Supplier News

  1. Nordic Reveals Three Hidden Features In Its 2.4 GHz RF Transceiver 7/16/2007
    Nordic Semiconductor ASA unveiled three hidden features in the Enhanced ShockBurst hardware link layer of its nRF24L01 2.4 GHz transceiver
  2. Software Shapes Next-Generation RF Instrumentation 7/3/2007
    The growth of RF technology in the wireless communication industry over the past few years has been astonishing. This year alone, more than 850 million cellular phones will be manufactured and sold around the globe. As production volumes rise, test engineers are being challenged to increase their test throughput and decrease their cost of test. The rapid development of new standards also requires new sourcing and measurement capabilities
  3. Selecting Telecommunication Test Equipment To Maximize Throughput And Accuracy 7/3/2007
    By Robert Green, Keithley Instruments, Inc.
    Soaring demand for cell phones, pagers, mobile radios, and basestations, is putting pressure on test engineers to shorten production test time. This may require selection of new test equipment that can improve throughput and accuracy in several areas, including a wide variety of DC and low-frequency board-level tests and battery testing or simulation.
  4. SDR Advantages For Test Equipment 7/3/2007
    By Michael D. Millhaem, Keithley Instruments
    Test equipment manufacturers have begun to implement instrument designs using software-defined radio (SDR) principles and devices. This article provides a brief overview of software-defined radio techniques, how SDR is implemented in test equipment and the advantages that test equipment manufacturers and customers realize from these designs...
  5. LXI Clears The Way To Smarter Instruments 7/3/2007
    The trend toward more intelligent instruments has become increasingly evident as vendors of test and measurement equipment take advantage of increased processing power to expand the features and functions their products provide. These include advanced data analysis and reduction, more sophisticated sequencing and control, and built-in functions targeted at specific T&M applications. This paper details how the capabilities included in the LXI (LAN eXtensions for Instrumentation) Standard enhance and accelerate the trend toward smarter instruments. It examines how the new generation of LXI smart instruments will lower the total cost of test while improving performance, increasing flexibility, and enhancing ease of use
  6. Software-Defined Radio: The Next Wave In RF Test Instrumentation? 7/3/2007
    By Michael Millhaem, Keithley Instruments, Inc.
    The communications market is challenging due to the rapid development of new standards, which often require new stimulus and measurement capabilities. To keep pace, test vendors must find new approaches that reduce instrument development times and allow instruments to adapt to new requirements. Software-defined radio is one technique that can help...
  7. Understanding The Perils Of Spectrum Analyzer Power Averaging 7/3/2007
    The following article explores the issues associated with power averaging in order to help readers avoid making the same mistaken assumptions the author did. The conclusions presented here are the results of an experiment that involved correlating the power measurements of two spectrum analyzers from different vendors. However, the issues discussed are generic in the sense that they apply to any spectrum analyzer power measurement with some form of post-detection averaging
  8. Statistical Process Control Of Wireless Device Manufacturing Requires Production Worthy S-Parameter Measurements 7/3/2007
    By Carl Scharrer, Keithley Instruments
    Whether you are manufacturing RFICs for cell phone modules on III-V wafers or DSPs on a silicon-based technology, predicting final product performance and reliability requires S-parameter measurements at the wafer level to complement the DC data. This is only practical when calibration and deembedding of the S-parameters is automated, along with probe cleaning. The ideal case, as described in this article from Keithley Instruments, is to have a single test operation collect the DC and S-parameter data...
  9. Keithley Launches 6½-Digit USB Digital Multimeter For Test Applications 7/2/2007
    Keithley Instruments, Inc. announces the release of the Model 2100 6½-Digit USB Digital Multimeter (DMM), a high precision, low-cost USB-based instrument
  10. ESD Safety In Manufacturing And Data Tracking 6/21/2007
    Electrostatic discharge, more commonly known as ESD, appears in many forms. From lightning bolts to a near-invisible spark when touching a piece of metal, there is no single way to encapsulate all of the different forms of ESD. In many cases, ESD can be felt in the form of a mild shock, usually more irritating than painful. However, when it comes to the world of electronics and manufacturing, this little shock can prove costly. One of the primary challenges facing any manufacturer is tracking inventory and supplies without compromising ESD safety. Submitted by Microscan