Characterize Ecal to its internal tables

[Karl Haynes]

Hi All,

I saw answer in 2014 as to how to make an Ecal a databased standard in VNA Tools II.

How can I use VNA tools to characterize ECal to internal user tables to use the nonfactory table with PNA?

What would be the best one port cal method for this in 2.92 2.4 and 1.85 sizes?

Is this something the MATLAB interface would be good to use?

I have many Ecals to support.... Appreciate your suggestions.

Thanks

Karl

[Michael Wollensack METAS]

Hi Karl,

the firmware of the Keysight PNA doesn't allow to upload any data to the internal user table of an ECal. There are no SCPI commands for that. Perhaps someone from Keysight can make a comment on that.

The only workaround I could image is:

1. Use VNA Tools to measure the mechanical calibration standards (Open, Short, Load)
2. Compute the calibration error terms using VNA Tools.
3. Upload the computed calibration error terms to the PNA. This is not supported by the PNA driver delivered with VNA Tools, but the there are SCPI commands for that.
4. Use the PNA firmware to make an user characterization of the ECal. Now the data is in internal user table of the firmware.

I think you should talk as well to Keysight about that. It would be nice if they would support uploading ECal user characterization.

Hope this helps.

Regards

Michael

[Michael Wollensack METAS]

> Hi, I found a new method support such feature.

Don't post links for reverse engineering in this forum!

>  Could Metas support such feature?

No that's not the idea of VNA Tools. 

VNA Tools just controls the switch position of the ECal using a PNA as interface.

The characterization data of each state is stored in the database of VNA Tools and not in the EEPROM. There is anyway not enough space there to store the definitions including uncertainties and correlation between states.

On Tuesday, April 22, 2025 at 5:21:36 AM UTC+2 eesofta...@gmail.com wrote:

Hi, I found a new method support such feature.

https://github.com/miek/ecal-reversing

ecal-reversing

Reverse-engineering the USB interface on HP/Agilent VNA electronic calibration modules.

Thanks to Staffan and Wayne on the HP/Agilent/Keysight test equipment group for sharing details of the EEPROM format & the EEPROM dumps included here.

It can read ECal's eeprom.  You could try.  Could Metas support such feature?

https://www.ctfiot.com/217514.html