NXP Semiconductors
User’s Guide
Document Number: RFEL24-500UG
Rev. 0, 10/2018
RFEL24-500 RF Energy Lab Box
User’s Guide
1. Introduction
The RFEL24-500 RF energy lab box is a 2.45 GHz,
2-channel, 250 W-per-channel, fully integrated RF
development system. The development system can
control frequency, phase and power for each channel.
The integrated high accuracy measurement system
monitors and logs all critical parameters. Fault detection
and protection prevent damage to the system.
The RFEL24-500 RF energy lab box uses, as a core,
two RFEM24-250 250 W RF energy modules and
provides all required support components needed to run
the modules, enabling plug-and-play operation.
Key components include:
• Two RFEM24-250 modules
• Cooling system
• Power supply unit
• PC communications interface
• Control software
This user’s guide describes safe installation and basic
operation of the RFEL24-500 RF energy lab box (RF
lab box).
© 2018 NXP B.V.
Contents
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
Introduction........................................................................ 1
Product Description ........................................................... 2
Product Certification .......................................................... 2
Safety ................................................................................. 2
General Care and Cleaning ................................................ 5
Working Environment........................................................ 5
Setup .................................................................................. 6
MHT Interface Software Installation ............................... 10
Startup .............................................................................. 13
RF Lab Box Operation ..................................................... 14
Advanced Functions......................................................... 16
Troubleshooting and Operating Tips................................ 27
Revision History .............................................................. 29
Product Description
2. Product Description
The RFEL24-500 RF energy lab box is a compact 2.45 GHz, 2-channel, 250 W RF source. The
RFEL24-500 incorporates a power supply, RF generators and a cooling system in a single unit. Control
is through a USB interface to an external Windows® personal computer. It is intended for indoor
laboratory use, table mounted or in a rack shelf.
3. Product Certification
NXP guarantees that this product conforms to IEC/EN61010-1, Third Edition, Safety requirements for
electrical equipment for measurement, control and laboratory use, Part 1: General requirements.
If you have any problems or questions using the RFEL24-500 or this user’s guide, you can send email to
RFenergy@nxp.com, including a copy of the diagnostic report, as mentioned in section 11.4,
Diagnostics Report. Information is also available on the NXP web at www.nxp.com/RFEL24-500.
4. Safety
4.1. General Safety Summary
Review the following safety precautions carefully before putting the instrument into operation to avoid
any personal injury or damage to the instrument and any product connected to it. To prevent potential
hazards, use the instrument only as specified by this user’s guide.
4.2. Power Cord
Use only the power cord designed for the instrument and authorized for use within your region. The cord
must be rated at a minimum of 15 amperes (IEC320).
4.3. Ground
The RF lab box must be grounded through the protective earth (ground) lead of the power cord. To
avoid electric shock, it is essential that the power cord be connected to a properly grounded power
outlet.
4.4. Shielded RF Loads
Make sure both RF outputs are connected to well-shielded loads before applying power. This is to avoid
RF exposure and potential damage to the instrument.
RFEL24-500 RF Energy Lab Box User’s Guide, Rev. 0, 10/2018
2
NXP Semiconductors
Safety
4.5. Overvoltage Protection
Use overvoltage protection (a surge protector) so that no overvoltage (such as that caused by a
thunderstorm) can reach the RF lab box. Failure to do so may damage the instrument or expose the
operator to electrical shock hazard.
4.6. Covers
Do not operate the instrument with covers or panels removed.
There are no user-serviceable parts inside, so there is no need to remove covers.
Service should be performed by only NXP-authorized personnel.
4.7. Ventilation Holes
To avoid damage to the instrument or electrical shock, do not insert anything into any of the ventilation holes.
4.8. Fuses
Use only the specified type of fuse: 250 V, 15 A, fast-acting Littelfuse 314 or equivalent.
Figure 1 shows the fuse locations.
If a new fuse is required, use only the specified type of fuse, and follow these steps:
1. Turn off the instrument, and remove the power cord.
2. Insert a straight screwdriver into the slot in the fuse holder, and turn it a quarter turn
counterclockwise.
3. Take out the old fuse, and replace it with a new one of the specified type, taking care to close the
fuse cover properly.
