Zurich Instruments SHFLI 8.5 GHz Lock in Amplifier User Manual
- June 16, 2024
- Zurich Instruments
Table of Contents
SHFLI 8.5 GHz Lock in Amplifier
Product Information
Specifications
- Product Name: SHFLI 8.5 GHz Lock-in Amplifier
- Manufacturer: Zurich Instruments
- Analog Interface Specifications: 116
- Digital Interface Specifications: 120
Declaration of Conformity
The manufacturer Zurich Instruments declares that the SHFLI 8.5
GHz Lock-in Amplifier is in conformity with the provisions of the
relevant Directives and Regulations of the Council of the European
Union and UK Statutory Instruments.
Conformity is proven by compliance with the following
standards:
-
Electromagnetic compatibility [EMC]: Directive/Regulation
2014/30/EU, EN 61326-1:2013, EN 55011:2016, EN 55011:2016/A1:2017,
EN 55011:2016/A11:2020 -
Low voltage equipment [LVD]: Directive/Regulation 2014/35/EU,
EN 61010-1:2010, EN 61010-1:2010/A1:2019, EN
61010-1:2010/A1:2019/AC:2019-04 -
Restriction of the use of certain hazardous substances [RoHS]:
Directive/Regulation 2011/65/EU, as amended by 2015/863 and
2017/2102 -
Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation, and Restrictions of
Chemicals [REACH]: (EC) 1907/2006
Change Log
Release 23.10 – Release date: 31-Oct-2023
-
GHF-PID Quad PID/PLL Controller Option is enabled.
-
External reference (ExtRef) feature allowing the user to lock
an oscillator to an external signal’s frequency. -
Amplitude (R) and Phase (Theta) of the demodulated signals are
now available at the Auxiliary Outputs. -
Demodulator data acquisition can be triggered via Trigger
Inputs. -
Connectivity: Ethernet-over-USB on the USB 2 interface.
-
Sweeper: Setting the start and stop points of the sweep
parameter from the x-axis cursors in the Sweeper tab.
Release 23.06 – Release date: 30-Jun-2023
- Hardware triggering for demodulator data acquisition.
- New data-server kernel to improve data acquisition
performance.
Release 23.02 – Release date: 28-Feb-2023
- Initial release of the SHFLI user manual.
FAQ
Q: What are the specifications of the SHFLI 8.5 GHz Lock-in
Amplifier?
A: The analog interface specifications are 116 and the digital
interface specifications are 120.
Q: How can I trigger demodulator data acquisition?
A: Demodulator data acquisition can be triggered via Trigger
Inputs.
Q: What connectivity options are available for the SHFLI 8.5
GHz Lock-in Amplifier?
A: The SHFLI 8.5 GHz Lock-in Amplifier supports
Ethernet-over-USB on the USB 2 interface.
SHFLI User Manual
8.5 GHz Lock-in Amplifier
SHFLI User Manual
Zurich Instruments AG Revision 23.10 Copyright © 2008-2023 Zurich Instruments
AG
The contents of this document are provided by Zurich Instruments AG (ZI), “as
is”. ZI makes no representations or warranties with respect to the accuracy or
completeness of the contents of this publication and reserves the right to
make changes to specifications and product descriptions at any time without
notice. LabVIEW is a registered trademark of National Instruments Inc. MATLAB
is a registered trademark of The MathWorks, Inc. All other trademarks are the
property of their respective owners.
Zurich Instruments
SHFLI User Manual
Table of Contents
Declaration of Conformity 1. Change Log 2. Getting Started
2. 1. Quick Start Guide 2. 2. Inspect the Package Contents 2. 3. Handling and
Safety Instructions 2. 4. Software Installation 2. 5. Connecting to the
Instrument 2. 6. Software Update 2. 7. Troubleshooting 3. Functional Overview
3. 1. Features 3. 2. Front Panel Tour 3. 3. Back Panel Tour 3. 4. Ordering
Guide 4. Tutorials 4. 1. Simple Loop 4. 2. Up and Down frequency conversion 5.
Functional Description LabOne User Interface 5. 1. User Interface Overview 5.
3. Saving and Loading Data 5. 5. Lock-in Tab 5. 6. Lock-in Tab (SHF-MF option)
5. 7. PID / PLL Tab 5. 8. Numeric Tab 5. 9. Plotter Tab 5. 10. Scope Tab 5.
11. Data Acquisition Tab 5. 12. Spectrum Analyzer Tab 5. 13. Sweeper Tab 5.
14. Auxiliary Tab 5. 15. DIO Tab 5. 16. Config Tab 5. 17. Device Tab 5. 18.
File Manager Tab 5. 19. ZI Labs Tab 5. 20. Upgrade Tab 6. Specifications 6. 1.
General Specifications
Zurich Instruments
2 3 3 4 5 6 14 29 30 34 34 36 37 38 40 40 44 48 48 57 69 73 78 81 83 84 89 95
98 104 105 106 110 113 114 114 115 115
SHFLI User Manual
Table of Contents
6. 2. Analog Interface Specifications
116
6. 3. Digital Interface Specifications
120
7. Device Node Tree
123
7. 1. Introduction
123
7. 2. Reference Node Documentation
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CE Declaration of Conformity
The manufacturer Zurich Instruments Technoparkstrasse 1 8005 Zurich Switzerland declares that the product SHFLI 8.5 GHz Lock-in Amplifier is in conformity with the provisions of the relevant Directives and Regulations of the Council of the European Union:
Directive / Regulation 2014/30/EU (Electromagnetic compatibility [EMC])
2014/35/EU (Low voltage equipment [LVD]) 2011/65/EU, as amended by 2015/863
and 2017/2102 (Restriction of the use of certain hazardous substances [RoHS])
(EC) 1907/2006 (Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation, and Restrictions of
Chemicals [REACH])
Conformity proven by compliance with the standards EN 61326-1:2013, EN
55011:2016, EN 55011:2016/A1:2017, EN 55011:2016/A11:2020 (Group 1, Class A
and B equipment) EN 61010-1:2010, EN 61010-1:2010/A1:2019, EN
61010-1:2010/A1:2019/AC:2019-04 EN IEC 63000:2018
–
Zurich, October 20th, 2022
Flavio Heer, CTO
Zurich Instruments
SHFLI User Manual
UKCA Declaration of Conformity
The manufacturer Zurich Instruments Technoparkstrasse 1 8005 Zurich Switzerland declares that the product SHFLI 8.5 GHz Lock-in Amplifier is in conformity with the provisions of the relevant UK Statutory Instruments:
Statutory Instruments S.I. 2016/1091 (Electromagnetic Compatibility
Regulations)
S.I. 2016/1101 (Electrical Equipment (Safety) Regulations) S.I. 2012/3032
(Restriction of the Use of Certain Hazardous Substances Regulations)
Conformity proven by compliance with the standards EN 61326-1:2013, EN 55011:2016, EN 55011:2016/A1:2017, EN 55011:2016/A11:2020 (Group 1, Class A and B equipment) EN 61010-1:2010, EN 61010-1:2010/A1:2019, EN 61010-1:2010/A1:2019/AC:2019-04 EN IEC 63000:2018
Zurich, October 20th, 2022
Flavio Heer, CTO
Zurich Instruments
SHFLI User Manual
1. Change Log
1. Change Log
1.1. Release 23.10
Release date: 31-Oct-2023 GHF-PID Quad PID/PLL Controller Option is enabled.
External reference (ExtRef) feature allowing the user to lock an oscillator to
an external signal’s
frequency. Amplitude (R) and Phase (Theta) of the demodulated signals are now
available at the Auxiliary
Outputs. Demodulator data acquisition can be triggered via Trigger Inputs.
Connectivity: Ethernet-over-USB on the USB 2 interface. Sweeper: Setting the
start and stop points of the sweep parameter from the x-axis cursors in the
Sweeper tab.
1.2. Release 23.06
Release date: 30-Jun-2023 Hardware triggering for demodulator data
acquisition. New data-server kernel to improve data acquisition performance.
1.3. Release 23.02
Release date: 28-Feb-2023 Initial release of the SHFLI user manual.
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2. Getting Started
2. Getting Started
This first chapter guides you through the initial set-up of your SHFLI
Instrument in order to make your first measurements. Please refer to: Quick
Start Guide for a Quick Start Guide for the impatient. Inspect the Package
Contents for inspecting the package content and accessories. Handling and
Safety Instructions for a list of essential handling and safety instructions.
Software Installation – Software Update for help connecting to the SHFLI
Instrument with the
LabOne software. Troubleshooting for a handy list of troubleshooting
guidelines. This chapter is delivered as a hard copy with the instrument upon
delivery. It is also the first chapter of the SHFLI User Manual.
2.1. Quick Start Guide
This page addresses all the people who have been impatiently awaiting their
new gem to arrive and want to see it up and running quickly. Please proceed
with the following steps:
1. Inspect the package contents. Besides the Instrument there should be a
country-specific power cable, a USB cable, an Ethernet cable and a hard copy
of the Getting Started guide.
2. Check Handling and Safety Instructions for the Handling and Safety
Instructions. 3. Download and install the latest LabOne software from the
Zurich Instruments Download
Center. 4. Choose the download file that suits your computer (e.g. Windows
with 64-bit addressing). For
more detailed information see Software Installation. 5. Connect the instrument
to the power outlet. Turn it on and connect it to a switch in the LAN
using the Ethernet cable. 6. Start the LabOne User Interface from the Windows
Start Menu. The default web browser will
open and display your instrument in a start screen as shown below. Use Chrome,
Edge, Firefox, or Opera for best user experience.
7. The LabOne User Interface start-up screen will appear. Click the Open
button on the lower right of the page. The default configuration will be
loaded and the first signals can be generated. If the user interface does not
start up successfully, please refer to Connecting to the Instrument.
If any problems occur while setting up the instrument and software, please see
Troubleshooting at the end of this chapter for troubleshooting. When
connecting cables to the instrument’s SMA ports, use a torque wrench specified
for brass core SMA (4 in-lbs, 0.5 Nm). Using a standard SMA torque wrench (8
in-lbs) or a wrench without torque limit can damage the connectors. After you
have finished using the instrument, it is recommended to shut it down using
the soft power button on the front panel of the instrument instrument or by
clicking on the button at the bottom left of the user interface screen before
turning off the power switch on the back panel of the instrument.
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2.2. Inspect the Package Contents
Once the Instrument is up and running we recommend going through some of the
tutorials given in Tutorials. The functional description of the SHFLI can be
found in Functional Description and provides a general introduction to the
various tools and tables in each section describing every setting. In the same
section, Functional Description provides an overview of the different UI tabs.
For specific application know-how, the blog section of the Zurich Instruments
website will serve as a valuable resource that is constantly updated and
expanded.
2.2. Inspect the Package Contents
If the shipping container appears to be damaged, keep the container until you
have inspected the contents of the shipment and have performed basic
functional tests. Please verify the following: You have received 1 Zurich
Instruments SHFLI Instrument You have received 1 power cord with a power plug
suited to your country You have received 1 USB 3.0 cable and/or 1 LAN cable
(category 5/6 required) You have received a printed version of the “Getting
Started” section The “Next Calibration” sticker on the rear panel of the
instrument indicates a date approximately
2 years in the future Zurich Instruments recommends calibration intervals of 2
years The MAC address of the instrument is displayed on a sticker on the back
panel Table 2.1: Package contents for the SHFLI
SHFLI instrument
the power cord (e.g. EU norm) the USB 3.0 cable
the power inlet, with power switch the LAN / Ethernet cable (category 5/6 required)
the “Next Calibration” sticker on the back panel of the instrument the MAC address sticker on the back panel of the instrument
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2.3. Handling and Safety Instructions The SHFLI Instrument is equipped with a
multi-mains switched power supply, and therefore can be connected to most
power systems in the world. The fuse holder is integrated with the power inlet
and can be extracted by grabbing the holder with two small screwdrivers at the
top and at the bottom at the same time. A spare fuse is contained in the fuse
holder. The fuse description is found in the specifications chapter. Carefully
inspect your instrument. If there is mechanical damage or the instrument does
not pass the basic tests, then you should immediately notify the Zurich
Instruments support team through email.
2.3. Handling and Safety Instructions
The SHFLI Instrument is a sensitive piece of electronic equipment, and under
no circumstances should its casing be opened, as there are high-voltage parts
inside which may be harmful to human beings. There are no serviceable parts
inside the instrument. Do not install substitute parts or perform any
unauthorized modification to the product. Opening the instrument immediately
voids the warranty provided by Zurich Instruments. Do not use this product in
any manner not specified by the manufacturer. The protective features of this
product may be affected if it is used in a way not specified in the operating
instructions. The following general safety instructions must be observed
during all phases of operation, service, and handling of the instrument. The
disregard of these precautions and all specific warnings elsewhere in this
manual may negatively affect the operation of the equipment and its lifetime.
Zurich Instruments assumes no liability for the user’s failure to observe and
comply with the instructions in this user manual.
Caution
The SMA connectors on the front panel are made for transmitting radio
frequencies and can be damaged if handled inappropriately. Take care when
attaching or detaching cables or when moving the instrument.
Table 2.2: Safety Instructions
Ground the instrument
The instrument chassis must be correctly connected to earth ground by means of the supplied power cord. The ground pin of the power cord set plug must be firmly connected to the electrical ground (safety ground) terminal at the mains power outlet. Interruption of the protective earth conductor or disconnection of the protective earth terminal will cause a potential shock hazard that could result in personal injury and potential damage to the instrument.
Ground loops
The SMA connectors are not floating. For sensitive operations and in order to avoid ground loops, consider adding dc-blocks at the Inputs and Outputs of the device.
Measurement category
This equipment is of measurement category I (CAT I). Do not use it for CAT II, III, or IV. Do not connect the measurement terminals to mains sockets.
Maximum ratings The specified electrical ratings for the connectors of the instrument should not be exceeded at any time during operation. Please refer to the Specifications for a comprehensive list of ratings.
