EE-Evaluation Engineering articles from January 2005

EE-Evaluation Engineering archives from January 2005

Your right arm, please.(EDITORIAL)
January 1, 2005... Having selected a few grocery items at your local supermarket, you proceed to the checkout counters. As usual, most of them are busy, but you pick the line that seems to be moving the fastest. After you have glanced at the front pages of just...

Analyzer improves resolution by 2,000 fold.(Product Briefing)
January 1, 2005... The RSA3408A is a high-performance DC to 8-GHz real-time spectrum analyzer that delivers 36-MHz bandwidth, up to 20-ns frame-time resolution spectrograms, and a maximum 102.4-MHz A/D sampling rate. It features built-in analog and...

Interconnect System performs up to 15 GHz.(Product Briefing)
January 1, 2005... The GORE[TM] Ultra High Density (UHD) Interconnect System for cable-to-board and cable-to-cable coaxial applications performs at frequencies up to 15 GHz and supports data rates up to 10 Gb/s. It consists of PC board-mounted interposers/headers...

Hipot testers provide 20-kV AC or DC.(Product Briefing)
January 1, 2005... The four models in the family of HypotMAX Dielectric Withstand Analyzers are designed to provide higher output voltage for cable, wire, harness, and electrical-component testing. The 7705 is a 10-kV AC tester, the 7710 a 15-kV DC unit, the 7715...

Mixed-signal tester addresses consumer ICs.(Product Briefing)
January 1, 2005... The slim-mainframe T7722 Tester accommodates digital and analog modules with a maximum of 128 channels for simultaneously testing up to eight 32-pin mixed-signal ICs. It also features a 62.5-MHz high-speed digital test module to handle...

ATPG starter packages handle ASIC testing.(Product Briefing)
January 1, 2005... The DFT-PRO 100 and 200 Series of starter packages for ASIC testing operate on scan-inserted netlists and include tools for testing DFT rules violations, ATPG, and test-pattern formatting. The DFT-PRO 100 is a basic package; the DFT-PRO 200 is...

Modules/carriers focus on automotive test.(Product Briefing)
January 1, 2005... Four PXI modules manufactured by C & H Technologies offer measurement, digital I/O, and signal-sourcing capability. Each module can be purchased in its minimum channel configuration and field upgraded. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The Model...

Aeroflex joins LXI Consortium.(In The News)
January 1, 2005... Aeroflex has joined the LXI Consortium (LAN extensions for instrumentation), an organization supporting the development of the LXI standard. LXI combines built-in measurement science and PC-standard I/O connectivity from rack-and-stack...

Agilent forms $125 million agreement.(In The News)
January 1, 2005... STATS ChipPAC, an independent semiconductor test and advanced packaging service provider, has selected Agilent Technologies as its test supplier in an agreement worth up to $125 million. Under the terms of the deal, Agilent will provide its...

D.L.S. attains CSA agent status.(In The News)
January 1, 2005... D.L.S. Conformity Assessment is the first lab to attain the status of a fully qualified agent of CSA International. D.L.S. now provides product safety testing for both U.S. and Canadian requirements to CSA, UL, ANSI, FM, and other North...

Autotestcon 2005.(Dates)
January 1, 2005... The closing date is March 3 for receipt of session proposals and abstracts for technical papers for AUTOTESTCON 2005. A one-page abstract must highlight the main features of a proposed and previously unpublished paper. Session plans should...

I/O that just works.(Advertisement)
January 1, 2005... If you've hooked up a digital camera to a PC recently, then you have a good example of a connection that "just works." You simply install the software and connect the camera to a USB port. The operating system senses the connection and brings...

Seven products win honors from EE readers.(READERS' CHOICE AWARDS)(Cover Story)
January 1, 2005... During the past year, many outstanding products were introduced to the test and measurement market by a number of equipment manufacturers. To determine which ones were the best of the best, we asked you, our readers, to choose by voting in our...

