EE-Evaluation Engineering articles from September 2005

EE-Evaluation Engineering archives from September 2005

Its time is now.(EDITORIAL)
September 1, 2005... You probably are aware that LAN eXtensions for Instrumentation (LXI) is a new communications interface for the test and measurement industry based on IEEE 802.3, IEEE 1588, and TCP/IP. You also may know that a group of equipment companies has...

Tektronix acquires Test Software Company.(In The News)
September 1, 2005... Tektronix, a worldwide source of test, measurement, and monitoring instrumentation, has acquired TDA Systems of Lake Oswego, OR, a provider of interconnect analysis software tools. TDA Systems, which has supplied testing software to the...

Agilent Technologies names Design Validation Division head.(In The News)
September 1, 2005... Agilent Technologies has named David Churchill, a former Tektronix executive, as vice president and general manager of the company's Design Validation Division. While at Tektronix, he held executive positions including director of marketing for...

Geotest awarded contract for Missile Field Test Sets.(In The News)
September 1, 2005... Geotest-Marvin Test Systems, a Marvin Group Company, has been awarded a contract by Raytheon Missile Systems for the purchase of four MTS-206 Maverick Missile Field Test Sets. Raytheon Missile Systems, a designer and manufacturer of missile...

Test Software Evaluation.(Corrigendum)(Correction Notice)
September 1, 2005... In the Test Software Evaluation article "A Nerd's Paradise" in the August issue, a symbol was omitted from the first sentence in the Getting Started: Fractals section. The line should read: One of the reasons I wanted to develop an expression...

System tests MCPs and discrete flash memory.(Product Briefing)
September 1, 2005... The Versatest Series Model V5500 Test System features tester-per-site architecture and an optional Programmable Interface Matrix to optimize single-insertion testing of multichip package devices (MCPs) with flash, DRAM, and SRAM memories. It...

Technology provides immunity to wafer probing systems.(Product Briefing)
September 1, 2005... The PureLine[TM] technology ensures 200-mm and 300-mm wafer probing systems high immunity from conducted, radiated, and internal noise. It supports a broad range of on-wafer test processes from process development through characterization and...

Package provides pulse measurement capabilities.(Product Briefing)
September 1, 2005... The PIV (Pulse I-V) Package now is an option for the Model 4200-SCS Semiconductor Characterization System. The PIV Package is built upon a new dual-channel pulse generator card, which features dual independent channels with a frequency range...

System architected around IEEE 1450 STIL.(Product Briefing)
September 1, 2005... The Ocelot ZFP is a zero footprint system that fits within any prober form factor to test complex SOCs. The air-cooled system requires The Stylus[R] software is based on the IEEE 1450 Standard Test Interface Language. This platform provides...

Portable system supports multisite final testing.(Product Briefing)
September 1, 2005... The Sapphire D-10 is a modular high-throughput production test system with up to 768 digital pins and optimized for 200-Mb/s probe testing. It also supports multisite final test and scales from desktop debug and characterization to full-volume...

Series features generator-on-a-chip technology.(Product Briefing)
September 1, 2005... The AFG3000 Series of Arbitrary/Function Generators (AFG) consists of six models that can provide sine waves at frequencies up to 240 MHz, generate arbitrary waveforms up to 2 GS/s, and obtain up to 1-ppm clock stability. The ArbExpress 2.0...

Testing mobile memories: it's a phone. No, it's a camera ... a computer ... a TV. Whatever you call it, it's a huge test challenge for memory manufacturers.(MEMORY TEST)(Cover Story)
September 1, 2005... As we expect our mobile phones to play MP3s, take still pictures, provide PDA functionality, and stream video, the required amount and types of memory increase. This convergence in the mobile communications market combined with ever-shrinking...

Low cost outside, high performance inside: modern data acquisition products provide performance far exceeding their size and price.(DATA ACQUISITION)
September 1, 2005... The age-old maxim garbage in, garbage out holds true nowhere better than in data acquisition applications. Regardless of the cost of a data acquisition device, if the input signal is distorted or corrupted before digitization or if the...