15 A Fuses
AC Power Receptacle
and Power Switch
Heatsink Fans
Power Supply Fans
Figure 1. Fan and Fuse Locations
RFEL24-500 RF Energy Lab Box User’s Guide, Rev. 0, 10/2018
NXP Semiconductors
3
Safety
4.9. Suspected Damage
If you suspect damage has occurred to the RF lab box, have it inspected by qualified service personnel
before further operation. Any maintenance, adjustment or replacement—especially to internal
components—must be performed by NXP-authorized personnel.
4.10. Ventilation
WARNING
Inadequate ventilation will cause high temperature operation and
potentially damage the instrument. Therefore, keep the instrument well
ventilated, and inspect the intake and fan regularly for dirt and other
obstructions.
This instrument uses forced-air cooling. Make sure that the air intake and exhaust areas are free from
obstructions and have free airflow. When using the instrument in a benchtop or rack setting, provide at
least 10 cm of clearance on each side, above and behind the instrument for adequate ventilation.
4.11. Wet Conditions
To avoid electric shock or damage to the internal circuitry of the instrument, do not operate it under
extremely humid or wet conditions.
4.12. Explosive Atmosphere
To avoid personal injury or damage to the instrument, do not operate in or near an explosive
atmosphere.
4.13. Surfaces
To avoid contamination by dust or moisture in the air, keep the surface of the instrument clean and dry.
4.14. Electrostatic Discharge Prevention
Operate in an ESD (electrostatic discharge) safe area to avoid damage by static discharge. Always
ground the internal and external conductors of cables to remove any static charge before connecting
them to the instrument.
RFEL24-500 RF Energy Lab Box User’s Guide, Rev. 0, 10/2018
4
NXP Semiconductors
Working Environment
5. General Care and Cleaning
Do not store or leave the instrument where it may be exposed to direct sunlight for long periods.
Clean the instrument regularly by performing these steps:
1. Disconnect the instrument from all power sources.
2. Clean the loose dust on the outside of the instrument with a damp, lint-free cloth, using mild
detergent or water.
3. Clean the fans and vents with compressed air, taking care not to spin the fans at extremely high
speed.
CAUTION
To avoid damage to the instrument, do not use acidic or caustic liquids,
which can cause corrosion or damage the finish.
WARNING
To avoid injury resulting from leakage circuit, make sure the instrument is
completely dry before reconnecting it to a power source.
6. Working Environment
Location
• Indoor use only
• Tabletop or rack mount
Temperature
• Operating: 0°C to +50°C
• Non-operating: –40°C to +70°C
Humidity
• 0°C to +30°C: ≤ 95% relative humidity
• +30°C to +40°C: ≤ 75% relative humidity
• +40°C to +50°C: ≤ 45% relative humidity
Altitude
• Operating: < 3 km (10,000 ft)
• Non-operating: < 15 km (50,000 ft)
RFEL24-500 RF Energy Lab Box User’s Guide, Rev. 0, 10/2018
NXP Semiconductors
5
Setup
7. Setup
7.1. Hardware and Software Requirements
These items are needed to operate the instrument:
• Suitable test load or cavity with launcher/applicator that can handle 250 W per channel
• Low-loss cables capable of handling 300 W at 2.4 to 2.5 GHz (LMR400 or better)
• PC running Windows 7 or newer 32- or 64-bit operating system, 1 GB free disk space, 1.5 GHz
or faster CPU, 500 MB RAM
7.2. Hardware Overview
The RFEL24-500 RF energy lab box is the development system for the RFEM24-250, a fully integrated
2.45 GHz, 250 W RF generator module.
Front View
Rear View
Figure 2. RFEL24-500 RF Energy Lab Box – Front and Rear Views
•
RF lab box includes:
o two RFEM24-250 RF energy modules
o a cooling system (heatsink, fans)
o a 30 V, 500 W power supply unit
o a USB to I2C communications interface
RFEL24-500 RF Energy Lab Box User’s Guide, Rev. 0, 10/2018
6
NXP Semiconductors
Setup
Two RFEM24-250 Modules
Power Supply
Communications Interface
Heatsink
Figure 3. RFEL24-500 RF Energy Lab Box – Internal View
The RFEM24-250 module is a fully integrated 2.45 GHz, 250 W RF generator module that includes full
measurement capabilities. Its microcontroller includes an RF source that drives a 3-stage RF amplifier
lineup. Its comprehensive command set controls parameters such as frequency, phase and power. The
extensive measurement system provides calibrated data from multiple internal sensors and supports
closed-loop operations.
