News Briefs
News and Editor's Choice articles from our July 2009 issue.
-- Test & Measurement World, 7/1/2009 2:00:00 AM
Noisecom, Rohde & Schwarz demo 60-GHz noise-figure measurement
At the IEEE MTT-S International Microwave Symposium in June (see "From microwave microscopy to 110-GHz analysis"), Noisecom and Rohde & Schwarz demonstrated a system for making Y-factor noise-figure measurements in the 60-GHz frequency range. Noisecom, a division of Wireless Telecom Group, contributed its new noise-figure test set for the 60-GHz wireless communications band. Rohde & Schwarz contributed its R&S FSU67 spectrum analyzer, which provides continuous coverage from 20 Hz to 67 GHz, thereby eliminating the need for hardware such as harmonic mixers to cover the measurement frequency range. Rohde & Schwarz also provided its R&S FS-K30 noise-figure option.
Firmware in the R&S FSU67 controlled the Noisecom test set, and the R&S FS-K30 noise-figure software simplified collection of the measurement results. The DUT (device under test) was a SiGe BiCMOS 60-GHz superheterodyne receiver IC that operates from 57 GHz to 64 GHz and has an onboard image-reject filter, a 9-GHz IF filter, a frequency synthesizer, a low-noise preamplifier, and programmable IF gain blocks. Noisecom’s 60-GHz noise figure test sets come in two versions: the NC5115-60G has a waveguide flange, while the NC5115-60GT has a coaxial transition. The sets consist of precision noise sources that cover the 60-GHz band, isolators for optimal VSWR match, and very low noise amplifiers with 30-dB gain to increase the DUT output if it is too low for direct measurement. The noise source delivers 17.5-dB excess noise ratio. www.noisecom.com; www.rohde-schwarz.com.
OSU takes gold in 2009 EcoCAR challenge
Students from The Ohio State University took first place at the 2009 finals of the EcoCAR: The NeXT Challenge competition held in June in Toronto, ON, Canada. The competition, which just finished the first year of a three-year process, challenges engineering students from 17 universities in North America to re-engineer a 2009 Saturn VUE to improve fuel efficiency and reduce emissions while retaining performance and consumer appeal. The competition is being sponsored by General Motors, the U.S. Department of Energy, the Government of Canada, and numerous other organizations and vendors.
For the first year of the competition, students were charged with creating innovative vehicle designs, and they used advanced modeling tools to simulate real-world conditions in order to test and refine their designs. The teams were encouraged to explore various fuel-saving options, such as hybrids, plug-in hybrids, fuel cells, and EREVs (Extended Range Electric Vehicles). In year two, the students will incorporate their powertrains into the Saturn VUE, and in year three, they must refine their vehicles to near-showroom quality.
The OSU team took the gold in the 2009 finals for its design of an EREV that is powered by a 1.8-l engine and fueled by E85 ethanol; the EREV is predicted to provide a 300% increase in fuel economy over the four-cylinder VUE. Second place went to students from the University of Victoria, who also proposed an EREV that runs on E85 ethanol. The Mississippi State University team took third place for its EREV that uses B20 biodiesel. www.green-garage.org; www.ecocarchallenge.org.
Vendors team up on structural test
Geotest - Marvin Test Systems and JTAG Technologies have announced that Geotest will be offering preconfigured PXI test systems that incorporate JTAG Technologies’ JT 37x7/PXI boundary-scan controller. Included with the boundary-scan test option is JTAG Technologies’ high-level driver suite for Geotest’s ATEasy software, which facilitates integrating boundary-scan applications as part of a functional test strategy. The preconfigured GBATS (Geotest Basic Automated Test System) offers functional and structural test methods in a PXI-based platform and also provides high-throughput, in-system programming for flash memories and programmable logic devices.
Mike Dewey, Geotest’s senior marketing product manager, said, “Combining functional and boundary-scan test methods is a test strategy that we see more and more users adopting. Our partnership with JTAG Technologies is a natural fit for providing customers with solutions that meet these demands and address the need for test coverage and throughput, particularly for boards with limited test access.” www.geotest.com; www.jtag.com.
Measure phase noise and Allan deviation
The Model 5125A phase noise and Allan deviation test set from Symmetricom lets you characterize signal sources at frequencies from 1 MHz to 400 MHz, and the unit’s low noise floor lets you measure signals down to –130 dBc/Hz at 100 MHz. The digital front end digitizes the signal, which makes the frequency downconverters and phase detectors that follow entirely digital. Because of that, internal frequency synthesizers can create a reference signal, which need not have the same frequency as that of the device under test. The instrument can measure phase noise with an accuracy of ±1 dB. Input signal amplitude can range from 3 dBm to 17 dBm.
The 5125A can measure Allan deviation of less than 3–15 in 1 s from 10 MHz to 400 MHz with a 0.5-Hz bandwidth. Allan deviation is a metric for short-term stability, and the 5125A can measure it for more than 300 days. The instrument can plot frequency and phase vs. time, and its frequency counter displays 13 digits of precision in 1 s. (To learn more about how the 5125A works, you can read an interview with Dr. Sam Stein of Symmetricom).
Price: $33,000. Symmetricom, www.symmetricom.com.
VNA operates to 110 GHz and beyond
Anritsu’s VectorStar Broadband ME7828A vector network analyzer system operates over the frequency range of 70 kHz to 110 GHz. VectorStar now offers dynamic-range improvements of up to 30 dB compared with previous systems. The ME7828A also incorporates the fast switching speed of Anritsu’s MG37022A sources to produce a sweep speed of 120 ms for 201 points. It accommodates 100,000 points in a single channel to support time-domain analysis. To facilitate on-wafer environments, the ME7828A delivers calibration and measurement stability that is typically 0.1 dB over a 24-hr period.
Two configurations are available. The standard ME7828A provides basic measurement capabilities for active device testing. The ME7828A-012 delivers additional performance for active device testing, time-domain analysis, and device characterization. Both configurations are compatible with existing Suss and Cascade probe stations and appropriate positioners.
The ME7828A system can be configured with a range of banded millimeter-wave modules that extend the frequency range to 500 GHz. A variable attenuator in the millimeter-band modules for both configurations allows matching power of the two bands for a smooth transition when measuring active devices in the forward and reverse directions.
Base price: $393,470. Anritsu, www.us.anritsu.com.
Calendar
EMC Symposium, August 17–21, Austin, TX. IEEE EMC Society, www.emc2009.org.
Autotestcon, September 14–17, Anaheim, CA. IEEE, www.autotestcon.com.
International Test Conference, November 1–6, Austin, TX. IEEE, www.itctestweek.org.
To learn about other conferences, courses, and calls for papers, visit www.tmworld.com/events.
-
Espresso Engineering?
Enough with the ridiculously uncreative coffee riffs already.
ted - 2009-4-8 22:23:00 EDT -
Espresso Engineering TV will be travelling to music Mecca Austin Texas for the 2009 IEEE EMC Symposium. We will be there to capture the moment, interview key professionals and get the latest on technology advances and products for the EMC Industry.
We will be filming videos on location during the week of August 17th.
We hope to see you there! Visit us at booth 701 during the IEEE EMC 2009 Symposium August 17-21, 2009.
Espresso Engineering TV - 2009-4-8 00:27:00 EDT
No related content found.
- 0 rated items found.
Datasheets.com Electronic Parts & Inventory Search
185 million searchable parts
- Part Number
- Description
- Inventory
- Products
- Manufacturers
View All Webcasts
