On Sun, Dec 24, 2023 at 06:31 AM, <skharidehal@...> wrote:

I am trying to measure transmitted power(dBm) from my medical device in a RF enclosure at bluetooth frequency(2.442 GHz) using the ultra. This project will remain active for atleast 20 years and I am wondering what would be the lifetime for tinySA (in years maybe?) if i leave it connected to my PC runnning all the time on manufacturing systems.

This rings all sorts of alarm bells with me.

The TinySA is fine to assist with training, design verification and to a certain extent pre-compliance testing, but it can not in any way be considered to be a professional grade item of test equipment. Especially when medical or other 'safety of life' equipment is being validated.

It is difficult enough to maintain calibration of commercial equipment over a 20 year period, and this usually at considerable expense, so a $150 item (good as it is) is just not up to the task.

Regards,

Martin

? ? Geez, this is a very serious matter that needs to be emphasized.? ? There would need to be the initial calibration certification as mentioned.? Additionally there would need to be a determination of calibration interval and scheduled calibrations which are also certified. (Initially for unknown devices this can be as short as 30-90 days). The calibration accessories, open, short and 50ohm load have to be certified both separately and with the device.? I do not believe a Certified Calibration Lab would certify the device - if they would it would take many hours of investigation and research which you would be billed for.
? ? The device accuracy has to be determined at each function and compared against the test accuracy needed for your Acceptance Testing Procedure. Then comes the question on the validity of user calibrations and any calibration corrections that have to be applied to the device.? Any updates to the firmware would invalidate a prior certification.? In the manufacturing environment any such device when found to be out of calibration during the next validation can lead to a product recall and legal battles.??
? ? I oversaw a various calibration systems as a Quality Assurance Manager. I also had to evaluate vendor facilities. I would do more than just roll my eyes If I saw this on a product line.? IMHO, the Tiny SA should be left to hobbyists and ham operators, it is not what I would consider intended for commercial use.? Privately owned TE is never allowed on a production line and if the facility wants to keep their?quality rating they will get the proper commercial equipment.? I've disqualified vendors and subcontractors for less.
? ? To reinforce this to management, remember that the initial eval and Cal is costly and that subsequent Cals could be upto $1K at a pop, those 90day Cals can add up.? A known commercial instrument may be an annual cal. Figure that over the life of the instrument.?
? ??Corporations use the buzz term Risk Management.? Avoiding a product recall is priceless.??Product recalls can in some instances have a partial financial liability to a test equipment manufacturer.? That's why so many devices do have a legal disclaimer with limitation of liability.
? ? ?Erik did a great job on the design of this device and he continues to provide prompt and superb support.? But Erik I'm surprised you haven't made a clear statement as to commercial application or exclusion.??

Regards,

Andy

Thanks,?

I have done as suggested, but I still have the same result.
A bit of background:
When I got the device, I ran the self-test and failed test 3, and the testing stopped there. I then realized I was using an old version of the FW so I did try updating the FW without success. I then had to replace the MC, and following the MC replacement, I updated the FW to the latest 1.4132.
Today, I tried the self-test, and it failed again at test 3 and stopped.
Trying to run the level cal "signal level incorrect check cable between connectors" .
I did try 3 different cables.

Thanks
Amir

config / more / clear config (1234)

make calibration, and then;
selftest...

good, if You use the latest firmware...



Istvan

Erik Hi,
I have the same issue. I followed the instructions and got a message in this test that the signal level was incorrect. The same result was received with the three different cables.


Thanks
Amir

This "autosave" option has been requested before but not yet implemented.
I can not promise when it will be done.
--

Good afternoon. I am interested in purchasing this measurement equipment. Depending on the weight (<250gr) I can attach it to a UAV and measure radiation diagrams. It would be necessary to save a screenshot to the SD approximately every 2 seconds.

New FW release
Version V1.4140
Ultra only

Changes:
- Corrected the CSV output for import into IAS


This change reduces the number of digits in the level output and removed a trailing space. Hope now all the main wireless management softwares are happy with the tinySA CSV output
--

Can someone do some tests with the Vpp and Vrms, including when used with delta markers, to see if I did not introduce new bugs?
--

skharidehal,

My background in medical equipment is limited and many years old.? I spent most of my time in the Food industry, which is similar but not nearly as stringent.? I believe you would need to include the verification/calibration process for the device replacement in your documentation so that a different device could be substituted.? There is no link to a recognized standard for the TinySA series, so this would need to be done regardless.? For commercial devices, there is usually a fee that can be paid for each piece of equipment or is included in the device's price.

