Test & Measurement: USB Digital Test Pod Turns A PC Into An Analyzer/Signal Generator

Nov. 29, 2004

By using the USB bus, the USBee SX digital test pod transforms a PC into a high-performance digital logic analyzer or signal generator that can store enough samples to fill available PC memory. It captures or generates hundred-million-sample waveforms, opening the door for previously unaffordable control and analysis applications for embedded developers. The logic-analyzer module that runs the USB SX includes an I²C, serial peripheral interface, and asynchronous serial bus decoder. The pod captures and generates samples up to 24 Msamples/s. An Auto Calibration feature automatically reduces the sampling rate for accurate and reliable timing. Price is $295.

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About the Author

Roger Allan

Roger Allan is an electronics journalism veteran, and served as Electronic Design's Executive Editor for 15 of those years. He has covered just about every technology beat from semiconductors, components, packaging and power devices, to communications, test and measurement, automotive electronics, robotics, medical electronics, military electronics, robotics, and industrial electronics. His specialties include MEMS and nanoelectronics technologies. He is a contributor to the McGraw Hill Annual Encyclopedia of Science and Technology. He is also a Life Senior Member of the IEEE and holds a BSEE from New York University's School of Engineering and Science. Roger has worked for major electronics magazines besides Electronic Design, including the IEEE Spectrum, Electronics, EDN, Electronic Products, and the British New Scientist. He also has working experience in the electronics industry as a design engineer in filters, power supplies and control systems.

After his retirement from Electronic Design Magazine, He has been extensively contributing articles for Penton’s Electronic Design, Power Electronics Technology, Energy Efficiency and Technology (EE&T) and Microwaves RF Magazine, covering all of the aforementioned electronics segments as well as energy efficiency, harvesting and related technologies. He has also contributed articles to other electronics technology magazines worldwide.

He is a “jack of all trades and a master in leading-edge technologies” like MEMS, nanolectronics, autonomous vehicles, artificial intelligence, military electronics, biometrics, implantable medical devices, and energy harvesting and related technologies.