• The RF energy module includes:
o MRF24300N – 300 W final stage transistor
o MHT1008N – 8 W driver
o MMA25312B – 31 dBm pre-driver
o Kinetis® KW40Z – MCU with built-in 2.45 GHz RF generator
RF power detectors
Temperature sensors
Current sensor
Voltage sensor
RFEL24-500 RF Energy Lab Box User’s Guide, Rev. 0, 10/2018
NXP Semiconductors
7
Setup
Figure 4. RFEM24-250 RF Energy Module – Top View
7.3. Connections, Controls and Indicators
Figure 5 shows the power switch location above the AC power receptacle.
AC Power Receptacle
and Power Switch
Figure 5. Power Switch
RFEL24-500 RF Energy Lab Box User’s Guide, Rev. 0, 10/2018
8
NXP Semiconductors
Heatsink
Setup
The unit has six status LEDs. Figure 6 shows the locations of the LEDs.
RF Outputs
Power
Amplifier
DC
5V
Communications
Interface
Shut Down
Message
Communications
Alert Connector
Debug Connector
Power
Figure 6. LED System Indicators and Connectors
7.3.1. Description of Connectors and Indicators
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
15 A fuse holder (See section 4.8, Fuses, for detailed description.)
AC power receptacle and power switch
Heatsink fans
Power supply fans
PADC: this LED indicates that mains-powered 30 V power amplifier DC supply is active.
5V: this LED indicates that mains-powered 5 V auxiliary supply is active.
SHUT DOWN: this LED indicates that hardware shutdown has been asserted.
MSG: this LED is not used in this instrument.
ALERT: this LED is not used in this instrument.
POWER: this LED indicates that the communications interface subsystem is receiving power
from the instrument.
• DBG (debug): for factory use only
• COMMS (communications): for USB cable to communicate to PC
In normal operation:
• The 5V and PADC lights are on.
• The Power light is on.
RFEL24-500 RF Energy Lab Box User’s Guide, Rev. 0, 10/2018
NXP Semiconductors
9
MHT Interface Software Installation
8. MHT Interface Software Installation
This section contains instructions on how to install the MHT Interface software required to operate the
RF lab box.
NOTE
MHT Interface software runs on only the Windows operating system (see
section 7.1, Hardware and Software Requirements).
To install the MHT Interface software, perform the following steps:
1. From the NXP website (www.nxp.com/RFEL24-500 > Software & Tools), download the latest
software installer file: nxp_rfel_setup.msi.
2. Launch the executable setup file to install the software. Note that the nxp_rfel_setup.msi file
also contains an electronic copy of the RFEL24-500 RF Energy Lab Box User’s Guide and the
RF Energy Module Interface Reference Manual.
3. Click Next.
4. Read the terms of the license agreement, select “I accept the terms of the License Agreement”
and then click Next.
You must accept the terms in the License Agreement to proceed.
RFEL24-500 RF Energy Lab Box User’s Guide, Rev. 0, 10/2018
10
NXP Semiconductors
MHT Interface Software Installation
5. Choose a location to install the software, or accept the default location, and then click Next.
Programming Examples and Desktop Shortcuts installations are optional during Custom Setup.
Note that if you have chosen to not include any or some of the optional Programming Examples
or Desktop Shortcuts during installation, you can go back at any time to make incremental
changes by rerunning the Installer and choosing which additional features you would like to
install.
During custom setup you can choose to install programming examples provided for Visual
Studio C#, LabVIEW and MATLAB.
For future use, make note of the file location, which is where examples and help files are located.
RFEL24-500 RF Energy Lab Box User’s Guide, Rev. 0, 10/2018
NXP Semiconductors
11
MHT Interface Software Installation
6. Click Install to start the install procedure.
The following figure indicates a process that may take several minutes.
