EE-Evaluation Engineering articles from May 2002

EE-Evaluation Engineering archives from May 2002

Just another card. (Editorial).
May 1, 2002... Personal safety is on the minds of everyone, probably more so for those who frequently fly for business purposes. In anticipation of long lines queuing up at security stations, passengers are urged to arrive at the airport at least two hours...

Software integrates design and manufacturing test. (Product Briefing).
May 1, 2002... Embedded Test 4.0 (ET 4.0) supports hierarchical design methodologies used to develop complex integrated circuits. It extends the capabilities familiar to icBIST 3.X users and creates the integrated infrastructure to enable time-efficient...

Generators handle high-speed evaluations. (Product Briefing).
May 1, 2002... The one-channel 81133A and the two-channel 81134A 3.3-GHz Pulse/Pattern Generators feature The generators have delay control input and variable crossover point capabilities to emulate real-world signals, adding jitter to clock or data...

Logic analyzers feature high-speed acquisition. (Product Briefing).
May 1, 2002... Six new SiGe TLA7Axx Logic Analyzer Modules feature MagniVu[TM] technology with an 8-GHz timing acquisition rate and 16-kb memory length on all channels. Modules with 34, 68,102, and 136 channels are offered, and a total of 680 channels on a...

Ion acquires flooring products. (In the News).
May 1, 2002... Ion Systems, a supplier of electrostatic management products and services, has purchased Cornerstone Coatings, a company located in Bowie, TX, that specializes in conductive and static-dissipative floor systems. Cornerstone now is a subsidiary...

Companies partner for Embedded Test Solutions. (In the News).
May 1, 2002... Three companies recently enhanced their partnerships with LogicVision, a provider of embedded test IP for ICs and systems, to improve on-chip test functions: Credence Systems has integrated its Quartet[TM] Series SOC Testers with the Embedded...

Mixed-signal scopes view 18 channels. (Product Briefing).
May 1, 2002... The 54640 Series includes four 350-MHz to 500-MHz mixed-signal oscilloscopes (MSOs) for debugging designs with both analog and digital content. They offer two analog channels and 16 integrated digital channels, maximum 2-GS/s sampling rates,...

Switch software increases test performance. (Product Briefing).
May 1, 2002... NI Switch Executive combines several switch connections into one configuration for simplifying applications requiring hundreds of test points. It integrates seamlessly with NI LabVIEW, NI TestStand, or other development environments as well as...

Portable scopes offer speed and flexibility. (Product Briefing).
May 1, 2002... The seven models that comprise the TDS1000 and TDS2000 Series Digital Storage Oscilloscopes share several standard features: an FFT function to analyze, characterize, and troubleshoot circuits; triggering such as pulse-width, line-selectable...

New technologies for product safety testing; the GFI circuit, once for household use only, has another assignment: protecting operators from electrical shock during product safety testing. (Product Safety Test).
May 1, 2002... Recent advancements in product safety testing technology have provided several enhanced capabilities to protect the safety of the operator. A key concern of any manufacturer always has been the safety of operators performing electrical safety...

Sidling up to Measurement Studio: has writing test software got you down? Try some visual programming language chicken soup. (Data Acquisition).
May 1, 2002... Don't look at MEASUREMENT STUDIO (MStudio) from National Instruments (NI) as a panacea: it won't help your bunions. But, it does solve major problems plaguing test and measurement professionals. MStudio is a collection of preprogrammed controls...

Power meter displays eliminate guesswork: still flying blind? Power meters with graphical displays can show you what you're measuring. (Power Meters).
May 1, 2002... Digital modulation has a lot to answer for. Although the spectral efficiency of communications systems has improved, many signals resulting from digital modulation have significant power variation. In some cases, such as GSM transmissions, the...

Production handling and testing of MEMS. (Handlers).
May 1, 2002... Not so long ago, experts were unsure if micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS) would become more than a laboratory curiosity. But the latest market projections show a growth in the MEMS market by a factor of two each year. By all predictions,...

Keeping static under control. (Coping with ESD).
May 1, 2002... Like other companies doing business in the technology sector, the ESD-control industry has suffered a significant downturn over the past year. Sales reported by most of the major players in the ESD market have been off by double-digit numbers...

