Original Gen Performance & Measurements

This section contains comprehensive performance measurements and specifications for Red Pitaya Original Generation boards’ fast analog inputs and outputs.


Test Conditions

Note

Measurement Information:

  • Tested Board: STEMlab 125-14 (Original Generation)

  • Applicability: Most measurements can be extended to other Original Gen board models, but may vary depending on the specific board

  • Environmental conditions: Laboratory environment with controlled temperature (25°C ± 1°C) and humidity (45% ± 5%)

  • Calibration: Factory calibration applied

  • Noise-controlled laboratory environment

  • Board grounded through SMA ground

  • Reference equipment: Agilent 33250A generator, Agilent E4404B spectrum analyzer


Quick Reference

Fast Analog Input Performance

Parameter

LV Mode (±1 V)

HV Mode (±20 V)

Bandwidth (-3 dB)

50 MHz

50 MHz

Crosstalk (up to 30 MHz)

>55 dB

>50 dB

Crosstalk (above 30 MHz)

40 dB

35 dB

SFDR

< -90 dBFS

-

Noise (typ.)

<0.5 mV std

-

Input coupling

DC

DC

Input impedance

1 MΩ ‖ 10 pF

1 MΩ ‖ 10 pF

DC gain accuracy (after cal.)

0.2%

0.5%

Fast Analog Output Performance

Parameter

Value (50 Ω Load)

Voltage range

±1 V

Bandwidth (-3 dB)

50 MHz

Full scale power

> 9 dBm

Output impedance

~50 Ω

Slew rate limit

200 V/μs

Harmonics @ 1 MHz

-51 dBc

DC gain accuracy (after cal.)

0.4%

Detailed Measurements


Key Characteristics

Original Generation boards feature:

  • 50 MHz bandwidth - Full-rate sampling up to 125 MS/s

  • 14-bit resolution - Both ADC and DAC

  • DC coupling - Direct DC measurements without AC coupling limitations

  • Proven design - Extensively tested and characterized

  • Multiple models - Including SDRlab 122-16 (16-bit), SIGNALlab 250-12 (250 MS/s, BNC connectors)

Important design considerations:

  • Common ground - All SMA/BNC connectors share common ground with power supply

  • 50 Ω loads - Outputs designed for 50 Ω termination

  • Calibration - Factory calibrated with user-accessible calibration utilities

  • Jumper settings - Hardware jumpers for LV (±1 V) or HV (±20 V) input ranges


Comparison with Gen 2

Gen 2 improvements over Original Gen:

  • Lower noise and crosstalk - Improved analog frontend design

  • Enhanced output range - ±2 V @ Hi-Z vs ±1 V on Original Gen

  • Better SFDR - Improved spurious-free dynamic range

  • Crisp 50 Ω output - More precise impedance matching

  • No glitching - Hardware-controlled outputs during boot

  • USB-C power - 5V 3A vs Micro USB 5V 2A

For Gen 2 measurements, see Gen 2 Performance & Measurements.