Autotestcon: Aeroflex Announces configurable PXI RF test platform
-- Test & Measurement World, 9/18/2007 4:04:00 PM
Aeroflex at Autotestcon announced its new modular RF test platform for wireless applications up to 6 GHz. The scaleable platform supports research to manufacturing and can integrate into cellular, wireless data, RFIC test, and military/aerospace test applications.
The configurable RF measurement system encompasses new PXI 3000 Series hardware modules, PXI Studio software with new measurement plug-ins, and a new PXI instrument chassis.
New PXI modules extend frequency range coverage to include HF, VHF, and UHF—from 250 kHz to 6 GHz for signal analysis and 1 MHz to 6 GHz for signal generation. The Aeroflex RF modular measurement system comprises the PXI 3000 Series modules that now additionally include the 3025C, a 1-MHz to 6-GHz digital signal generator; the 3030C, a 250-kHz to 3-GHz wideband RF digitizer; and 3035C, a 250-kHz to 6-GHz wideband RF digitizer.
The new 3025C module features an increased RF output power range of -120 dBm to +7 dBm to support RF component testing. All new modules provide the ability to generate and analyze signals with RF bandwidths up to 90 MHz—nearly three times the bandwidth of previous Aeroflex models. New features within the digitizer family offer an 80 percent improvement in data-transfer speed over the PCI bus, and the new 3025C signal generator can switch frequency ten times faster than previous versions for frequencies up to 85 MHz.
The PXI Studio software application for use with Aeroflex 3000 Series PXI modules can be used to simultaneously generate and analyze complex modulated signals. Additional measurement plug-ins enable PXI Studio to be used to analyze WiMAX OFDMA signals as well as provide general-purpose spectrum analysis. WiMAX analysis can be performed for any type of WiMAX UL/DL OFDMA PUSC subframe configuration. WiMAX signals can be analyzed for power, modulation quality, and spectrum. General purpose spectrum-analysis features include a full range of measurement functions for channel power, adjacent channel power, and occupied bandwidth.
Measurement results, including EVM spectrum, EVM time, constellation, spectral mask, spectral flatness, and burst power, can be displayed graphically,. Numerical data is displayed for power, RCE, carrier frequency error, carrier leakage, and symbol clock error.
The new PXI chassis and system controller host both the Aeroflex modular instruments and PXI Studio application software. The PXI chassis includes one system controller slot and seven peripheral PCI or PXI slots to support multiple configurations of Aeroflex PXI modules. The chassis is available in two models: the 3000 and 3000A. The 3000 is suitable for use with embedded or external controllers. The 3000A is equipped with an integrated 8.4-in. touch-screen color display with an 800 x 600-pixel resolution and the 3001A PM 1.8GHz embedded system controller module. The 3000A is designed for use as a self-contained, stand-alone instrument that can be used for both bench-top and portable applications. Both the 3000 and 3000A chassis offer extended operating temperature range from 0 to 55„aC, with facilities for offline monitoring of power, cooling, and temperature. Automatic fan speed control ensures both models emit low audible noise (41.6 dBa). Both the 3000 and 3000A combine an aluminum internal structure.
“The combination of a single-sourced PXI instrument chassis, with system controller, PXI module resources, and PXI Studio application software heralds the arrival of a complete out-of-the-box configurable and scalable RF measurement system that surpasses the performance of rack-and-stack instrumentation of old,” said Tim Carey, PXI product manager, Aeroflex Test Solutions. “The flexibility and speed offered by the Aeroflex 3000 Series modular platform sets a new benchmark for configurable instrumentation, offering users a degree of freedom never before imagined.”
Pricing for the complete system comprising signal generation and signal analysis starts at around $40,000 for 3-GHz and $50,000 for 6-GHz configurations.
Aeroflex also launched a synthetic-instrument platform at Autotestcon.
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