EE-Evaluation Engineering articles from July 2003

EE-Evaluation Engineering archives from July 2003

Talking with your test system. (Editorial).
July 1, 2003... Speech recognition software has been around for more than 10 years. Those who tried the early programs found them rudimentary at best. The software quite often had trouble recognizing certain words or phrases, particularly if you spoke too...

JTAG and logicVision develop partnership. (In the News).
July 1, 2003... JTAG Technologies and LogicVision have developed a partnership to integrate device-level embedded test and diagnosis with board- and system-level testing. Through the LVReady[TM] program, JTAG has incorporated LogicVision's Embedded Test Access...

Tracewell acquires high-end electronics design company. (In the News).
July 1, 2003... In an acquisition that doubles the size of the company, Tracewell Systems purchased Acme Electronics, an electronics designer and manufacturer that has provided high power systems to the medical, communications, and datastorage industries....

Specification released for open Semiconductor Test Architecture. (In the News).
July 1, 2003... The Semiconductor Test Consortium (STC) has released the first draft of the specification for OPENSTAR[TM], the Open Semiconductor Test Architecture. This draft outlines the architecture's technological features and merits including software,...

Teradyne and boeing to build avionics test systems. (In the News).
July 1, 2003... Teradyne and The Boeing Co. have signed a licensing agreement to manufacture and market a new-generation automatic test system (ATS) for airplane avionics assemblies. The new ATS will use Teradyne's Spectrum[TM] 9000-Series Functional Test...

Corrigenda.
July 1, 2003... * Data Acquisition In the Data Acquisition article in the May 2003 issue, the correct URLs for more information on basic sigmadelta ADC operation on page 19 are www.rsleads.com/305ee-228 and www.rsleads.com/305ee-229. The correct URL for...

EOS/ESD Symposium. (Dates).
July 1, 2003... The 2003 EOS/ESD Symposium will be held Sept. 2125 at the Riviera Hotel in Las Vegas. Registration for the symposium is open now, and the fee increases after Aug. 8. www.esda.org

Probes feature connectorless design. (Product Briefing).
July 1, 2003... The Agilent E5394A is a soft touch probe that provides a direct connection to targets on a PCB without use of an adapter. The probe, compatible with the company's logic analyzers using a 40-pin connector interface, has a capacitive loading of...

Dual-range synthesizer offers low phase noise. (Product Briefing).
July 1, 2003... The PTS 2505X-51 Frequency Generator provides coverage from 1 MHz to 250 MHz for 5-20 [micro]s switching between any two frequencies with a resolution of 1 Hz. Output is 13 dBm, and spurious outputs are -70 dB referenced to +13 dBm. SSB phase...

Chassis configurable for 80-channel systems. (Product Briefing).
July 1, 2003... The Model CC121 Chassis has 21 slots that enable digitizer systems to be configured with up to 80 channels in one 19", 9U instrumentation rack. It deploys a quadchannel digitizer module to provide a 1-GS/s sampling rate, 40 channels at 2 GS/s,...

OSO has no limit on trigger input range. (Product Briefing).
July 1, 2003... The Optical Sampling Oscilloscope (OSO) has a self-synchronization function for operating without a separate divided clock input signal. The 4-GHz to 500-GHz frequency range supports tests on high-speed optical communications devices and...

Compact I/O devices are USB based. (Product Briefing).
July 1, 2003... The Personal Measurement Device[TM] (PMD) line enters the market with the PMD-1208LS and the PMD-1024LS I/O devices. They are compatible with USB 1.1 and USB 2.0 and supported by the Windows 985E/ME/2000/xp operating systems and data...

CTL Browser manages test-program development. (Product Briefing).
July 1, 2003... The SmarTest Program Generator CTL Browser for the Agilent 93000 SOC Series offers direct support for the IEEE P1450.6 Core Test Language (CTL) proposed standard. CTL provides a standard description of how DET is inserted into the P cores and...

Navigating oscilloscope user interfaces: a scope's specifications may be impressive, but you still must be able to drive it. (Oscilloscopes).
July 1, 2003... It's well known that one person may find a particular digital storage oscilloscope (DSO) difficult to operate while another will not. EE-E valuation Engineering ran a hands-on comparison of three leading DSOs to gain insight into this...

