EE-Evaluation Engineering articles from April 2004

EE-Evaluation Engineering archives from April 2004

The ups and downs of new innovations.(Editorial)
April 1, 2004... An item in a recent Science Update of Nature could provide significant benefits in widely diverse situations. A new radar device enabling snowplow operators to see and steer clear of obstacles while plowing streets and roads has been patented...

Credence Systems acquires NPTest.(In the News)
April 1, 2004... Credence Systems and NPTest have entered into a definitive agreement in which Credence will acquire NPTest. With the acquisition of NPTest, Credence expands its product portfolio to include high-end SOC, mixed-signal, RF, flash, and automotive...

PXI Systems Alliance releases new specs.(In the News)
April 1, 2004... The PXI Systems Alliance, a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting PXI technology, announced the release of the PXI 2.1 specifications. The specs include enhanced power requirements, which allow designers to add more functionality to PXI...

Keithley partners with SUNY NanoTech Center.(In the News)
April 1, 2004... Keithley Instruments is partnering with the Albany NanoTech Center at the University at Albany--State University of New York (SUNY) to share research information and work together to further the understanding of nanotechnology and...

Dates: Automated Test Summit.(In the News)
April 1, 2004... The 2004 Automated Test Summit hosted by National Instruments and industry partners Flextronics Test, JTAG Technologies, SigmaQuest, Tektronix, Thermotron, and Virginia Panel will be held May 4 in Detroit, May 6 in Ft. Wayne, IN, May 13 in...

Program accepts libraries in any .NET language.(Product Briefing)
April 1, 2004... Agilent Visual Engineering Environment (VEE) Pro 7.0 incorporates enhancements based on Microsoft .NET Framework, an open, industry-standard programming environment. It combines with the resources of Visual Studio to handle common measurement...

IDDT monitor addresses DSM test.(Product Briefing)
April 1, 2004... The tester-independent QT-1410 is a digital transient supply current (IDDT) monitor designed for ATE add-on applications. It can be configured for measurements ranging from 10 mA to 100 A and combines a 50-Ms/s sampling rate with a 10-MHz input...

New scope capabilities simplify operation.(Product Briefing)
April 1, 2004... The MyScope[TM] customizable user interface and right-clicks context-sensitive menus are new features on the mid-range TDS5000B Series Digital Phosphor Oscilloscopes. MyScope allows users to create personalized control windows. The right-click...

Touch-Screen Controller enhances chambers.(Product Briefing)
April 1, 2004... The EZT-550 Touch-Screen Controller is a new feature on the Z-Plus line of temperature/humidity chambers. The EZT-550 reduces chamber programming and setup time with drop-down menu navigation and online help screens. Intuitive control with...

14-slot chassis offers three cooling options.(Product Briefing)
April 1, 2004... The expandable Model 1461-14 PXI Mainframe offers three cooling options to accommodate high-power functional test, control, and data acquisition applications: The chassis automatically selects high or low fan speed based on temperature, the...

Scope series features 10.4" display.(Product Briefing)
April 1, 2004... The design of the WaveSurfer Digital Oscilloscope Series incorporates a 10.4" SVGA touch-screen display in a small footprint. The Models 454, 434, and 424 sport bandwidths of 500 MHz, 350 MHz, and 200 MHz, respectively, and feature four...

Survey hints of cautious optimism: maybe the word isn't all good, but our readers are somewhat hopeful that the recent bad times in the electronics industry are subsiding.(Salary Survey)(Cover Story)
April 1, 2004... The current soft economy has left many people uncertain about whether or not the bad times are really over. Is this the end of downsizing? When will there be salary increases again? Will jobs continue to go overseas? Will the company still be...

A system-component approach to functional test systems: any programmable instrument can be used in a system. But what makes one system-ready and another just a programmable instrument?(Pc-Based Test Applications)
April 1, 2004... When developing a functional test system from scratch, you have many choices of instruments, interfaces, and software. Good up-front planning can maximize throughput, minimize development time, and ease future expansion. Maximizing...

First source for red-hot Linux 2.6 drivers: product focus.(Data Acquisition)
April 1, 2004... The recent release of the Linux 2.6 kernel was closely followed by a United Electronic Industries (UEI) announcement that it was offering the 2.6 version of drivers for UEI data acquisition cards. According to UEI, the drivers are the first to...

Switching considerations for microwave test systems: with today's technology, RF switching and signal control are moving out of the realm of mystery and black magic and into the arena of open standards solutions.(Switching Systems)
April 1, 2004... The wireless communications industry is one of the fastest growing markets worldwide, and the emphasis on reliability continues to drive new and innovative test techniques. The heart of any automatic test system is signal routing, and the...

Investigating sudden delaminations.(Acoustic Analysis)
April 1, 2004... Achieving profitability in electronics manufacturing rests heavily on avoiding defects in parts and materials or, when a defect does occur, finding the cause and taking corrective action as quickly and inexpensively as possible. But a...

Powering the generation of new products: specifying a DC power supply or AC source involves much more than stating the output voltage and current.(Power Supplies/Sources)
April 1, 2004... "Spoiled for choice" is an understatement when it comes to DC power supplies and AC sources. There literally are hundreds of models and options to choose from. Output voltage and current generally top the list of requirements, but a great many...

Overcoming overdrive recovery: amplifying and offsetting scope signals may cause distortion. Here's a better way to make accurate measurements.(Oscilloscopes)
April 1, 2004... When making critical signal integrity measurements with a high-speed digital storage oscilloscope (DSO), it often is desirable to measure small aberrations on the top and bottom of high-speed digital signals. Examples include measuring...

