Rubidium™ MG362x1A SeriesLow-Noise RF/Microwave SignalGenerators : Instrument Overview : GUI Overview
 
GUI Overview
The MG362x1A software controls all instrument functions. The software runs locally on the instrument. The User Interface provides the parameter settings and menu buttons as shown in Figure: GUI Overview. Each are described in more detail later in this chapter.
GUI Overview
1. See Title Bar.
2. Menus are used to configure the main menu measurement settings: FREQUENCY, LEVEL, ALC, SWEEP, MODULATION and SYSTEM and to enable measurement modes and views.
5. See Status Area.
 
Title Bar
The title bar is located at the top of the interface screen. It displays icons that provide access to information and user actions as described below. All of the icons are active and will open the appropriate menu or item when touched.
Title Bar
1. Press the System Menu to display the instrument model and its serial number. The System Menu also consists of System Information, Settings, Files and Diagnostics menus.
2. Press the camera icon to capture a screen shot of the current display. The image file is saved in PNG format with the following naming scheme: screenshot_yymmdd_hhmmss.png (year, month, day, hour, minute, second). Using the SCREENSHOT Settings, you can set the screen capture region, color theme, annotations, and destination directory.
3. Notifications are generated when an error is detected or an activity such as a screen shot has taken place. The number of unread notifications appears next to the icon. The notification area is where all dynamic notifications are presented. These notifications are generally information messages to the user and not hardware failure messages. Press the icon to display the Notifications list.
4. Displayed when a USB device is attached. To ensure the device or its data does not become corrupted, press this icon to eject the USB device before it is unplugged from the USB port. This icon is also displayed when WEB UPDATES toggle is turned on and a firmware update is available on the company website. Note that it is only possible if the instrument is connected to the Internet.
5. Press Frequency Reference icon to open standard 100 MHz menu under Reference submenu. Refer to “REFERENCE Menu” on page 3‑101 for detailed information.
6. The right side of the instrument title bar displays the system date and time. Pressing this field opens the DATE TIME Settings.
 
Main Menu Buttons
The main menu buttons are shown in Figure: Main Menu Buttons.
Main Menu Buttons
FREQUENCY
Contains the frequency control settings: FREQUENCY, and PRESETS menus. See “FREQUENCY Menu” on page 3‑3.
LEVEL: Contains the level control settings: LEVEL, SETUP, ATTENUATOR, OFFSET, and PRESETS menus. See “LEVEL Menu” on page 3‑12.
ALC
Contains the Automatic Level Control (ALC) control settings: LOOP CONTROL, POWER SEARCH, and USER CAL menus. See “ALC Menu” on page 3‑27.
SWEEP
Contains the Sweep menu: SUMMARY, STEP, LIST, and LEVEL. See “Sweep Menu” on page 3‑42.
MODULATION
Contains the Modulation control settings: AMPLITUDE, FREQUENCY, PHASE, and PULSE menus. See “Modulation” on page 3‑69.
SYSTEM
Contains the System menu control settings: SETUPS, REFERENCE, CONFIG, INCREMENT, and RESET menus. The REFERENCE menu contains the reference oscillators calibration menu. See “SYSTEM Menu” on page 3‑99.
Status Area
The status area of the GUI provides a summary of instrument settings. Status text is displayed only if the condition is active.
Status Area
1. Sweep Mode Panel
2. Error Message Panel
3. Modulation Mode Panel
4. ALC Mode Panel
The status rows contain the following entries:
Sweep Mode
CW, Step Sweep, Analog Sweep, Level Sweep, List Sweep
Error Messages
Error messages are displayed when an error condition is active. The error messages that are displayed when active are:
• Unlocked: Frequency is unlocked
• Lock Err: A lock error condition exists
• Ref Err: The reference is unlocked
• Unleveled: An unleveled condition exists
Modulation
Always displays the modulation condition as.
• On is displayed when the source selection (int or Ext) is active?
• Modulation error (Err) is display if the modulation state is On and an error is occurring.
• Off is displayed if the modulation state is Off.
The modulation condition is displayed when active as:
• AM: Internal (Int), External (Ext), Error (Err), AM when AM is on. No display when AM is off.
• FM: Internal (Int), External (Ext), Error (Err), FM when FM is on. No display when FM is off.
• PM: Internal (Int), External (Ext), Error (Err), PM when PM is on. No display when PM is off.
• Pulse: Internal (Int), External (Ext), Error (Err), Pulse when Pulse is on. No display when Pulse is off.
ALC
Always displays the ALC condition as:
• Internal
• External
• Fixed Gain
• Open Loop
Entering Data
Entering data refers to changing a parameter's value by editing its current value or entering a new value to replace the current value. The following instructions describe how to open a parameter, edit its current value, and enter a new value.
The typical MG362x1A menu display shown in Figure: Frequency Menu Display is used throughout the data entry instructions. At this menu display, you can edit both the CW frequency and the output parameters.
Frequency Menu Display