Test and Measurement Channel
November 14, 2012
In RF systems, switches are as common as amplifiers, mixers, and PLLs. While many technologies yield good active RF devices, few yield good RF switches. Superior switches are available in Peregrine's UltraCMOS process technology.
November 14, 2012
Fiber Optic Delay Line systems (FODL) are used in test and
development laboratories to eliminate outdoor range testing
of radio and radar systems. Outdoor range testing is
costly, complex, and time-consuming.
November 14, 2012
The True Balanced/Differential technique uses two sources to create actual differential and common-mode stimuli, hence the shortened name true-balanceÂ. This white paper offers guidance to signal integrity designers on the differences between these approaches and which one may best fit their need.
October 16, 2012
Software-defined RF test system architectures have become increasingly popular over the past several decades. Almost every commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) automated RF test system today uses application software to communicate through a bus interface to the instrument. As RF applications become more complex, engineers are continuously challenged with the dilemma of increasing functionality without increasing test times, and ultimately test cost. While improvements in test measurement algorithms, bus speeds, and CPU speeds have reduced test times, further improvements are necessary to address the continued increase in the complexity of RF test applications.
October 15, 2012
Higher data rates introduce new challenges for test solutions. There are several 20+ Gbit/s high speed standards (Table 1) that are driving the upper end of the test spectrum to 70 GHz and even 110 GHz. Accurate measurements are needed to better understand higher order harmonics, as will new challenges related to conductor skin effects and dielectric losses on PC boards, along with the design trade-offs related to choices of vias, stackups, and connector pins.
September 18, 2012
The "Testing New-generation Wireless LAN" application note discusses the differences between 802.11ac (designed for Very High Throughput - VHT) and previous WLAN standards, the test requirements and the new challenges VHT brings. The application note also introduces the WLAN new-generation testing technology of 802.11ac and explains in detail Agilent's 802.11ac software which allows engineers to view and troubleshoot all 802.11ac modulation formats.
September 18, 2012
This application note is designed to provide you with the latest insights on how to best address the long list of test requirements when testing the voice quality of LTE UE, with the right VoIP test building blocks. Successfully providing voice support on LTE will require UE developers to bring together a host of new features and capabilities. Many of these items have been around for a while but have not yet been applied to mobile networking. Others are completely new. Regardless, bringing them together will likely cause significant test pain, as they will need to be tested in conjunction with LTE and/or IMS to be fully exercised.
September 17, 2012
The complexity of modern digital equipment has caused EMI/EMC susceptibility
testing to become increasingly important. Many EMC standards have been created
including MILSTD- 461, IEC 61000, ISO 11451 Automotive, EN 50, and FCC
part 15 that provide specific guidelines for EMC and EMI test methodologies. Early
standards required a CW carrier, or single tone with constant modulation as the
disturbance test signal. This article will discuss how a peak power sensor can replace an average
diode detector in a field probe to measure pulse power, improve repeatability and
increase dynamic range of the power measurement.
September 17, 2012
This paper provides a comprehensive review of modern automated load-pull, including a discussion of early impedance synthesis methods, and how they were improved with breakthrough innovations such as Focus MPTTM technology and systematic high-VBW sub-1 Ω test-fixture design techniques. More recent developments are next treated, including active-loop and active-injection impedance synthesis architectures, time-domain data acquisition, and advanced data processing and
visualization.
August 13, 2012
There is a wide variety of coaxial connectors and cables available for use in the RF and Microwave spectrum. While often not much thought is given to these essential components, a misstep here can result in undesirable system degradation. Given that typical RF systems are comprised of any number of items, e.g. RF generators, amplifiers, attenuators, power meters, couplers, antennas, etc., it is not uncommon that a great deal of thought is given to these âhigh end devices while mundane items such as connectors and cables are often treated as an afterthought".
Advertisement
