Product Update

Need an embedded processor for custom test or data-acquisition hardware you're building? You could employ the 1.85×1.65-in. RCM3100 RabbitCore module, which mounts on a PCB you design. Two 34-pin headers provide connection to your PCB-mounted CMOS-compatible digital devices. The RCM3100 has six serial ports and operates at 29.4 MHz and 3.3 V (with 5-V-tolerant I/O). Features such as a clock-spectrum spreader help minimize EMI. The RCM3100 holds up to 512 kbytes each of flash and SRAM; it provides quadrature encoder inputs, PWM outputs, and pulse-capture and pulse-measurement capabilities. Base price: $27 (qty. 1000); C-language development kit with prototype board—$239. Rabbit Semiconductor, Davis, CA. 530-757-8400; rabbit@rabbitsemiconductor.com.

If you have trouble finding the necessary cables and adapters to route function-generator signals among DUTs and prototypes having various connection requirements, the Model TLFG accessory kit can help. It includes two 50-Ω, 48-in. BNC cable assemblies with molded bend-relief boots, a 9-in. BNC female breakout cable with alligator clips, four IC clips (in two styles), a 9-in. BNC female breakout cable with 0.8-mm socket for use with the IC clips, a BNC female-male-female in-series T adapter, and a female BNC to male N-connector adaptor. Price: $79.95. B&K Precision, Yorba Linda, CA. 714-921-9095; www.bkprecision.com.

Maxwell Technologies has announced single-rack 4- and 8-channel version of its RF Automated Accelerated Reliability Test Systems (AARTS) product line. The new product line, named the Automated Accelerated Characterization Test System (AACTS), comes in two frequency bands: 600 MHz to 3 GHz and 900 MHz to 10 GHz. The AACTS can perform accelerated-aging characterization tests on discrete transistors, monolithic microwave integrated circuits (MMICs), hybrid microwave integrated circuits (HMICs), and RF/microwave module assemblies.

The test system consists of hardware and Windows-based software used to initiate, supervise, and record temperature, electrical, and RF performance parameters automatically throughout test duration. The devices under test (DUTs) are mounted in individual test fixtures that allow independent bias, temperature, and RF control. A PC controls equipment and other subsystem circuitry through an IEEE 488 interface. The test station can support the testing of various modulation signals (such as CDMA), inter-modulation characterization testing, and multi-tone RF input signals. It can be equipped with a semiconductor parametric analyzer for full I-V characterization.

Base price: $99,000. Maxwell Technologies, San Diego, CA. 858-503-3343; www.maxwell.com.

That's the question you might ask after reviewing the specs for the DL750 ScopeCorder (available in September). Weighing less than 22 lbs, the ScopeCorder can accept up to eight 2-channel analog-input cards; plus it comes standard with 16 channels of digital-logic inputs, giving you both analog-signal recording and digital-timing analysis. With the initial release of the DL750, Yokogawa offers two scope input cards and a thermocouple input card, all of which insert into the right side of the instrument. The scope cards feature 12-bit resolution at sample rates of up to 10 Msamples/s. You also can get a 16-bit card at 1 Msample/s.

The DL750 will find uses in electromechanical testing such as automotive, military, aerospace, and motor testing. The base unit can store 2.5 Msamples/channel when running all 16 channels. But you can combine the memory on all channels to get 50 Msamples on one channel. Three memory options boost the per-channel memory to 10 Msamples, 25 Msamples, or 50 Msamples. Combining all channels get you 250 Msamples, 500 Msamples, or 1 Gsample of acquisition memory on one channel.

As with most recorders, you often need to capture data and transfer it to a computer. On the left side of the box, the DL750 gives you numerous options for data transfer and remote instrument control. The unit comes standard with a serial port, IEEE 488 port, Ethernet port, and SCSI port. You also can connect an SVGA monitor to the unit.

The DL750 also has three USB ports. One port is a peripheral port that lets you connect the DL750 to a host PC. The other two ports are host ports where you can connect a USB keyboard and printer. If you don't want to connect the DL750 directly to a computer, you can use the standard floppy disk or replace it with an optional Zip drive or PC-card port. For greater memory storage, you can order the DL750 with an optional 20 Gbyte hard drive. If you need local paper recording, you can use DL750's built-in thermal printer.

