EE-Evaluation Engineering articles from October 2004

EE-Evaluation Engineering archives from October 2004

If they make it, people will buy it.(Editorial)
October 1, 2004... Cell phones on the market today conventionally have about 100 MB of flash memory, which is adequate for the more mundane tasks of storing e-mails and most frequently dialed phone numbers. Now you might think this is all the memory you would...

Aeroflex signs agreement with Motorola.(In the News)
October 1, 2004... Aeroflex has signed an agreement allowing Motorola to market and distribute Aeroflex's line of advanced wireless test solutions in the United States and Canada. The products sold through Motorola sales channels include radio test systems,...

Online service provides test-equipment listings.(In the News)
October 1, 2004... TestMart[TM], a sales, marketing, and service provider for the test and measurement industry, offers TestMart Sell Direct[TM], a service providing unlimited seller test-equipment listings and a feature for price negotiation. The listings...

TUV Rheinland partners with Wi-Fi Alliance.(In the News)
October 1, 2004... TUV Rheinland of North America, a global leader in compliance engineering, testing, and certification for domestic and foreign markets, has been added to the Wi-Fi Alliance list of approved certification laboratories providing Wi-Fi testing and...

ITC 2004.(Dates)
October 1, 2004... The 2004 International Test Conference will be held Oct. 26-28 at the Convention Center in Charlotte, NC. ITC, the cornerstone of Test Week running Oct. 24-29, covers the cycle from design verification, test, diagnosis, failure analysis, and...

Wide bandwidth Arb has 15-b resolution.(Product Briefing)
October 1, 2004... The N6030A Arbitrary Waveform Generator (Arb) delivers 1.25 GS/s and 15 b of vertical resolution simultaneously and provides dual differential output channels to drive both single-ended and balanced designs. Each independent channel has 500 MHz...

PXI and VXI modules offer multiple capabilities.(Product Briefing)
October 1, 2004... ZT530PXI and ZT532VXI are singlewide 16-b, 400-MS/s arbitrary waveform, function, and digital pattern generators for PXI and VXI. The ZT530PXI is a 3U PXI/Compact PCI instrument with two analog and 32 digital outputs; the ZT532VXI C-size VXIbus...

Switch/measure unit features built-in DMM.(Product Briefing)
October 1, 2004... The Agilent 34980A is an eight-slot mainframe containing core switch, measurement, and control features in an expandable and reconfigurable system. A built-in 6.5-digit DMM provides measurement capabilities without consuming a slot in the...

Broadband VNA is three systems in one.(Product Briefing)
October 1, 2004... The ME7808B serves as a broadband vector network analyzer (VNA), a stand-alone microwave VNA, and a millimeter-wave VNA. It provides continuous broadband frequency coverage from 40 MHz to 110 GHz and can be configured with any of the two-port...

Portable DSOs support real-time technology.(Product Briefing)
October 1, 2004... The TPS2000 Series Digital Storage Oscilloscopes feature four isolated channels, battery-powered operation, and digital real-time (DRT) sampling technology. Floating measurements up to 30 Vrms can be made using the standard P2220 Probe provided...

Extending Ethernet for instrumentation: a new instrumentation interface based on Ethernet could be poised to replace GPIB.(PC-Based Test)
October 1, 2004... The functional test and data acquisition community has been instrumental in developing many industry standards ranging from the definition of communications interfaces to instrumentation backplanes. These functional requirements often are...

Time to first test--so who cares?(Advertisement)
October 1, 2004... Are you a test engineer involved in building systems? Do you need to get your job done faster? At the same time, are your products getting more complex and difficult to test? 2 hours to 2 weeks Before you get to the testing you're paid...

New family of high power low-noise switching DC power supplies.(Advertisement)
October 1, 2004... Models VSP6020, VSP2050, VSP4030, VSP12010 B+K Precision[R] is introducing the VSP line of power supplies which utilizes new switch mode technology to provide as much as 1.2 kilowatts into a 19-inch rackable enclosure. [ILLUSTRATION...

Bench LCR/ESR meter with component test.(Advertisement)
October 1, 2004... Model 889A High accuracy test instrument used for measuring inductors, capacitors and resistors with a basic accuracy of 0.1%. Also, with the built-in functions of DC/AC Voltage/Current measurements and Diode/Audible Continuity checks, the...