Do not service or There are no serviceable parts inside the instrument. adjust anything yourself
Software updates Frequent software updates provide the user with many important improvements as well as new features. Only the last released software version is supported by Zurich Instruments.
Warnings
Instructions contained in any warning issued by the instrument, either by the software, the graphical user interface, the notes on the instrument or mentioned in this manual, must be followed.
Notes
Instructions contained in the notes of this user manual are of essential importance for correctly interpreting the acquired measurement data.
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2.4. Software Installation
High voltage transients due to inductive loads Location and ventilation
Cleaning
AC power connection and mains line fuse Main power disconnect RJ45 sockets
labeled ZSync Operation and storage Handling Safety critical systems
When measuring devices with high inductance, take adequate measures to protect the Signal Input connectors against the high voltages of inductive load switching transients. These voltages can exceed the maximum voltage ratings of the Signal Inputs and lead to damage. This instrument or system is intended for indoor use in an installation category II and pollution degree 2 environment as per IEC 61010-1. Do not operate or store the instrument outside the ambient conditions specified in the Specifications section. Do not block the ventilator opening on the back or the air intake on the chassis side and front, and allow a reasonable space for the air to flow. To prevent electrical shock, disconnect the instrument from AC mains power and disconnect all test leads before cleaning. Clean the outside of the instrument using a soft, lint- free cloth slightly dampened with water. Do not use detergent or solvents. Do not attempt to clean internally. For continued protection against fire, replace the line fuse only with a fuse of the specified type and rating. Use only the power cord specified for this product and certified for the country of use. Always position the device so that its power switch and the power cord are easily accessible during operation. Unplug product from wall outlet and remove power cord before servicing. Only qualified, service-trained personnel should remove the cover from the instrument. The RJ45 sockets on the back panel labeled “ZSync 1/2” are not intended for Ethernet LAN connection. Connecting an Ethernet device to these sockets may damage the instrument and/or the Ethernet device. Do not operate or store the instrument outside the ambient conditions specified in the Specifications section. Handle with care. Do not drop the instrument. Do not store liquids on the device, as there is a chance of spillage resulting in damage. Do not use this equipment in systems whose failure could result in loss of life, significant property damage or damage to the environment.
If you notice any of the situations listed below, immediately stop the operation of the instrument, disconnect the power cord, and contact the support team at Zurich Instruments, either through the website form or through email.
Table 2.3: Unusual Conditions
Fan is not working properly or not at all
Switch off the instrument immediately to prevent overheating of sensitive electronic components.
Power cord or power plug on instrument is damaged
Switch off the instrument immediately to prevent overheating, electric shock, or fire. Please exchange the power cord only with one for this product and certified for the country of use.
Instrument emits
Switch off the instrument immediately to prevent further damage.
abnormal noise, smell, or
sparks
Instrument is damaged Switch off the instrument immediately and ensure it is not used again until it has been repaired.
Table 2.4: Symbols
Earth ground Chassis ground Caution. Refer to accompanying documentation DC (direct current)
2.4. Software Installation
The SHFLI Instrument is operated from a host computer with the LabOne software. To install the LabOne software on a computer, administrator rights may be required. In order to simply run the
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2.4. Software Installation
software later, a regular user account is sufficient. Instructions for
downloading the correct version of the software packages from the Zurich
Instruments website are described below in the platformdependent sections. It
is recommended to regularly update to the latest software version provided by
Zurich Instruments. Thanks to the Automatic Update check feature, the update
can be initiated with a single click from within the user interface, as shown
in Software Update.
2.4.1. Installing LabOne on Windows
The installation packages for the Zurich Instruments LabOne software are
available as Windows installer .msi packages. The software is available on the
Zurich Instruments Download Center. Please ensure that you have administrator
rights for the PC on which the software is to be installed. See LabOne
compatibility for a comprehensive list of supported Windows systems.
2.4.2. Windows LabOne Installation
1. The SHFLI Instrument should not be connected to your computer during the
LabOne software installation process.
2. Start the LabOne installer program with a name of the form
LabOne64-XX.XX.XXXXX.msi by a double click and follow the instructions.
Windows Administrator rights are required for installation. The installation
proceeds as follows: On the welcome screen click the Next button.
Figure 2.1: Installation welcome screen
After reading through the Zurich Instruments license agreement, check the “I
accept the terms in the License Agreement” check box and click the Next
button.
Review the features you want to have installed. For the SHFLI Instrument the
“SHFLI Series Device”, “LabOne User Interface” and “LabOne APIs” features are
required. Please install the features for other device classes as well, if
required. To proceed click the Next button.
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2.4. Software Installation
Figure 2.2: Custom setup screen
Select whether the software should periodically check for updates. Note, the
software will still not update automatically. This setting can later be
changed in the user interface. If you would like to install shortcuts on your
desktop area, select “Create a shortcut for this program on the desktop”. To
proceed click the Next button.
Figure 2.3: Automatic update check Click the Install button to start the
installation process. Windows may ask up to two times to reboot the computer
if you are upgrading. Make sure
you have no unsaved work on your computer.
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2.4. Software Installation
Figure 2.4: Installation reboot request
During the first installation of LabOne, it is required to confirm the
installation of some drivers from the trusted publisher Zurich Instruments.
Click on Install.
Figure 2.5: Installation driver acceptance Click OK on the following notification dialog.
Figure 2.6: Installation completion screen 3. Click Finish to close the Zurich
Instruments LabOne installer. 4. You can now start the LabOne User Interface
as described in LabOne Software Start-up and
choose an instrument to connect to via the Device Connection dialog shown in
Device Connection dialog.
Warning
Do not install drivers from another source other than Zurich Instruments.
2.4.3. Start LabOne Manually on the Command Line
After installing the LabOne software, the Web Server and Data Server can be
started manually using the command-line. The more common way to start LabOne
under Windows is described in LabOne Software Start-up. The advantage of using
the command line is being able to observe and change the behavior of the Web
and Data Servers. To start the Servers manually, open a command-line
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2.4. Software Installation terminal (Command Prompt, PowerShell (Windows) or
Bash (Linux)). For Windows, the current working directory needs to be the
installation directory of the Web Server and Data Server. They are installed
in the Program Files folder (usually: C:Program Files) under Zurich
InstrumentsLabOne in the WebServer and DataServer folders, respectively. The
Web Server and Data Server ( ziDataServer ) are started by running the
respective executable in each folder. Please be aware that only one instance
of the Web Server can run at a time per computer. The behavior of the Servers
can be changed by providing command line arguments. For a detailed list of all
arguments see the command line help text: $ ziWebServer –help For the Data
Server: $ ziDataServer –help One useful application of running the Webserver
manually from a terminal window is to change the data directory from its
default path in the user home directory. The data directory is a folder in
which the LabOne Webserver saves all the measured data in the format specified
by the user. Before running the Webserver from the terminal, the user needs to
ensure there is no other instance of Webserver running in the background. This
can be checked using the Tray Icon as shown below.
Figure 2.7: LabOne Tray Icon in Windows 10 The corresponding command line
argument to specify the data path is –data-path and the command to start the
LabOne Webserver with a non-default directory path, e.g., C:data is C:Program
FilesZurich InstrumentsLabOneWebServer> ziWebServer –data-path “C: data”
Windows LabOne Uninstallation
To uninstall the LabOne software package from a Windows computer, one can open
the “Apps & features” page from the Windows start menu and search for LabOne.
By selecting the LabOne item in the list of apps, the user has the option to
“Uninstall” or “Modify” the software package as shown in Figure 2.8.
Figure 2.8: Uninstallation of LabOne on Windows computers
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2.4. Software Installation
Warning
Although it is possible to install a new version of LabOne on a currently-
installed version, it is highly recommended to first uninstall the older
version of LabOne from the computer and then, install the new version.
Otherwise, if the installation process fails, the current installation is
damaged and cannot be uninstalled directly. The user will need to first repair
the installation and then, uninstall it.
In case a current installation of LabOne is corrupted, one can simply repair
it by selecting the option “Modify” in Figure 2.8. This will open the LabOne
installation wizard with the option “Repair” as shown in Figure 2.9.
Figure 2.9: Repair of LabOne on Windows computers After finishing the repair
process, the normal uninstallation process described above can be triggered to
uninstall LabOne.
2.4.4. Installing LabOne on macOS
LabOne supports both Intel and ARM (M-series) architectures within a single
universal disk image (DMG) file available in our Download Center. Download and
double-click the DMG file to mount the image.
The image contains a single LabOne application with all services needed. Once
the application is started, a labone icon will appear in the menu bar. It
allows the user to
easily open a new session and shows the status of all services.
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2.4. Software Installation
2.4.5. Uninstalling LabOne on macOS
To uninstall LabOne on macOS, simply drag the LabOne application to the trash
bin.
2.4.6. Application Content
The LabOne application contains all resources available for macOS. This
includes: The binaries for the Web Server and Data Servers. The binaries for
the C, MATLAB, and LabVIEW APIs. An offline version of the user manuals. The
latest firmware images for all instruments. To access this content, right-
click on the LabOne application and select “Show Package Contents”. Then, go
into Contents/Resources.
Note
Since the application name contains a space, one needs to escape it when using
the command line to access the contents: cd /Applications/LabOne
2X.XX.app/Contents/Resources
2.4.7. Start LabOne Manually on the Command Line
To start the LabOne services like the data server and web server manually, one
can use the command line. The data server binary is called ziDataServer
(ziServer for HF2 instruments) and is located at Applications/LabOne
2X.XX.app/Contents/Resources/DataServer/. The web server binary is called
ziWebServer and is located at Applications/LabOne
2X.XX.app/Contents/Resources/DataServer/.
Note
No special command line arguments are needed to start the LabOne services. Use
the –help argument to see all available options.
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2.4. Software Installation
2.4.8. Installing LabOne on Linux
2.4.9. Requirements
Ensure that the following requirements are fulfilled before trying to install
the LabOne software package:
1. LabOne software supports typical modern GNU/Linux distributions (Ubuntu
14.04+, CentOS 7+, Debian 8+). The minimum requirements are glibc 2.17+ and
kernel 3.10+.
2. You have administrator rights for the system. 3. The correct version of
the LabOne installation package for your operating system and
platform have been downloaded from the Zurich Instruments Download Center:
LabOneLinux
2.4.10. Linux LabOne Installation
Proceed with the installation in a command line shell as follows: 1. Extract
the LabOne tarball in a temporary directory: tar xzvf
LabOneLinux
2.4.11. Running the Software on Linux
The following steps describe how to start the LabOne software in order to
access and use your instrument in the User Interface.
1. Start the Web Server program at a command prompt: $ ziWebServer
2. Start an up-to-date web browser and enter the 127.0.0.1:8006 in the
browser’s address bar to access the Web Server program and start the LabOne
User Interface. The LabOne Web Server installed on the PC listens by default
on port number 8006 instead of 80 to minimize the probability of conflicts.
3. You can now start the LabOne User Interface as described in LabOne
Software Start-up and choose an instrument to connect to via the Device
Connection dialog shown in Device Connection dialog.
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2.5. Connecting to the Instrument
Important
Do not use two Data Server instances running in parallel; only one instance
may run at a time.
2.4.12. Uninstalling LabOne on Linux
The LabOne software package copies an uninstall script to the base
installation path (the default installation directory is /opt/zi/). To
uninstall the LabOne package please perform the following steps in a command
line shell:
1. Navigate to the path where LabOne is installed, for example, if LabOne is
installed in the default installation path: $ cd /opt/zi/
2. Run the uninstall script with administrator rights and proceed through the
guided steps: $ sudo bash uninstall_LabOne
2.5. Connecting to the Instrument
The Zurich Instruments SHFLI is operated using the LabOne software. After
installation of LabOne, the instrument can be connected to a PC by using
either the Universal Serial Bus (USB) cable or the 1 Gbit/s Ethernet (1GbE)
LAN cable supplied with the instrument. The LabOne software is controlled via
a web browser after suitable physical and logical connections to the
instrument have been made.
Note
The following web browsers are supported (latest versions).
When using 1GbE, integrate the instrument physically into an existing local
area network (LAN) by connecting the instrument to a switch in the LAN using
an Ethernet cable. The instrument can then be accessed from a web browser
running on any computer in the same LAN with LabOne installed. The Ethernet
connection can also be point-to-point. This requires some adjustment of the
network card settings of the host computer. Depending on the network
configuration and the installed network card, one or the other connection
scheme is better suited.
Using the USB connection to physically connect to the instrument requires the
installation of a USB driver on Windows computers. This driver is included in
the LabOne software installer and will be installed on the host computer as
part of the LabOne installation wizard.
2.5.1. LabOne Software Architecture
The Zurich Instruments LabOne software gives quick and easy access to the
instrument from a host PC. LabOne also supports advanced configurations with
simultaneous access by multiple software clients (i.e., LabOne User Interface
clients and/or API clients), and even simultaneous access by several users
working on different computers. Here we give a brief overview of the
architecture of the LabOne software. This will help to better understand the
following chapters. The software of Zurich Instruments equipment is server-
based. The servers and other software components are organized in layers as
shown in Figure 2.10. The lowest layer running on the PC is the LabOne Data
Server, which is the interface to the
connected instrument.
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2.5. Connecting to the Instrument The middle layer contains the LabOne Web
Server, which is the server for the browser-based LabOne User Interface.
The graphical user interface, together with the programming user interfaces,
are contained in the top layer.
The architecture with one central Data Server allows multiple clients to
access a device with synchronized settings. The following sections explain the
different layers and their functionality in more detail.
Figure 2.10: LabOne Software architecture
2.5.2. LabOne Data Server
The LabOne Data Server program is a dedicated server that is in charge of all
communication to and from the device. The Data Server can control a single or
also multiple instruments. It will distribute the measurement data from the
instrument to all the clients that subscribe to it. It also ensures that
settings changed by one client are communicated to other clients. The device
settings are therefore synchronized on all clients. On a PC, only a single
instance of a LabOne Data Server should be running.
