Product Update

The OMR series modules are intelligent data-acquisition and control devices designed for PCs having a standard RS-232 serial I/O port. The modules provide a direct computer link to most types of sensors. Available modules include one-channel and eight-channel thermocouple-input versions, a three-channel RTD-input version, and a 15-channel digital-I/O module; some versions offer an integral digital display. Up to 128 modules may be linked to a single RS-232 port. Base price: $135. Omega Engineering, Stamford, CT. 203-359-1660; www.omega.com.

Available in eight configurations accommodating from 14 to 26 AWG wire sizes, units in the Pomona Alligator Test Lead series are designed for use with test equipment having bantam or banana jacks. They employ a wire-piercing technique that makes it unnecessary to strip insulation; an optional row-of-points configuration minimizes wire penetration to reduce the likelihood of wire breakage. They feature an angled U-shaped nose for testing blade-shaped terminals, serrated teeth for gripping threaded or wire-wrap terminals, and a notched jaw for connection to screw heads. Price: $13 to $14 for banana styles; $46 to $47 for bantam styles. Pomona Electronics, Pomona, CA. 909-469-2900; www.pomonaelectronics.com.

QuadTech has introduced the Guardian 1000 series of hipot testers that lets you perform safety tests according to standards such as EN 60950, EN 61010, UL3111, and UL1950, which cover appliances, instruments, and information-technology equipment. You also can test transformers, motors, and electrical components with the Guardian series of testers.

For applications where you need AC hipot testing only, you can use the Guardian 1010, which tests over a programmable voltage range of 50 to 5000 VAC, with current to 30 mA.

In addition to providing all the features of the 1010, the Guardian 1030 tests leakage current at voltages from 50 VDC to 6 kVDC in 1-V increments and with currents up to 10 mA. The 1030 also performs insulation-resistance (IR) tests with a measurement range of 0.1 MΩ to 50 GΩ.

Topping the line is the Guardian 1030S, which has all of the features of the 1030 in addition to an eight-channel scanner that lets you connect up to eight test points to the tester. You'll find the eight channels useful for testing several UUTs at once or for testing devices that require several test points.

Prices: 1010—$2695; 1030—$3495; 1030S—$4495. QuadTech, Maynard, MA. 978-461-1200; www.quadtech.com.

Agilent Technologies has added three network analyzers to its PNA series, first introduced last year. The 50-GHz E8364A vector network analyzer is designed for engineers and technicians in R&D and manufacturing who require precise, high-speed S-parameter measurements. With a sweep speed as fast as 35 μs per point, dynamic range greater than 90 dB, and trace noise of 0.02 dB rms (all at 50 GHz), the E8364A has two measurement ports and uses a four-channel, mixer-based receiver to make in-fixture and on-wafer measurements.

The E8800 series two-port, three-receiver network analyzers and the N3380 series three-port, four-receiver network analyzers were developed for high-volume component manufacturers in the wireless infrastructure industry. Both series have frequency coverage to 3, 6, and 9 GHz. The two-port E8800 series is intended for manufacturers who do not need a fourth receiver for on-wafer or in-fixture measurement capability.

The three-port N3380 series has a four-receiver architecture that improves measurement throughput on three-port devices. This architecture allows all nine S-parameters to be measured in three sweeps, rather than the six sweeps required in three-receiver designs. The instruments include the full three-port calibration needed for design and test of low-isolation devices such as couplers and duplexers.

New calibration techniques added to each PNA series instrument include sliding load, multiple line lengths for TRL calibration, and adapter removal. The new instruments employ the Windows 2000 Professional operating system.

Base price: E8364A—$105,000; E8800—$36,000; and N3380—$41,000. Agilent Technologies, Palo Alto, CA. 800-452-4844, ext. 7555; www.agilent.com.

Many measurement systems require custom programs, but not the kind that need elaborate, low-level control or data manipulation. For those applications, you need to write your own code. When you need basic measurements and displays and don't want to write code, you can create applications by building user panels and selecting data sources.

That's the way you create applications with DT Measure Foundry. First, you drag-and-drop data "servers" (icons that represent Data Translation's measurement hardware installed in your PC) into a work area. Then, you add displays such as digital readouts, oscilloscopes, and spectrum analyzers and use menus to select the server to send the data. You also can build custom instrument panels by adding controls such as buttons, knobs, indicators, and text boxes to start and stop test and set measurement parameters.

DT Measure Foundry uses a "repository" where you can store applications for later use. The applications you create run faster, because they reside within DT Measure Foundry rather than in separate files. So, the messages between objects don't rely on messaging through Windows. You also can share data between DT Measure Foundry and DT Vision Foundry, the company's development package for vision applications. The data sharing lets you create applications that use Data Translation's data-acquisition boards and frame grabbers in a single application.

With DT Measure Foundry, you can use a distribution wizard to create stand-alone executable files of your applications. Users don't need DT Measure Foundry to run these applications.

Price: $495. Data Translation, Marlboro, MA. 508-481-3700; www.datatranslation.com.

The OmniBER optical transport network (OTN) tester will analyze the characteristics of network signals that conform to the new ITU-T G.709 recommendation. The instrument supports testing of OTN equipment operating at 10.71 Gbps or using the SONET and SDH protocols at rates of 1.5 Mbps to 10 Gbps.

The forward error correcting (FEC) capabilities of the OmniBER lets users verify the operation of devices and subsystems that carry the ITU-T G.709 FEC "overhead." Users can add correctable errors or uncorrectable blocks to transmissions to test FEC performance of an optical communication system. The tester also lets you perform stress testing at all SONET, SDH, and ITU-T G.709 data rates so you can ensure new equipment meets Telcordia and ITU recommendations. Because the instrument lets you capture frame, overhead, and sequence information, it helps you identify design problems and intermittent device faults. Direct access to the overhead information lets you verify proper overhead processing within an optical network.

Base price: $144,000; optional ITU-T G.709 capability—$30,000. Available after February 2002. Agilent Technologies, Palo Alto, CA. 800-452-4844; www.agilent.com/comms/otn.

The latest version of the FIP-600NT x-ray inspection system from FeinFocus provides software capabilities that enhance image contrast, provide better shading illumination, and sharpen image filtering. The contrast capability equalizes the image by using the pixel values at each gray-scale value to better distribute pixel values across the entire contrast range. The "shading illumination" operation will lighten dark areas and darken lighter areas to better balance an image and to overcome "shading" in an x-ray image.

The software, which is a standard featuce in the company's x-ray inspection systems, also includes the capability to measure solder-ball properties, determine reference values, and classify properties of inspected balls. You can place inspection results in tables and files and save images for later quality-control use. The new version of the software automatically will measure solder-ball properties such as ball diameter, roundness, distances, void percentages, void sizes, and so on. The software detects common failures such as solder bridges, excess solder, misalignment, and missing balls. The new capabilities ship with new FIP-600NT systems; upgrades are also available.

Price: field upgrade—$20,000. Fein-Focus, Stamford, CT. 203-969-2161;www.feinfocus.com.