Digitizers improve scanning acoustic microscopy: for the best results with SAM systems, pay close attention to both the digitizer characteristics and the signal path.(DATA ACQUISITION)
January 1, 2005... Automated inspection techniques are widely used in the semiconductor industry for chip and package inspection. Several of these techniques include ultrasonic flaw detection and scanning acoustic microscopy (SAM), sometimes called scanning...

Eyeing up the one/zero threshold: serial communications are easy. Determining exactly what was transmitted is more difficult.(SERIAL SIGNAL ANALYZERS)
January 1, 2005... Analog or digital, all oscilloscopes display changing signal characteristics as a function of time. Physical-layer signal measurement remains at the heart of the most modern of today's scopes. Certainly, there have been changes to scopes,...

New test approaches for ZIF transceiver devices: EVM testing could be the answer to determining end-to-end performance while greatly reducing test time.(IC TEST)
January 1, 2005... As increased levels of integration become more commonplace in wireless designs, new approaches must be developed to address the associated test challenges. Today, two-chip solutions play a dominant role in wireless local area networking (WLAN)...

3U CompactPCI board based on Intel[R] Pentium[R] M processor with 855GME chipset.(Advertisement)
January 1, 2005... The cPCI-3840 is a 3U CompactPCI Pentium[R] M processor board. Combined with embedded chipsets 855GME and 6300ESB, the cPCI-3840 offers up to 2GB DDR 333 memory with XVGA and flat panel graphics, dual Gigabit Ethernet ports, and several I/O...

2-CH 65MS/s 14-bit digitizer with SDRAM.(Advertisement)
January 1, 2005... ADLINK's PXI-9820 is a 2-CH 65 MS/s, high-resolution PXI digitizer with 512MB SODIMM SDRAM memory. It features flexible input configurations including programmable input ranges and user selectable input impedance. With lots of on-board...

4X8 two-wire matrix module for measurement and automation.(Advertisement)
January 1, 2005... The PXI-7931 is matrix module with 32 cross-point two-wire relays (DPDT, 2 Form C), 220VDC/125VAC and switching capacity of up to 2A switching and 2A carrying. Using a termination board, users can choose between multiple configurations, (one...

PXI-to-PCI and PXI-to-PXI extension solutions.(Advertisement)
January 1, 2005... The PCI-8570 and PXI-8570 PCI/PXI extension solutions provide flexibility in complicated PXI measurement systems and the ability to perform advanced measurements from multiple locations. Transmission distances can extend up to 10 meters using...

Wireless test equipment goes roaming: so many measurements, so little time. Make sure your receiver meets the Lee sampling criterion.(COMMUNICATIONS TEST)
January 1, 2005... Those who have been saved, have been saved through one man, Mr. Marconi... and his marvellous invention. (1) [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Early wireless equipment was used as a safety and navigation aid on large passenger ships but did not...

The system designer's choice for nearly thirty years.
January 1, 2005... PTS Synthesizers are found in more test systems than any other synthesizer on the market. What engineers like most about PTS is our ability to provide the right performance at the right price. At PTS, we believe there is no such thing as a...

The next generation of environmental testing: HALT and HASS are starting to supplant traditional vibration and thermal testing to meet today's quality targets.(HALT/HASS)
January 1, 2005... For decades, product quality has been determined through environmental testing such as vibration, thermal cycling, mechanical shock, and thermal shock. More recently, there has been a significant trend in the marketplace to improve product...

Does ambient noise cancellation work? We live in a jumble of man-made noise that threatens to overwhelm any measurements we want to take in unscreened environments.(EMC TEST)
January 1, 2005... The effectiveness of ambient or background noise cancellation has long been debated. However, there is little published evidence to justify the claims made by either side of the debate. In an attempt to settle the question, we performed some...

McQ512 Trimmer Capacitor.(Advertisement)
January 1, 2005... Tusonix's smallest Miniature All-Ceramic Surface Mount Trimmer Capacitor--the McQ 512 Series--is offered in an incredibly compact size for those applications that demand high Q and space-saving solutions. The state-of-the-art McQ 512 Trimmer is...