31.5 MHz function/arbitrary waveform generator.(Advertisement)
October 1, 2004... Model 4071 Model 4071 offers a number of operating modes, providing a versatile, cost-effective signal source. Model 4071 is ideal for use by engineers, technicians, circuit designers and scientists in a wide variety of applications...

Programmable DC Switching Power Supplies.(Advertisement)
October 1, 2004... Models 1696, 1697 & 1698 Programmable Switching DC Power Supplies uses new switching technologies to offer more power at a lower cost than traditional linear power supplies. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] * RS 232 interface * Data...

Precision ... in every move ...(Advertisement)
October 1, 2004... B+K Precision[R]'s line of Bench or Handheld Test Equipment has a new modern look with all of the same great features including large, bright, easy-to-read displays and simple easy-to-use controls. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The new power...

50,000 count dual display multimeter.(Advertisement)
October 1, 2004... Model 5491A The model 5491A is a very accurate 50,000 count, dual display, true RMS bench multimeter. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] * Low cost and high performance * True RMS (AC, AC + DC) Visit www.rsleads.com/410ee-044

Universal device programmer with USB interface.(Advertisement)
October 1, 2004... Model 866 The 866 is a universal device programmer with an extensive device library that is constantly updated. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] * Over 12438 supported devices (9734 device supported via USB interface) as of 5/27/04 *...

Handheld 3.3GHz spectrum analyzer.(Advertisement)
October 1, 2004... Model 2650 2650 is a handheld spectrum analyzer ideal for the evaluation of W-CDMA, CDMA, GSM, PDC, PHS, Wireless LAN, 802.11 and Bluetooth systems. It was designed to be the most cost effective spectrum analyzer for quick and easy...

Selecting an environmental test chamber: to get the best value, here's what you need to know before you buy your next test chamber.(Environmental Test Applications)
October 1, 2004... Your company has just developed a new product, and now it is your job to select an environmental chamber to test it. The product must be tested at various conditions to ensure its quality and reliability. Where do you start? What will determine...

Conformance test for GSM/UMTS phones: the overall certification process may seem very long and involved, but it does provide a high level of uniformity across the industry.(Wireless Test)
October 1, 2004... The expectations for quality of service provided by mobile-phone systems are very high these days. Users anticipate that when they turn on their phones they will obtain flawless service. For GSM, they expect to roam across the globe and receive...

Improving the structural stability of probe cards: simple mechanical changes can significantly improve probe card performance.(IC ATE)
October 1, 2004... Epoxy-ring probe cards with 2,000 or more probes are economical solutions to multi-DUT parallel test. The key to repeatable high performance has been refining the so-called ceramic-shelf design. As in conventional epoxy-ring construction,...

Lead-free solder drives X-ray inspection: X-ray and advanced automated techniques combine to create a capable tool for lead-free solder inspection needs.(X-Ray Inspection)
October 1, 2004... Within two years, solder used in electronics manufactured or sold in Europe must meet the European Restrictions on Hazardous Substances (RoHS) and Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) lead-free standards. Similar standards must be...

Putting memory to the test in nanometer designs; memory test at-speed isn't easy but can be achieved by balancing test selection, area overhead, and test-time constraints.(Design for Test)
October 1, 2004... The semiconductor industry has intensified its focus on yield issues to meet the challenges of manufacturing devices at 130 nm and below. The first step in correcting existing manufacturing yield issues is finding the defects. For this reason,...

Software for EMC part 1; an industry expert discusses the factors you need to consider when purchasing or creating an EMC test software package.(EMC Test Software)
October 1, 2004... For any of us who have put on a pair of black plastic headphones and plugged into the front of one of Dick Stoddart's receivers, in those days, automation was a concept found in science-fiction novels. For those of you who do not have a clue...

McQ512 Trimmer Capacitor.(Advertisement)
October 1, 2004... 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...

30 AMP Terminal Blocks.(Advertisement)
October 1, 2004... 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...

Ultra mini Press-In filters.(Advertisement)
October 1, 2004... 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...

HBM device failure the scourge of static-sensitive operations: this close examination of S20.20 reveals the key ingredients to a successful ESD control program.(ESD Test Equipment)
October 1, 2004... Multinational manufacturing corporations are racing to pursue the cost benefits of economic geography. In fact, by 2005 as much as 70% of all manufacturing operations will be located in Asia. As part of this dramatic evolution, the impact of...