News Briefs

LeCroy has introduced a new line of WavePro general-purpose oscilloscopes, serial data analyzers, and disk-drive analyzers—the 700Zi series—that feature a 15.3-in. wide-screen display and give you the option of adding a second screen of the same size. In addition, the 700Zi instruments have a removable control panel so you can operate them without looking up from your circuit.

Available in bandwidths from 1.5 GHz to 6 GHz, the instruments provide up to 128 Msamples/channel of waveform memory on four channels and up to 256 Msamples/channel on two. All models contain both 50-V and 1-MV input capability.

Using LeCroy’s X-Stream II technology and a quad-core processor, the WavePro 700Zi can process data at rates up to 750,000 measurements/s. The processor runs 64-bit Windows Vista and has 8 Gbytes of processor memory, large enough to handle real-time calculations on long data records. The 700Zi can run data-processing code written in Java, C, Matlab, or Visual Basic, and you can move data to a PC at 500 Mbytes/s through an optional Cabled PCI Express link.

A TriggerScan feature lets the 700zi look at a repetitive waveform shape and decide which waveform to store. User-defined parameters set the criteria for data storage. You can then process the data using built-in math functions or with your own code. A mixed-signal option adds digital channels. Prices range from $23,500 to $59,490. www.lecroy.com.

Credence Systems and LTX have announced that they have entered into an agreement to combine the two companies in a tax-free, all-stock “merger of equals.” Credence and LTX say the combined company will offer a complementary portfolio of technologies and the largest installed base in the Asia-Pacific region. The new company’s systems will address the test requirements of the wireless, computing, automotive, and entertainment markets.

Lavi Lev, president and CEO of Credence, will become executive chairman of the combined company for a transitional period. David Tacelli, CEO and president of LTX, will become CEO and president; and Mark Gallenberger, CFO and VP of LTX, will become CFO.

The merger is subject to approval by both companies’ stockholders. Under the terms of the agreement, Credence shareholders will own 50.02% of the outstanding shares of the combined company and LTX shareholders will own 49.98%. The boards of directors of both companies have unanimously approved the agreement and recommend their stockholders vote in favor of it. Pending regulatory approval, the companies expect the transaction to be completed by the end of September 2008. www.credence.com; www.ltx.com.

Cognex recently announced that it has filed a complaint against MVTec Software GmbH of Germany as well as its US subsidiary, MVTec LLC. The complaint was filed in the US District Court for the District of Massachusetts in Boston.

The complaint by Cognex alleges that MVTec’s Halcon machine-vision software infringes the claims of at least seven Cognex patents. Cognex is asking the court to enjoin MVTec from making and selling the infringing software and is seeking unspecified damages in compensation for past infringement. Fuji America, a company selling semiconductor capital equipment that incorporates MVTec’s Halcon software, was also named in the complaint.

Dr. Robert J. Shillman, chairman and CEO of Cognex, said, “Cognex has made a very significant investment in R&D over the years, and we have a responsibility to both our investors and to our customers who have paid for Cognex proprietary technology to protect that investment.”

Dr. Olaf Munkelt, managing director of MVTec Software GmbH, issued this statement in response to the lawsuit: “MVTec is ready and committed to defend itself as well as its customers against these claims because we believe these claims to be unfounded. MVTec has spent a great amount of resources over the years to invent, develop, and to patent machine-vision technology.” www.cognex.com; www.mvtec.com.

VeriWave has added hardware and software to its WaveTest wired and wireless network-test system. The new hardware—the WaveBlade Ethernet 1104—adds four Ethernet ports. Each port can generate or analyze traffic on 10/100/1000-Gbps Ethernet layer 2 through layer 7, and each port supports up to 500 clients. You can use the WaveBlade to connect the test system to wired Ethernet devices, and then use wireless-interface cards to connect the test system to IEEE 802.11a.b/g/n networks.

The new WaveQoE software lets the WaveTest system measure end-user Quality of Experience (QoE). You can use it to test wired and wireless edge-network elements such as routers, gateways, security-enabled switches, and network accelerators. The software enables you to create profiles and test conditions that generate mixtures of traffic that simulate actual network conditions. WaveQoE controls traffic-carrying applications such as HTTP, FTP, and TCP protocols for data; VoIP for voice; and MPEG-2 for video. The software also controls traffic flow rate, traffic direction, and traffic load.

Test reporting includes real-time and final results. You can export final results into comma-separated variable or HTML formats. WaveQoS can also generate reports in PDF format.

Prices: WaveBlade Ethernet 1104—$24,000; WaveQoE—$6000 per port that the software will control. VeriWave, www.veriwave.com.

Agilent Technologies has announced nonlinear vector network analyzer (NVNA) capability for its PNA-X microwave network analyzer, which operates from 10 MHz to 26.5 GHz. Requiring minimal external hardware, the Agilent NVNA software effectively converts a four-port PNA-X into a high-performance nonlinear analyzer. The new capability features nonlinear component characterization, nonlinear pulse envelope domain capabilities, and support for nonlinear scattering parameters that Agilent calls X-parameters; it targets engineers designing active RF components.

The instrument’s new X-parameter support extends linear scattering parameters (S-parameters) into the nonlinear operating region and enables an accurate portrayal of both nonlinear device and cascaded nonlinear device behavior using measurement-based data. The NVNA can measure the calibrated amplitude and cross-frequency relative phase of measured spectra from 10 MHz to 26.5 GHz to help engineers better understand and control the nonlinear behavior of their DUTs. Data can be displayed in time, frequency, power, or user-defined custom domain. The NVNA also provides a nonlinear pulse-envelope domain measurement.

Base price: nonlinear support option—$56,000. Agilent Technologies, www.agilent.com.

IEEE EMC Symposium, August 18–22, Detroit, MI. Sponsored by the EMC Society of the IEEE. www.emc2008.org.

Autotestcon, September 8–11, Salt Lake City, UT. Sponsored by the IEEE. www.autotestcon.com.

International Test Conference, October 26–31, Santa Clara, CA. Sponsored by the IEEE. www.itctestweek.org.

To learn about other conferences, courses, and calls for papers, visit www.tmworld.com/events.