2.5.3. LabOne Web Server
The LabOne Web Server is an application dedicated to serving up the web pages
that constitute the LabOne user interface. The user interface can be opened
with any device with a web browser. Since it is touch enabled, it is possible
to work with the LabOne User Interface on a mobile device – like a tablet. The
LabOne Web Server supports multiple clients simultaneously. This means that
more than one session can be used to view data and to manipulate the
instrument. A session could be running in a browser on the PC on which the
LabOne software is installed. It could equally well be running in a browser on
a remote machine. With a LabOne Web Server running and accessing an
instrument, a new session can be opened by typing in a network address and
port number in a browser address bar. In case the Web Server runs on the same
computer, the address is the localhost address (both are equivalent):
127.0.0.1:8006 localhost:8006 In case the Web Server runs on a remote
computer, the address is the IP address or network name of the remote
computer: 192.168.x.y:8006 myPC.company.com:8006 The most recent versions of
the most popular browsers are supported: Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Safari and
Opera.
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2.5.4. LabOne API Layer
The instrument can also be controlled via the application program interfaces
(APIs) provided by Zurich Instruments. APIs are provided in the form of DLLs
for the following programming environments: MATLAB Python LabVIEW .NET C APIs
are provided in the form of DLLs for the following programming environments:
MATLAB Python An extensive Python API and python-based drivers are provided
for the following frameworks: https://github.com/zhinst/zhinst-toolkit[Zurich
Instruments Toolkit] https://github.com/zhinst/zhinst-qcodes[QCoDeS]
https://github.com/zhinst/zhinst-labber[Labber] The instrument can therefore
be controlled by an external program, and the resulting data can be processed
there. The device can be concurrently accessed via one or more of the APIs and
via the user interface. This enables easy integration into larger laboratory
setups. See the LabOne Programming Manual for further information. Using the
APIs, the user has access to the same functionality that is available in the
LabOne User Interface.
2.5.5. LabOne Software Start-up
This section describes the start-up of the LabOne User Interface which is used
to control the SHFLI Instrument. If the LabOne software is not yet installed
on the PC please follow the instructions in Software Installation. If the
device is not yet connected please find more information in Visibility and
Connection. The LabOne User Interface start-up link can be found under the
Windows 10 Start Menu (Under Windows 7 and 8, the LabOne User Interface start-
up link can be found in Start Menu all programs / all apps Zurich Instruments
LabOne). As shown in Figure 2.11, click on Start Menu Zurich Instruments
LabOne. This will open the User Interface in a new tab in your default web
browser and start the LabOne Data Server and LabOne Web Server programs in the
background. A detailed description of the software architecture is found in
LabOne Software Architecture.
Figure 2.11: Link to the LabOne User Interface in the Windows 10 Start Menu
LabOne is an HTML5 browser-based program. This simply means that the user
interface runs in a web browser and that a connection using a mobile device is
also possible; simply specify the IP address (and port 8006) of the PC running
the user interface.
Note
By creating a shortcut to Google Chrome on your desktop with the Target
pathtochrome.exe app=http://127.0.0.1:8006 set in Properties you can run the
LabOne User Interface in Chrome in application mode, which improves the user
experience by removing the unnecessary browser controls.
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2.5. Connecting to the Instrument After starting LabOne, the Device Connection dialog Figure 2.12 is shown to select the device for the session. The term “session” is used for an active connection between the user interface and the device. Such a session is defined by device settings and user interface settings. Several sessions can be started in parallel. The sessions run on a shared LabOne Web Server. A detailed description of the software architecture can be found in the LabOne Software Architecture.
Figure 2.12: Device Connection dialog
The Device Connection dialog opens in the Basic view by default. In this view, all devices that are
available for connection are represented by an icon with serial number and status information. If
required, a button appears on the icon to perform a firmware upgrade. Otherwise, the device can be
connected by a double click on the icon, or a click on the
button at the bottom right of the
dialog.
In some cases it’s useful to switch to the Advanced view of the Device Connection dialog by clicking on the “Advanced” button. The Advanced view offers the possibility to select custom device and UI settings for the new session and gives further connectivity options that are particularly useful for multi-instrument setups.
Figure 2.13: Device Connection dialog (Advanced view) The Advanced view consists of three parts: Data Server Connectivity Available Devices Saved Settings The Available Devices table has a display filter, usually set to Default Data Server, that is accessible by a drop-down menu in the header row of the table. When changing this to Local Data Servers, the Available Devices table will show only connections via the Data Server on the host PC and will contain all instruments directly connected to the host PC via USB or to the local network via
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1GbE. When using the All Data Servers filter, connections via Data Servers
running on other PCs in the network also become accessible. Once your
instrument appears in the Available Devices table, perform the following steps
to start a new session:
1. Select an instrument in the Available Devices table. 2. Select a setting
file in the Saved Settings list unless you would like to use the Default
Settings. 3. Start the session by clicking on
Note
By default, opening a new session will only load the UI settings (such as plot
ranges), but not the device settings (such as signal amplitude) from the saved
settings file. In order to include the device settings, enable the Include
Device Settings checkbox. Note that this can affect existing sessions since
the device settings are shared between them.
Note
In case devices from other Zurich Instruments series (UHF, HF2, MF, HDAWG,
PQSC, GHF, or SHF) are used in parallel, the list in Available Devices section
can contain those as well.
The following sections describe the functionality of the Device Connection dialog in detail.
2.5.6. Data Server Connectivity
The Device Connection dialog represents a Web Server. However, on start-up the Web Server is not yet connected to a LabOne Data Server. With the Connect/Disconnect button the connection to a Data Server can be opened and closed.
This functionality can usually be ignored when working with a single SHFLI Instrument and a single host computer. Data Server Connectivity is important for users operating their instruments from a remote PC, i.e., from a PC different to the PC on which the Data Server is running or for users working with multiple instruments. The Data Server Connectivity function then gives the freedom to connect the Web Server to one of several accessible Data Servers. This includes Data Servers running on remote computers, and also Data Servers running on an MF Series instrument.
In order to work with a UHF, HF2, HDAWG, PQSC, GHF, or SHF instrument remotely, proceed as
follows. On the computer directly connected to the instrument (Computer 1) open a User Interface
session and change the Connectivity setting in the Config tab to “From Everywhere”. On the remote
computer (Computer 2), open the Device Connection dialog by starting up the LabOne User Interface
and then go to the Advanced view by clicking on
on the top left of the dialog. Change the
display filter from Default Data Server to All Data Servers by opening the drop-down menu in the
header row of the Available Devices table. This will make the Instrument connected to Computer 1
visible in the list. Select the device and connect to the remote Data Server by clicking on
.
Then start the User Interface as described above.
Note
When using the filter “All Data Servers”, take great care to connect to the right instrument, especially in larger local networks. Always identify your instrument based on its serial number in the form DEV0000, which can be found on the instrument back panel.
2.5.7. Available Devices
The Available Devices table gives an overview of the visible devices. A device is ready for use if either
marked free or connected. The first column of the list holds the Enable button controlling the
connection between the device and a Data Server. This button is greyed out until a Data Server is
connected to the LabOne Web Server using the
button. If a device is connected to a Data
Server, no other Data Server running on another PC can access this device.
The second column indicates the serial number and the third column shows the instrument type. The fourth column shows the host name of the LabOne Data Server controlling the device. The next column shows the interface type. For SHFLI Instruments the interfaces USB or 1GbE are available
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and are listed if physically connected. The LabOne Data Server will scan for the available devices and interfaces every second. If a device has just been switched on or physically connected it may take up to 20 s before it becomes visible to the LabOne Data Server.
Table 2.5: Device Status Information
Connected
The device is connected to a LabOne Data Server, either on the same PC (indicated as local) or on a remote PC (indicated by its IP address). The user can start a session to work with that device.
Free
The device is not in use by any LabOne Data Server and can be connected by clicking the Open button.
In Use
The device is in use by a LabOne Data Server. As a consequence the device cannot be accessed by the specified interface. To access the device, a disconnect is needed.
Device FW upgrade The firmware of the device is out of date. Please first upgrade the firmware required/available as described in Software Update.
Device not yet ready The device is visible and starting up.
2.5.8. Saved Settings
Settings files can contain both UI and device settings. UI settings control the structure of the LabOne User Interface, e.g. the position and ordering of opened tabs. Device settings specify the set-up of a device. The device settings persist on the device until the next power cycle or until overwritten by loading another settings file.
The columns are described in Table 2.6. The table rows can be sorted by clicking on the column header that should be sorted. The default sorting is by time. Therefore, the most recent settings are found on top. Sorting by the favorite marker or setting file name may be useful as well.
Table 2.6: Column Descriptions
Allows favorite settings files to be grouped together. By activating the stars adjacent to a settings file and clicking on the column heading, the chosen files will be grouped together at the top or bottom of the list accordingly. The favorite marker is saved to the settings file. When the LabOne user interface is started next time, the row will be marked as favorite again.
Name
The name of the settings file. In the file system, the file name has the extension .md.
Date
The date and time the settings file was last written.
Comment Allows a comment to be stored in the settings file. By clicking on the comment field a text can be typed in which is subsequently stored in the settings file. This comment is useful to describe the specific conditions of a measurement.
Device Type
The instrument type with which this settings file was saved.
Special Settings Files
Certain file names have the prefix “lastsession”. Such files are created
automatically by the LabOne Web Server when a session is terminated either
explicitly by the user, or under critical error conditions, and save the
current UI and device settings. The prefix is prepended to the name of the
most recently used settings file. This allows any unsaved changes to be
recovered upon starting a new session. If a user loads such a last session
settings file the “lastsession” prefix will be cut away from the file name.
Otherwise, there is a risk that an auto-save will overwrite a setting which
was saved explicitly by the user. The settings file with the name “Default
Settings” contains the default UI settings. See button description in Table
2.7. Table 2.7: Button Descriptions
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Open
Include Device Settings Auto Start
The settings contained in the selected settings file will be loaded. The
button “Include Device Settings” controls whether only UI settings are loaded,
or if device settings are included. Controls which part of the selected
settings file is loaded upon clicking on Open. If enabled, both the device and
the UI settings are loaded.
Skips the session dialog at start-up if selected device is available. The
default UI settings will be loaded with unchanged device settings.
Note
The user setting files are saved to an application-specific folder in the directory structure. The best way to manage these files is using the File Manager tab.
Note
The factory default UI settings can be customized by saving a file with the
name “default_ui” in the Config tab once the LabOne session has been started
and the desired UI setup has been established. To use factory defaults again,
the “default_ui” file must be removed from the user setting directory using
the File Manager tab.
Note
Double clicking on a device row in the Available Devices table is a quick way
of starting the default LabOne UI. This action is equivalent to selecting the
desired device and clicking the Open button.
Double clicking on a row in the Saved Settings table is a quick way of loading
the LabOne UI with those UI settings and, depending on the “Include Device
Settings” checkbox, device settings. This action is equivalent to selecting
the desired settings file and clicking the Open button.
2.5.9. Tray Icon
When LabOne is started, a tray icon appears by default in the bottom right
corner of the screen, as shown in the figure below. By right-clicking on the
icon, a new web server session can be opened quickly, or the LabOne Web and
Data Servers can be stopped by clicking on Exit. Double-clicking the icon also
opens a new web server session, which is useful when setting up a connection
to multiple instruments, for example.
Figure 2.14: LabOne Tray Icon in Windows 10
2.5.10. Messages
The LabOne Web Server will show additional messages in case of a missing
component or a failure condition. These messages display information about the
failure condition. The following paragraphs list these messages and give more
information on the user actions needed to resolve the problem.
Lost Connection to the LabOne Web Server
In this case the browser is no longer able to connect to the LabOne Web Server. This can happen if the Web Server and Data Server run on different PCs and a network connection is interrupted. As long as the Web Server is running and the session did not yet time out, it is possible to just attach to the existing session and continue. Thus, within about 15 seconds it is possible with Retry to recover
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button opens the Device Connection dialog shown in Figure 2.12. The figure
below shows an example of the Connection Lost dialog.
Figure 2.15: Dialog: Connection Lost
Reloading…
If a session error cannot be handled, the LabOne Web Server will restart to
show a new Device Connection dialog as shown in Figure 2.12. During the
restart a window is displayed indicating that the LabOne User Interface will
reload. If reloading does not happen the same effect can be triggered by
pressing F5 on the keyboard. The figure below shows an example of this dialog.
Figure 2.16: Dialog: Reloading
No Device Discovered
An empty “Available Devices” table means that no devices were discovered. This
can mean that no LabOne Data Server is running, or that it is running but
failed to detect any devices. The device may be switched off or the interface
connection fails. For more information on the interface between device and PC
see Visibility and Connection. The figure below shows an example of this
dialog.
Figure 2.17: No Device Discovered
No Device Available
If all the devices in the “Available Devices” table are shown grayed, this
indicates that they are either in use by another Data Server, or need a
firmware upgrade. For firmware upgrade see Software Update. If all the devices
are in use, access is not possible until a connection is relinquished by
another Data Server.
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2.5.11. Visibility and Connection
There are several ways to connect the instrument to a host computer. The
device can either be connected by Universal Serial Bus (USB) or by 1 Gbit/s
Ethernet (1GbE). The USB connection is a point-to-point connection between the
device and the PC on which the Data Server runs. The 1GbE connection can be a
point-to-point connection or an integration of the device into the local
network (LAN). Depending on the network configuration and the installed
network card, one or the other connectivity is better suited. If an instrument
is connected to a network, it can be accessed from multiple host computers. To
manage the access to the instrument, there are two different connectivity
states: visible and connected. It is important to distinguish if an instrument
is just physically connected over 1GbE or actively controlled by the LabOne
Data Server. In the first case the instrument is visible to the LabOne Data
Server. In the second case the instrument is logically connected. Connectivity
Example shows some examples of possible configurations of computer-to-
instrument connectivity. Data Server on PC 1 is connected to device 1 (USB)
and device 2 (USB). Data Server on PC 2 is connected to device 4 (TCP/IP).