Standards vs. reality: there are some very significant differences between individual NEBS and European standards you need to know before you start testing.(Nebs Test)
April 1, 2004... The network equipment building systems (NEBS) requirements have been established to ensure that new telecommunications equipment is suitable for deployment. This very broad statement covers performance aspects such as EMI/EMC; environmental...

DC loads.(ATE)
April 1, 2004... Five DC loads featuring readout and setting resolution to a full five digits for current, voltage, and power have been added to the Kikusui PLZ-4W Series. The PLZ164WA and PLZ664WA models range from 0 to 150 V and include a 165-W and a 660-W...

Boundary scan programming.(ATE)
April 1, 2004... ScanWorks[R] 3.4 with Assistant[TM], Scan Path Discovery, and Muiltiple Scan Path Support accelerates and simplifies test development and execution. Assistant offers step-by-step advice to new and occasional users and explains the options and...

Cable/Harness Tester.(ATE)
April 1, 2004... The Signature 1100R+ Cable and Harness Tester features a large display with a menu-driven user interface. It tests cables, harnesses, and other wiring assemblies up to 1,024 points and resistors, capacitors, and diodes for value and polarity;...

Plunger Probe.(ATE)
April 1, 2004... The spring-contact Eccentric Plunger Probe features a patented design for internal biasing of a probe in a much shorter package. The design uses a plunger with a back-drilled hole or aperture with the centerline of the aperture slightly offset...

Optical Standards Tester.(Communications Test)
April 1, 2004... The A3308 Optical Standards Tester (OST) has multiple rates of 1GE, SONET/SDH OC-48 and OCS-192/STM-16 and STM-64; 10 GigE; 10 GFC; OTN; and OTN with FEC. It automates common optical communication tests such as stressed receiver conformance,...

Network Analyzers.(Communications Test)
April 1, 2004... The R3768/R3770 Network Analyzers incorporate a four-port receiver architecture developed to measure multiport passive components designed into multiband mobile handsets, WLAN devices, radars, and satellite equipment. The R3768 has a...

Temperature Cycling Tester.(ESS)
April 1, 2004... The CFC- and HCFC-free temperatureforcing ThermoJet[TM] Precision Temperature Cycling Tester maintains -80[degrees]C at 20 scfm and cycles from +225[degrees]C to -65[degrees]C in [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Pcmcia card.(Data Acquisition)
April 1, 2004... The PC-CARD-DAS16/16 provides 16 channels of single-ended or eight channels of differential analog input with 16-b A/D resolution. A single channel may be sampled at up to 200 kS/s; multiple channel scans run at up to 100 kS/s. The card also...

Modular Logic Analyzer.(Instrumentation)
April 1, 2004... The 16900 Series Logic Analyzer platform offers three modular mainframe choices with hosted capabilities. The 16900A and 16902A mainframes operate in stand-alone or multiframe configurations. The 16900A accepts up to six acquisition modules and...

Ground Bond Tester.(Instrumentation)
April 1, 2004... The mid-range 3140 HYAMP[R] III Ground Bond Tester provides up to 40 A of current for continuous-duty ground bond testing and accommodates revisions made to CSA-C22.2 NO. 60950-1-03 and UL 60950-1. It includes an LCD with features such as...

Connector Tester.(Instrumentation)
April 1, 2004... The 4087B Connector Tester replaces racks of single-purpose instruments for measuring insulation resistance (IR), dielectric withstand voltage/hipot, capacitance, and zener diode/MOV characteristics. Each pin is tested against all others and...

Kelvin Lead Set.(Instrumentation)
April 1, 2004... The four-wire Pomona[R] 6730 Kelvin Lead Set, featuring gold-plated clips, is rated at 1,000 V CAT III with a 20-A current maximum. The set is manufactured of nickelplated beryllium copper wire wrapped in silicone and colorcoded for source and...

Milliohmmeter.(Instrumentation)
April 1, 2004... The LR2000 Milliohmmeter for low-resistance measurements features a 240 X 64 dot matrix LCD for menu programming and display of measured results. It has eight measurement ranges from 20 m[ohm] to 2 M[ohm] with constant current between 1 A and 1...

RF Power Sensor Calibrator.(Instrumentation)
April 1, 2004... The 1827 Wideband RF Power Sensor Calibrator offers a frequency range of 100 kHz to 18 GHz using only one standard and can calibrate most power sensors in [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Paperless Recorder.(Instrumentation)
April 1, 2004... The Datagraph II Series Paperless Recorders accommodate up to 18 analog inputs or a mix of analog and digital I/O cards. Other features include sampling all channels within 200 ms, a 640 X 480 pixel color display, an infrared detector for...

DC Power Supplies.(Instrumentation)
April 1, 2004... The XDL Series DC Programmable Linear Power Supplies comprise five models with output power ranging from 105 W to 215 W. They provide high-resolution voltage and current settings (1 mV at full output, 0.1 mA on low range) and multiple...

PCI/PXI extensions.(PC Test)
April 1, 2004... The PCI-8570 and PXI-8570 Boards use StarGen's StarFabric physical-layer technology to provide a low-latency, high-through-put path to PCI slots in an expansion chassis with serial interconnects at 622 Mb/s and low-voltage differential...

PCI digitizer.(PC Test)
April 1, 2004... The CompuScope 14105 provides two input channels, 14-b vertical resolution, a 105-MS/s simultaneous sampling rate, >250 MHz of bandwidth, time-stamping, external triggering and clocking, and trigger and clock output signals to accommodate...

PXI modules.(PC Test)
April 1, 2004... Several modules have been introduced to complement the company's new PXI mainframe: the Model 1268-001 Embedded Controller, a two-slot design with an Intel PIII 500-MHz CPU and 256-MB DRAM memory; the Model 9215 Power Supply, a single-slot, 3U...