R&S SM300  Platform Concept 
Version 04  89   
Service Manual SM300: 1147.1652.00               Instrument Part No SM300: 1147.1498.03 
4  Functional Description 
4.1  Platform Concept 
Components of 
the modular 
system platform 
The modular system platform consists of the following components: 
  Housing with power supply unit 
  Front unit with display, keyboard and rotary knob as control elements 
  Control PC 
With  these  components,  configurations  that  optimally  correspond  to  the 
requirements for various types of instruments can be set up. 
4.2  Components 
4.2.1 Housing 
Parts of housing 
  Fixed part for the power supply unit 
  Variable part for the generator modules 
4.2.2 Front Panel with Display 
Standard control 
elements 
The  front  panel,  display  and  keyboard  form  a  mechanical  unit.  The  following 
control elements are available as standard: 
  Numeric keypad + 4 special keys 
  7 vertical function keys 
  3 horizontal function keys 
  Rotary knob 
Standard display 
A  5  ½"  TFT  colour  display  with  320×240  pixel  resolution  is  provided  as  the 
standard display. 
4.2.3 Control PC 
Performance 
The  control  PC  provides  the  instrument's  control  and  display  functions  via  the 
front  unit.  A  "single-chip  PC"  (STPC  from  ST)  provides  an  economical  solution 
with  acceptable  power  consumption.  The  processor  (5×86  core)  supplies 
sufficient  performance  for  the  operating  and  display  functions.  Processes  that 
have  high requirements  for computing  power  or  short  task-switchover  times  are 
relocated to more dedicated processors in the generator modules. 
Remote control 
via USB 
The  control  PC  contains  a  USB  host  that  handles  communication  with  the 
generator modules. This concept allows the instrument to be remotely controlled 
by  an  external  PC  via  the  USB  with  software  whose  core  functions  are  largely 
identical to the internal control software. 
Operating
system and 
interface
The operating system on the control PC is Linux; the visualization and operating 
interface is a runtime version of LabVIEW™.