EE-Evaluation Engineering articles from April 2008

EE-Evaluation Engineering archives from April 2008

Things to come?(EDITORIAL)(Editorial)
April 1, 2008... Each year, the editors of Technology Review, published by MIT, take a look at what they see as important emerging technologies for readers to watch for in the future. As in the past, the editors have picked 10 potential breakthroughs that could...

Multiple communications ports distinguish PXI controllers.(PRODUCT BRIEFING)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... Two new 3U PXI controllers, the PXI-3920 based on the Intel Pentium[R] M 760 and the PXI-3910 that uses Intel's Celeron[R] M 760, incorporate dual Gigabit Ethernet ports. They also support instrument control through various interfaces including...

Prewritten routines streamline wireless test.(PRODUCT BRIEFING)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... The MS271xB family of economy microwave spectrum analyzers covering 9 kHz to 7.1 GHz, 13 GHz, and 20 GHz now provides specialized demodulation hardware and prewritten test routines for six popular wireless system configurations: Fixed and...

Flexibility differentiates new SMU and switch modules.(PRODUCT BRIEFING)(National Instruments Corp.)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... The NI PXI-4130 Power Source Measure Unit is a programmable, 3U PXI module featuring a single isolated SMU channel with a four-quadrant [+ or -]20-V output incorporating remote four-wire sense with current resolution to 1 nA. It can source up...

PIM test system makes on-site measurements.(PRODUCT BRIEFING)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... The self-calibrating and battery-operated PIM 20 Test System measures passive intermodulation (PIM) distortion with a sensitivity range from -80 dBc to -155 dBc. It generates two simultaneous RF frequencies with amplitudes from 20 to 33 dBm and...

Probe cards measure DC and RF.(PRODUCT BRIEFING)(Cascade Microtech Inc.)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... Two new Pyramid[R] Parametric Probe Cards allow single-pass DC and RF measurements during parametric production test for semiconductors with advanced process nodes at 65 nm, 45 nm, and beyond. The membrane manufacturing process provides 20-GHz...

DMM redefines 6 1/2-digit resolution.(PRODUCT BRIEFING)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... The USB-based SMU2055 DMM has a full [+ or -]2,400,000 ADC counts. The factor of 2.4 accounts for 10x resolution on a wide range of inputs, meaning you can measure 14 VDC with 10-[micro]V resolution. Features include DC volts, DC current,...

10 DSOs and MSOs have fastest update rate.(PRODUCT BRIEFING)(Agilent Technologies Inc.)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... The InfiniiVision 7000 Series Oscilloscopes offer band-widths of 350 MHz, 500 MHz, and 1 GHz on two or four analog channels. Mixed-signal scopes (MSOs) in the series also have 16 digital channels. Each scope weighs 14 lb, is 7" deep, and has a...

Customizable card streams to PC.(PRODUCT BRIEFING)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... The UF2e-3120 two-channel, 10-MS/s, 12-b waveform digitizer PCI Express card features 32-MS memory, continuous streaming to host PC >120 MS/s, ENOB >10.6 bits, SNR >66.0 dB, THD 5 MHz. Each channel has a separate ADC for true simultaneous...

Communicating with your boss is important.(SALARY SURVEY)(Survey)
April 1, 2008... While money is the obvious concern when conducting a salary survey, one far more subtle theme has remained prevalent throughout the past decade of economic upturns and downturns: Engineers want open and honest communications with their...

Small instruments with big performance.(PC-BASED LOGIC ANALYZERS)
April 1, 2008... Logic analyzers (LAs) are used to examine the simultaneous relationships among several digital signals. Both timing and state operating modes may be available on the same instrument. A state analyzer uses a clock provided by the DUT to acquire...

The triple convergence in instrumentation.(from theeditor)(Editorial)
April 1, 2008... While catching up on some reading, I recently finished The World Is Flat by Thomas Friedman. In this discussion of the technological trends driving corporate structures, economics, and politics in the 21st century, he focuses on technologies...

It's the network.
April 1, 2008... With apologies to a familiar cell phone company, LXI really is about the network--about the familiar Ethernet network foundation and the network of organizations committed to helping one another build better systems and instruments. I was...

Programming preliminaries.
April 1, 2008... In some situations, working with an LXI instrument can be extremely easy. Make an Ethernet connection between a PC and an LXI instrument, enter its IP address into a Web browser, and begin some simple work on the Web pages embedded in the...