Ultra mini Press-In filters.(Advertisement)
January 1, 2005... The ultra-miniaturized 4306 Press-In Ceramic EMI filter suppresses unwanted EMI and allows a fast, mechanical bonding that is free from soldering. And, by offering an excellent alternative to the traditional soldering installation, these finely...

30 AMP Terminal Blocks.(Advertisement)
January 1, 2005... Designers can eliminate unwanted EMI with Tusonix's UL Recognized Filtered Terminal Blocks, which have an increased current up to 30 Amps with a working voltage of 150Vdc and capacitance values up to 15,000pF. Applying an existing design...

Test Labs/Services Buyers Guide.
January 1, 2005... EE's 36th annual Test Labs/Services Buyers Guide is a comprehensive, up-to-date listing of the companies that offer testing and consulting services to the electronics industry. The guide is arranged in two sections. First is a...

USB Controller.(ATE)
January 1, 2005... The USB-M 48 Controller handles up to 48 500-mA primary current relays from the PC. The outputs work as relay drivers, eliminating the need to interconnect additional drivers. The modular load switching system, operating via both USB and...

High-volume Test Platform.(ATE)
January 1, 2005... The Exordia-R[TM] Test Platform offers functional and combination test for high-volume applications and Windows XP-based software to provide a multitasking environment. It features a range of test modules, a scalable tabletop, a modular chassis...

Burn-In System.(ATE)
January 1, 2005... The HPB-4 High-Power Burn-In System tests up to 600-W VLSI devices and supports individual DUT temperature control to within [+ or -]5[degrees]C. It features 128 I/O channels per driver/receiver, programmable temperature control up to...

Desktop ATE.(ATE)
January 1, 2005... The desktop V200 ATE System provides in-circuit functional test for component-level/cluster tests; card-edge functional test of PCBs with guided probe back tracking; and boundary scan tests for high-density PCBs with PQFP, BGA, and other...

Flat-panel display tester.(ATE)
January 1, 2005... The Agilent 88000 Series FPD (flat-panel display) Test Systems address thin-film transistor (TFT) arrays used in LCDs and active matrix (AM) organic light-emitting diode (OLED) displays. The Agilent 88000 ATS-600 Array Test System accommodates...

Triaxial thermal chuck.(ATE)
January 1, 2005... A 300-mm thermal chuck designed for use with analytical probe stations has integrated conductive and isolating layers to maximize heat transfer and uniformity. It features kinematic mounting to minimize expansion of the chuck up and into the...

PCB Test System.(ATE)
January 1, 2005... The S40 Valid PCB Test System performs analog, digital functional, and high-frequency digital functional tests. The modular system integrates with PXI, VXI, and IEEE 488-based external instruments for military, automotive, and consumer...

DC Power Supply.(INSTRUMENTATION)
January 1, 2005... The Agilent N5700 Series System DC Power Supply offers 1,500 W in a 1 U-high package with PC I/O including LAN, USB, and GPIB. The series consists of 24 single-output programmable models with built-in voltage and current measurements from 6 V...

Programmable Megohmmeters.(INSTRUMENTATION)
January 1, 2005... The 1868A and 1868D Megohmmeters feature both resistance and current measurement modes for measuring insulation resistance from 10 k[ohm] to 1 P[ohm] at programmable DC test voltages between 10 and 1,000 V (1868A) or 50 and 5,000 V (1868D). For...

Switch modules.(INSTRUMENTATION)
January 1, 2005... Three additions have been made to the SMIPII[TM] line of switches: the SMP2012, a 10-SPST, 30-A module; the SMP2300, a 24-SPST, 500-VDC, 50-[ohm] high-voltage coaxial module; and the SMP2300-93, a 24-SPST, 500-VDC, 93-[ohm], high-voltage...

LCR/ESR Meter.(INSTRUMENTATION)
January 1, 2005... The 889A Synthesized Bench InCircuit LCR/ESR Meter tests components at frequencies up to 200 kHz with a basic accuracy of 0.1%. In the LCR mode, test frequencies of 100 Hz, 120 Hz, 1 kHz, 10kHz, 100 kHz, or 200 kHz and test voltages of 50...

