Welcome to Homer

The software described in this document pertains to the following measurement, tuning, and autotuning systems: Homer Analyzer, Homer Mototuner, and Homer Autotuner.

  • Homer Analyzer is a high-power impedance, power and frequency measurement instrument optimized for different Industrial-Scientific-Medical (ISM) bands and transmission media (waveguide, coaxial), capable of handling various types of signal waveforms and power levels.

  • Homer Mototuner is a motorized three-stub high-power impedance transformer optimized for different ISM bands and transmission media.

  • Homer Autotuner is an intelligent system that combines the Homer Analyzer and Homer Mototuner. Autotuner can be a compact one-piece unit, or a two-piece device consisting of separate Analyzer and Mototuner units. The Autotuner combines functionalities of the Analyzer and Mototuner and, more than that, can be used for autonomous or externally controlled automatic impedance matching of time-varying loads.

For the sake of text simplicity, the term Homer will be used for all three system categories, having usually the most complex of them, the Autotuner, in mind.

An inseparable integral part of Homer is its firmware, the most important part of which is the internal program, denoted as Server. This internal program should be differentiated from the HomSoft Windows Visualisation & Control SW, running in your PC and enabling easy control and monitoring of the Homer. The two programs cooperate via a communication link, which can be RS232, RS422 or CAN Bus (RS232 and RS422 use the same communication protocol and will be treated as one).

A full-fledged HomSoft application can communicate with a Homer device only if the Homer device is provided with the HomSoft Control option (please refer to Homer datasheet for Homer options). Without the HomSoft Control option, you can still access Server functionalities by writing your own program for PC or PLC, using the published communication protocol (part of Homer documentation). Another alternative is to use a complimentary reduced-functionality HomSoft application, named HomTool.

The Homer Autotuner can also work without any external control as an autonomous unit. In this case, its behavior is controlled by several internal configuration files, available for editing by the user.

Note that both Homer hardware and software are continually evolving; upgraded versions include updated Help.

New Users

For new users of the system and HomSoft software, the best approach is to study the User’s Handbook or this Help systematically, topic by topic as they appear sequentially in the Table of Contents, or by using the Next and Previous browsing buttons. This way, the user acquires a global overview and becomes aware of the multitude of capabilities the system offers.

When using the program and pointing at a menu item, please observe the brief information appearing in the bottom status bar of the main program window. Also, many of the program windows and dialog boxes have a  Help  button, which opens a related help topic.

For training purposes, the best way is to use the HoSim.exe simulation version of HomSoft, which requires nothing more than your computer.

To see “behind the scenes” of Homer communication, you may wish to peruse the Homer Communication Protocol (see below).

Accompanying Literature

  • Homer Hot Measurement and Autotuning System: User’s Handbook (HomerHbookxxxx_y.pdf where xxxx_y stands for version number).

  • Homer Communication Protocol (HoComProtoxx_y.pdf where xx_y stands for version number).

  • Application Notes (part of HomSoft installation or downloadable from https://s‑team.sk/docs).

Other Sources

Reporting Problems

When reporting problems, please adhere to instructions in the Problem Reporting section.