Raising the test standards bar

Standards almost always benefit suppliers and users regardless of the industry, but whose standard to employ is generally the sticking point. Recently, Agilent Technologies and VXI Technology combined engineering resources to create the LAN extensions for instrumentation (LXI) standard platform based on industry-standard Ethernet technology with the intention of providing the flexibility and performance of larger VXI systems for small- and medium-sized systems.

LXI combines built-in measurement science and PC-standard I/O connectivity from rack-and-stack instruments with the modularity and size reduction of card-cage-based systems. For the automotive or aerospace engineer, LXI might deliver a smaller form factor, standard I/O and software linkage, and optimized modules with fast measurements, parallel operations, and faster I/O. Moreover, since Keithley Instruments, Aeroflex, Pickering Interfaces, and Teradyne have joined the consortium, LXI has received further endorsement as well as greater momentum.

Today, the test community wrestles with higher bandwidths, faster data transfer rates, and lower cost. Might the new standard solve some problems and give IEEE 488 instruments longer life cycles? Will the LXI consortium deliver on its stated purpose of providing the next logical step in the progress of open standard instrumentation for test systems? These are just some immediate questions. To join the discussion, e-mail your comments to me.

Contact Greg Reed at editor@aatr.net.