Utilizing VNA’s capability for Mil/Aero maintenance and troubleshooting (.PDF Download)
Identifying a new technical requirement on a program of record is both a major headache for the program office and a positive circumstance for engineers looking for a problem to solve. As simple as it sounds, B-1 Integrated Battle Station (IBS) was seeking a test methodology for locating deficiencies in the digital video interface (DVI) cable runs between the multifunction displays and the video processor. The application of a time domain reflectometer to the problem was only going to expose shorts and opens. More fidelity was needed to characterize the DVI cable assembly in the cockpit—seeking twists of twisted pair and minimum bend radius installation issues. The treatment of the cable assembly (connectors, conductors, terminations) as a transmission line enables a wideband, multiport S-parameter view of the problem, which opens up a much more sensitive measurement. The challenge is to produce test results in a repeatable, easy-to-understand GUI display that will stand up to realistic environmental conditions.
At the core of any tester, there are three common, essential functions: Power supply, display, and a single board processor. All three require technical tradeoffs: