In praise of backward thinking
It's the "aha" moment when new possibilities suddenly present themselves that can make engineering very satisfying.
By Richard A. Quinnell, Contributing Editor -- Test & Measurement World, 9/1/2010 12:00:00 AM
 |
The conventional view of PXI technology is as an information-gathering platform. PXI systems may generate stimulus signals, but their main purpose is the acquisition of data. But thinking backward about PXI can be a brain tickle that opens up new possibilities in test. You could use a PXI-based system to receive stimulus signals and to generate, not acquire, data. Instead of an information-gathering unit, the PXI chassis becomes a simulator.
Such use of PXI appears twice in this issue of the PXI Test Report. In "PXI snags savings with HIL test," Greg Sussman of Process Automation explains that a PXI system serves as the key simulator in hardware-in-the-loop testing of an aircraft arrestor system.
The discussion of medical applications in "Care required when PXI serves medicine" reports that Active Diagnostics used PXI hardware and software in a neurosimulator the company developed for physician training.
These two examples represent an entirely new application area for PXI that arose from thinking backward about PXI in test. PXI in simulation and for HIL testing may just be the beginning. There may be other ways of looking at PXI that are not obvious until you first see them, perhaps by starting to look at PXI sideways.
Talkback
No related content found.
- 0 rated items found.
Datasheets.com Electronic Parts & Inventory Search
185 million searchable parts
- Part Number
- Description
- Inventory
- Products
- Manufacturers
Sponsored Links
View All Webcasts
