EE-Evaluation Engineering articles from May 2004

EE-Evaluation Engineering archives from May 2004

Just what we all need.(Editorial)
May 1, 2004... Wouldn't it be nice if you could just think what you wanted to say without actually saying it and have your thoughts picked up and converted into spoken words? The possibilities for this technology are practically endless. Imagine engaging in a...

Keithley and Elgar sign distribution agreement.(In the News)
May 1, 2004... Keithley Instruments has signed an agreement with Elgar Electronics to sell, service, and support the full line of Elgar programmable power supplies through Keithley's sales and support offices located throughout China, Taiwan, and Japan. The...

Yokogawa sponsors free power measurement seminar.(In the News)
May 1, 2004... Yokogawa Corp. of America is offering a free seminar on electrical power measurement and analysis. The four-hour program addresses topics such as power theory, practical power measurements, and applications. For specific dates and locations,...

Agilent-assured products for sale on eBay.(In the News)
May 1, 2004... An industry-first agreement allows sellers to offer pre-owned test equipment on eBay that has successfully passed through the new Agilent Advantage Assurance program. Under the terms of the program, an eBay seller may ship a pre-owned...

Rohde & Schwarz to handle U.S. and Canadian sales.(In the News)
May 1, 2004... Beginning June 1, Rohde & Schwarz will handle sales and service activities for its test and measurement products in the United States and Canada. The U.S. subsidiary that will take over test and measurement products has been handling the...

Dates: ESD design seminar.(In the News)
May 1, 2004... A two-day technical seminar for on-chip ESD protection designers conducted by the ESD Association will be held May 24-25 at its headquarters in Rome, NY. The program will include information on layout methods, ESD rules, new design methods,...

Design Automation Conference.(In the News)
May 1, 2004... The 41st Design Automation Conference will be held June 7-11 at the San Diego Convention Center. DAC will feature more than 50 technical sessions covering design methodologies and EDA tool developments and showcase approximately 200 EDA,...

Corrigenda: PC-Based Test Buyers Guide.(In the News)
May 1, 2004... In the PC-Based Test Buyers Guide in the February issue, JTAG Technologies should have been listed in the Software: Test Development category. Instead, the company name appeared on the Software: Analysis or Control list.

Power Supplies/Sources.(In the News)
May 1, 2004... In the DC Supplies Comparison Chart in the Power Supplies/Sources article in April, the correct name of the product from California Instruments is XDS 100-50.

Connector Tester.(In the News)
May 1, 2004... In the Instrumentation section of New Products in the April issue, the correct IR for the 4087B Connector Tester from ConnetorTest International is 100 G[ohm].

Systems test 2,000 points.(Product Briefing)
May 1, 2004... The Analyst ems In-Circuit Test System and the Analyst ils Integrated Test and Handling System provide process testing with Agilent's TestJet Technology for analog and digital through-hole and SMT single boards or panels of multiple assemblies....

8-GHz DSO enables 1,400 trigger combinations.(Product Briefing)
May 1, 2004... The TDS6000 Series DSOs feature Pinpoint[TM] triggering, four channels of concurrent high-resolution waveform capture, and a differential probing solution using IBM's 0.18-[micro]m 7HP SiGe technology. The TDS6604B and TDS6804B provide 6-GHz...

Controller features triple serial interface.(Product Briefing)
May 1, 2004... The DataBlaster JT 37X7/TSI Boundary Scan IEEE 1149.1 Controller supports high-speed in-system programming (ISP) of flash memories and CPLDs and complex digital circuit testing via USB 2.0 or 1.1, Ethernet, or FireWire interfaces. Supplied with...

Analyzer integrates recording and processing.(Product Briefing)
May 1, 2004... The Focus II is a multichannel, portable, USB 2.0-based, real-time signal analyzer with four to 20 analog inputs and designed for vibration and noise measurement and analysis. It simultaneously performs on-line analysis while supplying data to...

Microwave synthesizers with uncompromised specs; Direct, indirect, analog, digital: a mixed-technology synthesizer can meet your requirements.(Microwave Signal Sources)
May 1, 2004... Until recently, trade-offs have been the distinguishing characteristic of RF and microwave synthesized signal sources. Direct analog synthesis (DAS) offered low phase noise and fast switching time but was limited in resolution or range....

Disruptive vs. sustaining technologies: a 20-year veteran of product development shares some thoughts on when to refine or abandon an existing technology for something new.(Manager's Forum)
May 1, 2004... With advances in technology, it seems obvious that companies should always launch new products. In fact, the entire start-up industry is based on the notion of launching the next disruptive innovation. But is this always the case? When is it...

Assembling test software, virtually: configure selected applications quickly with Express VIs and LabVIEW.(Test Software Evaluation)
May 1, 2004... Anyone familiar with National Instruments (NI) LabVIEW knows it is a graphical software language used to develop a wide variety of test and measurement applications. In fact, most of the topics regularly covered by EE-Evaluation Engineering are...

Manufacturability with embedded infrastructure IPs.(Design for Test)
May 1, 2004... Every new generation of semiconductor technology delivers the advantage of higher levels of integration and performance, providing advanced capabilities in a multitude of electronic applications. However, the shrinking geometries of 0.13 micron...

Product guide.(ATE Buyers Guide)
May 1, 2004... EE's 23rd annual ATE Buyers Guide is a comprehensive, up-to-date listing of the companies that offer automated test equipment. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The guide is arranged in two sections. First is a product/company cross-reference...

Company guide.(ATE Buyers Guide)
May 1, 2004... Accretech USA/Tokyo Seimitsu TX 800-550-4875; fax: 512-246-4501 www.accretechusa.com Acculogic Canada 905-475-5907; fax: 905-475-5415 www.acculogic.com Accuprobe MA 978-745-7878; fax: 978-745-7922 ...