The TinySA is designed to reduce costs and make it affordable to hobbyists like me.? If you want to turn it into an instrument for commercial use, you must provide a way to trace it back to a recognized standard on your own.? As Erik suggested, you can set up spares that have been "calibrated" using this process and then store them on the shelf.? If you run out of tested devices, you must develop a new certification for the replacement device.? This could include a substitution of another model device or a new one.? You would also need to certify each device through calibration and keep track of the certification records.

This has been a sore spot for me in the past.? There have been industrious plant personnel who came up with a lower-cost part substitution, but when the total impact of the need to verify and document was reviewed, there were no actual cost savings.

Please excuse me if I am stating what you already know.? Others (Erik?) may not know the instrument certification requirements for food and medical equipment.? The device he has created is far superior to prior methods that Hams used for diagnostic and FCC compliance testing for their peace of mind.? I doubt that it would hold up in an FCC investigation.? ? It does help to avoid the inquiry in the first place.

73
Evan
AC9TU

New FW release
Version V1.4138
Ultra only

Changes:
- Back button indicator? ("<-") added to filename keyboard
- V unit renamed to Vrms
- Vpp unit added

Vpp measures the Vrms of the sine wave component at the selected frequency and converts it to Vpp. No actual Vpp measurement is done in the time domain.?
--

20 years is well beyond what can be promised, either for life time or availability.
But given the wide interest there probably will be similar low cost devices available?
And, given the low cost compared to everything else in a manufacturing environment,? you may buy some spares. Be sure to unplug the batteries as otherwise they will drain. The Ultra can run without battery
--

Hello,
I am trying to measure transmitted power(dBm) from my medical device in a RF enclosure at bluetooth frequency(2.442 GHz) using the ultra. This project will remain active for atleast 20 years and I am wondering what would be the lifetime for tinySA (in years maybe?) if i leave it connected to my PC runnning all the time on manufacturing systems.
I dont mind buying new ones as long as they will still be available and supported without going obsolete.

Thanks!

Good afternoon. I am interested in purchasing this measurement equipment. Depending on the weight (<250gr) I can attach it to a UAV and measure radiation diagrams. It would be necessary to save a screenshot to the SD approximately every 2 seconds.

I will consider adding App as one of the units if it fits in the various
output fields

Okay, thanks that's all I am asking for.
That this is considered to be added, as an switchable option. The main
point being not to have to manually calculate it yourself.

Thanks :)

No
Only when you have loaded new firmware it is best to do a clear config
--

开云体育

Hello Erik,

Is it necessary to do a Clear All when doing a Calibration on the Ultra?

Regards...Bob VK2ZRE

I like this. Makes me want to do my next upgrade in Linux. :) Thank you.

NB The reason I don't use Linux for upgrades now is simply a convenience of laziness. Most of my toys are in the same room as the Windoze box where I do most of my web surfing. They only walk to the shack/lab when I need them there for a task.

73

-Jim
NU0C

On Fri, 22 Dec 2023 12:10:06 -0800
"Akai Moto via groups.io" <akai.moto@...> wrote:

bash script to retrive whatever bin is there in DFU folder.
This for SA4 only, but you can mod it to get from the SA folder too by taking out the "4"

This assumes the DFU folder holds whatever the latest bin is. If you want dfu and hex files too, then just make a loop for bin dfu hex, etc.

#!/bin/bash
RESULT="`wget -qO- -e robots=off | sed -e 's/<[^>]*>//g' | grep bin | awk -F '\\.bin' '{print $1".bin"}'`"
Link="
wget -e robots=off $Link

--

73

-Jim
NU0C

Quick note about filenames and update utilities.

The app does not care about filename, because you have to select it, so that's the file it pushes in.

dfu util however uses filename as arg, so it needs to match the actual filename you wish to push (dfu util has to "find" the file, etc). In the dfu bat file it uses default name of "tinySA.bin"

I have several tiny devices, and the app didn't work on all of them, but dfu util does, so I stick with dfu util.

bash script to retrive whatever bin is there in DFU folder.
This for SA4 only, but you can mod it to get from the SA folder too by taking out the "4"

This assumes the DFU folder holds whatever the latest bin is. If you want dfu and hex files too, then just make a loop for bin dfu hex, etc.


#!/bin/bash
RESULT="`wget -qO- -e robots=off http://athome.kaashoek.com/tinySA4/DFU/ | sed -e 's/<[^>]*>//g' | grep bin | awk -F '\\.bin' '{print $1".bin"}'`"
Link="http://athome.kaashoek.com/tinySA4/DFU/"$RESULT
wget -e robots=off $Link