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NI Spectral Measurements Toolkit

The National Instruments Spectral Measurements Toolkit provides a set of flexible spectral measurements in LabVIEW and LabWindows/CVI, including power spectrum, peak power and frequency, in-band power, adjacent-channel power, and occupied bandwidth, as well as 3D spectrogram capabilities. In addition, the Spectral Measurements Toolkit contains VIs and functions for performing modulation-domain operations such as passband (IF) to baseband (I-Q) conversion, I-Q to IF conversion, and generation/analysis of analog modulated signals. The combination of these optimized algorithms and the GHz processing of your PC delivers unmatched measurement throughput.

  • Common spectral measurement functions such as in-band power and adjacent-channel power
  • 3D spectrogram
  • Highly optimized FFT processing
  • Analog modulation and demodulation
  • I-Q data for digital demodulation

Description | Demos | Documentation | System Requirements | Pricing and Purchasing

Description


What is the Spectral Measurements Toolkit?
The Spectral Measurements Toolkit (SMT) is National Instruments best software package for frequency domain and analog modulation/demodulation measurements. The toolkit provides engineers with a high-level API for acquiring and analyzing spectral measurements and performing modulation and demodulation on AM, FM, and PM signals. SMT is an essential tool for applications in communications, surveillance, and aerospace and is supported using both LabVIEW and LabWindows/CVI.

SMT leverages off of Zoom FFT algorithms that, when combined with high-processing speed, make frequency-domain measurements faster than ever before. The Zoom FFTs allow the user to "zoom in" on certain frequencies to make computations faster and more efficient. Using this technology, SMT enables you to make spectral measurements such as peak frequency and power, adjacent channel power, power in band, occupied bandwidth, power spectral density, averaged frequency response, and much more. SMT also allows you to plot and make measurements on cross-power spectrums to further analyze and compare your data. Additionally, with SMT you can compute joint-time and frequency-domain calculations and display the results as a 3-D spectrogram in LabVIEW. This feature enables you to see how your spectral measurements change over time.

Furthermore, Unit conversion with SMT allows you to plot your spectrum on either a linear or logarithmic scale with any of the supported units. SMT unit conversion supports typical radio frequency (RF) units such as volts RMS squared (V2 rms), decibel (dB), decibel milliwatts (dBm), and dBm per hertz (dBm/Hz). For example, you can use SMT to convert a raw Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) spectrum to a power spectrum or power spectral density for noise measurements.

What is new in SMT v2.0?
SMT v2.0 now includes analog functions that perform amplitude, frequency, and phase modulation and demodulation. Functions and VIs are included to perform up-conversion and down-conversion on baseband (I-Q) and passband (IF) signals. SMT v2.0 also includes new configuration functions and VIs that make it even easier to use with National Instruments RF, Hi-Speed Digitizer, and E-Series DAQ products. Getting started with SMT has never been easier with over 50 examples for both LabVIEW and LabWindows/CVI, including frequency deviation, modulation index, CCDF, and phase noise.

Applications Significantly Benefiting from SMT

  • Satellite/TV
  • Wireless LANs
  • Bluetooth
  • Cable Modems
  • Pagers
  • EMC Characterization
  • MRI
  • Signal Intelligence
  • Military/Defense
  • Radar
  • Radio
  • Telematics

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Demos

Settling Time Measurements of a PLL Chip

Phase-Synchronized RF Measurements

How to Implement Markers in a LabVIEW Application Using the NI PXI-5660 RF Signal Analyzer

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Documentation

Spectral Measurements Toolkit User Guide

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System Requirements


  • LabVIEW: Full Development System or Professional Development System version 6.1 or later
  • OS: Windows XP/2000/NT/Me/98
  • PC: 256 MB or more of RAM
  • Required drivers for any NI hardware
  • You must install NI-SCOPE version 2.0 or later to use the SMT NI-SCOPE functionality.

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Pricing and Purchasing

NI Spectral Measurements Toolkit

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