National Instruments debuts PXI RF vector signal generator

The NI PXIe-5672 RF vector signal generator delivers signal generation from 250 kHz to 2.7 GHz, 20 MHz of instantaneous bandwidth, and real-time data streaming at up to 25 Msamples/s. The NI PXIe-5672 also features a PXI Express interface that makes it possible to stream data from hard disk or PC memory at the full output rate of the instrument. The module is compatible with all NI PXI and PXI Express instruments and with NI LabView modulation algorithms.

National Instruments reports that while on traditional instruments waveform generation and acquisition sizes are generally limited to several hundred megabytes because of bus-bandwidth and onboard-memory limitations, the PXIe-5672’s PXI Express technology enables engineers to use a redundant array of independent disks (RAID) to continuously stream waveforms that are up to 3 Tbytes in size.

By combining the NI PXIe-5672 with the NI PXI-5661 vector signal analyzer and the NI HDD-8264 RAID array, engineers can stream up to 20 MHz of RF bandwidth for more than 5 hrs. This technique lets engineers record RF signals from many types of physical locations and under a variety of environmental conditions, making it possible to capture signals that exhibit traditional wireless challenges including multipath fading, interference, and fluctuations in signal strength.

Engineers also can use the NI PXIe-5672 to regenerate recorded waveforms in a laboratory environment. This technique for waveform generation improves the efficiency and accuracy of wireless receiver validation and verification by allowing for more repeatable channel emulation testing.

Base price: $17,499. National Instruments, www.ni.com.