LXI Consortium growth mushrooms
Greg Reed, Contributing Technical Editor -- Test & Measurement World, 4/1/2005 2:00:00 AM
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| VXI Technology has developed this temperature-measurement module (top) based on draft versions of the LXI standard. The standard will also present an evolutionary path for IEEE 488 instruments, such as the Pickering Interfaces system (bottom). |
Since the LXI Consortium was formed as a not-for-profit corporation in November 2004 by a small group of test and measurement companies meeting in Salt Lake City, the consortium's ranks have swelled to include more than 20 companies. The consortium is working to develop a new LXI (LAN eXtensions for Instrumentation) specification, which will define a LAN-based modular platform standard for ATE systems. Obviously, LXI has piqued strong interest from the test-engineering community.
The consortium hopes that its formal specifications will address a broad set of test applications. For aerospace and defense engineers, the specifications may affect the development of test and measurement tools for radar systems, electronics for warfare, satellite systems, military communications, ground vehicle maintenance, and other applications. The consortium also plans to leverage IEEE 488 instruments, LAN-based instruments, and modular platforms to liberate users from the limitations of bandwidth, computer-dependent architectures, and proprietary software and hardware.
For military customers, the LXI standard could streamline delivery of "synthetic instrumentation" in smaller equipment footprints (for more on synthetic instruments, see p. 63). Essentially, synthetic instruments are software building blocks that can be assembled—and reassembled—for use in various applications. This contrasts with traditional instrumentation that is designed for a single test function for a limited number of applications.
Ethernet is key
The LXI Consortium relies heavily on Ethernet, prevalent among commercial PCs, as the communications interface for "universal" compatibility with industry test and measurement equipment. The group also will rely on industry standard interoperability definitions for issues such as cooling, triggering, interrupt handling, mechanical interfaces, discovery, multiple device synchronization, software interfaces, network routing and switching, and EMI and RFI restrictions.
Of course, LXI will be trying to make inroads into applications already served by similar standards. PXI, which has a large base of suppliers and customers, is used in a myriad of applications, and PXI customers may be reluctant to make an investment in new test equipment. VXI specializes in high-channel count, high-speed digital applications in the military, aerospace, and automotive industries. Will these industries embrace the LXI standard with so much investment already at stake?
Clearly, LXI faces challenges, primarily from the PXI user base. Yet, LXI proponents insist it is a complementary standard capable of delivering higher accuracy, resolution, bandwidth, and functionality for automated test of electronic devices, while PXI should be reserved for low-end data-acquisition applications. As always, industry will make the final decision. In the meantime, additional information about the LXI Consortium's licensing, specifications, and membership details can be found at www.lxistandard.org.
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