Jumping into a new arena after 60 years in the test and measurement business, Keithley Instruments is introducing a line of RF instruments boasting speed and flexibility among its chief attributes. The company, whose forte for decades has been precision dc measurements, has introduced the Model 2910 RF vector signal generator. An RF signal analyzer and a power meter will follow.
The generator employs a software-defined radio architecture, patent-pending synthesizer technology, and unique power-leveling techniques. Results include a 1.5-ms settling time and a sync-out source-settled indicator that's set only when the source is settled. With this speed, users don't have to slow down testing by adding wait states to ensure that the generator has settled.
The unit's arbitrary waveform function supports the download of any externally generated signal waveforms of up to 40-MHz bandwidth. It also can generate signals with up to 200-MHz bandwidths from analog baseband in-phase quadrature signals provided by users. A 64-Msample memory supports simultaneous loading of multiple waveforms and permits switching between signals in less than 5 ms.
The Model 2910 offers optional built-in signal-generation software for key cellular formats, including GSM, GPRS, EDGE, WCDMA, cdmaOne, and cdma2000. This capability will let users upgrade to new standards as they become available. Easeofuse features include 100BaseT Ethernet, USB, and GPIB interfaces. The generator also complies with LXI (LAN eXtension for Instrumentation) Class C.
Pricing starts at $14,500. Details of the Model 2810 RF signal analyzer and Model 3500 handheld RF power meter will be announced this spring.
Keithley Instruments Inc.
www.keithley.com
