyzer for about 15 years.

It's been a great instrument -- very robust, accurate, well-documented, 
easy-to-use.

Recently though we've been relying more and more on PC/Matlab analysis.

The flexibility (mainly in displaying results) wins in many cases, 
especially when you

want to do specialized measurements repetitively. The tradeoff is in 
SNR, unless you get

an external audio interface (which would still be far less expensive 
than the HP).



Regards,

Pat



 Patrick M. Zurek

 President



 Sensimetrics Corporation

 48 Grove St.

 Somerville, MA 02144

 Tel: 617-625-0600 x237

 Fax: 617-625-6612

 email: pat@xxxxxxxx

 web: www.sens.com







*********************************************************************************************************
Dear Bob
 
Use B&K's Pulse - a mostly software-based solution - with trustwothy and reliable signal analysis.
 
 I worked on the project myself - including the FFT - and I was proud of it. I would still recommend it, although I don't work at the company anymore so I'm a little less biased :-)
 
I have no idea if the price is tolarable. See the product on http://www.bksv.com/2746.asp
 
Best regards
 
 
Lars Bramsløw
 
Audiology
Oticon A/S
Kongebakken 9
DK-2765 Smørum
Denmark
 
+45 39 13 85 42 Direct
+45 39 17 71 00 Main
lab@xxxxxxxxx
http://www.oticon.com



*************************************************************************************************** 

 

-- 
Dr. Bob Carlyon
MRC Cognition & Brain Sciences Unit
15 Chaucer Rd.
Cambridge CB2 7EF
England

Phone: +44 1223 355294 ext 651
Fax:   +44 1223 359062
www.mrc-cbu.cam.ac.uk

JPEG image