Base price: DL750 chassis—$5600; input modules—$950. Yokogawa, Newnan, GA. 770-254-0400; www.yokogawa.com/tm.

The protocols used in communications systems can present a challenge to the engineers who must test them. To ease that task, test engineers can use the Tau/Tester software that takes advantage of the standard Testing and Test Control Notation (TTCN) language, now in its third version. This language—TTCN-3—find use in testing communication devices such as those that use the 3G, XML, and CORBA (Common Object Request Broker Architecture) protocols. No matter whether these devices communicate over the Internet or use wireless broadband and wireless LAN communications, the Tau/Tester can help you develop programs that thoroughly test them.

The Tau/Tester also lets engineers develop test programs for noncommunication devices that require thorough testing using a standard language that does not depend on a specific computer or operating system. In fact, the TTCN-3 code looks much like code produced by a high-level language such as C or C++, which makes it easy to follow the flow of test sequences. The Tau/Tester software integrates readily with other Telelogic or third-part software tools that assist in test management or the collection of test data. The IEEE-1394 Trade Association has chosen Tau/Tester as a tool with which to develop future test specifications for the high-speed serial bus also known as Firewire.

The software runs under the Windows 2000, NT, and XP operating systems and under the Sun Solaris 2.6, 7, and 8 operating systems. All versions of the software provide an identical user interface. The software includes an Author and an Executor tool.

Base price: Author—$5397; Executor—$7797. Telelogic North America, Irvine, CA. 949-830-8022; www.telelogic.com.

With the model 2701, Keithley Instruments brings high-end data acquisition to the LAN. The model 2701 uses the same 22-bit data-acquisition engine and channel expansion found in the company's model 2700, but with an Ethernet port. The 2701 can work in applications such as component testing and system burn-in temperature monitoring and control.

With the 2701, you start with a mainframe that gives you a set of standard banana-plug DMM inputs. You can add up to two 20-channel or two 40-channel input cards that accept voltage, thermocouple, RTD, frequency, period, resistance, and other measurement functions. You then can scan channels at up to 500 channels/s and store up to 450,000 measurements in the 2701's nonvolatile memory. You then can download your data to a remote PC using TCP/IP protocols. Or use the 2701 to make measurements, actuate replays, and report out-of-limit measurements to a remote PC.

To configure and control the 2701, you can use the instrument's built-in Web page. You also can perform basic operations using a free TestPoint runtime program, or write your own programs using drivers for LabView, TestPoint, Measurement Studio, Visual Basic, and C/C++.

Price: Single-channel mainframe—$1895; 20-channel expansion cards—$395; 40-channel expansion cards—$795. Kethley Instruments, Cleveland, OH. 440-248-0400. www.keithley.com.

The GS-9200 multi-carrier power-amplifier (MCPA) test set for base-station power amplifiers supports W-CDMA and cdma2000 formats and will handle emerging formats such as GSM/EDGE and cdmaOne. It performs calibrated MCPA measurements such as feed-forward testing and predistortion analysis. The GS-9200 can extract S-parameters, including the high-power s₂₂ parameter. In addition, it measures intermodulation distortion, average power, power-added efficiency, gain, adjacent-channel leakage ratio (for W-CDMA), and adjacent-channel power ratio (for cdma2000).

The company also has introduced several protocol applications for the company's Model 8960 Series 10 wireless-communications test set. These applications enable an 8960 test set to simulate a base station during mobile-device test. New applications include the E6701B GPRS (General Packet Radio Services) lab application for the 8960 test set. The E6910A GPRS protocol application provides similar features but forgoes RF measurement capability; it runs on the company's new $34,000 E6900A wireless protocol test set. The $28,500 E6702A cdma2000 lab application for the 8960 provides RF measurements and protocol analysis and evaluates handsets' soft-handoff performance.

Base price: GS-9200—$300,000; protocol applications—$18,500. Agilent Technologies, Palo Alto, CA. 800-452-4844; www.agilent.com.

The new release of DT Vision Foundry (release 3.5) extends the tools available to engineers who develop machine-vision applications. These tools include a data-matrix code reader that can accurately decode 2-D matrix codes even though labels or marks are distorted, partially obscured, damaged, or rotated. Another tool will "unwrap" cylindrical images to produce a complete "flat" image for fast analysis. Other new tools provide for enhanced digital I/O control, point-and-click scripting, pattern matching, and a device management. The latter tool lets users set up device characteristics from one set of menus rather than from different places within an application.

