Red Pitaya - test and measurement instruments
Red Pitaya is a open-source platform that can replace bulky and expensive traditional instruments.
Here is how:
- Replace bulky instruments & save space
Red Pitaya is a very powerful and precise multifunction measurement tool that can replace a stack of lab instruments and save your lab space.
- Offers flexibility
Red Pitaya devices come with open-source software and can be programmed to own needs providing the user full control over the device and its features.
- Uses the latest real-time signal processing technologies
All Red Pitaya products come with Xilinx Zynq SoC that combines FPGA and CPU, providing a great combination of real-time processing and CPU flexibility.
- Reduces your testing tool costs
Red Pitaya products require no licenses or hidden fees, significantly reducing your testing and prototyping costs.
- Versatility
Red Pitaya replaces test and measurement instruments and can be controlled by LabVIEW, MATLAB, Python or programmed to your own needs.
- Control or measure remotely
All Red Pitaya products are IoT devices that can perform remote and distributed measurements and provide real-time data.
Test and measurement instruments using the Red Pitaya platform[edit | edit source]
1 - Oscilloscope[edit | edit source]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tVc6QoCt438
The Oscilloscope & Signal Generator application will turn your Red Pitaya board into a 2-channel Oscilloscope and 2-channel Signal Generator. It is the perfect tool for educators, students, makers, hobbyists and professionals seeking affordable, highly functional test and measurement equipment. It enables generating and measuring electrical signals up to 50MHz. The simple and intuitive user interface provides all the necessary tools for signal analysis and measurements. High-end specifications will satisfy more demanding users looking for powerful tools for their work benches. The application is web-based and doesn’t require installation of any native software. Users can access them it any web browser (Google Chrome is recommended) using their smartphone, tablet or a PC running any popular operating system (Mac, Linux, Windows, Android and iOS). The elements in the Oscilloscope & Signal Generator application are arranged logically and offer a familiar user interface.
2 - Spectrum analyzer[edit | edit source]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qvv29N0Td-4
This application will turn your Red Pitaya board into a 2-channel DFT spectrum analyzer. It is the perfect tool for educators, students, makers, hobbyists and professionals seeking affordable, highly functional test and measurement equipment. The DFT spectrum analyzer application enables fast and powerful spectrum analysis using a DFT algorithm. The frequency span is from DC up to 62.5MHz, where the frequency range can be arbitrarily selected. You can easily measure the quality of your signals, signal harmonics, spurious signals and power. All Red Pitaya applications are web-based and do not require the installation of any native software. Users can access them via a web browser using their smartphone, tablet or a PC running any popular operating system (Mac, Linux, Windows, Android, and iOS). The elements on the DFT spectrum analyzer application are arranged logically and offer a familiar user interface.
3 - Vector Network Analyzer[edit | edit source]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w97yiPHSQA0
Vector network analyzer is a great solution to test and optimize the performance of: Antennas (SWR (return loss, S11)), RF filters, RF switches, couplers, cables, amplifiers, isolators, mixers
Note: To use the VNA application an additional VNA bridge module is needed. The VNA bridge module is available on our web store. VNA is a contributed Python application by Pavel Demin that runs on a WINDOWS or Linux OS.
SOFTWARE FEATURES: plot formats: smith chart, impedance, SWR, ref. coeff, return loss, supported calibration modes (open, short & load), measurement export, marker readouts, PC-controlled over LAN of WIFI from a Microsoft Windows interface
HARDWARE SPECIFICATIONS:
- freq. range 500k to 62MHz
- directivity 42 dB, typical
- dynamic range: 74dB
- noise floor: – 88dBm
4 - Logic analyzer[edit | edit source]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n8x5JJKV9vw
The Logic Analyzer application enables the representation of the binary states of digital signals. The Logic Analyzer can both deal with purely binary signals, such as the GPIO outputs of the Raspberry Pi or Arduino board, as well as analyze different bus protocols (I2C, SPI, and UART) and decode the transmitted data. All Red Pitaya applications are web-based and do not require the installation of any native software. Users can access them via a web browser using their smartphone, tablet or a PC running any popular operating system (Mac, Linux, Windows, Android, and iOS). The graphical user interface of the Logic Analyzer fits well into the overall design of the Red Pitaya applications, providing the same operating concept.
5 - SDR (software-defined radio)[edit | edit source]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TQyVLH_KLkY
6 - LabVIEW instrument https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UaYAlwpB6V4
LABview is a graphical programming language created by National Instruments especially for applications that require testing, measurement, and control with rapid access to hardware.
Initially it was focused on taking measurements from various lab instruments and more recently evolved into a full development environment that can be used to perform a huge number of mathematical and logic functions, including, but certainly not limited to, basic arithmetic, if/then/elseif conditional statements, case statements, FFTs, filtering, PID control loops, and so on.
To set up the LabVIEW driver for Red Pitaya, download the Red_Pitaya_LabVIEW_Driver&Examples.zip file from the Red Pitaya documentation website. Unpack it and copy the Red Pitaya folder to your LabVIEW installations instr.lib folder, e.g. C:/Program Files/National Instruments/LabVIEW 2010/instr.lib. The Red Pitaya driver should appear after restarting LabVIEW in Block Diagram -> Instrument I/O -> Instrument Drivers -> Red Pitaya. Depending on your settings Instrument I/O may be hidden. Please consult LabVIEW Help on how to activate/deactivate those categories. You can access example VIs by going to: Help -> Find Examples… then click Search tab and enter Red Pitaya in the Enter keyword(s) field
Why use LabVIEW? With LabVIEW you can automate the capture and validation of signals and take measurements with less effort than traditional programming environments; LabVIEW is a visual way of programming that a lot of users who are not necessarily software developers find it easy to work with; In many industry environments LabVIEW is considered the standard platform for controlling instruments and other equipment. More info here.
7 - Cable length measurements & Reflectometry[edit | edit source]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1aLuH2pN8X4
8 - Michelson interferometer with PyRPL[edit | edit source]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WnFkz1adhgs
9 - Interface Red Pitaya with MATLAB[edit | edit source]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ZkhnUOAzWY
MATLAB is a proprietary multi-paradigm programming language and numeric computing environment developed by MathWork.
MATlab provides a vast library of mathematical functions for linear algebra, statistics, Fourier analysis, filtering, optimization, numerical integration and solving ordinary differential equations. It provides built-in graphics for visualizing data and tools for creating custom plots.
Why use MATlab? Engineers and scientists worldwide use MATLAB for a range of applications, in industry and academia because MATLAB as a computer language is written in a mathematical scripting code that is very much similar to C++ and has the following advantages over other programs: It uses efficient vector and matrix computations, It allows for easy creation of engineering graphics, It is object-oriented and it has toolboxes that can be used for extensibility. More info here.
10 - Bode analyzer[edit | edit source]
This application will turn your Red Pitaya board into an affordable Bode analyzer. It is the perfect tool for educators, students, makers, hobbyists and professionals seeking affordable, highly functional test and measurement equipment. The Bode analyzer is an ideal application for measuring the frequency responses of the passive/active filters, complex impedances and any other electronic circuit. The Gain/Phase frequency response can be used to completely characterize any device being tested, with both linear and logarithmic sweeps. Gain and Phase can be measured from 1Hz to 20MHz. The basic user interface enables quick interaction and parameter setting. The Bode analyzer can be used for the measurement of the stability of control circuits such as the DC/DC converters in power supplies, and the influence of termination on amplifiers or filters, ultrasonic and piezo electric systems and similar. All Red Pitaya applications are web-based and do not require the installation of any native software. Users can access them via a browser using their smartphone, tablet or a PC running any popular operating system (Mac, Linux, Windows, Android and iOS).
11 - Jupyter Notebook tool[edit | edit source]
The Jupyter Notebook is an open-source web application that allows you to create and share documents that contain live code, equations, visualizations, and explanatory text, and directly control or monitor hardware. Uses include data cleaning and transformation, numerical simulation, statistical modeling, machine learning and much more. The Jupyter Notebook enables beginners to learn how to start programming the Red Pitaya units in 5 minutes, and scientists or researchers to easily exploit the full potential of the hardware while keeping full focus on application level. The Jupyter Notebook is an open-source web application that combines live Python code, equations, visualizations, dashboards with real time graphs, dials, meters, sliders, buttons, and explanatory text. Jupyter running on the Red Pitaya units also provides intuitive access to all features of the hardware, and therefore almost a single line of Python code enables users to: control onboard LEDs, utilize digital I/Os, utilize slow analog I/Os, acquire RF signals, generate RF signals, communicate over digital interfaces (I2C, UART, SPI). More information here.
12- Python controlled instrument[edit | edit source]
Python is an interpreted high-level general-purpose programming language. Python’s design philosophy emphasizes code readability with its notable use of significant indentation. Python lets you work quickly and integrate systems more effectively. It is very easy to learn compared to other languages like C, C#, JavaScript, Java, etc. It is an object-oriented programming language and supports object-oriented language and concepts of classes, objects, encapsulation, and so on. More information here.