Data Server on PC 3 is connected to device 5. The device 3 is free and visible
to PC 1 and PC 2 over TCP/IP. Devices 2 and 4 are physically connected by
TCP/IP and USB interface. Only one interface is
logically connected to the Data Server.
Figure 2.18: Connectivity Example
Visible Instruments
An instrument is visible if the Data Server can identify it. On a TCP/IP
network, several PCs running a Data Server will detect the same instrument as
visible, i.e., discover it. If a device is discovered, the LabOne Data Server
can initiate a connection to access the instrument. Only a single Data Server
can be connected to an instrument at a time.
Connected Instrument
Once connected to an instrument, the Data Server has exclusive access to that
instrument. If another Data Server from another PC already has an active
connection to the instrument, the instrument is still visible but cannot be
connected.
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2.5. Connecting to the Instrument Although a Data Server has exclusive access
to a connected instrument, the Data Server can have multiple clients. Because
of this, multiple browser and API sessions can access the instrument
simultaneously.
2.5.12. USB Connectivity
To control the device over USB, connect the instrument with the supplied USB
cable to the PC on which the LabOne Software is installed. The USB driver
needed for controlling the instrument is included in the LabOne Installer
package. Ensure that the instrument uses the latest firmware. The software
will automatically use the USB interface for controlling the device if
available. If the USB connection is not available, the 1GbE connection may be
selected. It is possible to enforce or exclude a specific interface
connection.
Note
To use the device exclusively over the USB interface, modify the shortcut of
the LabOne User Interface and LabOne Data Server in the Windows Start menu.
Right-click and go to Properties, then add the following command line argument
to the Target LabOne User Interface:
–interface-usb true –interface-ip false
An instrument connected over USB can be automatically connected to the Data Server because there is only a single host PC to which the device interface is physically connected. Table 2.8 provides an overview of the two settings.
Table 2.8: Settings auto-connect
Setting
Description
auto-connect If a device is attached via a USB cable, a connection will be established
= on
automatically by the Data Server. This is the default behavior.
auto-connect To disable automatic connection via USB, add the following command line
= off
argument when starting the Data Server:–auto-connect=off.
On Windows, both behaviors can be forced by right clicking the LabOne Data Server shortcut in the Start menu, selecting “Properties” and adding the text –auto-connect=off or –autoconnect=on to the Target field, see Figure 2.19.
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Figure 2.19: Setting auto-connect in Windows
2.5.13. 1GbE Connectivity
There are three methods for connecting to the device via 1GbE: Multicast DHCP
Multicast point-to-point (P2P) Static Device IP Multicast DHCP is the simplest
and preferred connection method. Other connection methods can become necessary
when using network configurations that conflict with local policies.
Multicast DHCP
The most straightforward TCP/IP connection method is to rely on a network configuration to recognize the instrument. When connecting the instrument to a local area network (LAN), the DHCP server will assign an IP address to the instrument like to any PC in the network. In case of restricted networks, the network administrator may be required to register the device on the network by means of the MAC address. The MAC address is indicated on the back panel of the instrument. The LabOne Data Server will detect the device in the network by means of a multicast. If the network configuration does not support multicast, or if the host computer has other network cards installed, it is necessary to use a static IP setup as described below. The instrument is configured to accept the IP address from the DHCP server, or to fall back to the IP address 192.168.1.10 if it does not get the address from the DHCP server. Requirements:
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Network supports multicast
Multicast Point-to-Point
Setting up a point-to-point (P2P) network consisting only of the host computer
and the instrument avoids problems related to special network policies. Since
it is nonetheless necessary to stay connected to the internet, it is
recommended to install two network cards in the computer, one of which is used
for internet connectivity, the other can be used for connecting to the
instrument. Alternatively, internet connectivity can be established via
wireless LAN. In such a P2P network the IP address of the host computer needs
to be set to a static value, whereas the IP address of the device can be left
dynamic.
1. Connect the 1GbE port of the network card that is dedicated for instrument
connectivity directly to the 1GbE port of the instrument
2. Set this network card to static IP in TCP/IPv4 using the address
192.168.1.n, where n=[2..9] and the mask 255.255.255.0. (On Windows go to
Control Panel Internet Options Network and Internet Network and Sharing Center
Local Area Connection Properties).
Figure 2.20: Static IP configuration for the host computer 3. Start up the
LabOne User Interface normally. If your instrument does not show in the list
of
Available Devices, the reason may be that your network card does not support
multicast. In that case, see Static Device IP. Requirements: Two network cards
needed for additional connection to internet Network card of PC supports
multicast Network card connected to the device must be in static IP4
configuration
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Note
A power cycle of the instrument is required if it was previously connected to
a network that provided an IP address to the instrument.
Note
Only IP v4 is currently supported. There is no support for IP v6.
Note
If the instrument is detected by LabOne but the connection can not be
established, the reason can be the firewall blocking the connection. It is
then recommended to change the P2P connection from Public to Private. On
Windows this is achieved by turning on network discovery in the Private tab of
the network’s advanced sharing settings as shown in the figure below.
Figure 2.21: Turn on network discovery for Private P2P connection
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Warning
Changing the IP settings of your network adapters manually can interfere with
its later use, as it cannot be used anymore for network connectivity until it
is configured again for dynamic IP.
Figure 2.22: Dynamic IP configuration for the host computer
Static Device IP
Although it is highly recommended to use dynamic IP assignment method in the
host network of the instrument, there may be cases where the user wants to
assign a static IP to the instrument. For instance, when the host network only
contains Ethernet switches and hubs but no Ethernet routers are included,
there is no DHCP server to dynamically assign an IP to the instrument. It is
still advised to add an Ethernet router to the network and benefit from
dynamic IP assignment; however, if a router is not available, the instrument
can be configured to work with a static IP. Note that the static IP assigned
to the instrument must be within the same range of the IP assigned to the host
computer. Whether the host computer’s IP is assigned statically or by a
fallback mechanism, one can find this IP by running the command ipconfig or
ipconfig/all in the operating system’s terminal. As an example, Figure 2.23
shows the outcome of running ipconfig in the terminal.
Figure 2.23: IP and subnet mask of host computer
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2.5. Connecting to the Instrument It shows the network adapter of the host computer can be reached via the IP 169.254.16.57 and it uses a subnet mask of 255.255.0.0. To make sure that the instrument is visible to this computer, one needs to assign a static IP of the form 169.254.x.x and the same subnet mask to the instrument. To do so, the user should follow the instructions below. 1. Attach the instrument using an Ethernet cable to the network where the user’s computer is hosted. 2. Attach the instrument via a USB cable to the host computer and switch it on. 3. Open the LabOne user interface (UI) and connect to the instrument via USB. 4. Open the “Device” tab of the LabOne UI and locate the “Communication” section as shown in Configuration of static IP in LabOne UI. 5. Write down the desired static IP, e.g. 169.254.16.20, into the numeric field “IPv4 Address”. 6. Add the same subnet mask as the host computer, e.g. 255.255.0.0 to the numeric field “IPv4 Mask”. 7. You can leave the field “Gateway” as 0.0.0.0 or change to be similar to the IP address but ending with 1, e.g. 169.254.16.1. 8. Enable the radio button for “Static IP”. 9. Press the button “Program” to save the new settings to the instruments. 10. Power cycle the instrument and remove the USB cable. The instrument should be visible to LabOne via Ethernet connection.
Figure 2.24: Configuration of static IP in LabOne UI To make sure the IP assignment is done properly, one can use the command ping to check if the instrument can be reached through the network using its IP address. Figure 2.25 shows the outcome of ping when the instrument is visible via the IP 169.254.16.20.
Figure 2.25: Instrument visible through pinging If set properly according to the instructions above, the instrument will use the same static IP configurations after each power cycle.
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2.6. Software Update
Fallback Device IP
When configured to a dynamic address, but no DHCP server is present in the
network, e.g., device connected directly to a PC, the instrument falls back on
an IP address in the local link IP range that is 169.254.x.x. If the host
computer has also an IP address within the same range, the instrument becomes
visible to the LabOne data server running on the host computer. This way,
there is no need to go through the process described above to assign a static
IP to the instrument.
2.6. Software Update
2.6.1. Overview
It is recommended to regularly update the LabOne software on the SHFLI Instrument to the latest version. In case the Instrument has access to the internet, this is a very simple task and can be done with a single click in the software itself, as shown in Updating LabOne using Automatic Update Check. If you use one of the LabOne APIs with a separate installer, don’t forget to update this part of the software, too.
2.6.2. Updating LabOne using Automatic Update Check
Updating the software is done in two steps. First, LabOne is updated on the PC by downloading and
installing the LabOne software from the Zurich Instruments downloads page, as shown in Software
Installation. Second, the instrument firmware needs to be updated from the Device Connection
dialog after starting up LabOne. This is shown in Updating the Instrument Firmware . In case
“Periodically check for updates” has been enabled during the LabOne installation and LabOne has
access to the internet, a notification will appear on the Device Connection dialog whenever a new
version of the software is available for download. This setting can later be changed in the Config tab
of the LabOne user interface. In case automatic update check is disabled, the user can manually
check for updates at any time by clicking on the button
in the Device Connection
dialog. In case an update is found, clicking on the button “Update Available” shown in Figure 2.26 will
start a download the latest LabOne installer for Windows or Linux, see Figure 2.27. After download,
proceed as explained in Software Installation to update LabOne.
Figure 2.26: Device Connection dialog: LabOne update available
Figure 2.27: Download LabOne MSI using Automatic Update Check feature
2.6.3. Updating the Instrument Firmware
The LabOne software consists of both software that runs on your PC and
software that runs on the instrument. In order to distinguish between the two,
the latter will be called firmware for the rest of this document. When
upgrading to a new software release, it’s also necessary to update the
instrument firmware.
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2.7. Troubleshooting
If the firmware needs an update, this is indicated in the Device Connection
dialog of the LabOne user interface under Windows. In the Basic view of the
dialog, there will be a button “Upgrade FW” appearing together with the
instrument icon as shown in Figure 2.28. In the Advanced view, there will be a
link “Upgrade FW” in the Update column of the Available Devices table. Click
on Upgrade FW to open the firmware update start-up dialog shown in Figure
2.29. The firmware upgrade takes approximately 2 minutes.
Figure 2.28: Device Connection dialog with available firmware update
Important
Figure 2.29: Device Firmware Update start-up dialog
Do not disconnect the USB or 1GbE cable to the Instrument or power-cycle the Instrument during a firmware update.
If you encounter any issues while upgrading the instrument firmware, please
contact Zurich Instruments at [email protected].
2.7. Troubleshooting
This section aims to help the user solve and avoid problems while using the
software and operating the instrument.
2.7.1. Common Problems
Your SHFLI Instrument is an advanced piece of laboratory equipment which has
many more features and capabilities than a traditional lock-in amplifier. In
order to benefit from these, the user needs access to a large number of
settings in the LabOne User Interface. The complexity of the settings might
overwhelm a first-time user, and even expert users can get surprised by
certain combinations of settings. To avoid problems, it’s good to use the
possibility to save and load settings in the Config Tab. This allows one to
keep an overview by operating the instrument based on known configurations.
This section provides an easy-to-follow checklist to solve the most common
mishaps. Table 2.9: Common Problems
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Problem
Check item
The software cannot Please verify you have administrator/root rights. be installed or uninstalled
The software cannot Please use the Modify option in Windows Apps & Features functionality. In
be updated
the software installer select Repair, then uninstall the old software version,
and install the new version.
The Instrument does Please verify the power supply connection and inspect the fuse. The fuse
not turn on
holder is integrated in the power connector on the back panel of the
instrument.
The Instrument can’t Please verify that the instrument is connected through the “USB 1” port.
be connected over The port labeled “USB 2” is not currently supported and will be enabled
USB
with a future LabOne release.
The Instrument has a high input noise floor (when connected to host computer by USB)
the USB cable connects the Instrument ground to computer ground, which might inject some unwanted noise to the measurements results. In this case it is recommended to use the Ethernet connection which is galvanically isolated using a UTP Cat 5 or 6 cable (UTP stands for “unshielded twisted pair”).
The Instrument performs poorly at low frequencies (below 100 kHz)
the signal inputs of the instrument might be set to AC operation. Please verify to turn off the AC switch in the Lock-in Tab or In / Out Tab.
The Instrument performs poorly during operation
the demodulator filters might be set too wide (too much noise) or too narrow (slow response) for your application. Please verify if the demodulator filter settings match your frequency versus noise plan.
The Instrument performs poorly during operation
clipping of the input signal may be occurring. This is detectable by monitoring the red LEDs on the front panel of the instrument or the Input Overflow (OVI) flags on the STATUS_TAB of the user interface. It can be avoided by adding enough margin on the input range setting (for instance 50% to 70% of the maximum signal peak).
The Instrument performs strangely when working with the SHFLI-MF Multifrequency Option
it is easily possible to turn on more signal generators than intended. Check the generated Signal Output with the integrated oscilloscope and check the number of simultaneously activated oscillator voltages.
The Instrument
After 2 years since the last calibration, a few analog parameters are
performs close to
subject to drift. This may cause inaccurate measurements. Zurich
specification, but
Instruments recommends re-calibration of the Instrument every 2 years.
higher performance is
expected
The Instrument measurements are unpredictable
Please check the Status Tab to see if there is any active warning (red flag), or if one has occurred in the past (yellow flag).
The Instrument does verify that signal output switch has been activated in the Lock-in Tab or in
not generate any
the In / Out Tab.
output signal
The sample stream from the Instrument to the host computer is not continuous
Check the communication (COM) flags in the status bar. The three flags indicate occasional sample loss, packet loss, or stall. Sample loss occurs when a sampling rate is set too high (the instrument sends more samples than the interface and the host computer can absorb). The packet loss indicates an important failure of the communications to the host computer and compromises the behavior of the instrument. Both problems are prevented by reducing the sample rate settings. The stall flag indicates that a setting was actively changed by the system to prevent UI crash.
