EEVblog #892 - Siglent SSA3021X Spectrum Analyser Teardown

A very detailed look inside the new Siglent SSA3021X 3.2GHz Spectrum Analyser.
How does a spectrum analyser front end work?
The entire RF section is broken down and analysed in depth with a block diagram overlay and signal flow.

Datasheets:

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[TonyPirc]

That block overlay of the PCB to help understand the design was *really* helpful! Thanks Dave!

[vitormhenrique]

As everyone stated, best teardown ever, very good walk through the diagram blocks! Awesome!

[Daniel-ibbx]

This was one of my favorite teardowns you have ever done (ive watch almost every video you have posted), I learned so much on this episode. The way you matched the block diagram to the board then walked through it was phenomenal. Loved it! Thanks! More like this!

[floriank]

"3.2 GHz it's practically DC" - Dave Jones, 2016

[iamdarkyoshi]

Dave! If you are having trouble reading laser engraved part numbers, just wipe on a TINY dab of thermal paste with your finger and rub it off. The white paste stays in the etched areas leaving much higher contrast markings.

[Anzac]

Lots of work put into this teardown, absolutely awesome!

[Booreak]

This is probably one of the best teardowns i've ever seen. Very informative! Thanks Dave!

[Coolkeys]

That was a very very positive review and teardown of that test gear which I found slightly surprising from you Dave :-) I hope the engineers and people involved in the project are watching this video looking at their work with pride. Great video thanks for posting.

[joedempseysr.]

Dave, this teardown and explanation were positively brilliant! This is your best yet. I liked how you superimposed your segmentation of each module of the main board and traced through the signal flow. I know how much work this was but I would rather see fewer, more detailed analyses rather than quick and simple. Seems you set the bar pretty high for yourself! ;-) But try not to be a victim of your own success!

One more thing: some of the viewers here may appreciate a tutorial like you used to do on Fundaments Friday. I recommend, if I may, you do one on mixers, heterodyning, and filtering. In this case, a quick mostly maths-free overview would be beneficial.

Thanks again, mate, and keep up the good work! I look forward to your next video!

[RandyLott]

Those photos you took with explanations were incredible. One of your best to date.

You've always been the best, but you just upped your game!

[rong]

Dave,
One of the best videos you have ever done. It was like listening to a college lecture on spectrum anaylzers! Loved it.

[Willster]

Best teardown you've ever done! Please make every teardown this detailed. I'd be happy to wait longer for them. Thank you so much!

[Koenraedus]

I thought this was a briliant teardown Dave! I really loved the way you explained the PCB in blocks. Chapeau!

[Indiskret]

This was an absolutely awesome teardown, so well done, so much detail. Love it!

[RachelMant]

That processor's JTAG is the header at 7:40 which you thought might be just for testing - it's the standard 20-pin ARM JTAG header. The other one just does the Spartan 6.

The DC-DC immediately below the 20-pin is most likely an ADP5052 - it's a quad DC-DC + 1xLDO specifically designed to power Spartan 6's + DDR2/3. It's capable of providing 3.3V, 2.5V, 1.8V and 1.2V simultaneously with sufficient current to power even the top of the line XC6SLX150T.

[jamieh]

Dave, your electronics knowledge is genuinely astounding!

[dorota]

Nice vid Dave! Deep analyze of these RF guts is always welcome. Keep doing what U do!

[SilverGreen]

Wow! Thanks Dave for the very detailed explanation of the functional blocks! Excellent functional overlays! Highly encourage you to make this more often! +1 :)

[zxztv]

I agree with you dave, a really nice design, i love modular systems too :-D.
Smart and clean sectional layout, well worth the pennies, you can see the effort and thought put into the design.
Imagine all equipment designed this way, im salivating LOL.

[MaxKoschuh]

oh wow, this video is awesome. A lot of effort went into the illustration. Excellent. Thank you Dave.