7. The installer asks for device driver installation approval. Click Install to install the drivers.
RFEL24-500 RF Energy Lab Box User’s Guide, Rev. 0, 10/2018
12
NXP Semiconductors
Startup
8. Click Finish to finish the installation process.
9. Startup
9.1. Turn-on Sequence
1. Connect cables.
a) RF cables: Connect the RF lab box to an appropriate load or test fixture. The
recommended cable is a one-half inch Heliax type to handle the power and minimize loss
to the load.
b) USB: Connect to PC using a standard USB Type-A to Micro USB Type-A cable to the
COMM socket on the RFEL communications interface.
c) Mains power cable: Connect to AC power using a 3-wire cable with an IEC 320 plug to
the appropriate AC power connector for your location. Make sure that the outlet is a
3-wire grounded type.
2. Switch on mains power. The switch is adjacent to the power input connector. Check that the
PADC and 5 V indicators are illuminated to verify power supply operation.
3. Launch the RFEL software. Refer to section 10, RF Lab Box Operation, for operating
information about the RFEL software.
RFEL24-500 RF Energy Lab Box User’s Guide, Rev. 0, 10/2018
NXP Semiconductors
13
Startup
Figure 7. RF Lab Box Typical Application
10. RF Lab Box Operation
Launch the RFEL application. It is found in the NXP folder on the Windows Start menu.
RFEL24-500 RF Energy Lab Box User’s Guide, Rev. 0, 10/2018
14
NXP Semiconductors
RF Lab Box Operation
When the RFEL software starts, this display will appear:
Standby = RF OFF
Operating = RF ON
STOP = Emergency OFF
MHT Interface = lab box serial ID
Timed (default mode): RF will stop
automatically after the specified duration.
•
•
Turn on the RF by clicking Operating.
The frequency is adjusted for all modules simultaneously, which are phase and frequency
synchronized.
• The power and phase can be adjusted for each module independently.
• The output power (Forward Power), reflected power (Reverse Power), the final stage transistor
temperature (measured with a temperature sensor close to the transistor) and the module current
consumption are dynamically shown by the RFEL software.
• The RF power plot on the right shows the record of forward and reverse power over time.
RFEL24-500 RF Energy Lab Box User’s Guide, Rev. 0, 10/2018
NXP Semiconductors
15
Advanced Functions
11. Advanced Functions
The advanced functions are accessible through these controls. Details for each function are located in the
following sections.
11.1. Extended Features
The extended features enable users to make frequency or phase sweeps to find the points with the best
match to the load. After completing at least one sweep, then using the Best mode, the system will hop
from one best point to another to maximize the energy transferred to the load.
The best points are ranked by the frequency/phase parameters, enabling the maximum power to be
delivered to the load, where maximum power = forward power – reverse power.
RFEL24-500 RF Energy Lab Box User’s Guide, Rev. 0, 10/2018
16
NXP Semiconductors
Advanced Functions
How to find the best points:
1. Switch the RF on using the main window. Specify the RF power level for each module in the
main window.
2. Execute a frequency or phase sweep by selecting the Sweep Mode in the Extended Features
interface.
a) The frequency or phase range as well as step sizes can be specified.
b) After a sweep has completed, the number of “best” values desired can be selected.
c) The key values are indicated in the table on the right. The points with the lowest VSWR
are highlighted in yellow. The number of rows highlighted depends on the number of
points specified in the Best section on the left.
3. Alternatively, select the Random mode, where the system will randomly specify the frequency
and the phase for each module. By default, the phase of Module 1 (M1) will remain at 0, and
only the phase of Module 2 will be randomly changed.
RFEL24-500 RF Energy Lab Box User’s Guide, Rev. 0, 10/2018
NXP Semiconductors
17
Advanced Functions
4. Then select the Best mode. The Best mode can be selected only when at least one sweep has
completed. By selecting, for instance, “Best 10 Point(s),” the system will hop among the best
10 points (specified by frequency and phase) continuously. The RF will stay at a given frequency
and phase for the number of seconds specified on the interface. As an example, if “Best 10
points” is selected with “update every 1.0 secs,” the system will step to the next “best” point
each second. The complete set of points will repeat every 10 seconds.
11.2. Playback File (Scripting)
Playback supports a maximum of four RFEM modules. Playback file format:
• Lines starting with ‘//’ or ‘#’ are ignored.
• Other lines are parsed as values separated by a comma (,), semicolon (;), colon (:) or tab. Note
that in locales that use a comma as the decimal separator, only the semicolon, colon and tab can
be used as value separators.