Ethernet now available at a curb near you: if only FTTx could transport cold liquid refreshment along with five simultaneous TV channels.(FIBER-OPTIC TEST)
September 1, 2005... The development of ubiquitous, low-cost, wideband communications is constrained by the existing plain old telephone service copper infrastructure. Innovative versions of digital subscriber line (DSL) technology have used those copper wires to...

Maximizing the performance capability of conducted immunity test systems: there are many subtleties that need to be considered when performing conducted immunity testing.(EMC TEST EQUIPMENT)
September 1, 2005... Present conducted immunity test systems are notoriously inefficient, with 75% of the available system power intentionally dissipated in a high-loss attenuator. This situation exists simply because a source intended to be operated into a...

Testability beyond JTAG: JTAG has its place but it is not by any means the total solution.(DESIGN FOR TEST)
September 1, 2005... Boundary scan, as standardized by IEEE 1149.1 and commonly referred to as JTAG, has truly revolutionized the testability of circuit boards. It also has assisted with the in-system programming of devices such as PLDs and FPGAs. Built-in...

PXI/VXI Buyers Guide.(A-W)(Buyers Guide)
September 1, 2005... EE's PXI/VXI Buyers Guide is a comprehensive, up-to-date listing of the companies that specialize in PXI/VXI products and services, including arbitrary waveform generators, embedded controllers, power supplies, mainframes, switches and...

PXI/VXI Buyers Guide.(A-Z)(Buyers Guide)
September 1, 2005... Company Guide ACME Portable Machines CA 626-610-1888 www.portablesys.com Acqiris NY 845-782-6544 www.acqiris.com ADLINK Technology CA 866-423-5465 www.adlinktech.com Advanced Power Designs CA...

8-slot 3U PXI/CompactPCI instrument chassis with power module.(Advertisement)
September 1, 2005... The PXIS-2630 Series is a 19" 3U PXI chassis providing seven PXI peripheral slots in a system. The chassis are compliant with the PXI and CompactPCI specifications and compatible with both PXI and CompactPCI modules. The PXIS-2630 is equipped...

6-slot 3U PXI/CompactPCI instrument chassis with power module.(Advertisement)
September 1, 2005... The PXIS-2506 is a 3U 6-slot portable PXI chassis with five PXI/CompactPCI peripherals slots. It is compliant with the PXI and CompactPCI specifications and can be used with both PXI and CompactPCI modules. The internal 10MHz reference clock is...

A Series of multi-channel relay outputs & isolated DI cards.(Advertisement)
September 1, 2005... The PCI-725x Series of four cards supports a 32-bit 3.3V or 5V PCI bus and features relay output status read-back, on-board LED indicators for relay status and on-board relay driving circuits. The PCI-7250 and PCI-7251 provide 8-CH relay...

3U PXI Pentium M system controller with VGA/GbE/CF.(Advertisement)
September 1, 2005... The PXI-3800 is designed to meet the highest performance requirements for embedded computing. This system controller complies with PXI specifications Rev.2.1 and features many new technologies such as up to 1.8 GHz Pentium[R] M CPU support, hot...

How thin is a delamination? Acoustic microscopy has the capability to detect gap thicknesses in materials as small as 0.01 micron.(FAILURE ANALYSIS)
September 1, 2005... A contract manufacturer (CM) assembling PC boards began experiencing electrical failures that were traced to a tiny plastic IC with only three leads. An unusual feature of its construction is that part of the back side of the die paddle is...

Portable PXI test system.(ATE)
September 1, 2005... The Puma is a rugged, portable, single-frame, 19-inch rack-mount system that contains 3U PXI and SCXI chassis and an array of COTS instrumentation. It comes with power distribution, UUT power supplies, UUT isolation, and system cooling and uses...

