EE-Evaluation Engineering articles from February 2005

EE-Evaluation Engineering archives from February 2005

For the serious enthusiasts.(EDITORIAL)
February 1, 2005... Although I didn't attend the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas last month, a product that garnered a Design and Engineering Award in the Personal Electronics category caught my eye. Admittedly, I have some familiarity with its predecessor,...

System tests four TFT-LCD drivers.(Product Briefing)
February 1, 2005... The T6372 tests up to four high-pin-count thin-film-transistor LCD (TFT-LCD) source drivers used in high-pixel SXGA and UXGA LCDs. It offers up to 256 pins for digital test on image signal inputs and up to 1,536 pins for LCD test on outputs,...

3U switching cards have 32-b DLLs.(Product Briefing)
February 1, 2005... Four new 3U PXI switching cards are each supplied with a virtual instrument panel that includes 32-b DLLs and documentation. Various interface files provide access to the DLL driver library for programming tools and languages such as ATEasy,...

Self-Test and Repair solution addresses SOC designs.(Product Briefing)
February 1, 2005... The third-generation Self-Test and Repair (STAR) Memory System[TM] for 180-, 130-, and 90-nm memories provides on-chip testing and repair of designs embedding megabits of memories plus additions for complex SOC designs via increased...

Interface combines speed and Ethernet engine.(Product Briefing)
February 1, 2005... The DaqLab/2000[TM] Series Interface features a 16-b/200-kHz ADC coupled with an Ethernet engine that continuously streams data into a PC. Signal I/O is on the front panel via removable screw-terminal connectors and includes eight voltage...

Thermal cycling System travels to test site.(Product Briefing)
February 1, 2005... The TP04300B ThermoStream[R] System incorporating a ThermoChamber[TM] brings -80[degrees]C to +225[degrees]C temperature and high-capacity 18-scfm airflow to a test site. Configurations include the ThermoChamber mounted atop the universal base...

Receiver calibrates signal generators.(Product Briefing)
February 1, 2005... The FSMR Measuring Receiver calibrates all key parameters of signal generators and fixed and variable attenuators without additional hardware or software. It combines a level calibrator; AM, FM, and PM modulation analyzers; an audio analyzer...

California engineer wins Readers' Choice prize.(In The News)
February 1, 2005... Leah McLean, an engineer at WJ Communications in San Jose, CA, won the iPod[TM] Audio Player for participating in EE's 2004 Readers' Choice Awards. She was selected from the many readers who voted for the outstanding test and evaluation...

Desco acquires Static Prevention.(In The News)
February 1, 2005... Desco Industries has finalized an agreement for purchasing the assets of Static Prevention doing business as SPI Westek. Under the terms of the agreement, Desco acquired patents, designs, existing inventory, tools, and equipment and has the...

Communications Test.(Corrigendum)(Correction Notice)
February 1, 2005... In the Communications Test article "Wireless Test Equipment Goes Roaming" in the January issue, the correct RSLeads URL for the XL Microware 2261 Spectrum Analyzer is www.rsleads.com/501ee-211.

Selecting a PC plug-in DMM: here's some advice to consider when choosing the right DMM for your next test system.(DMMs)
February 1, 2005... Most automated production test systems require a DMM and usually are integrated into a PCI, PXI, or VXI chassis. These architectures provide a favorable combination of speed, ease of integration, accuracy, reliability, reasonable cost, and...

Test system switching: any switching system can connect A to B. Only a well-designed one delivers top performance.(SWITCHING SYSTEMS)
February 1, 2005... Well-designed test systems have a minimum of three major subsystems: computing, instrumentation, and switching. Functional test systems add device under test (DUT) power and DUT output loads. Of these, the switching subsystem is arguably the...

Thinking and acting outside the disappearing box: we are rapidly approaching a moment of highly disruptive innovation in the test and measurement industry.(MANAGER'S FORUM)
February 1, 2005... As the whole world goes wireless, waves of innovation are being continuously generated within the commercial and military test and measurement markets, echoed and reinforced by innovation-rich initiatives originating within the industry itself....

Test automation with Microsoft Visual Studio.(1, 2, 3 TEST: ADVERTISEMENT)(Advertisement)
February 1, 2005... Are you still waiting to see if Microsoft[R] Visual Studio[R] .NET will be a good solution for test systems? I've talked with more than a dozen engineers who have upgraded to .NET, and their comments are positive: "What's all the fuss?... Now...

PC-Based Test Buyers Guide.(Cover Story)
February 1, 2005... EE's PC-Based Test Buyers Guide is a comprehensive, up-to-date listing of the companies that manufacture PC-based test products. The guide is arranged in two sections. First is a product/company cross-reference. The second section is an...

HSDPA: shifting gears into 3.5G: incorporating HSDPA in Release 5 of the 3GPP W-CDMA specification is the most significant change on the RF side since Release 99 five years ago.(WIRELESS TEST)
February 1, 2005... Just when the quest for bandwidth is accelerating competition among wireless technologies, W-CDMA appears to have hit a speed bump. W-CDMA technology, which provides the radio interface in the 3G UMTS mobile system defined by the 3GPP,...

Conductive tile forms foundation for static-control program; an industry-leading manufacturer focused on flooring when developing a comprehensive ESD control program.(ESD FLOORING)
February 1, 2005... In 2000, National Instruments (NI) was in an expansion mode. The company was moving forward with a capital improvement project at its headquarters in Austin, TX, and planning its first manufacturing plant overseas. But in Austin,...

Using GTEM cells for immunity testing: upgrading an in-house emissions system to include RF immunity testing can provide significant benefits for product development.(EMC TEST EQUIPMENT)
February 1, 2005... Many small- to medium-sized businesses that invested in in-house EMC RF test facilities are equipped only for RF emissions testing as opposed to having a full setup that includes RF immunity testing. Often this restriction is due to a past...

Vision sensors decide for themselves: today's integrated vision solutions can outperform your older discrete system.(AUTOMATED OPTICAL INSPECTION)
February 1, 2005... You no longer require a Ph.D. in computer science to develop a machine vision system. Now you just need one to understand the product classifications. The more popular terms include vision sensor, vision system, and smart camera. To these,...

Temperature Cycling System.(ENVIRONMENTAL TEST)
February 1, 2005... The AirJet XE Precision Temperature Cycling System is capable of temperatures from -85[degrees]C to 225[degrees]C. It delivers the full MIL-Spec temperature range in a benchtop platform that runs on 120-V service. Features include CFC-and...

Sound and Vibration Analyzer.(ENVIRONMENTAL TEST)
February 1, 2005... Revision 5.1 of the Pimento Sound and Vibration Analyzer features a four- and eight-channel step-in hardware configuration combined with a range of applications, LMS PolyMAX modal parameter estimations, and a set of preconfigured ISO and ANSI...

Wiring Analyzer.(ATE)
February 1, 2005... The MPT-SCAN Interconnect Analyzer and User Interface detects, records, and displays intermittent micro-opens as they occur during environmental testing with a scan rate of at least 100,000 S/s. It continuously and simultaneously monitors all...

Coaxial cable software.(ATE)
February 1, 2005... The COAX-3000 Software controls all major vector network analyzers to measure RF coaxial cable assemblies and bulk cable. The software is a preconfigured, preprogrammed, and pre-RF optimized VNA interface. It supports a range of...

SOC Interface.(ATE)
February 1, 2005... The modular Centaur Universal SOC Interface[TM] tests SOC devices used in today's computer, communications, and consumer markets. The design incorporates Transpar[TM] signal modules that have been reoriented for compatibility with the...