Controlling contact resistance: a series of new tests highlights the benefits of using an abrasive-loaded gel to clean probe tips.(Wafer Probing)
May 1, 2004... Production wafer-level test is used to evaluate the performance of all manufactured ICs prior to packaging and assembly. Today's newest memory, mixed-signal, digital, and micro-processor devices are electrically tested using a wide variety of...

Using tapered chambers to test antennas: an industry expert offers some suggestions for dealing with the challenges of testing today's high-frequency antennas.(EMC Antenna Test)
May 1, 2004... A common solution to EMC/EMI test requirements is the rectangular anechoic chamber. However, as the frequency is lowered for operation in this type of chamber, a series of problems arises. To begin, the size of the chamber must...

Enhancing today's ESD-control efforts.(ESD Product Showcase)
May 1, 2004... No longer is a workstation monitor considered a gadget but rather an essential component of ESD management. That statement by Vladimir Kraz, president of Credence Technologies, could just as easily refer to any other static-control product on...

Characterization probe.(ATE)
May 1, 2004... The Infinity Probe provides

Combinational test platform.(ATE)
May 1, 2004... The Series 2050 Test System can be configured as a functional, in-circuit, or combinational test platform. It integrates an 18-slot 6U PXI chassis with a 9U resource interface chassis that accepts a selection of standard or custom test and...

BGA sockets.(ESS)
May 1, 2004... New 1.00-mm pitch sockets molded from high-temperature thermoplastic come in any footprint-specific pattern up to 26 X 26 rows to accommodate a BGA, LGA, or CSP device as large as 27 mm square. The surface-mount sockets use patented eutectic...

14-channel modules.(Data Acquisition)
May 1, 2004... DI-148 Series Modules have eight channels of single-ended analog input with [+ or -]10-V range and 10-b resolution and six channels of digital I/O. Both units feature a built-in channel scan list, and RS-232 and USB interface versions are...

Portable networked system.(Data Acquisition)
May 1, 2004... The modular meDAQ Data Acquisition System with 128-MS memory combines 16-b digitizers with signal conditioning and filtering for streaming to disk and transient capture. Up to 16 channels per mainframe can be configured with up to 500...

PCI-based I/O boards.(Data Acquisition)
May 1, 2004... The multifunction APC424/464 and AcPC424/464 boards for desktop PCI and CompactPCI, respectively, provide digital I/O and counter/timer functions. The 424 models offer 40 bidirectional digital I/O channels for TTL and differential signals plus...

Benchtop X-Ray System.(Inspection)
May 1, 2004... The portable Verifier X-Ray System handles bare or assembled boards up to 16" X 18". It provides top-down and angled viewing in continuous real-time imaging of packages from 2 mm to 60 mm to recognize bridging, missing solder and poor reflow...

Failure Analysis System.(Inspection)
May 1, 2004... The nanome | x X-Ray Inspection and Failure Analysis System uses a nanofocus[TM] Tube that can be operated in four modes to cover the range from nanometer resolution to high-power radiation. The system deploys the company's ovhm I module...

Performance management software.(Software)
May 1, 2004... Version 2.2 of the Arendar test data, information, and performance management software expands the database, data type, and OS support. Features include enhanced memory management for LabVIEW and support for up to 4,000 character strings....

Test Probes with screw-on clips.(Instrumentation)
May 1, 2004... The Model 6723 Test Probes feature screw-on alligator clips with 8-32-UNC 2A-threaded tips. The leads are rated at IEC 1010 1,000-V CAT III for the probe alone, and the 6723 screw-on alligator clip is rated at 300-V CAT II with 10-A current...

Electrical safety tester.(Instrumentation)
May 1, 2004... The digital HAL Combi executes standard electrical safety tests with full traceability of test results and records data via internal memory storage. It has selectable 50- or 60-Hz output frequencies for hipot testing and incorporates a 30-A...

Analog input module.(Instrumentation)
May 1, 2004... The M35N M-Module is an analog-input mezzanine card that can be used in various open bus systems such as those based on CompactPCI, PCI, PXI, or VME. It also plugs into any M-Module slot on a single board computer or an open bus carrier card....

Photodiode Test System.(Instrumentation)
May 1, 2004... The Model 280 Photodiode Test System implements a real-time referencing technique for characterizing the parametric performance of PIN and APD components. The system tests photodiode responsivity across wavelength and supports the traditional...

Logic-analyzer probes.(Instrumentation)
May 1, 2004... The 17-channel, soft-touch, connectorless E5396A and E5398A Probes feature a 7 mm X 22 mm footprint for use in high-speed digital designs that are tight on space or require minimal disruption of signal routing. The E5396A is a single-ended...

Medical-Device Safety Analyzers.(Instrumentation)
May 1, 2004... The Model 277 and the Model 299 Medical-Device Safety Analyzers test Class I and Class II equipment in accordance with IEC 60601, EN60601, NFPA99, ANSI/AAMI, MDA, DB9801, and VDE0751. They operate in three modes: fully automatic, semi-automatic...

Serial Device Microserver.(PC-Based Test)
May 1, 2004... The OMEGA[R] i[TM]Server EIS-W Series Serial Device Microserver replaces dedicated wiring for serial connections with a tunnel on an Ethernet LAN and the Internet. It handles RS-232, -422, and -485 serial communications, and a web-based...

Frequency synthesizers.(PC-Based Test)
May 1, 2004... The Synth300S and Synth300D are single- and dual-channel DDS PCI cards separately programmable for frequencies between 1 MHz and 300 MHz in increments of ~0.223 Hz. In addition to single- or dual-tone generation (500 mV into 50 [ohm]), the...