Memory tester.(ATE)
September 1, 2005... The RAMCHECK DDR Pro tests and identifies PC466/433/400/333/266/200 DDR modules including registered and unbuffered DIMMs. No special setup is required. During each test, the memory module's size, structure, and type are automatically detected....

Cable Analyzer.(ATE)
September 1, 2005... The Fusion Cable Analyzer is a fully integrated system for testing wires, cables and harnesses for opens, shorts, miswires, and components such as resistors, capacitors, diodes, and switches within a cable assembly. It comes in eight models...

Portable test station.(ATE)
September 1, 2005... The Portable Functional Tester features a product connection, a load board, a user interface, and a power supply and can be customized to pinpoint product failures found in the field, locate design or production defects, and aid in...

Vector Network Generator.(COMMUNICATIONS TEST)
September 1, 2005... The MG3700A Vector Network Generator delivers the vector modulation bandwidth, accuracy, fast switching, and reliability necessary to produce the complex signals used in 3.5G including high-speed data packet access (HSDPA) and 4G technologies....

Hand-held VoIP tester.(COMMUNICATIONS TEST)
September 1, 2005... NetTool VoIP combines cable, network, IP phone, and PC configuration testing into one device. It covers tasks required to deploy IP phones to the desktop and decodes and displays critical boot events, call control, and call quality information....

PCI Controller Card.(DATA ACQUISITION)
September 1, 2005... The 32-b/33-MHz PCI-3488 IEEE 488 Controller Card handles 3.3-V and 5-V PCI environments. The 1-kB onboard FIFO and high-speed bus accelerated by the onboard CPLD combine to provide a 1.5-MB/s maximum data transfer rate. It accommodates...

USB 2.0 Module.(DATA ACQUISITION)
September 1, 2005... The DT9816 Data Acquisition Module for USB 2.0 provides six independent A/D converters with track and hold circuitry. Each converter uses a common clock and trigger for simultaneous sampling of all six channels. Features include two bipolar...

Recording/reproducing systems.(DATA ACQUISITION)
September 1, 2005... The single-box D5000 Series Systems for use in nonbenign environments provide a 256-Mb/s total system data rate. They employ media contained in interchangeable cartridges with a standard SCSI data interface with optional FireWire and Gigabit...

Amplifier/recorder modules.(DATA ACQUISITION)
September 1, 2005... The DI-718B Series is a family of data acquisition instruments with integrated, isolated amplifiers that record to Secure Digital (SD) memory cards. Depending on the model, the 14-b, eight-channel instruments either stream data to a PC or...

USB-based relay module.(DATA ACQUISITION)
September 1, 2005... The Measurement Advantage[TM] USB-PDISO8 Module features eight isolated (24-V AC or DC) digital inputs, eight FORM C (SPDT) relays, 6 A at 240 VAC/28 VDC contact ratings, and a built-in USB port. Free software accompanying the module includes...

64-channel card.(DATA ACQUISITION)
September 1, 2005... A typical high-density data acquisition system for applications with high channel counts provides 256 differential inputs and features the new 64-channel MSXB 061 Eurocard. The system includes up to four MSXB 061 boards housed in a half-size...

Nanometer test solution.(SOFTWARE)
September 1, 2005... The LV2005 integrated test and characterization environment incorporates embedded test and diagnostics capabilities to increase ROI for nanometer-scale SOC designs. The program's RTL-level automation flow has test-resource optimization...

Wafer-level calibration.(SOFTWARE)
September 1, 2005... SussCal 6, the latest version of the company's high-frequency calibration software, provides fully automated multiport calibration for wafer-level test systems. It runs on a standard Windows-PC and controls the multiport VNA, the automatic or...

CAN module.(PC TEST)
September 1, 2005... The PXI 3052 is an intelligent module for automotive applications that allows users to create analysis functions and exchange information between four CAN interfaces via an internal board network. The storage capacity for applications is 2-MB...