• Each line with values is expected to have ten values:
o Time in seconds, at which to apply the values (e.g., 0.1)
o Frequency in MHz, must be a multiple of 0.5 in the range 2405 to 2495 (e.g., 2451.5)
o Phase for Module 1 in degrees, must be a multiple of 5 in the range 0 to 400 (e.g., 25)
o Phase for Module 2 in degrees
o Phase for Module 3 in degrees
o Phase for Module 4 in degrees
o Power for Module 1 in percent of nominal max power, in the range of 0 to 100 (e.g., 75)
o Power for Module 2 in percent
o Power for Module 3 in percent
o Power for Module 4 in percent
• The time value must be monotonically increasing through the playback file, although the time
steps do not have to be consistent.
// Playback test file
# Time(secs), Freq(MHz), M1 Phase, M2 Phase, M3 Phase, M4 Phase, M1 Power, M2 Power,
M3 Power, M4 Power
1.0; 2410.0; 0; 5; 10; 15; 10; 15; 20; 25
2.5; 2415.5; 20; 25; 30; 35; 50; 50; 50; 50
5.0; 2415.5; 90; 100; 110; 120; 100; 100; 100; 100
RFEL24-500 RF Energy Lab Box User’s Guide, Rev. 0, 10/2018
18
NXP Semiconductors
Advanced Functions
11.3. Communications Log
The Communications Log shows the commands that are being issued to the RFEM modules in real time.
This provides a convenient way to see what commands the GUI is sending to the modules and the data it
is receiving back, which may provide a stepping stone toward creating your own controller.
When the Communications Log window is first opened, it appears as shown below:
The key parts of the window are:
1. Enable Logging checkbox – When this is checked the communications to the modules will be
logged to the window with the applied filters.
2. Auto Scroll checkbox – When this is checked the Communications Log window will
automatically scroll vertically so that the most recent transaction is displayed at the bottom of the
Communications Log window.
3. Filters – There are six filters that may be used to select which communications transactions are
logged to the window:
RFEL24-500 RF Energy Lab Box User’s Guide, Rev. 0, 10/2018
NXP Semiconductors
19
Advanced Functions
a) To Module – Choosing “Any” enables communications to all modules to be logged.
Choosing a single module (1, 2, 3, 4) will cause communications to only the selected
module to be logged.
Note that choosing “Any” will also include broadcast communications that affect the
operation of all modules to be logged. However, if you select an individual module, then
only communications specifically directed to that module will be logged. Broadcast
communications that also affect the operation of that individual module will not be
logged.
b) The other five filters choose which types of communication is logged and what level of
information is shown. For each of these filters the user can select three levels of logging:
i. None – No logging of these types of communication occurs.
ii. Command – Only the high-level description of the command is shown. The highlevel description of the command is shown in gray in the Communications Log
window and reports which command is being used with its parameters.
iii. Command and I2C – Both the high-level description of the command and the I2C
traffic are shown. The I2C transactions are shown in black. Write transactions are
prefixed with “Wr:” and the read transactions are prefixed with “Rd:”. Both of
these lines show each byte written and read, with the first byte being the I2C slave
address byte.
RFEL24-500 RF Energy Lab Box User’s Guide, Rev. 0, 10/2018
20
NXP Semiconductors
Advanced Functions
c) The five filter areas for types of communication logged are:
i. ID Assignment – These are the messages exchanged with an RFEM module when
it is first connected to the slave bus and powered up. This includes the Alert
requesting the ID and the commands to read the Alert register and assign an ID to
the module.
ii. Alert Messages – These messages are generated by the RFEM module and are
signaled by the ALERT_B signal going low. The MHT Interface controller
autonomously uses the ReadAlerts command and then reads the Alert Sources
from the reporting module to determine the source of the Alert without any
interventions from the GUI, so only the digest of the Alert message is shown in
the Communications Log, not the actual commands to read the Alerts. You can,
however, see these commands used during the ID Assignment.
RFEL24-500 RF Energy Lab Box User’s Guide, Rev. 0, 10/2018
NXP Semiconductors
21
Advanced Functions
iii. Read Mode messages – The GUI polls each module continuously during
operating mode to ensure that it is in operating state and not in shutdown state.
