Test Equipment: New Products

The newest test equipment available to design and test engineers includes increased channel count power supplies and pico-amp capable measurement devices. Furthermore, the push towards higher frequencies is now more possible with additional spectral analysis devices capable of larger signal analysis bandwidths and higher operating frequencies.

Rohde and Schwarz Releases a 4-Port Power Supply

An essential piece of engineering equipment, the power supply, can be found on most benches and any lab regardless of engineering disciplines. The new NGP family of power supplies is designed to help the designers boost their efficiency. Five different models are available featuring two and four channels, as well as a range of output power handling capabilities from 400W to 800W. Furthermore, all models feature a 5” high resolutions touch screen display, protection functions, parallel and serial operation, and a range of functionality features. Some of these functionality features include ramp functions, delayed outputs, data logging, and arbitrary functions. Additional features include I/O triggering and remote control capabilities.

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Rohde and Schwarz Hardware Option Allows 8.3GHz Analysis BW

Rohde and Schwarz is introducing a new hardware option, the R&S FSW-B8001, that will allow their spectrum analyzers to support up to 8.3GHz analysis bandwidth. Specifically, the option will be available for their highest tier of spectrum analyzers, the R&S FSW devices. A test setup to test over the air transmission recently demonstrated the new option’s capability. This included upconverting a wideband baseband signal to 140GHz and transmitting it over the air. Horn antennas were used on the Tx and Rx side, and an FSW with the B8001 option performed signal quality measurements such as error vector magnitude (EVM).

Targeted applications for the ultra-wideband signal analysis include automotive RADAR chirp analysis, pulse measurements of aerospace and defense RADAR systems, research for 5G wireless communication, satellite payload tests, and amplifier distortion testing.

Tektronix Offers High Bandwidth Real-Time Spectrum Analyzer

Tektronix is offering a new solution for real-time spectrum analysis with their RSA7100B. The device is capable of 800MHz of real-time spectrum analysis bandwidth that can simultaneously display frequency, time, and modulation data. In addition, it can provide a continuous stream of IQ data over 40GbE to enable real-time signal processing. Additional features include a 16KHz to 14/26.5GHz frequency range, -134dBc/Hz phase noise at a 10KHz offset of a 1GHz carrier, amplitude accuracy of 0.5dB at 10GHz, an internal pre-amp to 3.6GHz, and many general spectrum analysis measurement functions. The device works with DPX spectrum processing and SignalVu-PC software.

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Anritsu Unleashes Test Instrument For Mass Production

One of Anritsu’s latest offerings, the MT8870A, is a complete test solution for wireless devices. The box is designed to support volume manufacturing by featuring four test modules, of which each can be independently controlled by a host PC. Each module features a vector signal generator and a vector signal analyzer that allow Tx and Rx testing for the device under test. Furthermore, each module also features an audio analyzer and audio generator for additional testing. Although there are four different modules, each one shares the same power supply, chassis, and bus interface to allow for a more robust testing solution. A plethora of wireless standards is supported, which include but are not limited to 5G NR sub-6GHz, LTE, LTE-V2X, NB-IoT, CaT-M, V2X 802.11p, WCDMA, and Bluetooth.

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RBD Instruments Introduces The 9103 USB Picoammeter

The 9103 USB Picoammeter from RBD comes in a small size but packs some powerful capabilities. It is capable of measuring bipolar DC current from pico-amps to milliamps. The device is compatible with all the 3 major operating systems and should integrate seamlessly with MATLAB and LabView. Furthermore, the device can be controlled through a simple ASCII interface for the engineers looking for a simple programmable interface. The device is available in four different configurations. These are standard with a sample rate of 40 reads/sec, high-speed with a sample rate of 500 reads/sec, high voltage with 40 reads/sec sample rate and floats up to 5kV DC, and a high speed/high voltage model that operates with a sample rate of 500 reads/sec and floats up to 5kV DC. The targeted applications for the device include electron and ion current measurements, beam and particle monitoring, leakage current tests, materials resistance testing, and high resistance measurements.

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