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January 2012 Forget Old Vs. New–Find The Test Solution That Works For You With performance claims heating up in comparisons between traditional one-box testers and modular approaches, many engineering firms are starting to wonder if they can save money by using modular equipment. — Nancy Friedrich January 2012 USB Reigns In Power Measurements Engineers involved in design and manufacturing have long sought RF/microwave measurement solutions with greater simplicity, cost effectiveness, speed, and accuracy. — Nancy Friedrich January 2012 Test Modules Offer Measurement Versatility Modular measurement instruments provide plug-in test power, along with the capability to add functions as needed. — Jack Browne January 2012 Taking On Broadband Measurement Needs Development of broadband RF/microwave test equipment has been triggered in recent years by the expanding bandwidths of communications channels. — Jack Browne 50th Anniversary Issue Measuring 50 Years Of Test Advances Measurements are vital to research as well as production. — Jack Browne September 2011 VNA Eases On-Wafer Measurements To 110 GHz On-wafer measurements at millimeter-wave frequencies were once a “cumbersome luxury.” — Jack Browne May 2011 Generators Provide MW Test Signals Signal generators have a clearly defined task in a test system: to emulate the signals that a device under test (DUT) might see during normal operation. At one time, this meant simply sine waves, or pulses, or signals with analog modulation. But as communications formats have developed beyond simple amplitude modulation (AM) and frequency modulation (FM), the requirements for signal generators have become more demanding. With the increasing use of digital... — Jack Browne May 2011 Software Eases LTE-Advanced Testing Cellular technologies continue to be pushed for faster video service and higher data rates. And if newer fourth-generation (4G) technologies like WiMAX and Long Term Evolution (LTE) aren’t enough, we now have LTE-Advanced—with more than three times the peak data downlink capacity as standard LTE. Of course, as devices are developed for this latest technology, they must be tested. Agilent... — Jack Browne May 2011 PXI-Based VSA Scrutinizes 3.6 GHz Rare is the signal analyzer that can study audio as well as microwave signals. But the NI PXIe-5665 signal/spectrum analyzer from National Instruments bridges an analysis range from 20 Hz through 3.6 GHz. The NI PXIe-5665 is based on the modular PXi format, allowing it to be housed with other instruments (such as a signal generator) within a compact PXI mainframe. It can be used as a spectrum or vector signal... — Jack Browne May 2011 Wearable Monitor Checks RF Levels Wearable monitors for detection of non-ionizing radiation (NIR) are essential for those working in areas of high electromagnetic (EM) radiation. The first such NIR monitor was introduced two decades ago by Narda Microwave. The company has refined its technology since then, and the results are clear to see in its latest model. The Nardalert S3 (Fig. 1) measures electric field strengths from 100 kHz... — Jack Browne April 2011 Challenges In Achieving Linearity Linearity can be an elusive goal. Definitions for linearity are somewhat relative in nature, and a number of operating characteristics can contribute to the quality of an active or passive component’s linearity. At the semiconductor level, even the process can be refined to improve linearity performance. Improved linearity of high-frequency components has become of greater importance in recent years because of the increasing use of digital modulation formats,... — Jack Browne April 2011 Materials Are Precious To Linearity When sizing up components for linearity performance, switches and attenuators can’t be ignored. A great deal of research in recent years on microelectromechanical- systems (MEMS) devices for use as switches, for example, has been for reaching improved levels of linearity in digitally modulated communications systems. Recognizing the key link between materials and linearity, Peregrine... — Jack Browne February 2011 Understanding Dynamic Range Dynamic range is a key parameter in electronic systems, but one that is often difficult to compare at the component level when trying to design a system for optimum performance. it’s a specification that is often defined at the upper limit by a conceptual parameter known as the third-order intercept (TOi) point. To fully understand the dynamic range limits of a receiver or the rF/ microwave components that form a system, it can be helpful to understand the... — Jack Browne January 2011 Modular Instruments Gain Traction TEST FUNCTIONS CONTINUE TO GROW IN COMPLEXITY, such as those evaluating multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) systems for technologies like Long Term Evolution (LTE) cellular networks. For RF and microwave engineers, however, it is essential that the equipment performing such tests be easy to understand and use. In today’s cost-sensitive business environment, companies also are looking to invest conservatively in test equipment. To satisfy their needs for increased ... — Nancy Friedrich January 2011 Critique Components For Test Applications Measurements evaluating the performance of RF/microwave components usually involve racks of instruments. Amidst the test gear, however, often lie more humble microwave components that are “instrumental” in making many high-frequency measurements, including various types of amplifiers, attenuators, detectors, directional couplers, filters, and switches. Take away the attenuators, for example, and the dynamic range of most signal analyzers is greatly... — Jack Browne January 2011 Tracking Test Gear Through The Years Test equipment in recent years has taken advantage of embedded microprocessors, digital signal processing (DSP), and software to provide unprecedented accuracy and ease of use for RF/microwave engineers. But, in locating back over the years to commemorate Microwaves & RF’s 50 years of service to this industry, such was not always the case. Companies have changed drastically over those five decades, as have the test and measurement instruments they... — Jack Browne January 2011 USB Powers Compact RF Test Instruments ASSEMBLING AN automated test system once required costly instruments and controllers. But thanks to companies such as Telemakus , automated measurement systems can be created by plugging a Universal Serial Bus (USB) dongle into a personal computer (PC). The company recently added to its lines of USB test functions with new frequency synthesizers, vector modulators, and root-mean-square (RMS) power... — Jack Browne January 2011 Scope Scrutinizes 20 GHz Across Four Channels Test instrument upgrades, when done thoughtfully, can bring significant new measurement capabilities to the marketplace. Such is the case with the WaveMaster 8Zi-A digital oscilloscopes, serial data analyzers, and disk-drive analyzers from LeCroy Corp. A follow-on to the 8Zi series launched a year and a half ago, these new instruments span 4 to 45 GHz using a single hardware platform. They provide sample rates to 120 GSamples/s at 45 GHz for one... — Nancy Friedrich January 2011 Detector Scans Power From 0.6 To 15 GHz Untitled Document HIGH-SPEED, HIGH-FREQUENCY power measurements call for agile power detectors, typically based on fast diodes. The LTC5564 RF power detector from ... — Jack Browne January 2011 Capturing The Essence Of An Oscilloscope Oscilloscopes are among the workhorse test instruments on any RF/microwave engineer’s test bench. Tey are versatile in their signal analysis capabilities, presenting onscreen images that even novice users can interpret to better locate problems with a circuit design. Oscilloscopes are available in a wide range of shapes, sizes, and performance levels from a variety of manufacturers, and knowing what is available can often simplify the process of... — Jack Browne  prev. page
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