The LabOne User Interface does not start
Verify that the LabOne Data Server (ziDataServer.exe) and the LabOne Web Server (ziWebServer.exe) are running via the Windows Task Manager. The Data Server should be started automatically by ziService.exe and the Web Server should be started upon clicking “Zurich Instruments LabOne” in the Windows Start Menu. If both are running, but clicking the Start Menu does not open a new User Interface session in a new tab of your default browser then try to create a new session manually by entering 127.0.0.1:8006 in the address bar of your browser.
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2.7. Troubleshooting
Problem
The user interface does not start or starts but remains idle The user
interface is slow and the web browser process consumes a lot of CPU power
Check item
Verify that the Data Server has been started and is running on your host
computer.
Make sure that the hardware acceleration is enabled for the web browser that
is used for LabOne. For the Windows operating system, the hardware
acceleration can be enabled in Control Panel Display Screen Resolution. Go to
Advanced Settings and then Trouble Shoot. In case you use a NVIDIA graphics
card, you have to use the NVIDIA control panel. Go to Manage 3D Settings, then
Program Settings and select the program that you want to customize.
2.7.2. Location of the Log Files
The most recent log files of the LabOne Web and Data Server programs are most easily accessed by
clicking on
in the LabOne Device Connection dialog of the user interface. The Device
Connection dialog opens on software start-up or upon clicking on
in the Config tab of
the user interface.
The location of the Web and Data Server log files on disk are given in the sections below.
Windows
The Web and Data Server log files on Windows can be found in the following
directories. LabOne Data Server (ziDataServer.exe):
C:WindowsServiceProfilesLocalServiceAppDataLocalTempZurich
InstrumentsLabOneziDataServerLog LabOne Web Server (ziWebServer.exe):
C:Users[USER]AppDataLocalTempZurich InstrumentsLabOneziWebServerLog
Note
The C:Users[USER]AppData folder is hidden by default under Windows. A quick
way of accessing it is to enter %AppData%.. in the address bar of the Windows
File Explorer.
Figure 2.30: Using the
Linux and macOS
The Web and Data Server log files on Linux or macOS can be found in the
following directories. LabOne Data Server (ziDataServer):
/tmp/ziDataServerLog[USER] LabOne Web Server (ziWebServer):
/tmp/ziWebServerLog[USER]
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2.7. Troubleshooting
2.7.3. Prevent web browsers from sleep mode
It often occurs that an experiment requires a long-time signal acquisition;
therefore, the setup including the measurement instrument and LabOne software
are left unattended. By default, many web browsers go to a sleep mode after a
certain idle time which results in the loss of acquired data when using the
web-based user interface of LabOne for measurement. Although it is recommended
to take advantage of LabOne APIs in these situations to automate the
measurement process and avoid using web browsers for data recording, it is
still possible to adjust the browser settings to prevent it from entering the
sleep mode. Below, you will find how to modify the settings of your preferred
browser to ensure a long-run data acquisition can be implemented properly.
Edge
1. Open Settings by typing edge://settings in the address bar 2. Select
System from the icon bar. 3. Find the Never put these sites to sleep section
of the Optimized Performance tab. 4. Add the IP address and the port of LabOne
Webserver, e.g., 127.0.0.1:8006 or
192.168.73.98:80 to the list.
Chrome
1. While LabOne is running, open a tab in Chrome and type chrome://discards
in the address bar.
2. In the shown table listing all the open tabs, find LabOne and disable its
Auto Discardable feature.
3. This option avoids discarding and refreshing the LabOne tab as long as it
is open. To disable this feature permanently, you can use an extension from
the Chrome Webstore.
Firefox
1. Open Advanced Preferences by typing about:config in the address bar. 2.
Look for browser.tabs.unloadOnLowMemory in the search bar. 3. Change it to
false if it is true.
Opera
1. Open Settings by typing opera://settings in the address bar. 2. Locate the
User Interface section in the Advanced view. 3. Disable the Snooze inactive
tabs to save memory option and restart Opera.
Safari
1. Open Debug menu. 2. Go to Miscellaneous Flags. 3. Disable Hidden Page
Timer Throttling.
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3. Functional Overview
3. Functional Overview
This chapter provides the overview of the features offered by the SHFLI Lock-
in Amplifier. The first section contains the description of the functional
diagram, and the hardware and software feature list. The following section
details the front panel and the back panel of the measurement instrument. The
last section provides product selection and ordering support.
3.1. Features
The SHFLI Lock-in Amplifier consists of several internal units that process
digital data (light blue color) and several interface units processing analog
signals (dark blue color). The front panel is depicted on the left-hand side
and the back panel is depicted on the right-hand side. The arrows between the
panels and the interface units indicate selected physical connections and the
data flow. The orange blocks are optional units that can be either ordered at
purchase or upgraded later. The SHFLI Lock-in Amplifier has 2 physical
channels each with its own signal input and output, auxiliary input and
digital inputs and outputs. The ordering guide details the currently available
upgrade options.
Figure 3.1: SHFLI instrument functional diagram The signal to be measured is usually connected to one of the two SHFLI signal inputs where it is amplified to a defined range and mixed down to an intermediate frequency (IF) through a doublesuperheterodyne scheme and digitized at very high speed if above 800 MHz, or directly digitized if below this frequency threshold. The resulting samples are fed into the digital signal processor that contains 8 dual-phase demodulators. The results of the demodulation are fed into a digital interface to be transferred to the host computer through the LAN or USB interface, and can also be routed to the auxiliary outputs on the front panel of the SHFLI. Two low-distortion signal outputs provide the signal generator functionality. The numerical oscillators generate sine and cosine pairs that are used for the demodulation of the input signal and also for the generation of the SHFLI output signals. For this purpose, when the SHFLI-MF Multi-Frequency option is present, the Output Adder can generate a linear combination of the oscillator outputs to generate a multi-frequency output signal. After the digital-to- analog conversion, the output signal is either routed directly to the output connectors, if its final frequency is below 800 MHz, or through the double- superheterodyne upconversion path if its final frequency needs to be above this frequency. Hardware trigger and reference signals are used for various purposes inside the instrument, such as triggering demodulation and oscilloscope data acquisition, to acquire or generate an external reference signal, or triggering other equipment.
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3.1. Features
3.1.1. Lock-in Operating Modes
Internal reference mode External reference mode (coming later in 2023) Dual-
lock-in operation (two independent lock-in amplifiers in the same box) Triple-
harmonic mode (simultaneous measurement at three frequencies within the
measurement window that are harmonic of the Numerical Oscillator frequency)
Arbitrary frequency mode (with SHFLI-MF option, simultaneous measurement at up
to eight
arbitrary frequencies within the measurement window)
3.1.2. Super-high-frequency Signal Inputs
2 low-noise SHF Inputs, DC – 8.5 GHz frequency range, 1 GHz bandwidth Variable
input range, selectable from 1 mV to 1 V peak (10 mV to 1 V in Baseband)
Selectable AC/DC coupling in Baseband
3.1.3. Super-high-frequency Signal Outputs
Low-noise SHF Outputs, DC – 8.5 GHz frequency range, 1 GHz bandwidth Variable
output range, selectable from 10 mV to 1 V peak (10 mV to 0.5 V in Baseband)
3.1.4. Demodulators & Reference
Up to 8 dual-phase demodulators Up to 8 programmable numerical oscillators Up
to 2 external reference signals (coming later in 2023) Up to 4 input and up to
4 output trigger signals Individually programmable demodulator filters 128-bit
internal processing 64-bit resolution demodulator sample 48-bit internal
reference resolution
3.1.5. Auxiliary Input and Outputs
4 high-speed auxiliary outputs for user-defined signals, 25 MHz bandwidth, 14
bit 4 high-precision auxiliary outputs for user-defined signals, 200 kHz
bandwidth, 18 bit 2 auxiliary inputs, general purpose
3.1.6. High-speed Connectivity
SMA connectors on front and back panel for triggers, signals and external
clock USB 3.0 high-speed host interface LAN/Ethernet 1 Gbit/s controller
interface DIO: 32-bit digital input-output port Clock input/output connectors
(10/100 MHz)
3.1.7. Extensive Time and Frequency Domain Analysis Tools
Numeric tool Plotter Oscilloscope Sweeper and Frequency response analyzer FFT
spectrum analyzer
3.1.8. Software Features
Web-based, high-speed LabOne® user interface with multi-instrument control
Data server with multi-client support API for Python and MATLAB®
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3.2. Front Panel Tour
3.2. Front Panel Tour
The front panel SMA and BNC connectors and control LEDs are arranged as shown
in Figure 3.2 and listed in .
Figure 3.2: SHFLI Lock-in Amplifier front panel
Table 3.1: SHFLI Lock-in Amplifier front panel description
Position Label / Name
Description
A
Aux In
analog Auxiliary Input, max. 10 V
B
Signal
single-ended analog Signal Output, DC-8.5 GHz, max. 1 V peak
Output
C
Trig Out
TTL Trigger Outputs 1 to 4
D
Trig In
TTL Trigger Inputs 1 to 4
E
Signal Input single-ended analog Signal Input, DC-8.5 GHz, max. 1 V peak
F
High
high-precision auxiliary outputs 1 to 4
Precision
G
High Speed high-speed auxiliary outputs 1 to 4
H
multicolor
LEDs
off
Instrument off or uninitialized
blink
all LEDs blink for 5 seconds indicator used by the Identify
Device functionality
Busy Ext. Clock
unused off
10/100 MHz External Clock Signal not present/detected blue
10/100 MHz External Clock Signal is present and locked on to yellow
10/100 MHz External Clock Signal present, but not locked on to red
10/100 MHz External Clock Signal present, but lock failed
ZSync Status
unused off
Instrument off or uninitialized blue
Instrument is initialized and has no warnings or errors yellow
Instrument has warnings red
Instrument has errors
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3.3. Back Panel Tour
Position Label / Name
J Soft power button
Description
Power button with incorporated status LED
off blue
red
Instrument off and disconnected from mains power flashing rapidly (>1/sec):
Firmware is starting flashing slowly (<1/sec): Firmware ready, waiting for
connection constant: Instrument ready and active connection over USB or
Ethernet breathing: Instrument off but connected to mains power
safe to power off using the rear panel switch, or restart using the soft power
button flashing: Instrument booting up constant: Fatal error occurred
3.3. Back Panel Tour
The back panel is the main interface for power, control, service and
connectivity to other ZI instruments. Please refer to Figure 3.3 and for the
detailed description of the items.
Figure 3.3: SHFLI Lock-in Amplifier back panel
Table 3.2: SHFLI Lock-in Amplifier back panel description
Position Label / Name
Description
A
4 mm banana jack connector for earth ground, electrically connected
Earth ground to the chassis and the earth pin of the power inlet
B
AC 100 – 240 V Power inlet, fuse holder, and power switch
C
MDS 1
SMA: bidirectional TTL ports for multi-device synchronization
D
MDS 2
SMA: bidirectional TTL ports for multi-device synchronization
E
USB 1
Universal Serial Bus (USB) 3.0 port for instrument control
F
LAN 1GbE
1 Gbit LAN connector for instrument control
G
DIO 32bit
32-bit digital input/output (DIO) connector
H
USB 2
Universal Serial Bus (USB) 3.0 port connector -> do not use for standard
operation
I
ZSync
unused
Secondary Attention: This is not an Ethernet plug, connection to an Ethernet
network might damage the instrument.
J
ZSync
unused
Primary
Attention: This is not an Ethernet plug, connection to an Ethernet
network might damage the instrument.
K
External Clk In external clock Input (10 MHz/100 MHz) for synchronization with other
instruments
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3.4. Ordering Guide
Position Label / Name
L
External Clk
Out
Description
external clock Output (10 MHz/100 MHz) for synchronization with other
instruments
3.4. Ordering Guide
Table 3.3 provides an overview of the available SHFLI products. Upgradeable features are options that can be purchased anytime without the need to send the Instrument back to Zurich Instruments.
Table 3.3: SHFLI Instrument product codes for ordering
Product code
Product name
Description
SHFLI
SHFLI Lock-in Amplifier
base lock-in amplifier
SHFLI-MF
SHFLI-MF Multi-frequency
option
SHFLI-MOD SHFLI-MOD AM/FM Modulation option
SHFLI-PID
SHFLI-PID Quad PID/PLL Controller
option
Field upgrade possible
–
yes yes1,2 yes2
1 Requires SHFLI-MF Multi-frequency option
2 Available by end of 2023
Table 3.4: Product selector SHFLI
Feature
SHFLI SHFLI + SHFLI-MF
Internal reference mode
yes yes
External reference mode1
yes yes
Dual-channel operation (2
yes yes
independent measurement units)
Signal generators
2
2
Superposed output sinusoidals 1 per generator
up to 8
Triple-harmonic mode
yes yes
Multi-frequency mode
–
yes
Arbitrary frequency mode
–
yes
Number of demodulators
8
8
Simultaneous frequencies
2
8
Simultaneous numerical oscillator 4+4 harmonics
External references
2
2
PID controllers
–
–
Dynamic reserve
100 dB 100 dB
Lock-in range
8.5
8.5 GHz
GHz
USB 3.0
yes yes
LAN 1 Gbit/s
yes yes
SHFLI + SHFLI-PID
yes yes yes
2 1
yes 8 2 4+4
2 4 100 dB 8.5 GHz
yes yes
SHFLI + SHFLIMF + SHFLI-PID
yes yes yes
2 up to 8
yes yes yes 8 8 –
2 4 100 dB 8.5 GHz
yes yes
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3.4. Ordering Guide 1 Available by end of 2023
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4. Tutorials
4. Tutorials
The tutorials in this chapter have been created to allow users to become more
familiar with the basic technique of lock-in amplification, with the features
and operations of the SHFLI Lock-in Amplifier, with the LabOne user interface,
as well as with some more advanced lock-in measurement techniques. To
successfully carry out the tutorials, users are required to have certain
laboratory equipment and basic equipment handling knowledge. The equipment
list is given below.
