Signal Analyzers

The analysis of electrical signals is in many applications. The different instruments which are used for signal analysis are wave analyzers, distortion analyzers spectrum analyzers audio analyzers and modulation analyzers. All the signal analysis instruments measure the basic frequency of the signal, but they use different techniques to do so. 1. Operating range of analyzers Spectrum analyzers - 0.02 Hz - 250 GHz (Amplitude verses Frequency) Wave analyzer - 10 Hz - 40 MHz Distortion analyzer - 5 Hz - 1 MHz (And give a measure of the energy present in a signal outside in a specified frequency band) 2. Wave analyzers It is known that any periodic waveform can be represent as the sum of a d.c. component and series of sinusoidal harmonics. Analysis of a waveform consists of determination of the value of amplitude, frequency and sometime phase angle of the harmonic components. Graphical and mathematical methods may be used for the purpose but these methods are quite laborious. A wave analyzer in fact, is an instrument designed to measure relative amplitude of single frequency components in a complex waveform. The desired frequency is selected by frequency calibrated dial to the points of maximum amplitude. The amplitude is indicated either by a suitable voltmeter or a CRO.

Frequency selective wave analyzer This wave analyzer is used for measurements in the audio frequency range (i.e. 20 Hz - 20 KHz) The analyzer has a filter section with a very narrow pass band which can tune to the frequency of interest. The waveform analyzer to be analyzed in terms of its separate frequency components is applied to an input attenuator that is set by a meter range switch on the front panel. A driver amplifier feeds the attenuated waveform to high-Q active filter. The filter consists of a cascade arrangement of RC resonant sections and filter amplifiers. The pass band of the total filter section is covered in decade steps over the entire audio range by switching capacitors in the RC sections.