By using the software's DT Remote capability, applications built using DT Vision Foundry 3.5 easily can connect with other DCOM-based applications. The exchange of information between such applications uses the company's DTiX data-exchange facilities that provide peer-to-peer communications. DT Remote includes a feature that lets you load and unload a background DT Vision Foundry application that runs behind a user interface or other software written in Visual Basic or Visual C++. You also can start and stop operations remotely over a network.

Price: $3495. Data Translation, Marlborough, MA. 508-481-3700; www.datx.com.

The Test & Measurement Programmers Toolkit from Agilent Technologies lets programmers quickly create application programs using any of the programming tools available in Microsoft's Visual Studio .Net suite. The new code-development tool simplifies creating, testing, and debugging code. A project wizard provides the building blocks for an overall control program into which a developer can add controls or code needed for a specific task. As in all Visual Studio development programs, such as Visual Basic, C#, and C++, properties define how controls interact and how they work with other elements of a test program. Placing an instrument control in a test program usually involves only a simple drag-and-drop operation.

The toolkit also provides an Instrument Explorer that locates instruments connected to a host PC through a variety of interface connections—IEEE 488, USB, or Ethernet. The explorer not only "locates" instruments, but it also reports on their characteristics and sets up properties that make instrument control fairly simple. A built-in I/O monitor displays the details of computer-to-instrument communications, which prove helpful when testing and debugging an actual instrument setup. In addition to providing tools that aid in program development, the kit comes with special displays and graphs that simplify how programmers produce meaningful displays of test results.

Base price: $695. Agilent Technologies, Santa Clara, CA. 800-452-4844, ext. 7706; www.agilent.com/find/dotNET.

The Agilent Developer Network offers free information and services for people who write instrument-control and test software. You can log onto the free service at www.agilent.com/find/ADN. The Web site augments Agilent's previously announced Test & Measurement Programmer's Toolkit and aims to help developers who use—or plan to use—Microsoft's .NET architecture and tools. The online network offers a wealth of instrument drivers (including IVI-COM drivers), I/O code, information about connectivity, and discussion forums.

In addition to the free service, Agilent also sells professional-level access that includes added benefits such as help by phone or online with as many as five instrument-connectivity problems, access to an Update Manager that assesses a system and provides guidance on installations and software updates, and copies of CD-ROMs that contain contents from the Web site. The paid-for product also gives you access to online instrument manuals and documentation for Agilent software products.

Price: Free (basic service); $495/yr (professional service). Agilent Technologies, Palo Alto, CA. www.agilent.com/find/ADN.

LogicVision has introduced its Validator desktop box, which helps debug first silicon that incorporates LogicVision's embedded-test intellectual property (IP). With the Validator, LogicVision aims to cut debug time from weeks to minutes; the company said one beta-site customer performed complete at-speed test on a 10-million-gate, 0.13-micron device in 45 min. The Validator has as many as four clocks operating to 330 MHz and includes two or four power supplies operating over 0- to 8-V or 0- to 20-V ranges, delivering as much as 30 A at 8 V. The box employs an IEEE 1149.1 debug interface to a device under test.

Price: $150,000. LogicVision, San Jose, CA. 408-453-0146; www.logicvision.com.

The ME7842B tower-mounted-amplifier test system (TMATS) aims to orchestrate tests of base-station tower-mounted amplifiers (TMAs) in less than 30 s. The TMATS includes a Scorpion vector network analyzer, multiport test set, and Scorpion Navigator software, which supports rapid integration of TMA test programs into customers' test-executive software. TMATS can test TMAs having two to five ports with a single connection.

TMATS covers the 10-MHz to 6-GHz frequency range, handling TMA output power levels to 20 dBm. It has an 80-dB dynamic range and can supply -85-dBm to 0-dBm power levels to a TMA-under-test's input. It measures S-parameters with ±0.1-dB accuracy. It also measures intermodulation distortion (to ±1 dB at -60 dBc), noise figure (to less than 0.5 dB), gain compression (to as high as +16 dBm), and adjacent-channel power ratio.

Price: $91,825. Anritsu, Morgan Hill, CA. 408-778-2000; www.anritsu.com.