Note
For all tutorials, you must have LabOne installed as described in the Getting
Started. 1 USB 3.0 cable or 1 LAN cable (supplied with your SHFLI Lock-in
Amplifier) 3 SMA cables 1 SMA shorting cap (optional) 1 oscilloscope with a
bandwidth 2 GHz (optional) 1 SMA T-piece (optional)
4.1. Simple Loop
Note
This lock-in amplifier tutorial is applicable to all SHFLI instruments as no
option is required. Some settings depend on whether or not the SHFLI-MF Multi-
frequency option is installed, and the differences are pointed out where
necessary.
4.1.1. Goals and Requirements
This tutorial is for people with no or little prior experience with the Zurich
Instruments SHFLI Lock-in Amplifier. By using a very basic measurement setup,
it shows the most fundamental working principles of the SHFLI and the LabOne
UI using a hands-on approach. There are no special requirements to complete
the tutorial.
4.1.2. Preparation
In this exercise, you are asked to generate a signal with the SHFLI and
measure that signal with the same instrument. This is done by first connecting
Signal Output 1 to Signal Input 1 with a short SMA cable (ideally 10 to 20
cm). Optionally, it is possible to connect the generated signal at Signal
Output 1 to an oscilloscope by using a T-piece and an additional cable. Figure
4.1 displays a sketch of the hardware setup.
Figure 4.1: Tutorial simple loop setup (LAN connection shown) Make sure that the SHFLI unit is powered and connected by USB to your host computer or by Ethernet to your local area network (LAN) where the host computer resides. Start the LabOne User
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4.1. Simple Loop
Interface as explained in Connecting to the Instrument. The LabOne Data Server and the LabOne Web Server are automatically started and run in the background.
4.1.3. Generate the Test Signal
Perform the following steps in order to generate a 1.6 GHz signal of 0.25 V peak amplitude on Signal Output 1.
1. In the Signal Inputs section of the Lock-in tab, make sure that the
Frequency Range of Input 1 is set (dark blue) to RF and then set its Center
frequency (labeled c1) to 1.5 GHz: enter 1.5G or 1500000000 in the field and
press
2. Change the frequency value of oscillator 1 (Lock-in tab, Oscillators
section) to 100 MHz: click on the field, enter 100000000 or 100M in short.
3. (Without SHFLI-MF option) In the Signal Outputs section of the Lock-in
tab, set the Range pull-down to 0.5 V and the amplitude to 250 mV for Output
- The Read-only Frequency field of Output 1 should show 1.6 GHz. (With SHFLI-
MF option) In the Output 1 section of the Lock-in tab, set Amplitude to 250 mV
for demodulator 4 (4th row) and enable the button next to this field, if it’s
not enabled yet (dark blue). The read-only Frequency field of this component
should show 1.6 GHz. At the bottom of the Output 1 section, set the Range
selector to 0.5 V.
4. By default all physical outputs of the SHFLI are inactive to prevent damage to connected circuits. Turn on the main output switch by clicking on the On/Off button at the top right of the Output 1 section. The switch turns to dark blue when enabled.
5. If you have an oscilloscope connected to the setup, you should now be able to see the generated signal.
Table 4.1 and Table 4.2 summarize the instrument settings to be made without and with SHFLI-MF Multi-frequency option.
Table 4.1: Settings: generate the test input signal (without SHFLI-MF Multi- frequency option)
Tab
Section
Label
Setting / Value / State
Lock-in
Signal Inputs
1
Freq Range
RF
Lock-in
Signal Inputs
1
Center Freq (Hz)
1.5 GHz
Lock-in
Oscillators
1
Frequency
100 MHz
Lock-in
Signal Outputs
1
Range
0.5 V
Lock-in
Signal Outputs
1
Amplitude
0.25 V
Lock-in
Signal Outputs
1
On
ON
Table 4.2: Settings: generate the test input signal (with SHFLI-MF Multi- frequency option)
Tab
Section
Label
Setting / Value / State
Lock-in
Signal Inputs
1
Freq Range
RF
Lock-in
Signal Inputs
1
Center Freq (Hz)
1.5 GHz
Lock-in
Oscillators
1
Frequency
100 MHz
Lock-in
Output 1
4
Amp (V)
0.25 V
Lock-in
Output 1
4
Amp Enable
ON
Lock-in
Output 1
Range
0.5 V
Lock-in
Output 1
On
ON
Oscillators and Demodulators are both represented as rows in the Lock-in tab, but need to be distinguished for a good understanding of the user interface. This is particularly important for users of the SHFLI-MF Multi-frequency option. By default, oscillator 1 is assigned to demodulators 1-4, and oscillator 2 is assigned to demodulators 5-8. This means, for example that when generating a signal using row 2 of the Output 1 section, the frequency of this signal depends on row 1 of the Oscillators section (and not row 2) by default. The final frequency of the output sine wave also depends on the center frequency of the channel being used, if this is in RF mode. In the example above, since we considered the Output 1 section, the frequency of Oscillator 1 needs to be added to the center frequency of channel 1, because this is set to RF mode. In base-band (BB) mode, instead, the output signal’s frequency is equal to the one of its corresponding demodulator.
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4.1. Simple Loop Hovering over the read-only frequency field of each output
component shows a tool-tip that describes what elements compose that
frequency.
4.1.4. Check the Test Input Signal
Next, set the input range to 500 mV as shown in the following table.
Table 4.3: Settings: configure the Signal Input
Tab
Section
Lock-in
Signal Inputs
1
Label
Range
Setting / Value / State
500 mV
The range setting ensures that the analog amplification on Signal Input 1 is set such that the dynamic range of the input high-speed analog-digital converter is used optimally without clipping the signal.
The incoming signal can now be observed in the Scope tab. The Scope can be opened by clicking on its icon in the left sidebar or by dragging it to one of the open tab rows. Choose the following settings on the Scope tab to display the signal entering Signal Input 1:
Table 4.4: Settings: configure the Scope
Tab
Sub-tab Section #
Scope Control
Horizontal
Scope Control
Horizontal
Scope Control
Vertical
Scope
Label
Sampling Rate Length Channel 1 Run / Stop
Setting / Value / State
2 GSa 4992 Signal Input 1 ON
The Scope now displays single shots of Signal Input 1 after the analog
frequency down-mixing. The scale on top of the graphs indicates the time-axis
zoom level for orientation. The icons on the left and below the figure give
access to the main scaling properties and allow one to store the measurement
data as a SVG image file or plain data text file. Moreover, the view can be
panned by clicking and holding the left mouse button inside the graph while
moving the mouse.
Note
The mouse wheel can be used to zoom in and out horizontally. To zoom vertically, the shift key needs to be pressed while using the mouse wheel.
Having set the Input Range to 500 mV ensures that no signal clipping occurs. If you set the Input Range to 100 mV, clipping can be seen immediately on the scope window accompanied by a red error flag on the status bar in the lower right corner of the LabOne User Interface. At the same time, the LED next to the Signal Input 1 SMA connector on the instrument’s front panel will turn red. The error flag can be cleared by pressing the clear button marked with the letter C on the right side of the status bar after setting the Input Range back to 500 mV. The Scope is a useful tool for checking quickly the properties of the input signal in the time and frequency domain. For the full description of the Scope tool please refer to the functional description in Scope Tab.
4.1.5. Measure the Test Input Signal
Now, you are ready to use the SHFLI Lock-in Amplifier to demodulate the input signal and measure its amplitude and phase. You will use two tools of the LabOne User Interface: the Numerical and the Plotter.
First, adjust the following parameters on the Lock-in tab for demodulator 1 (or choose another demodulator if desired):
Table 4.5: Settings: measure the test input signal
Tab
Section
Label
Lock-in
Frequencies
1
n
Setting / Value / State
1
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4.1. Simple Loop
Tab
Section
Label
Setting / Value / State
Lock-in
Frequencies
1
Phase
0
Lock-in
Input
1
Signal
Sig In 1
Lock-in
Low-Pass Filters
1
Order
3 (18 dB/Oct)
Lock-in
Low-Pass Filters
1
TC / BW 3dB
9.3 ms / 8.7 Hz
Lock-in
Data Transfer
1
Rate
100 Sample/s
Lock-in
Data Transfer
1
Enable
ON
These settings configure the demodulation filter to the third-order low-pass operation with a 9 ms integration time constant. Alternatively, the corresponding 3 dB bandwidth can be displayed and entered. The output of the demodulator filter is read out at a rate of 100 Hz: 100 data samples are sent to the host PC each second with equidistant spacing. These samples can be viewed in the Numerical and the Plotter tools which we will examine next. The Numerical tool provides the space for 16 or more measurement panels. Each of the panels has the option to display the demodulation samples in Cartesian (X,Y) or in polar (R, ) representation, plus other quantities such as the Demodulation Frequencies. The unit of the (X,Y,R) values are by default given in VRMS. The numerical values are accompanied by graphical bar scale indicators that provide better readability, e.g. for alignment procedures. Display zoom is also available by holding the control key pressed while scrolling with the mouse wheel. You may observe rapidly changing digits in the Numerical panels. This is due to the fact that you are measuring thermal noise that may be in the V or even nV range depending on the filter settings. To better familiarize yourself with the settings, you can now change some of the values entered before, such as the amplitude of the generated signal, and observe the effect on the demodulator output. Next, we will have a look at the Plotter tool, which allows users to observe the demodulator signals as a function of time. It is possible to adjust the scaling of the graph in both axes, or make detailed measurements with 2 cursors for each axis. Signals with same properties, e.g. amplitude from different demodulators, are automatically added to the same default y-axis group. This ensures that the axis scaling is identical. Signals can be moved between groups. More information on y-axis groups can be found in the section called “Plot Area Elements”. Try zooming in along the time dimension using the mouse wheel or the icons below the graph to display about one second of the data stream.
Figure 4.2: LabOne User Interface Plotter displaying demodulator results
continuously over time (roll mode)
Data displayed in the Plotter can also be saved continuously to the computer
memory. Please have a look at User Interface Overview for a detailed
description of the data saving and recording functionality. Instrument and
user interface settings can be saved and loaded in the Settings section
(Config Tab).
4.1.6. Different Filter Settings
Next you will learn to change the filter settings and see their effect on the
measurement results. For this exercise, configure the second demodulator with
the same settings as the first one, except for the time constant that you set
to 1 ms, corresponding to a 3 dB bandwidth of 83 Hz. Table 4.6: Settings:
change the demodulator filter settings
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4.2. Up and Down frequency conversion
Tab
Section
Label
Setting / Value / State
Lock-in
Low-Pass Filters
2
Order
3 (18 dB/Oct)
Lock-in
Low-Pass Filters
2
TC / BW 3dB
1 ms / 77.38 Hz
A higher time constant increases the filter integration time of the demodulators. This, in turn, “smooths out” the demodulator outputs and hence decreases available time resolution. It is recommended to keep the sample rate 7 to 10 times the filter 3 dB bandwidth. The sample rate will be rounded off to the next available sampling frequency. In this example, type 1k in the Rate field, which is sufficient to not only properly resolve the signal, but also to avoid aliasing effects. Figure 4.3 shows data samples displayed for the two demodulators with different filter settings described above.
Figure 4.3: LabOne User Interface Plotter: Demodulator 1 (TC = 9.3 ms, blue),
Demodulator 2 (TC = 1 ms, green)
Moreover, you may for instance “disturb” the demodulator with a change of test
signal amplitude, for example from 0.25 V to 0.4 V and vice-versa. The green
plot may go out of the display range which can be re-adjusted by clicking the
Auto Scale button , cf. Plot Functionality. With a large time constant, the
demodulated data changes more slowly in reaction to the change in the input
signal compared to a small time constant. In addition, the number of stable
significant digits in the Numerical tab will also be higher with a high time
constant.
4.2. Up and Down frequency conversion
Note
This lock-in amplifier tutorial is applicable to all SHFLI instruments as no
option is required. Some settings depend on whether or not the SHFLI-MF Multi-
frequency option is installed, and the differences are pointed out where
necessary.
4.2.1. Goals and Requirements
This tutorial aims at familiarizing you with the frequency conversions
performed by the SHFLI frontends and their consequences. The practical
examples and exercises are meant to provide better understanding of the
technical aspects and introduce the tools that will help you avoid possible
pitfalls. In particular, it will show how the channel center frequency values
make the 2 channels independent and, depending on how they are chosen, may
prevent one channel from being able to measure the signals generated by the
other. There are no prerequisites for this tutorial, but completing the Simple
Loop will make it easier to follow along.
4.2.2. Preparation
In this tutorial we need to connect Signal Output 2 to Signal Input 1 with a
short (10 to 20 cm) SMA coaxial cable. Channel 2 will be used to generate a
signal that is then measured with Channel 1. This will highlight the role of
the Center Frequency setting. As in the Simple Loop, it is possible to also
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4.2. Up and Down frequency conversion visualize the signal using a stand-alone oscilloscope by splitting the signal from the output using a T connector. Figure 4.4 displays a sketch of the hardware setup.
Figure 4.4: Tutorial single tone, two channels setup Make sure that the SHFLI is powered and connected to the computer, and start the LabOne user interface. Please refer to the Preparation section in the Simple Loop tutorial for more details on this.
4.2.3. Generate the Test Signal
Perform the following steps in order to generate a 1.6 GHz signal of 0.25 V peak amplitude on Signal Output 2. Please note that these are very similar to the ones in the Simple Loop, but performed on Channel 2
1. In the Signal Inputs section of the Lock-in tab, make sure that the
Frequency Range of Input 2 is set (dark blue) to RF and then set its Center
frequency (labeled c2) to 1.5 GHz: enter 1.5G or 1500000000 in the field and
press
2. Change the frequency value of oscillator 2 (Lock-in tab, Oscillators
section, labeled f2) to 100 MHz: click on the field, enter 100000000 or 100M
in short.
