PXI targets performance

Rick Nelson, Chief Editor -- Test & Measurement World, 2/1/2006

Conventional wisdom has it that modular instruments can enable you to build flexible, economical test systems, yet you'll need rack-and-stack GPIB equipment for optimal performance. That's no longer the case, if it ever was.

As evidence of benchtop performance in modular form factors, both National Instruments and Signametrics announced 7½-digit DMM cards for the PXI bus last year. In the RF arena, Aeroflex continues to expand its line-up of PXI source and digitizer hardware and software products, which top out at 6 GHz. And the company sees no inherent limitations to upping PXI instrument bandwidth when the market warrants that move. Furthermore, the advent of PXI Express is making possible the real-time transfer of test data to a central processing unit.

There are still good reasons you may not want to do that. In some cases, a self-contained box that makes measurements and processes data might be your most cost-effective choice, especially if you prefer local processing using a real-time operating system or DSPs. That can be valuable in evaluating whether a component meets a particular wireless communications standard, for instance. But with PXI on the scene, you'll need to evaluate your options. The odder the job you face or the wider range of chores you must contend with, the more likely you'll want the flexibility to reconfigure hardware and software test resources that modular systems provide.