Grid's TinySA Ultra notes

It's a very nice toy, especially given that some hardware isn't available as easily. Seeing devices like, for instance, Rohde & Schwarz FSH3 that cost $2295.00, I appreciate the cheaper device with a wider spectrum.

It may be the first widely available device with such capabilities, and I got very interested after watching this optimistic video.

• Swept spectrum analyzer
  • Waterfall mode (can't be saved on MicroSD)
  • Spectrum screenshots on MicroSD
  • The minimum resolution bandwidth of 200 Hz
• MicroSD configuration storage
• Basic RF signal generator
• USB-C interface, charging
• AM radio you can listen through a 3.5 stereo jack
• Self-calibration (100 kHz to 5.34 GHz is stable, separate calibration above 5.34 GHz may require an output source)
• Self-testing

• TinySA Ultra itself
• 32 Gb MicroSD card
• 2 SMA male-to-male cables
• double SMA female connector
• small SMA male telescopic antenna
• a nylon loop with a plastic opener for carrying and opening TinySA Ultra
• a piece of cardboard with an ad telling you to visit tinysa.org
• a piece of plastic to put TinySA Ultra in

ZeenKo factory store is ok and is recommended on the TinySA Wiki. The delivery from Hong Kong, Kwun Tong to Haifa took 34 days between Dec 15, 2023 (order), Dec 18, 2023 (shipment) and Jan 18, 2024 (delivery).

Currently, TinySA ultra can be bought there for ₪456.78 + ₪37.83 for shipment, although I'd expect AliExpress to change costs depending on your location.

QtTinySA runs, shows spectrum, and isn't broken in modern Linux. It can't stop on the scan step, which is noticeable on a wide spectrum, but this seems to be the TinySA Ultra issue, not the client software issue. The positioning in 3D mode can be better and having a 2D waterfall mode that's easy to start would have been nice.

The lsusb command shows TinySA as 0483:5740 STMicroelectronics Virtual COM Port. It's not fast, but it's fast enough to graph the useful representations of the spectrum in many cases.

I'll list stuff I've bought in addition to the default items here.

You need to protect the input of your TinySA from excessive load as a strong enough signal may break it.

• BECEN 10W SMA Attenuator, 40db, DC to 3GHz, 50 Ohm was recommended in this video
• Celwave DL200-50 is even more powerful and was recommended in this video

To be honest, I see it as a tool for tinkering, and I'm still learning myself. This is what I can think of right now:

• Probing your devices for the parasitic oscillations (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4C6p9X8ke7g https://elektrotanya.com/files/forum/2009/10/e04a036.pdf https://web.archive.org/web/20200928092922/https://transverters-store.com/active_probe.html)
• Radiofrequency spectrum lookup
• RF device debug
• AM radio listening

Usage examples on TinySA Wiki.

https://tinysa.org/wiki/pmwiki.php?n=TinySA4.TechnicalDescription

• STM32F302 ARM Cortex M4 MCU
• 3000 mAh, 3.7V, 605080-type battery (Li-Ion or Li-Po) according to the teardown by Kerry Wong
• Resistive touchscreen (works OK, but given the capacitive screens everywhere, getting used to it takes time)
• ADF4350 PLL

I wonder if an adjustment is needed, as scans of spectrum parts are taken in different times and sometimes it's noticeable.