JFW Industries has developed a new series of USB-controlled, solid-state programmable RF attenuators that operate over a frequency range of 200 MHz to 8400 MHz. The product line has three variants with 2-channel, 4-channel, and 8-channel configurations, each providing independently controlled RF attenuation paths within a single enclosure.
Each of the three attenuator models are matched to 50-ohm RF systems and provides an attenuation range of 0 to 95 dB with a 1 dB step size. They have an insertion loss of less than 7.5 dB, an isolation of more than 105 dB and has a switching speed of less than 4 microseconds after the command is received and processed. These attenuators can handle an RF input power level of up to 24 dBm during operation. They have SMA female RF connectors, and are controlled through a USB interface using supplied test software.
The 2-channel model (50P-2160) consists of two individually controlled attenuation channels in a compact module. Each channel can be controlled independently. This device is available as a module measuring 2.44 x 3.51 inches. The 4-channel model (50P-2166) has integrated four independently controlled attenuators within one enclosure. These channels use common electrical specifications. This device is available as a module measuring 2.44 x 5.17 inches. The 8-channel model (50P-2172) provides eight independently controlled attenuation channels within a single unit. This attenuator configuration supports control of multiple RF paths through a single USB interface. The device is available as a module measuring 2.44 x 8.50 inches.
Supplied with the USB attenuator are JFW’s test software and software manual (both provided on a USB drive), along with a USB cable for easy setup and connectivity. USB test software functions include a downloadable software manual, auto-discovery of connected JFW USB attenuators, control of attenuator(s) using a slider bar, increment buttons, or manual entry of attenuation values, the ability to assign persistent device names for organizing test scenarios, creation of test scripts capable of controlling multiple attenuators, execution of fade and handover commands in sequential or synchronous mode, saving and loading scripts in JSON format, and compatibility with Microsoft Windows Vista or later and .NET Framework 4.0 or later.
Python control support is available, and a Python library (jfwusb.py) can be provided on request. The Python library supports auto-discovery of connected JFW USB devices, setting persistent device names for each attenuator, setting and reading attenuation values by device number, serial number, or user-defined name, and setting all attenuators to the same, minimum, or maximum dB value. The models ship with test software, with additional control libraries available on request.