Class C can be quick and easy.
April 1, 2008... The LXI protocol offers a multitude of interfaces for communications with test equipment, including LAN Web pages, VISA sockets, and VISA VXI-11 interfaces. Converting an existing serial instrument to an LXI Class C device can be done quickly...

Expanding the use of synthetic instruments.(AEROSPACE/DEFENSE TEST)
April 1, 2008... Dedicated test and measurement instruments offer many advantages. They tend to be easily programmed and optimized for the target application. To facilitate their integration into laboratory environments or automatic test systems, these...

LEGO[R] moves up-market.(SOFTWARE)
April 1, 2008... Having reported on the LEGO ROBOLAB Kit in April 2005, it seemed natural to write a sequel to that article based on the MINDSTORMS[R] NXT Robotics Toolset. The newer kit definitely has gone up-market in its programmability and sensor and motor...

Improving yield with retooling and robust infrastructure.(DESIGN FOR TEST)
April 1, 2008... Everyone in the semiconductor industry is aware of one facet of Moore's law: the cost per function decreases every year. This concept allows semiconductor buyers to plan for periodic price reductions and requires semiconductor companies to...

Adopting a lean approach.(QUALITY MANAGEMENT)
April 1, 2008... The ISO certification has become a fundamental requirement for doing business throughout the world. In their quest for quality, many companies are adopting lean manufacturing methodologies including 5S, Kaizen events, and Six Sigma projects to...

The continuing evolution of MIL-STD-461: Version F.(AEROSPACE/DEFENSE EMC TEST)
April 1, 2008... In 2007, MIL-STD-461 turned 40 and Version F was released on Dec. 10. MIL-STD-461F includes changes as a part of normal evolution to update requirements and methods to more closely evaluate products for the changing electromagnetic environment....

ATE pin electronics.(ATE)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... The Cobalt[TM] E84XX family of automated test equipment integrates two channels of high-performance pin electronics with data rates up to 2 Gb/s. The off-the-shelf devices aim to streamline ATE system development and minimize time-to-market for...

SOIC Sockets.(ENVIRONMENTAL TEST)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... SG-SOIC-3000 ZIF Sockets are compact and can be mounted on a small footprint requiring about 2.5-mm extra space around the chip. Features include short signal path (0.5 or 0.75 mm), signal loss [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Vibration Test System.(ENVIRONMENTAL TEST)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... The V875LS 3" Displacement Vibration Test System features a shaker with 8,000 Ibf force range and a 17" or 25" dia mounting table. System options include head expanders, thermal barriers to ensure compatibility with AGREE and CERT standard...

Vibration Controller/analyzer.(ENVIRONMENTAL TEST)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... The rugged and dust-proof VibPilot is a compact four/eight-channel hardware platform with 24-b sigma-delta A/D converters and up to 102.4-kHz sampling rate. The analyzer allows for alias-protected measurements in a frequency range up to 40 kHz...

Microwave signal generator.(INSTRUMENTATION)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... The N5183A MXG is an economy-class, 2U continuous wave signal generator that provides frequency coverage to 20, 32, or 40 GHz. Switching speed is [less than or equal to]900 [micro]s. With +18 dBm output power to 20-GHz, the generator can...

DC Power Supply.(INSTRUMENTATION)(direct current)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... The Model 9110 Multirange DC Power Supply automatically recalculates the voltage/current limits for each setting and provides 100-W output power in any volt/amp combination within the rated voltage (60-V) and current (5-A) limits. By supplying...

Palm-size logic analyzers.(INSTRUMENTATION)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... The TravelLogic is a small, hand-held logic analyzer that provides 4-GHz timing analysis and 200-MHz state analysis with up to 72 Mb total stackable memory for 36 channels. The device plugs into a PC or laptop USB port to capture complex...

Synchro/resolver card.(INSTRUMENTATION)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... The 65CS4 high-density, DSP-based, single-slot VXI card provides up to four synchro/resolver instrument-grade measurement channels and up to four synchro/resolver instrument-grade stimulus channels or up to eight synchro/resolver embedded-grade...

Solid-state switching matrix.(INSTRUMENTATION)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... The 40-563 is a solid-state switching version of the company's BRIC suited for applications that require hot switching. The matrix is available with two, four, and eight slots. The FET-based BRIC switches have a continuous current rating of...

High-bandwidth Controller.(PC TEST)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... The VXI-8360T VXI-MXI-Express Controller uses cabled PCI Express technology to deliver a high-bandwidth, low-latency VXI interface. General-purpose desktop and laptop computers equipped with the VXI-8360T can be used to control VXI chassis...

