When time and frequency matter (continued)
The continuation of our exclusive interview whigh appeared in the March 2009 Viewpoint column.
Larry Maloney -- Test & Measurement World, 3/1/2009 2:00:00 AM
 Harald Kruger CEO Pendulum Instruments Stockholm, Sweden In 1998, Harald Kruger acquired Pendulum Instruments as a spinoff of Philips Electronics and became the company’s CEO. Over the last decade, he has successfully built the 40-year-old company into a leading innovator in solutions for calibration, measurement, and analysis of time and frequency. In 2005, Kruger led Pendulum’s acquisition of California-based XL Microwave, expanding Pendulum’s high-frequency capabilities. Last year, Pendulum Instruments became part of the Orolia Group, a precision electronics technology firm based in France. Kruger earned his MSc degree in economic science at Linköping University in Sweden in 1994. Contributing editor Larry Maloney conducted an e-mail interview with Kruger on the growing importance of time and frequency measurements in a variety of applications. Read the first part of this interview. |
Q: How will Orolia Group’s acquisition of Pendulum affect your technology?
A: Orolia brings together leading companies specializing in high-precision time and frequency solutions. We are currently working on synergies among our companies, and obviously we can use components manufactured by others in our group. We also share best practices with Spectracom and Spectratime, our new sister companies. Finally, we try to cross sell our products, which so far has been a good way to increase our total market share.
Q: What role do customers play in shaping Pendulum’s technology?
A: Our products have always been heavily influenced by customer inputs from around the world. However, Pendulum has also developed special products for customers that eventually become widely available. A good example is the Wandermeter WM-10. We first developed that device for Telia, Sweden’s largest wireline and wireless operator, which needed a better way to measure wander in its SDH (synchronous digital hierarchy) network. Similarly, we developed the Spectrum Monitor 2261A for Proxim Wireless. Pendulum will also modify standard products, based on specific customer requests, such as the need for added functionality and new output frequencies.
Q: How do the demands of your customers differ?
A: Test system customers require throughput, throughput, and more throughput. Metrology customers require high accuracy and resolution. Our R&D customers require high resolution and advanced high-speed analysis. Our military customers want robustness, high product quality, and low failure rate—in addition to high performance.
Q: Given those needs, what do you consider to be the most important product introductions of the past year?
A: The CNT-91R, described earlier, was a very significant introduction. But Pendulum also introduced three new frequency standards and two frequency distribution systems. Also new is a low-noise tracking oscillator, developed initially by Rapco Electronics, but adapted to Pendulum requirements. These new product launches reflect the strategy to strengthen and broaden the Pendulum portfolio of frequency standards and to extend our frequency analyzer applications into portable calibration. As noted, the CNT-91R is an easily transportable, one-box solution for fast and accurate frequency calibrations in the field, where no stable house frequency reference is available.
Q: Turning to specific industries, can you point to a system solutions challenge in aerospace?
A: A good example is the system Pendulum developed for the European Galileo Satellite Tracking, Telemetry and Control Station. For that application, we provided a precision time and frequency reference, using the GPS satellite signals to discipline a high-stability, low-noise oscillator. This GPS master clock provides reference frequency, timing, and time-code outputs even if GPS signals are lost. For this application, we also supplied a tracking oscillator and a modular system of distribution amplifiers.
Q: How is Pendulum answering the needs of engineers in wireless test?
A: Our path aligner is a unique product, which allows fast but precise alignment of antennas for microwave links at low cost. We have sold this solution very successfully all over the world, and particularly in North America. Another key product in wireless is the Analyze-R, an application-specific spectrum monitor/analyzer to detect interference and confirm the minimum C/I (carrier-to-interference) ratio.
Q: What about applications in automotive?
A: The key applications are R&D and production test of radar sensors for distance and velocity measurements. Here, we serve such customers as InnoSenT. In R&D, the Microwave Counter/Analyzer CNT-90XL (models from 27 to 60 GHz) can capture, display, and analyze Doppler frequency shifts from radar sensors for velocity measurement applications. There is currently no affordable alternative to this type of measurement, since real-time spectrum analyzers in the multi-gigahertz range are extremely expensive, and standard spectrum analyzers cannot track frequency changes versus time at all. In production test, the CNT-90XL can be used for frequency verification of radar components/modules. This device gives a much higher measurement throughput than spectrum analyzers.
Q: In terms of future growth, what are some of your most promising markets?
A: Eastern Europe is an expanding market, and we started our efforts in that area very early on. We already have a good market share especially in Russia and Poland. We are replacing a lot of old Russia-made instruments, and the need for higher accuracy and resolution is a driving force in these countries.
Read the first part of this interview.
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
