Rohde Schwarz R&S UPL Audio Analyzer Renovation

Depends on the options, condition, seller and luck.

A 2005-2006 UPL can be expensive if properly maintained and calibrated.
>$4000

And they can go forever.

Not sure about the AP range.

So, the residual THD+N in the best case -116db@1kHz? Loopback or the analyzer only? AP SYS2*** THD+N analyzer itself has -120.5db residual THD+N, but the Analog_gen is too noisy and loopback is about -118-117db.
 
Loopback with B1 option (Low Dist Gen)

-113dB to -114dB for the UPL

-115dB on the UPV

Will do the UPD after I exchange all dying parts

Not having realtime FFT monitoring on the older APs is a deal breaker. Plus prohibitve prices for cumbersome to use machines.
 
Last edited:
yeah, all of them, including AP and R&S(audio analyzers only! Spectrum analyzers are great) just archaic junk(I did repair my AP twice). Any laptop's builtin audio with a decent notch filter for fixed frequency outperforms any AP for any money. Of course, the problem is variable notch in AP or R&S, too many tech.problems need to solve to get performance level of a simple notch at fixed 1 or 10 kHz.
 
That's when an RTX6001 comes handy.

TBH, if someone gives me a good price for a 555B with free licence over the years, why not.

The User Interface is clean.
Oh, RTX6001 promises a lot less noise vs APx555b! That's what I hate about AP, if you asked $30000 for such a trivial thing, it should be unbeatable in all respects but the price.
 
I was wondering if someone with a bit more experience with the UPL and its software could help me troubleshoot an unusual problem.


The unit I've got as the UPL-B5 speaker/headphone output option, the board is present and connected, and the board is detected in the firmware (version 1.62), but when I go to enable the speaker, the option is always only OFF. I've looked through the help menu and user's manual and I believe I've been trying to use it in analyzer settings where the option should be valid, and I don't hear the "whistle" described on boot when the board is installed.


The board is powered and the basic voltages I've seen seem to be ok (5V, +-12V, +-15V), and while I ended up replacing two filtering inductors coming from the main cable (one had a nice chimney of plastic coming off but still conducted), and I even get noise on my headphones when plugging it in, I never see any output from the headphones or internal speaker and have yet not been able to switch the speaker to being enabled in the firmware.

Any ideas on where to start poking around next? I'm assuming I should use the scope on the digital lines from the mainboard and watch for activity (maybe it IDs but then won't respond or something), but it would be great if I were just missing a firmware setting.
 
I was wondering if someone with a bit more experience with the UPL and its software could help me troubleshoot an unusual problem.


The unit I've got as the UPL-B5 speaker/headphone output option, the board is present and connected, and the board is detected in the firmware (version 1.62), but when I go to enable the speaker, the option is always only OFF. I've looked through the help menu and user's manual and I believe I've been trying to use it in analyzer settings where the option should be valid, and I don't hear the "whistle" described on boot when the board is installed.


The board is powered and the basic voltages I've seen seem to be ok (5V, +-12V, +-15V), and while I ended up replacing two filtering inductors coming from the main cable (one had a nice chimney of plastic coming off but still conducted), and I even get noise on my headphones when plugging it in, I never see any output from the headphones or internal speaker and have yet not been able to switch the speaker to being enabled in the firmware.

Any ideas on where to start poking around next? I'm assuming I should use the scope on the digital lines from the mainboard and watch for activity (maybe it IDs but then won't respond or something), but it would be great if I were just missing a firmware setting.

Hi, Welcome to the thread! Sorry for the delay.

Can you follow the performance test as described in the service manual? page 92 of the pdf volume 1. Does that do anything?

If that does not work I would indeed start tracing the digital signals as it would seem that nothing is talking back from the module to the UPL.

Cheers,

Bart
 
I was wondering if someone with a bit more experience with the UPL and its software could help me troubleshoot an unusual problem.

The unit I've got as the UPL-B5 speaker/headphone output option, the board is present and connected, and the board is detected in the firmware (version 1.62), but when I go to enable the speaker, the option is always only OFF. I've looked through the help menu and user's manual and I believe I've been trying to use it in analyzer settings where the option should be valid, and I don't hear the "whistle" described on boot when the board is installed.

The board is powered and the basic voltages I've seen seem to be ok (5V, +-12V, +-15V), and while I ended up replacing two filtering inductors coming from the main cable (one had a nice chimney of plastic coming off but still conducted), and I even get noise on my headphones when plugging it in, I never see any output from the headphones or internal speaker and have yet not been able to switch the speaker to being enabled in the firmware.

Any ideas on where to start poking around next? I'm assuming I should use the scope on the digital lines from the mainboard and watch for activity (maybe it IDs but then won't respond or something), but it would be great if I were just missing a firmware setting.


I may be off in the weeds on this one, but I kind of suspect from your description that maybe the computer motherboard in your UPL has some “bulging” caps, and that maybe is causing one or more functional anomalies.

I still have not gotten my own UPL up and running, fully at the least it might be a power supply issue, I also need to check the motherboard caps. I managed to get another, complete, somewhat dirtier, but identical UPL Power Supply assembly to try. However, first I want to check both out with a meter for transformer wire to wire resistances, cap ESR’s, etc., to see if the original unit (with the burned connector) maybe is repairable. Main Symptom: white screen upon boot up.


Steven
 

Attachments

  • D46335B4-A54C-442C-92D4-3E5A29803974.jpg
    D46335B4-A54C-442C-92D4-3E5A29803974.jpg
    548.7 KB · Views: 243