While you may want to use this same strategy, there are many such messages, so
disabling their reporting can make it easier to read the Communications Log.
iv. Read Sensor messages – The GUI polls each module continuously during
operating mode to determine the current readings, which are displayed on the
GUI. Disabling the reporting of these messages can make the Communications
Log easier to read.
RFEL24-500 RF Energy Lab Box User’s Guide, Rev. 0, 10/2018
22
NXP Semiconductors
Advanced Functions
v. Write Param messages – These are sent whenever a parameter (Frequency, Power
or Phase) is changed on the GUI. The GUI changes only one parameter at a time,
but in your controller you may choose to change multiple parameters at the same
time with the same command.
vi. Some commands (such as Set Mode and ReadInfo) are always logged regardless
of the five filter area settings; however, they may still be filtered by the “To
Module” filter.
d) The three buttons along the bottom of the window update the Communications Log
window text:
i. “Copy to Clipboard” copies the entire contents of the Communications Log
window to the clipboard so that it can be pasted into another program.
ii. “Reset Clock” resets the clock that is reported on the Communications Log lines
back to 0.
iii. “Clear Log” discards the contents of the Log window.
NOTE
Logging all of the transactions to the Communications Log window can
slow down the operation of the GUI, so it is recommended to filter out the
commands that you are not concerned with, such as the Read mode and
Read Sensor transactions.
Closing the Communications Log window does not stop the logging. If
logging was enabled when the window was closed, it will continue
logging in the background. If you want to stop logging communications,
you must clear the “Enable Logging” checkbox.
RFEL24-500 RF Energy Lab Box User’s Guide, Rev. 0, 10/2018
NXP Semiconductors
23
Advanced Functions
11.4. Diagnostics Report
The Diagnostics Report window shows internal parameters that aid NXP support.
Click Show Diagnostics Report:
Refer to the sample report. The report includes the version of the GUI software, firmware and the
number of communication interface. For each module, as shown in the example, the report shows its
serial number, hardware and software version, manufacture and calibration number and the state. If the
report shows any error codes, click Copy to Clipboard to copy the diagnostics data to the clipboard,
which then can be pasted into an email message or another document. The report can be sent to
RFenergy@nxp.com. Refer to section 12, Troubleshooting and Operating Tips.
RFEL24-500 RF Energy Lab Box User’s Guide, Rev. 0, 10/2018
24
NXP Semiconductors
Advanced Functions
Sample Report:
RFEL Diagnostics Report
RFEL.exe v1.6.6788.27847 rls_v1.5-11-g33ead20+, 8/2/2018 3:26:14 PM UTC
MHTInterface.dll v1.6.6788.27823 rls_v1.5-11- g33ead20+, 8/2/2018 3:27:26 PM UTC
MHT Interface
Serial 58FB, firmware v1.4
Module 1
SN# 00000F04, HW v1.4, SW v1.5, 250W, FMODULE
State: operating ready
Status : 0x00 = No error
Temp
: 0x0C
Voltage: 0x3E
RF
:
Idd
Vdd
None : 0x0002(01) 0x02A1(3E)
Low : 0x00B2(1D) 0x0299(3B)
Mid : 0x0139(32) 0x0294(39)
High : 0x019C(42) 0x028F(36)
HW Comparator : 0
Fwd
0x0001(00)
0x017C(2B)
0x025E(4D)
0x02C9(54)
Rev
0x0002(00)
0x006B(00)
0x00B0(00)
0x00D1(00)
Module 2
SN# 00000F04, HW v1.4, SW v1.5, 250W, FMODULE
State: operating_ready
Status : 0x00 = No error
Temp
: 0x0A
Voltage: 0x4F
RF
:
Idd
Vdd
None : 0x0002(01) 0x02CB(50)
Low : 0x00E6(25) 0x02C8(4E)
Mid : 0x0165(3A) 0x02C5(4D)
High : 0x01F3(50) 0x02C3(4C)
Fwd
0x0001(00)
0x01AA(25)
0x0265(49)
0x02EE(6B)
Rev
0x0002(00)
0x0020(01)
0x0034(01)
0x0041(02)
11.5. Logging
The logging features can help users record the parameters of the system, such as power, frequency and
temperature. When using the “Start Log” function an Excel file is generated and stored in the user’s
Documents/RFEL_Log folder, as shown in the following sample.