3. (Without SHFLI-MF option) In the Signal Outputs section of the Lock-in
tab, set the Range pull-down to 0.5 V and the amplitude to 250 mV for Output
2. The Read-only Frequency field of Output 2 should show 1.6 GHz. (With SHFLI-
MF option) In the Output 2 section of the Lock-in tab, set Amp to 250 mV for
demodulator 8 (8th row) and enable the button next to this field, if it’s not
enabled yet (dark blue). The read-only Frequency field of this component
should show 1.6 GHz. At the bottom of the Output 2 section, set the Range
selector to 0.5 V.
4. By default all physical outputs of the SHFLI are inactive to prevent
damage to connected circuits. Turn on the main output switch by clicking on
the On/Off button at the top right of the Output 2 section. The switch turns
dark blue when enabled.
5. If you have an oscilloscope connected to the setup, you should now be able
to see the generated signal.
Table 4.7 and Table 4.8 summarize the instrument settings to be made without and with SHFLI-MF Multi-frequency option.
Table 4.7: Settings: generate the test input signal (without SHFLI-MF Multi- frequency option)
Tab
Section
Label
Setting / Value / State
Lock-in
Signal Inputs
2
Freq Range
RF
Lock-in
Signal Inputs
2
Center Freq (Hz)
1.5 GHz
Lock-in
Oscillators
2
Frequency
100 MHz
Lock-in
Signal Outputs
2
Range
0.5 V
Lock-in
Signal Outputs
2
Amplitude
0.25 V
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4.2. Up and Down frequency conversion
Tab
Section
Label
Lock-in
Signal Outputs
2
On
Setting / Value / State
ON
Table 4.8: Settings: generate the test input signal (with SHFLI-MF Multi- frequency option)
Tab
Section
Label
Setting / Value / State
Lock-in
Signal Inputs
2
Freq Range
RF
Lock-in
Signal Inputs
2
Center Freq (Hz)
1.5 GHz
Lock-in
Oscillators
2
Frequency
100 MHz
Lock-in
Output 2
8
Amp (V)
0.25 V
Lock-in
Output 2
8
Amp Enable
ON
Lock-in
Output 2
Range
0.5 V
Lock-in
Output 2
On
ON
One important aspect to note is that the center frequency is channel-based, i.e., it is the same for both input and output of that channel. Its input field in the LabOne graphical user interface is located in the Signal Inputs section.
Visualize the Signal with the Scope
Next, adjust the parameters of Signal Input 1 (please note that we are now setting up the other channel) as shown in the following table, so that they match the ones of Channel 2.
Table 4.9: Settings: configure the Signal Input
Tab
Section
Label
Lock-in
Signal Inputs
1
Range
Lock-in
Signal Inputs
1
Freq Range
Lock-in
Signal Inputs
1
Center Freq (Hz)
Setting / Value / State
500 mV RF 1.5 GHz
The range setting ensures that the analog amplification on Signal Input 1 is set such that the dynamic range of the input high-speed analog-digital converter is used optimally without clipping the signal, and matching the center frequency to the one of Channel 2 ensures that the 2 measurement windows overlap completely.
The incoming signal can now be observed in the Scope tab. The Scope can be opened by clicking on its icon in the left sidebar or by dragging it to one of the open tab rows. Choose the following settings on the Scope tab to display the signal entering Signal Input 1:
Table 4.10: Settings: configure the Scope
Tab
Sub-tab Section #
Scope Control
Horizontal
Scope Control
Horizontal
Scope Control
Vertical
Scope Control
Vertical
Scope
Label
Sampling Rate Length Channel 1 Channel 1 Run / Stop
Setting / Value / State
2 GSa 4992 Signal Input 1 On ON
The Scope now displays single shots of Signal Input 1 after the analog frequency down-mixing. The scale on top of the graphs indicates the time-axis zoom level for orientation. The icons on the left and below the figure give access to the main scaling properties and allow one to store the measurement data as a SVG image file or plain data text file. Moreover, the view can be panned by clicking and holding the left mouse button inside the graph while moving the mouse. Click on “Freq FFT” in the Scope’s Control panel, Horizontal section, to display the spectrum of the signal. You should see a peak at 100 MHz on the plot. The Scope, in RF mode, shows the complex signal coming from the analog front-end’s mixer, so the spectrum is centered around 0 Hz with
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4.2. Up and Down frequency conversion positive and negative frequencies, from -1 GHz to +1 GHz. To visualize the signal’s real frequency, go to the “Advanced” panel in the Scope tab and click on the “Absolute Freq” button. If you now change the center frequency of channel 1, the signal will move on the screen relatively to the window’s center. For example, try to change channel 1’s center frequency to 1.7 GHz. The signal is now displayed to the left of the window’s center, as this is now located at 1.7 GHz, but its frequency has not changed because you haven’t modified any of channel 2’s parameters. Turning off “Absolute Freq” will show the signal’s relative frequency to be -100 MHz now. If you set channel 1’s center frequency higher than 2.6 GHz, the signal will no longer be visible because its measurement window no longer contains the 1.6 GHz frequency.
Measure the Signal with a Demodulator
Let’s now set up a lock-in measurement of the signal coming from Output 2. The following table shows the settings that need to be made in the Lock-in tab, starting with resetting the center frequency of channel 1.
Table 4.11: Settings: configure the Signal Input
Tab
Section
Label
Lock-in
Signal Inputs
1
Freq Range
Lock-in
Signal Inputs
1
Center Freq (Hz)
Lock-in
Oscillators
1
Frequency
Lock-in
Demodulators
1
Input Signal
Lock-in
Demodulators
1
Osc
Lock-in
Demodulators
1
Lock-in
Demodulators
1
Lock-in
Demodulators
1
Lock-in
Demodulators
1
n BW 3 dB Rate (Sa/s) En
Setting / Value / State
RF 1.5 GHz 100 MHz Sig In 1 f1 1 100 1000 ON
With these settings, demodulator 1 demodulates at a frequency of 1.6 GHz, equal to the one of the signal at the output. This can be verified in the read-only frequency fields next to demodulator 1 and next to the active frequency component in Output 2. You can now check the demodulator output in the numerical tab: you should see both amplitude and phase panels showing rather stable readings. Now let’s play with the frequencies of channel 1 similarly to what we did earlier with the Scope: if we increase the center frequency by 200 MHz, to 1.7 GHz and change the frequency of oscillator 1 (f1) to -100 MHz, we end up at the same demodulator frequency, so we should see a similar readout in the numerical tab. The two readings are likely different: the amplitude may be slightly different because of slight variations in the analog path response with frequency, while the phase measurement, although stable, is likely very different because, differently from the Simple Loop tutorial, we are using 2 independent numerical oscillators and changing the frequency of one modifies the relative phase offset between them. Finally, if we changed the center frequency of channel 1 to 2.5 GHz, the measurement windows of channel 2, generating the signal, and of channel 1, measuring it, would overlap only at 2 GHz, so in order to be able to measure the signal generated by channel 2 using channel 1, we need to change the frequency of oscillator 2 (f2) to +500 MHz and that of oscillator 1 (f1) to -500 MHz. Increasing the gap between the center frequencies further will completely separate the windows and signals generated in one would no longer be measurable by the other.
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5. Functional Description LabOne User Interface
5. Functional Description LabOne User Interface
This chapter gives a detailed description of the functionality available in
the LabOne User Interface (UI) for the Zurich Instruments SHFLI Lock-in
Amplifier. LabOne provides a data server and a web server to control the
Instrument with any of the most common web browsers (e.g. Firefox, Chrome,
Edge, etc.). This platform-independent architecture supports interaction with
the Instrument using various devices (PCs, tablets, smartphones, etc.) even at
the same time if needed. On top of standard functionality like acquiring and
saving data points, this UI provides a wide variety of measurement tools for
time and frequency domain analysis of measurement data as well as for
convenient servo loop implementation.
5.1. User Interface Overview 5.2. UI Nomenclature
This section provides an overview of the LabOne User Interface, its main
elements and naming conventions. The LabOne User Interface is a browser-based
UI provided as the primary interface to the SHFLI instrument. Multiple browser
sessions can access the instrument simultaneously and the user can have
displays on multiple computer screens. Parallel to the UI, the instrument can
be controlled and read out by custom programs written in any of the supported
languages (e.g. LabVIEW, MATLAB, Python, C) connecting through the LabOne
APIs.
Figure 5.1: LabOne User Interface (default view) The LabOne User Interface automatically opens some tabs by default after a new UI session has been started. At start-up, the UI is divided into two tab rows, each containing a tab structure that gives access to the different LabOne tools. Depending on display size and application, tab rows can be freely added and deleted with the control elements on the right-hand side of each tab bar. Similarly, the individual tabs can be deleted or added by selecting app icons from the side bar on the left. A click on an icon adds the corresponding tab to the display, alternatively the icon can be dragged and dropped into one of the tab rows. Moreover, tabs can be moved by drag-and-drop within a row or across rows. Table 5.1 gives a brief descriptions and naming conventions for the most important UI items.
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5.2. UI Nomenclature
Table 5.1: LabOne User Interface features
Item Position Description name
Contains
side bar left-hand contains app icons for each of the available tabs app icons side of the UI – a click on an icon adds or activates the corresponding tab in the active tab row
status bottom of
bar
the UI
contains important status and warning
status indicators
indicators, device and session information, and
access to the command log
main area
center of the accommodates all active tabs new rows can tab rows, each
UI
be added and removed by using the control
consisting of tab bar
elements in the top right corner of each tab row and the active tab area
tab area inside of each tab
provides the active part of each tab consisting sections, plots, sub-
of settings, controls and measurement tools
tabs, unit selections
Further items are highlighted in Figure 5.2.
Figure 5.2: LabOne User Interface (more items)
5.2.1. Unique Set of Analysis Tools
All instruments feature a comprehensive tool set for time and frequency domain
analysis for both raw and demodulated signals. The app icons on the left side
of the UI can be roughly divided into two categories: settings and tools.
Settings-related tabs are in direct connection to the instrument hardware,
allowing the user to control all the settings and instrument states. Tools-
related tabs place a focus on the display and analysis of gathered measurement
data. There is no strict distinction between settings and tools, e.g. the
Sweeper will change certain demodulator settings while performing a frequency
sweep. Within the tools one can often further discriminate between time domain
and frequency domain analysis. Moreover, a distinction can be made between the
analysis of fast input signals – typical sampling rate of 2 GSa/s – and the
measurement of orders of magnitude slower data – typical sampling rate of 50
MSa/s – derived for instance from demodulator outputs and auxiliary inputs.
Table 5.2 provides a brief classification of the tools. Table 5.2: Tools for
time domain and frequency domain analysis
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5.2. UI Nomenclature
Fast signals (2 GSa/s) Slow signals (50 MSa/s)
Time Domain
Oscilloscope (Scope tab) Numeric Plotter Data Acquisition
Frequency Domain
FFT Analyzer (Scope tab) Spectrum Analyzer (Spectrum tab) Sweeper –
The following table gives the overview of all app icons. Note that the selection of app icons may depend on the upgrade options installed on a given instrument.
Table 5.3: Overview of app icons and short description
Control/ Option/
Tool
Range
Description
Config
Provides access to software configuration.
Device
Provides instrument specific settings.
Files
Access settings and measurement data files on the host computer.
In/Out
Gives access to all controls relevant for the Signal Inputs and Signal Outputs of each channel.
Mod
Access to all the settings of the digital modulation.
DIO
Gives access to all controls relevant for the digital inputs and outputs
including DIO, Trigger Inputs, and Marker Outputs.
AWG
Generate arbitrary signals using sequencing and sample-by-sample definition of waveforms.
ZI Labs
Experimental settings and controls.
Table 5.4 provides a quick overview over the different status bar elements along with a short description.
Table 5.4: Status bar description
Control/ Option/ Description
Tool
Range
Command last
Shows the last command. A different formatting (MATLAB, Python, ..) can
log
command be set in the config tab. The log is also saved in [User]
DocumentsZurich InstrumentsLabOneWebServerLog
Show Log
Show the command log history in a separate browser window.
Errors
Errors
Display system errors in separate browser tab.
Device
devXXX
Indicates the device serial number.
Identify Device
When active, device LED blinks
MDS
grey/green/ Multiple device synchronization indicator. Grey: Nothing to
synchronize red/yellow single device on the UI. Green: All devices on the UI
are correctly
synchronized. Yellow: MDS sync in progress or only a subset of the connected
devices is synchronized. Red: Devices not synchronized or error during MDS
sync.
REC
grey/red A blinking red indicator shows ongoing data recording (related to global
recording settings in the Config tab).
RCO
grey/
Router Channel Overflow – Red: present overflow condition on the
yellow/red channel. Yellow: indicates an overflow occurred in the past.
CF
grey/
Clock Failure – Red: present malfunction of the external 10 MHz reference
yellow/red oscillator. Yellow: indicates a malfunction occurred in the past.
OVI
grey/
Signal Input Overload – Red: present overload condition on the signal
yellow/red input also shown by the red front panel LED. Yellow: indicates an
overload occurred in the past.
OVO
grey/
Overload Signal Output – Red: present overload condition on the signal
yellow/red output. Yellow: indicates an overload occurred in the past.
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5.2. UI Nomenclature
Control/ Tool
COM
COM
C Full Screen
Option/ Range
grey/ yellow/red
grey/ yellow/red
Description
Packet Loss – Red: present loss of data between the device and the host PC.
Yellow: indicates a loss occurred in the past. Sample Loss – Red: present loss
of sample data between the device and the host PC. Yellow: indicates a loss
occurred in the past. Reset status flags: Clear the current state of the
status flags Toggles the browser between full screen and normal mode.
5.2.2. Plot Functionality
Several tools provide a graphical display of measurement data in the form of
plots. These are multifunctional tools with zooming, panning and cursor
capability. This section introduces some of the highlights.
Plot Area Elements
Plots consist of the plot area, the X range and the range controls. The X range (above the plot area) indicates which section of the wave is displayed by means of the blue zoom region indicators. The two ranges show the full scale of the plot which does not change when the plot area displays a zoomed view. The two axes of the plot area instead do change when zoom is applied.