Fast-paced technology drives product innovations. (Data Acquisition).
July 1, 2003... Plan ahead for your data acquistion needs. Find out which evolving trends will drive new product development in the future. A number of factors are driving the development of ever more powerful and flexible data acquisition products. Among...

Automating PCB functional test. (Systems Integration).
July 1, 2003... An experienced systems integrator shares some practical approaches to developing to fast and effective test systems. By combining a commercial off the shelf (COTS) test executive, PC-based measurement hardware and software, and a modular...

A guide to X-ray system selection: before you buy a system, find out what's really inside. Perform your own X-ray using these guidelines. (X-Ray Inspection).
July 1, 2003... By design, X-ray systems provide the capability to look inside opaque or solid substances to detect defects. So it seems only appropriate to examine them from the inside out before buying one. Many of today's microfocus X-ray system...

Electrical resistance and resistivity: choose your materials and test methods wisely warns a 35-year veteran of the static-control industry. (Coping with ESD).
July 1, 2003... Interpreting a data sheet for a static-control product requires a certain level of knowledge and experience. Often, you must wade through myriad specifications, test methods, and claims without fully understanding what is actually stated. It...

EMC buyers guide.
July 1, 2003... When you need EMC products and services, you want to know what companies offer them and how to contact each one. EE's annual EMC Buyers Guide is just that--a comprehensive, up-to-date listing of the companies that provide EMC products and...

Historic Boston welcomes International EMC Symposium. (Dealing with EMC).
July 1, 2003... The 2003 IEEE International Symposium on Electromagnetic Compatibility, fondly referred to by organizers as Boston's EMC Party, will be held Aug. 18 to 22 at the John B. Hynes Veterans Memorial Convention Center. In keeping with the influence...

Emission microscopy using CAD navigation software. (Failure Analysis).
July 1, 2003... Not every die-inspection problem succumbs to emission microscopy. But more of today's backside challenges are disappearing as CAD navigation software and the microscope join forces. Emission microscopy (EM) is a key resource for localizing...

Boundary scan controllers. (New Products).
July 1, 2003... Three new members of the JT 37X7 DataBlaster line of boundary scan controllers are available in PCI and CompactPCI 3U and 6U forms and compatible with lowvoltage technologies. The JT 3707 offers 40-MHz test capability and upgrades to the JT...

Flying probe tester. (New Products).
July 1, 2003... The MTS 500 Condor Test System combines an in-circuit test system with functional testing capabilities. It provides four identical flying test probes, up to 1,024 fixed pins, and the capability to test boards up to 24" x 28". The test heads...

Handset test system. (New Products).
July 1, 2003... The ME7840/4 Handset Power Amplifier Test System (PATS) integrates the measurement capabilities of five instruments with a high-power test set. It consists of the Scorpion Vector Network Measurement System, a high-power test set, and Scorpion...

Laser diode test system. (New Products).
July 1, 2003... The System 25 is a customizable kit for light-current-voltage (LIV) characterization of laser diodes and assembled laser diode modules. It includes up to 5-A laser drive current, precision voltage measurements, two channels of photodetection,...

Noise generator. (New Products).
July 1, 2003... The UFX-7126 Series Noise Generator covers the 2.5-GHz and the 5-GHz bands used by the 802.1 la and b standard WLAN and Hyper LAN as well as the 802.11a and h equipment. It generates white Gaussian noise from 2.0 GHz through 6.0 GHz. The output...

ESD simulators. (Literature Marketpalce).
July 1, 2003... 20% lighter pistols, comfortable grips, ergonomic trigger switches, large LCDs for ease of programming, IEC 61000-4-2 R-C values. PESD 3010 provides 30-kV direct, air discharges, optional low-cost R-C values. PESD 1610 provides 16-kV air, 9-kV...

ESD simulator. (Literature Marketpalce).
July 1, 2003... Model ESD 3000 is the only 32-kV ESD simulator that is both battery operated and completely hand-held, eliminating base unit, external power supply, and power supply tether cable associated with other ESD simulators. Full range of R-C discharge...

Adhesives and sealants. (Literature Marketplace).
July 1, 2003... 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...

Vibration screening systems. (Literature Marketplace).
July 1, 2003... Our vibration stress screening systems shake the "bugs" out before your products leave your plant. Rates of 10 to 10,000 units per day work on automotive, consumer, medical, and general industrial products. Get the "bugs" before they become...