Vaunix has announced the release of rev. II of their 2019 product guide covering over 60 standardized Lab Brick test devices. Functions include digital attenuators up to 20 GHz, signal generators up to 20 GHz (40 GHz coming soon), switches up to 6 GHz, and phase shifters up to 12 GHz. Prices range from $375 for an LDA-602, 10 to 1000 MHz Digital Attenuator featuring programmable fixed or swept attenuation and a 0.5 dB attenuation step size, to $3,399 for the LMS-203, 10 to 20 GHz digital signal generator featuring an ultra-fast 100 µs frequency switching speed and programmable linear frequency sweep. All standard Lab Bricks included in the guide are available from stock to one week and can be purchased for immediate delivery directly from the Vaunix website.

Lab Bricks are solid-state, portable, driver-less, USB human interface device (HID) class devices that you can operate from Vaunix’s intuitive Windows GUI or by using their supplied library of Windows™ and Linux™ APIs that support Python™, C#, C++, MATLAB™, Java™, LabVIEW™ and other programming styles. USB HID compatibility was chosen by Vaunix to avoid the difficulties inherent in using older serial or IEEE-488 interfaces when implementing over USB. As a result, RF/microwave and wireless test system designers do not need to install kernel level drivers. This makes set up fast, even with low-cost embedded computers, such as a Raspberry Pi. They provide wireless ATE designers and RF/microwave engineers the ability to set up and conduct a number of wireless network and/or RF bench tests quickly without the high cost and learning curve of complicated and expensive RF/microwave benchtop test equipment.

Among the most recent Lab Brick products released by Vaunix include:

  • The 50-Ohm LDA-906V attenuator offering calibrated attenuation across its full band of 200 MHz to 6 GHz with an impressive step size of 0.1 dB and typical accuracy of < 0.25 dB over the full 90 dB of control range. Capable of bi-directional fixed attenuation or swept attenuation ramps, the LDA-906V is ideal for 5G fading simulation and other Wi-Fi, MIMO and SIMO wireless network tests that require continuous, uninterrupted attenuation control.
  • The 6 to 18 GHz LMS-183CX signal generator with 20 MHz per μs frequency sweep and chirp modulation for radar system design and test applications. To support the unique needs of radar and location/terrain mapping system applications, these high performance units have been designed to provide a dependable, calibrated power control range of 80 dB with 100 Hz frequency setting resolution. They also offer low harmonic energy and are easily programmed for fixed frequency, linear frequency sweep (unidirectional or bidirectional) at rates up to 20 MHz per μs, pulse modulation or chirp modulation.
  • Multi-port attenuators up to 8 GHz. In addition to Lab Brick models, LDA-602Q and LDA-906V-8 which offer 4 and 8 port (respectively) bi-directional attenuation through 6 GHz, Vaunix has recently released two new 4 and 8 port attenuator models that operate through 8 GHz―LDA-802Q and LDA-802-8. Each of these multi-port models feature 120 dB attenuation control range and an ultra-fine step size of just 0.1 dB, making them ideal for 5G data, Wi-Fi 6 and other high-speed wireless applications.