The importance of Safety Agency Listing. (Advertisement).
May 1, 2002... What is Safety Agency Listing? Safety agencies are responsible for establishing product safety testing standards. Manufacturers must comply with these standards. UL, TUV, CSA, IEC, VDE, and BSI are some of the more well known safety...

ATE Buyers Guide.
May 1, 2002... EE's 21st annual ATE Buyers Guide is a comprehensive, up-to-date listing of the companies that offer automated test equipment. The guide is arranged in two sections. First is a product/company cross-reference showing the type of equipment...

What every startup needs to know about NEBS: if you'd rather have your product go up in flames in the test lab than in your customer's face, consider designing in NEBS Plus as a small price to pay. (Dealing with EMC).
May 1, 2002... As a startup company, General Bandwidth knew that survival depended on getting our flagship product--the G6[R] Telecommunications Platform--to market as quickly as possible. With that as the goal, we were able to take the platform through an...

Optical Switch Tester. (Communications Test).
May 1, 2002... The N1804A OPTICAL SWITCH TEST (OST) System is designed for characterizing optical switch fabrics. The backbone of the system comprises the 8164B Lightwave Measurement System, the 8166B Lightwave Multichannel System, power meters, return-loss...

Network Cable Testers. (Communications Test).
May 1, 2002... The 230A MULTI-NETWORK CABLE TESTER and the 231A Deluxe Multi-Network Cable Tester are portable, battery-powered units. The 230A tests thin Ethernet (BNC), 10Base-T (UTP/STP), 100Base-TX, RJ45, 356A, TIA-568A, and token-ring cables. The 231A...

Vector Network System. (Communications Test).
May 1, 2002... The MS462xD Series of Scorpion[R] VECTOR NETWORK MEASUREMENT SYSTEMS (VNMS) integrates mixed-mode S-parameters and embedding/de-embedding and arbitrary impedance features for checking handset components. The four-port systems are available in...

32-Channel Signal Conditioner. (Data Acquisition).
May 1, 2002... The DAQ 720 SIGNAL CONDITIONING SYSTEM features 16-b ADC resolution for in-vehicle or production-line testing. It accepts a variety of signal inputs and offers an aggregate sampling rate of up to 32 kS/s, end-to-end calibration, Ethernet...

Digitizer Cards. (Data Acquisition).
May 1, 2002... The AP100 and AP200 DIGITIZER CARDS, with single-shot sampling rates of up to 1 GS/s and 2 GS/s, respectively, have 500-MHz bandwidths and acquisition memories of up to 8 Mpoints. The PCI-compatible cards feature onboard signal-processing...

Test Fixture. (ATE).
May 1, 2002... The Butterfly NetTM Test Fixture accommodates life-test, burn-in, and characterization of laser diode and other butterfly-packaged photonic devices. A bolt-free mechanical design provides repeatable, uniform thermal contact between the fixture...

Source-Measure Module. (ATE).
May 1, 2002... The Model SM120 High-Voltage Source-Measure Module is used to test DC/DC converters, op-amps, and semiconductor devices. The programmable module sources and measures voltages from 50 [micro]V to 120 V and current from 30 fA to 100 mA. Both...

High-Mix IC Tester. (ATE).
May 1, 2002... The Integra FLEX IC Tester features a universal-slot architecture merged with self-contained SOC Tester Per Pin[TM] instruments to match test capacity with device coverage needs. Independent Time Tracks[TM] and Background DSP processing provide...

Vibration and Shock course. (Dates).
May 1, 2002... A three-day course, Fundamentals of Vibration and Shock, will be held May 22-24 in Newport, RI, by the Equipment Reliability Institute. The class will focus on vibration and shock testing, HALT, ESS, and HASS. www.equipment-reliability.com.

Environmental test seminars. (Dates).
May 1, 2002... Hobbs Engineering will conduct three seminars next month at Environ Labs in Minneapolis: Mastering HALT and HASS on June 10-11, HALT and HASS Workshop on June 12, and Advanced Applications in Accelerated Testing on June 13-14,...