The mouse functionality inside of a plot greatly simplifies and speeds up data viewing and navigation.
Table 5.5: Mouse functionality inside plots
Name
Action
Description
Performed inside
Panning
left click on any location and move around
moves the waveforms
plot area
Zoom X axis
mouse wheel
zooms in and out the X axis
plot area
Zoom Y axis
shift + mouse wheel zooms in and out the Y axis
plot area
Window zoom shift and left mouse selects the area of the
plot area
area select
waveform to be zoomed in
Absolute jump left mouse click of zoom area
moves the blue zoom range indicators
X and Y range, but outside of the blue zoom range indicators
Absolute move left mouse dragof zoom area and-drop
moves the blue zoom range indicators
X and Y range, inside of the blue range indicators
Full Scale
double click
set X and Y axis to full scale
plot area
Each plot area contains a legend that lists all the shown signals in the
respective color. The legend can be moved to any desired position by means of
drag-and-drop. The X range and Y range plot controls are described in Table
5.6.
Note
Plot data can be conveniently exported to other applications such as Excel or Matlab by using LabOne’s Net Link functionality, see LabOne Net Link for more information.
Table 5.6: Plot control description
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5.2. UI Nomenclature
Control/ Option/
Tool
Range
Axis scaling mode
Axis mapping mode
Axis zoom in
Axis zoom out
Rescale axis to data
Save figure
Save data
Cursor control Net Link
Description
Selects between automatic, full scale and manual axis scaling. Select between
linear, logarithmic and decibel axis mapping.
Zooms the respective axis in by a factor of 2. Zooms the respective axis out
by a factor of 2. Rescale the foreground Y axis in the selected zoom area.
Generates PNG, JPG or SVG of the plot area or areas for dual plots to the
local download folder. Generates a CSV file consisting of the displayed wave
or histogram data (when histogram math operation is enabled). Select full
scale to save the complete wave. The save data function only saves one shot at
a time (the last displayed wave). Cursors can be switch On/Off and set to be
moved both independently or one bound to the other one. Provides a LabOne Net
Link to use displayed wave data in tools like Excel, MATLAB, etc.
Cursors and Math
The plot area provides two X and two Y cursors which appear as dashed lines
inside of the plot area. The four cursors are selected and moved by means of
the blue handles individually by means of drag-and-drop. For each axis, there
is a primary cursor indicating its absolute position and a secondary cursor
indicating both absolute and relative position to the primary cursor. Cursors
have an absolute position which does not change upon pan or zoom events. In
case a cursor position moves out of the plot area, the corresponding handle is
displayed at the edge of the plot area. Unless the handle is moved, the cursor
keeps the current position. This functionality is very effective to measure
large deltas with high precision (as the absolute position of the other
cursors does not move). The cursor data can also be used to define the input
data for the mathematical operations performed on plotted data. This
functionality is available in the Math sub-tab of each tool. The Table 5.7
gives an overview of all the elements and their functionality. The chosen
Signals and Operations are applied to the currently active trace only.
Note
Cursor data can be conveniently exported to other applications such as Excel
or MATLAB by using LabOne’s Net Link functionality, see LabOne Net Link for
more information.
Table 5.7: Plot math description
Control/ Option/Range Description Tool
Source Select
Cursor Loc
Select from a list of input sources for math operations. Cursor coordinates as input data.
Cursor Area
Consider all data of the active trace inside the rectangle defined by the cursor positions as input for statistical functions (Min, Max, Avg, Std).
Tracking
Display the value of the active trace at the position of the horizontal axis cursor X1 or X2.
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Control/ Option/Range Description Tool
Plot Area
Consider all data of the active trace currently displayed in the plot as input for statistical functions (Min, Max, Avg, Std).
Peak
Find positions and levels of up to 5 highest peaks in the data.
Trough
Find positions and levels of up to 5 lowest troughs in the data.
Histogram
Display a histogram of the active trace data within the x-axis range. The histogram is used as input to statistical functions (Avg, Std). Because of binning, the statistical functions typically yield different results than those under the selection Plot Area.
Resonance
Display a curve fitted to a resonance.
Linear Fit
Display a linear regression curve.
Operation Select
Select from a list of mathematical operations to be performed on the selected source. Choice offered depends on the selected source.
Cursor Loc: X1, X2, X2-X1, Y1, Y2, Y2-Y1, Y2 / Y1
Cursors positions, their difference and ratio.
Cursor Area: Min, Minimum, maximum value, average, and bias-corrected sample
Max, Avg, Std
standard deviation for all samples between cursor X1 and X2. All
values are shown in the plot as well.
Tracking: Y(X1), Y(X2), ratioY, deltaY
Trace value at cursor positions X1 and X2, the ratio between these two Y values and their difference.
Plot Area: Min, Minimum, maximum value, difference between min and max,
Max, Pk Pk, Avg, average, and bias-corrected sample standard deviation for all
Std
samples in the x axis range.
Peak: Pos, Level Position and level of the peak, starting with the highest one. The values are also shown in the plot to identify the peak.
Histogram: Avg, Std, Bin Size, (Plotter tab only: SNR, Norm Fit, Rice Fit)
A histogram is generated from all samples within the x-axis range. The bin size is given by the resolution of the screen: 1 pixel = 1 bin. From this histogram, the average and bias-corrected sample standard deviation is calculated, essentially assuming all data points in a bin lie in the center of their respective bin. When used in the plotter tab with demodulator or boxcar signals, there additionally are the options of SNR estimation and fitting statistical distributions to the histogram (normal and rice distribution).
Resonance: Q, BW, Center, Amp, Phase, Fit Error
A curve is fitted to a resonator. The fit boundaries are determined by the two cursors X1 and X2. Depending on the type of trace (Demod R or Demod Phase) either a Lorentzian or an inverse tangent function is fitted to the trace. The Q is the quality factor of the fitted curve. BW is the 3dB bandwidth (FWHM) of the fitted curve. Center is the center frequency. Amp gives the amplitude (Demod R only), whereas Phase returns the phase at the center frequency of the resonance (demod Phase only). The fit error is given by the normalized root- mean-square deviation. It is normalized by the range of the measured data.
Linear Fit: Intercept, Slope, R²
A simple linear least squares regression is performed using a QR decomposition routine. The fit boundaries are determined by the two cursors X1 and X2. The parameter outputs are the Y-axis intercept, slope and the R²-value, which is the coefficient of determination to determine the goodness-of-fit.
Add
Add the selected math function to the result table below.
Add All
Add all operations for the selected signal to the result table below.
Clear Selected
Clear selected lines from the result table above.
Clear All
Clear all lines from the result table above.
Copy
Copy selected row(s) to Clipboard as CSV
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5.2. UI Nomenclature
Control/ Option/Range Description Tool
Unit Prefix
Adds a suitable prefix to the SI units to allow for better readability and increase of significant digits displayed.
CSV
Values of the current result table are saved as a text file into the
download folder.
Net Link
Provides a LabOne Net Link to use the data in tools like Excel, MATLAB, etc.
Help
Opens the LabOne User Interface help.
Note
The standard deviation is calculated using the formula 1NN-1-11iiN==11(xNi
(-xix-)2xfo)2rtshqerutnfbriaasce{d1}{N-1}sum_{i=1}^
estimator of the sample standard deviation with a total of N samples xiixa_nid
an arithmetic average x.Tbhaer{foxr}mula above is used as-is to calculate the
standard deviation for the Histogram Plot Math tool. For large number of
points (Cursor Area and Plot Area tools), the more accurate pairwise algorithm
is used (Chan et al., “Algorithms for Computing the Sample Variance: Analysis
and Recommendations”, The American Statistician 37 (1983), 242-247).
Note
The fitting functions used in the Resonance Plot Math tool depend on the selected signal source. The demodulator R signal is fitted with the following function:
R(f)=C+Aff2+(Qf0)2(f2-f02)R2((f1))=bCeg+inA{equation}f tag{1} R(f)=C+Afrac{f}{sqrt{f^(21+) left(frac{Q
f2
(
Q f0
2
)
(f 2
–
f02)2
where CCaccounts for a possible offset in the output, AAis the amplitude, QQis
the quality factor and f00fis_0the center frequency. The demodulator spighni
al s fitted with the following function:
(f)=tan-1(Q1-(ff0)2ff0)(2) beg(ifn){=eqtuaant-
i1on}Qt1ag-{f(2ff0})2phi(f)=tan^{-1}left(Qfrac{1-(le2f)t(frac{f}{f_0
f0
using the same parameters as above.
Tree Selector
The Tree selector allows one to access streamed measurement data in a hierarchical structure by checking the boxes of the signals that should be displayed. The tree selector also supports data selection from multiple instruments, where available. Depending on the tool, the Tree selector is either displayed in a separate Tree sub-tab, or it is accessible by a click on the button.
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5.2. UI Nomenclature
Figure 5.3: Tree selector with Display drop-down menu
Vertical Axis Groups
Vertical Axis groups are available as part of the plot functionality in many
of the LabOne tools. Their purpose is to handle signals with different axis
properties within the same plot. Signals with different units naturally have
independent vertical scales even if they are displayed in the same plot.
However, signals with the same unit should preferably share one scaling to
enable quantitative comparison. To this end, the signals are assigned to
specific axis group. Each axis group has its own axis system. This default
behavior can be changed by moving one or more signals into a new group.
Figure 5.4: Vertical Axis Group in Plotter tool The tick labels of only one axis group can be shown at once. This is the foreground axis group. To define the foreground group click on one of the group names in the Vertical Axis Groups box. The current foreground group gets a high contrast color. Select foreground group Click on a signal name or group name inside the Vertical Axis Groups. If a group is empty the selection is not performed. Split the default vertical axis group
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5.2. UI Nomenclature
Use drag-and-drop to move one signal on the field [Drop signal here to add a
new group]. This signal will now have its own axis system. Change vertical
axis group of a signal Use drag-and-drop to move a signal from one group into
another group that has the same unit. Group separation In case a group hosts
multiple signals and the unit of some of these signals changes, the group will
be split in several groups according to the different new units. Remove a
signal from the group In order to remove a signal from a group drag-and-drop
the signal to a place outside of the Vertical Axis Groups box. Remove a
vertical axis group A group is removed as soon as the last signal of a custom
group is removed. Default groups will remain active until they are explicitly
removed by drag-and-drop. If a new signal is added that match the group
properties it will be added again to this default group. This ensures that
settings of default groups are not lost, unless explicitly removed. Rename a
vertical axis group New groups get a default name “Group of …”. This name can
be changed by double-clicking on the group name. Hide/show a signal
Uncheck/check the check box of the signal. This is faster than fetching a
signal from a tree again.
Figure 5.5: Vertical Axis Group typical drag and drop moves.
Table 5.8: Vertical Axis Groups description
Control/ Option/ Description
Tool
Range
Vertical Axis Group
Manages signal groups sharing a common vertical axis. Show or hide signals by changing the check box state. Split a group by dropping signals to the field [Drop signal here to add new group]. Remove signals by dragging them on a free area.
Signal Type Channel
Signal
Add Signal
integer value integer value
Window Length
2 s to 12 h
Rename group names by editing the group label. Axis tick labels of the
selected group are shown in the plot. Cursor elements of the active wave
(selected) are added in the cursor math tab. Select signal types for the
Vertical Axis Group. Selects a channel to be added.
Selects signal to be added.
Adds a signal to the plot. The signal will be added to its default group. It
may be moved by drag and drop to its own group. All signals within a group
share a common y-axis. Select a group to bring its axis to the foreground and
display its labels. Window memory depth. Values larger than 10 s may cause
excessive memory consumption for signals with high sampling rates. Auto scale
or pan causes a refresh of the display for which only data within the defined
window length are considered.
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Zurich Instruments
SHFLI User Manual
5.3. Saving and Loading Data
Trends
The Trends tool lets the user monitor the temporal evolution of signal
features such as minimum and maximum values, or mean and standard deviation.
This feature is available for the Scope , Spectrum, Plotter, and DAQ tab.
Using the Trends feature, one can monitor all the parameters obtained in the
Math sub-tab of the corresponding tab. The Trends tool allows the user to
analyze recorded data on a different and adjustable time scale much longer
than the fast acquisition of measured signals. It saves time by avoiding post-
processing of recorded signals and it facilitates fine-tuning of experimental
parameters as it extracts and shows the measurement outcome in real time. To
activate the Trends plot, enable the Trends button in the Control sub-tab of
the corresponding main tab. Various signal features can be added to the plot
from the Trends sub-tab in the Vertical Axis Groups . The vertical axis group
of Trends has its own Run/Stop button and Length setting independent from the
main plot of the tab. Since the Math quantities are derived from the raw
signals in the main plot, the Trends plot is only shown together with the main
plot. The Trends feature is only available in the LabOne user interface and
not at the API level.
Figure 5.6: Top: main plot of the Scope tab showing the signal trace. Bottom:
corresponding Trends plot tracking an average, standard deviation, and
difference signal derived from the cursor positions in the main plot. The
example shown is part of the HF2LI user interface. The controls of the Trends
feature and their layout are very
similar in all tabs and product platforms where this feature is available.
5.3. Saving and Loading Data 5.4. Overview
In this section we discuss how to save and record measurement data with the
SHFLI Instrument using the LabOne user interface. In the LabOne user
interface, there are 3 ways to save data: Saving the data that is currently
displayed in a plot Continuously recording data in the background Saving trace
data in the History sub-tab Furthermore, the History sub-tab supports loading
data. In the following, we will explain these methods.
References
- GitHub - zhinst/zhinst-labber: Labber drivers for Zurich Instruments devices
- GitHub - zhinst/zhinst-qcodes: QCoDeS drivers for Zurich Instruments devices
- GitHub - zhinst/zhinst-toolkit: Generic high-level interfaces for Zurich Instruments devices
- HDF® View - The HDF Group
- LabOne Compatibility | Zurich Instruments
- Download Center | Zurich Instruments