Show highlights: Vendors tackle RF/microwave component test

Wireless Systems Design Conference & Expo, March 8–10, San Diego, CA, www.wsdexpo.com.

Racal Instruments Wireless Solutions, an Aeroflex company (www.aeroflex.com), announced the 6401 Release 5 Layer 1 Test System. Aimed primarily at developers of DSP and baseband products, the system is useful for testing during the entire product-development process. . . .National Instruments (www.ni.com) demonstrated the new PXI-5670, a 2.7-GHZ RF vector signal generator that combines an RF upconverter, a 16-bit arbitrary waveform generator, and Modulation Toolkit software to let users generate modulated RF signals at carrier frequencies from 250 kHz to 2.7 GHz.

The 6401 system now includes a Release 5 Layer 1 test compatibility. Courtesy of Racal Instruments Wireless Solutions.

Agilent Technologies (www.agilent.com) demonstrated options to its PSA spectrum analyzer line that enable the instrument to generate and demodulate HSDPA and 1xEV-DV signals. The company's EESof division exhibited the RF Design Environment (RFDE), which integrates RF simulation technologies into the Cadence Design System's analog and mixed-signal design flow. RFDE's recently added Verilog-A support lets designers create models for verifying RFIC and MMIC designs.

Roos Instruments (www.roos.com) exhibited the third generation of its 20-GHz RI7100A RF SOC tester. Using custom fixtures, the system's universal test head interface can handle power amplifiers and LNAs or complete transceivers and systems. . . .Suss MicroTec (www.suss.com) demonstrated the four-port |Z| probe for PCBs, a product it co-developed with Germany-based Rosenberger. The probe can test PCBs up to 4 GHz, and its planar tip has separate contact springs that move independently of one another, allowing them to make contact with the DUT without damaging it.

W.L. Gore ( www.gore.com ) exhibited various shielding products, including the snapSHOT board-level EMI shield. The shield, which offers a shielding effectiveness of 75 dB and a surface resistivity of 0.025 O/square, is only 0.125-mm thick and saves space in both the x-y and the z-axis directions; its snap-on attachment leaves no gap between the product and the shield. . . .Johnstech International (www.johnstech.com) displayed an assortment of Pad Series leadless test sockets, including the 1-mm production contactor that the company released in 2003. . . .Of the various sockets on display in the Gryphics (www.gryphics.com) booth, the Grypper was the key offering. This BGA socket can be SMT soldered to PCBs that can't accommodate holes for external fasteners.

VXI Technology (www.vxitech.com) displayed its high-density switching and instrumentation products, with a focus on custom microwave switches. Typically, a single VXI slot holds one instrument, but the company's design permits three instruments to fit into one slot. . . .Dow-Key Microwave (www.dowkey.com) exhibited its line of switch matrices. Of special note was the company's 4x4 matrix, a nonblocking switch matrix with a CANbus interface. The unit performs from DC to 18 GHz and can be accessed remotely through an Ethernet interface.

Focus Microwaves (www.focus-microwaves.com) displayed the Model 1808 iTuner, a microwave tuner that can control up to six motor axes. The unit can be integrated into a production test station and performs tests under variable VSWR conditions. . . .AR Worldwide (www.amplifiers.com) exhibited the Model 1S4G11 broadband amplifier, which offers a frequency response of 4.0 to 10.6 GHz and provides a minimum of 1 W of RF power when used with a sweep generator.

TestEquity (www.testequity.com), known primarily as a rental and reseller company, also manufactures a line of environmental chambers. On exhibit was the Half Cube temperature chamber, which provides 0.5 ft³ of workspace and operates over a –40°C to +130°C temperature range with a 16-step programmable temperature controller. . . .Another rental company, ElectroRent (www.electrorent.com), displayed its latest offering, the Anritsu MS4623D. A member of the Scorpion Series of vector network analyzers, the MS4623D offers four test ports and operates over the 10 MHz to 6 GHz range.