Autotestcon: Aeroflex launches SMART^E synthetic test environment
-- Test & Measurement World, 9/21/2007 1:21:00 AM
Aeroflex at Autotestcon announced that its Synthetic Multifunction Adaptable Reconfigurable Test Environment (SMART^E) is now commercially available. SMART^E includes hardware, software, test practices, and support; SMART^E is based on Aeroflex’s fifth-generation synthetic technology for providing synthetic test systems to meet the requirements for testing radar, satellite payloads, and T/R (transmit/receive) modules and subsystems for phased-array radar antennas.
In this fifth generation, the Aeroflex proprietary synthetic chassis has evolved to accommodate commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) LXI modules; it now supports multiple vendors and multiple industry-standard platforms (including LXI, PXI, cPCI, and GPIB).
The SMART^E 5000 synthetic test environment can adapt to test applications in electronic warfare (EW); radar; communication, navigation and identification (CNI); military automated test equipment (ATE); and general-purpose microwave test. SMART^E’s configurability enables systems to be scaled in terms of size, function, and cost for manufacturing, flight line, and depot test. SMART^E also features system declassification of embedded facilities now mandated for most military systems. SMART^E provides demonstrated throughput of 10 times or more than comparable rack-and-stack systems, the company reports.
SMART^E works with industry standard software, including Windows, C/C++/C#, and National Instruments’ TestStand. The combination of both industry-standard software and hardware make SMART^E an open architecture implementation enabling multifunctional extensions that can be implemented by the customer, system integrators, or Aeroflex. SMART^E features a test library with built-in test-personality customization via user-settable/exposed parameters. It embodies system-level calibration, verification, diagnostics, and test practices without the need to remove and calibrate each individual synthetic module or each separate subsystem.
Reflecting its RF/microwave-centric test perspective, the Aeroflex SMART^E synthetic test environment features the following performance and measurement specifications:
• synthetic stimulus and measurement channels to 40 GHz in configurable modular bands;
• two synthetic channels standard, one for stimulus and one for measurement, extendable to multiple parallel stimulus and multiple parallel response synthetic or non-synthetic channels;
• configurable base band, encompassing cooperative narrow and broad bandwidth capabilities;
• fast-tuning or lower speed/reduced cost local oscillator (LO) options;
• AM, FM, PM, and arbitrary modulation;
• standard power settings and measurement ranges of -90 dBm to +10 dBm to better than 0.1-dB resolution, extendable via standard and custom power-amplifier options;
• standard and customer-specified switch matrix sub-systems and interface panels;
• continuous-wave (CW) and pulsed measurements of S-parameters, envelope, peak and average power, noise figure, and modulation/demodulation;
• application-specific SMART^E environment configurations for satellite payload, phased-array T/R modules and subsystems/assemblies, and multi-device-under-test military ATE platforms;
• system options related to specialized tactical air navigation (TACAN), identification friend or foe (IFF), CNI, and phase-noise-test subsystems; and
• mixed-signal testing.
“Aeroflex’s SMART^E synthetic test system provides a highly integrated, complete-solution environment. Other solutions are merely a collection of synthetic or conventional bench instruments with integration and system-level support left to outside system integrators, or even the customer himself,” said Dr. Francesco Lupinetti, VP and GM, Aeroflex Synthetic Systems Division. “SMART^E is unique to the market because it includes configurable modules encompassing the best hardware available from any vendor to solve test challenges. It offers a complete system-level software environment with highly reliable, optimally integrated test procedures and practices, and fast response global support. The result is a unique, state-of-the-art, synthetic, mixed-signal RF and microwave test environment, said Dr. Lupinetti.”
The Aeroflex SMART^E 5000 Series synthetic test environment is currently available for delivery 12 to 20 weeks upon receipt of order. Prices start at approximately $500,000 for an 8-GHz capable system and can range up to $1 million or more for more complex test environments up to 40 GHz.
Aeroflex also introduced PXI RF products at Autotestcon.
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