The name of each logging file includes the starting time of the file.
RFEL24-500 RF Energy Lab Box User’s Guide, Rev. 0, 10/2018
NXP Semiconductors
25
Advanced Functions
To log the data from the RFEL software, click Start Log.
Note that after the Start Log button is clicked, logging starts and the Start Log button display will
change to Stop Log. Clicking Stop Log stops the logging, saves and closes the current RFEL_Log file,
and resets Stop Log to Start Log.
A sample Log file looks like this in Excel:
It includes a time stamp on the first column followed by power, phase, current and frequency for each
module.
11.6. Restore Default Values
Restore Default Values will reset all GUI values to factory default values. Log and playback files are not
affected.
RFEL24-500 RF Energy Lab Box User’s Guide, Rev. 0, 10/2018
26
NXP Semiconductors
Troubleshooting and Operating Tips
12. Troubleshooting and Operating Tips
This section contains instructions on how to solve problems that can occur while installing and operating
the RFEL24-500 RF energy lab box.
1. When the software installer is being used on the computer for the first time, after it is connected
to the communication interface, the computer may reinstall the drivers for the communication
interface, which may take up to 2 minutes.
2. If the software installed all the drivers successfully, the system will be recognized. If the system
is not recognized, check in Device Manager, as shown below. In this example the NXP MHT
Interface, COM21, is recognized, showing that the driver software has successfully been
installed.
3. If the signal from the communication interface is lost due to cable disconnection or some other
reason, such as the PC being shut down, the system will shut down (go to standby state) after 10
seconds to ensure safety.
4. If the cable is disconnected from the RF output port and/or the reverse RF power is greater than
the preset limit, the system will shut down (go to standby state). If the RF reverse power is less
than the set limit, the system will absorb the power into the circulator termination.
5. If the system heatsink exceeds the preset temperature, the fan will switch to a high-speed setting.
6. If the communications interface indicator turns to yellow or red, try cycling the system power. If
the LED on the communications interface is still not green, copy and paste the Diagnostics
Report (details in section 11.4, Diagnostics Report), and send the report to RFenergy@nxp.com.
7. In the following figure, the MHT Interface is not found, as shown by the empty “MHT Interface”
pull-down menu. Check the power, cabling or installation of the driver software.
RFEL24-500 RF Energy Lab Box User’s Guide, Rev. 0, 10/2018
NXP Semiconductors
27
Troubleshooting and Operating Tips
8. In the following figure, only one channel is recognized. This is the normal condition for a single
channel system but would indicate a channel failure in a multichannel system.
RFEL24-500 RF Energy Lab Box User’s Guide, Rev. 0, 10/2018
28
NXP Semiconductors
Revision History
13. Revision History
The following table summarizes revisions to this document.
Revision
Date
0
Oct. 2018
Description
• Initial release of user’s guide
RFEL24-500 RF Energy Lab Box User’s Guide, Rev. 0, 10/2018
NXP Semiconductors
29
How to Reach Us:
Home Page:
nxp.com
Web Support:
nxp.com/support
Information in this document is provided solely to enable system and software
implementers to use NXP products. There are no express or implied copyright licenses
granted hereunder to design or fabricate any integrated circuits based on the information
in this document. NXP reserves the right to make changes without further notice to any
products herein.
NXP makes no warranty, representation, or guarantee regarding the suitability of its
products for any particular purpose, nor does NXP assume any liability arising out of the
application or use of any product or circuit, and specifically disclaims any and all liability,
including without limitation consequential or incidental damages. “Typical” parameters
that may be provided in NXP data sheets and/or specifications can and do vary in
different applications, and actual performance may vary over time. All operating
parameters, including “typicals,” must be validated for each customer application by
customer’s technical experts. NXP does not convey any license under its patent rights
nor the rights of others. NXP sells products pursuant to standard terms and conditions of
sale, which can be found at the following address: nxp.com/SalesTermsandConditions.
NXP and the NXP logo are trademarks of NXP B.V. All other product or service names
are the property of their respective owners.
© 2018 NXP B.V.
RFEL24-500UG
Rev. 0, 10/2018