FFT Cores.(INSTRUMENTATION)
January 1, 2005... The HyperSpeed and HyperLength FFT Cores provide silicon efficient implementations of the FFT algorithm for spectral analysis and support sample rates up to 3.2 GHz and transform lengths up to 256 M-points running in continuous real time. The...

Cat III DMMs.(INSTRUMENTATION)
January 1, 2005... The PM Series of pocket-meter DMMs features UL safety ratings up to CAT III at 300 V and CAT II at 600 V. Each meter measures AC/DC voltage, resistance, frequency, and capacitance. The series comprises three models: the PM51 Pocket Meter with...

Two-channel PXI Arb.(PC TEST)
January 1, 2005... The 3165 Arbitrary Waveform Generator (Arb) features two independent analog outputs that can be single-ended or differential, sample rates up to 100 MS/s, and 14-b resolution. It also includes external or internal triggering, internal or...

PXI/cPCI portable system.(PC TEST)
January 1, 2005... The 3U GCP382 PXI/CompactPCI Test System comes standard with an uninterrupted power supply so it can be moved without being turned off or rebooted. It features seven slots that accommodate hot-swapping cards; a universal power source running on...

PXI Switch Modules.(PC TEST)
January 1, 2005... The PXI-7900 Series Switch Modules include the PXI-7901, a 16-channel, general-purpose SPDT relay; the PXI-7921, a 24-channel, two-wire multiplexer; and the PXI-7931, a 4X8 two-wire matrix. The modules are PXI Rev. 2.1 and PICMG 2.1 R2.0...

Relay Multiplexer.(PC TEST)
January 1, 2005... The P580 Relay Multiplexer is a double-width 3U PXI module that provides 34 differential input channels multiplexed onto two independent analog paths. Up to four external instruments can be connected via one of the front panel's four LEMO...

Sourcing and measurement products.(LITERATURE MARKETPLACE)
January 1, 2005... Keithley's 2005 catalog offers details and specifications on the company's general-purpose and sensitive sourcing and measurement products, DC switching, RF switching and measurement, data acquisition solutions, semiconductor test systems, and...

Interconnection and packaging.(LITERATURE MARKETPLACE)
January 1, 2005... Aries has published a free 8th Edition Shortform Catalog covering its range of interconnection and packaging products including Pin-Ball Socket, Correct-A-Chip[TM] technology and products, high-frequency RF test sockets, BGA products, LGA...

Frequency synthesizers.(LITERATURE MARKETPLACE)
January 1, 2005... This catalog describes PTS frequency synthesizers. Options and accessories are described that can be combined in a virtually limitless manner to provide a product that, although not custom-built, will closely match your specifications. These...

Adhesives and sealants.(LITERATURE MARKETPLACE)
January 1, 2005... Master Bond Inc., Hackensack, NJ, manufactures more than 3,000 grades of adhesives, sealants, and coatings. Line consists of epoxies, anaerobics, cyanoacrylates, silicones, and acrylics. One- and two-part systems are available. Master Bond...

Data acquisition.(LITERATURE MARKETPLACE)
January 1, 2005... The latest release of The Data Acquisition Handbook[TM] contains >4,000 data acquisition and recording products on >1,200 full-color pages; data acquisition, process control, data analysis software; extensive offering of data acquisition...

Measurement and automation catalog.(LITERATURE MARKETPLACE)
January 1, 2005... The National Instruments catalog is the leading virtual instrumentation resource for engineers and scientists seeking the most productive customer-defined software and hardware tools. You will find everything you need from new product...

Cable testing.(LITERATURE MARKETPLACE)
January 1, 2005... CableTest's primer on cable, backplane, connector, and wire testing technologies helps you stay abreast of the latest cable testing techniques including why test wiring, components, and connectors; simplex vs. Kelvin resistance measurement;...