PNA Series Network Analyzer Firmware Revision 3.xx Summary

Important Information for Those Upgrading From A.02.xx Firmware.

Hardware Information

Firmware revision A.03.11 incorporates many changes and may have some limitations that depend upon the installed hardware. Revision 3.11 can be installed on all PNAs, however older units with the old version of the CPU may respond slowly under some conditions. The older CPU can be identified by looking at the rear-panel USB port; if the port is horizontal, it is an older CPU board.

Revision 3.xx now allows up to 16 windows (with 4 traces per window), 32 channels, and up to 16001 points per trace. This can easily require many megabytes of memory. Older CPU's were originally shipped with 64MB and could only be upgraded to 128MB. If you have not yet upgraded to 128MB on the older CPU, this is the time to do it. 128MB SODIMM memory costs less than $30US on the open market. Even with 128MB of memory, older CPUs should not push the limits of the firmware much beyond the original capacity of 4 windows and 1601 points, since sluggish performance may be seen above these levels. Even newer CPU boards that were shipped with 256MB will benefit from more memory if many windows with high numbers of points are used.

Note for newer CPU boards only: A 256MB SODIMM is Agilent part number 1818-8825. If you already have a total of 256MB, it may consist of two 128MB SODIMMs, thus requiring that one (or both) SODIMM be removed. Note that the PNA requires that the SODIMM be organized as 32Mx64 with 16 ICs per SODIMM. The PNA will not accept 256MB SODIMMs with only 8 ICs! This is a limitation of the CPU board's Intel BX chipset.

The entire Cal Kit structure has changed in firmware revision 3.xx. Previously, there were two Cal Kit types, Version 1 (Unguided) and Version 2 (Guided.) Since this caused confusion, they have now been combined into one type. Also, only 10 cal kits could easily be accessed with prior firmware. Now, with version 3, 50 kits can be easily accessed and an unlimited number can be stored. All new Cal Kits have a .ckt extension while collections of Cal Kits have a .wks extension. Installation of new firmware will automatically and transparently convert all previous user Cal Kits to the new format. New kits are about 10KB in size while older kits were 4 or 6KB. All Agilent Cal Kits (about 33) are now available to users under the PnaCalKits directory. Files created with the previous CalKit manager program that were stored in the "CalKit Ver 1 Files" directory will have to be imported using the built-in import feature. Since version 3 now supports up to 30 Cal Kit standards, 8510 Cal Kits can now be easily imported. See the PNA help for more information.

1. Increased number channels, windows, and points per trace (see above)
   
2. The PNA now allows 5 ECal user characterizations (see note below)
   
3. New convenience feature: Copy Channel (copies all settings - except measurements selection)
   
4. Frequency Offset mode on Option 080 units. For Mixer Measurements! (A.03.1x)
   
5. X-Axis point spacing (for better display of some segmented sweeps)
   
6. Cal Kit convergence (see above)
   
7. Up to 30 Cal Kit standards are now allowed
   
8. Guided TRL calibrations
   
9. More Guided Cal options
   
10. New Cal Wizard Tool bar does not obscure the measurement traces
    
11. Improved Cal navigational aids and mouse-over tool tips
    
12. Single Cal Kit editor with print and import feature
    

1. 3-port cal now works properly
2. Rotary Knob acceleration performs much better
3. Long filenames (>200 char) no longer cause problems
4. And many others minor bugs fixed and many minor enhancements made.

1. Unguided waveguide cals do not work; use guided.
2. ECal User Characterization process writes incorrect data into the module. Do not make new ones with this firmware revision. Contact Agilent for possible workaround.
3. There are several Option 083(Freq Converter Appl) bugs that will be fixed soon.