Readers’ Choice Awards

And the Winners Are….

Schlumberger Semiconductor Solutions captured the title in ATE for the IDS PICA Probe System featuring the Picosecond Imaging Circuit Analyzer technology licensed from IBM. The system noninvasively debugs IC designs for flip chips on 0.13-micron and silicon-on-insulator processes. It harnesses light emissions to track electrical signals as they travel through semiconductor devices.

Communications Test

For Communications Test, the PSA II Series of spectrum analyzers from Agilent Technologies walked away with the top honors. The series characterizes the performance of 2G and 3G wireless communications components and systems. The analyzers are available with measurement ranges of 3 Hz to 6.7 GHz (E4443A), 13.2 GHz (E4445A), and 26.5 GHz (E4440A). They can be simultaneously configured with five optional digital demodulation measurement personalities: W-CDMA, GSM/EDGE, cdma2000, cdmaOne, and NADC/PDC.

Data Acquisition

The winner in Data Acquisition is Data Translation’s DT9821 and DT9822 USB Modules. They provide variable input resolutions from 16 bits at 960 Hz to 24 bits at 7.5 Hz. Four time-base independent input channels can be started and stopped separately or run at different sample rates. They feature a noise-free resolution of 20.9 bits at 120 S/s, 16 digital TTL input/output signals, and separate external start/stop control lines for each ADC.

Environmental Test

The award in Environmental Test goes to Thermotron Industries for the Model AST-70 Accelerated Stress System, which provides HASS or HASA as well as HALT for large track or cabinet-type products. Multiaxis, repetitive shock vibration produces acceleration levels in excess of 50 grms over a wide frequency range on a 48″ × 48″ table surface.

Software

Data Translation wins a second time in 2001 by capturing the award in the Software category. DT Measure Foundry™ 2.1, a drag-and-drop test and measurement application builder that eliminates the need for programming wiring, came out on top. By arranging the instrument functions needed to test on a desktop, you can activate these functions by selecting the desired hardware measurement source.

ESD

NoiseKen’s ESS-2001 Electrostatic Discharge Simulator is the winning ESD product. It supplies ±200-V to ±30-kV outputs in either direct contact or air discharge to comply with EN/IEC 61000-4-2. The output is continuous or can be preset to repeat up to 999 times at intervals of 0.05 s to 9.9 s.

Instrumentation

For Instrumentation, the award goes to Fluke for the 170 Series DMMs. The hand-held DMMs feature 0.09% accuracy and 6,000 counts of resolution. Measurement ranges include VAC of 0.1 mV to 1,000 V, frequency of 1 Hz to 99.99 kHz, and capacitance of 1 nF to 9,999 µF. The meters are designed for IEC-61010 CAT IV 600-V and CAT III 1,000-V environments and have 8-kV input protection.

EMC

The standout product in EMC was the PM3000A Series Power Analyzer from Voltech Instruments. The PM3000A tests to the 1995 version of EN 61000-3, and with the new Harmonic and Flicker Analysis PC Software, it also evaluates equipment to EN 61000-3 Amendment 14 standards.

Signing Off

That concludes our awards announcements for 2001. Please join us again next year when EE reports the results of the 9th annual Readers’ Choice competition.

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