Technical data

9
Measurement Applications
of the U2000 Series USB
Power Sensor
With the performance capabilities and
data fl exibility of the new U2000 Series
and the Power Analysis Manager,
measurement engineers have the
ready-to-use solutions at hand for the
power measurement requirements
of their applications. The following
suggested applications will serve to
stimulate their creativeness.
Remote Power Measurements
One of the serious limiting factors of the traditional power meter and sensor
instrumentation is that the connection cable between them carried ultra-low-
level analog signals. Thus, the cable placed defi nite limits on the distance
between the sensor and the meter. The U2000 Series converts the power data to
digital format, hence power measurement can be made over very long distances.
Figure 12 shows a remote antenna which requires transmitter power monitoring
on a regular basis. By permanently installing the U2000 Series on a power tap-
off, and arranging the data connection through LAN formats, the actual power
monitor can be in the antenna system control room hundreds of feet away. The
USB data transfer capabilities limit the cable length to about 5 meters, so in this
case, an Agilent E5813A USB-to-LAN hub converter is used. The typical LAN
operating distance can be up to 90 meters or more, which is about the length of
a football fi eld, that should easily handle the remote antenna sites.
Figure 12 A far remote power sensor converts the monitored system power to digital data, which is transferred to the
control room computers through a commercial USB cable and LAN data extension.
Control Room
Long LAN Cable
USB-to-LAN hub
E5813A
Commercial
USB Cable
USB Sensor
Antenna Tower