EMC accessories and instruments.(LITERATURE MARKETPLACE)
April 1, 2008... AR RF/Microwave Instrumentation's RF and Microwave accessories and instruments brochure highlights signal generators, system controllers, directional couplers, EMC test software, test cells, and field monitoring equipment. Also included is the...

High-power amplifier.(LITERATURE MARKETPLACE)
April 1, 2008... The 4044 High Power, Band-Specific Amplifier produces 2,000 W of CW power over the instantaneous frequency range of 2 to 30 MHz. On input, RF overdrive circuitry protects up to +13 dBm; on output, high-load VSWR protection. User-defined power...

Portable test instruments.(LITERATURE MARKETPLACE)
April 1, 2008... Many new products are featured in the 80-page catalog highlighting the AEMC[R] lines of portable test and measurement instruments, including megohmmeters, ground resistance testers, power quality analyzers and meters, cable testers, current...

Antenna Kit.(LITERATURE MARKETPLACE)
April 1, 2008... The AK-40G Antenna Kit with a 20-Hz to 40-GHz frequency range provides a wide array of antennas, current probes, and cables. The compact, lightweight package for field-testing provides excellent performance and includes a tripod with azimuth...

Shielding Products.(LITERATURE MARKETPLACE)
April 1, 2008... New Shielding Products Guide describes EMI/RFI shielding products in useful side-by-side comparison format. Colorful eight -page brochure compares mounting, composition, size range, effective compression range, type of seal, contact interface,...

Low-cost Vibration Test Systems and Digital Controllers.(LITERATURE MARKETPLACE)
April 1, 2008... 100 lbf System $5,865 with Vibrator, base, blower, low-distortion linear amplifier, cables & hose. Digital Controller Packages convert PCs to Vibration Controllers--Sine $3,995. Random $4,995. 4-Channel Swept-Sine, Random & Classical Shock with...

Memory Recorders.(LITERATURE MARKETPLACE)
April 1, 2008... Upgraded 8860-50 and 8861-50 Memory Recorders with oscilloscope and logging capabilities are 3X faster than its predecessors with faster CPU response and screen refresh rate. Include three 2.0 USB; 100Base LAN; remote monitor port; dual PCMCIA...

EMC solutions.(LITERATURE MARKETPLACE)
April 1, 2008... * Economical, portable RF test enclosures for compliance testing; aluminum benchtop to room-sized fabric tents fold up into a suitcase. From $1,095. * RF and EMF spectrum analyzers 1 Hz to 7 GHz for measuring transmissions from radar,...

Data acquisition.(LITERATURE MARKETPLACE)(United Electronic Industries)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... UEI has released "Everything You Ever Wanted to Know about Data Acquisition," the first in a series of introductory white papers on data acquisition. Part One focuses on analog inputs and is available for free download or hard copy upon...

OFDM/A, MIMO, WLAN and WiMAX.(LITERATURE MARKETPLACE)
April 1, 2008... Keep up with RF technology with a free copy of Keithley's new CD, Guide to OFDM/A Technology, MIMO Configurations, and WLAN and WiMAX Applications. It includes two white papers, a presentation, and a number of tools demonstrating MIMO testing....

Test equipment auctions.(LITERATURE MARKETPLACE)(Lab X Technologies LLC .)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... Find new and used test equipment at LabX. Buy and sell using auctions and classified ads. * Over 150,000 items for sale * Join 130,000 members * Post a FREE Wanted Ad The first place to look for test equipment. LabX,...

Shielding catalog and design guide.(LITERATURE MARKETPLACE)
April 1, 2008... New catalog and design guide has the latest inspiration in EMI shielding including new EMI/Environmental Connector-Seal with patent-pending design, new shielded honeycomb fan filter providing up to 80-dB shielding at 1 GHz, and RoHS-compliant...

Discrete Semiconductor Testers.(LITERATURE MARKETPLACE)
April 1, 2008... Starting under $23,000.00, S.T.I. 5000 Series Discrete Semiconductor Test Systems are loaded with features. All 5000 Series testers have the capability to test a wide range of devices including arrays. Ranges of 1.0 NA to 50 A, and 1 KV are...

CompactPCI/PXI solutions.(LITERATURE MARKETPLACE)
April 1, 2008... Building upon more than 30 years of data acquisition experience, Kinetic-Systems has added a complete line of CompactPCI/PXI solutions to its data acquisition catalog including analog and digital I/O, relay multiplexers, counters and pulse...