Spectrum Instrumentation has been a world-leading manufacturer of ultra-fast, high-resolution solutions for signal capture and signal generation since 1989. Our unique modular concept of motherboards and many daughter-boards enables us to offer more than 500 products! So every customer gets the Perfect Fit solution to their specifications for a fair price and available from stock. All backed by our industry leading, 5 years warranty for your peace of mind plus out-of-warranty advice, service and repairs for all products from the past 15 years.
All digitizers-boards and AWG-boards are available in the common industrial standards: PCIe, LXI, PXIe, PXI and PCI. For stand alone solutions, we offer "Netboxes", which contain up to 6 boards with Ethernet connection to PCs. Our "SBench6" software guarantees the easiest operation of boards when measuring or creating signals. All boards are shipped with drivers for Windows and Linux and they support C/C++, C#, Visual Basic, .NET, Python, Java, IVI, LabVIEW, MATLAB and more. Our hardware and software creates leading edge, powerful instruments: digitizers, oscilloscopes, fast long-term data-loggers, spectrum analysers, logic analysers or transient recorders.
All products are completely developed, produced and extensively tested by Spectrum with world-class support directly from Spectrum's hardware and software engineers for fast responses.
Creating, capturing and transferring waveforms for arbitrary waveform generators using SBench 6.
DownloadThe latest Spectrum catalogue that summarizes current instrumentation range.
DownloadArbitrary waveform generators (AWG's) are among the most powerful signal sources available for testing. They offer an extensive range of waveshapes which can be created and selected to rapidly provide a broad range of test events. This application note provides an overview of the rules for waveform creation along with a series of detailed examples. Let’s start with an overview of the waveform creation elements available in SBench 6.
DownloadModular digitizers are typically small compact devices that allow the capture and conversion of analog electronic signals into digital data. The data can then be stored in on-board memory or transferred to a PC. As digitizers are ‘blind’ instruments they do not normally have an integral display to view, measure or analyze the data they collect. Instead, these functions are usually performed by a PC. Thanks to today’s technology PC’s offer massive amounts of processing power, large displays and huge storage capabilities. Notebook PC’s can even be used to provide easy portability in remote or mobile applications.
DownloadHave you ever been challenged to take multiple measurements in a short period of time? In this article we will discuss the key features of the digitizerNETBOX, an LXI digitizer instrument, and demonstrate how it can make real world measurements on an air compressor. We’ll show how to install and connect the instrument and then set up the measurement with the included software - all within a few minutes.
DownloadAlthough modular digitizers can be considered computer hardware they require suitable firmware and software in order to be integrated into the host computer system. Digitizers use embedded software and require device drivers, maintenance software and operational applications to control, view and transfer the digitizer’s data. Software can be supplied or it can be custom developed, this application note provides an overview of the software required to support modular digitizers.
DownloadDigitizers are used to convert electrical signals into a series of measurements that are then output as a numerical array of amplitude values versus time. To make this information useful the time information is typically related to a specific reference point which is most commonly the trigger position. The trigger point can be something that occurs within the measured signal or it can be from other external sources. The function of triggering is to link the time measurements to a specific known point in time.
DownloadModular digitizers and similar measuring instruments need to match a wide variety of signal characteristics to the fixed input range of the internal analog to digital converter (ADC). Digitizer front ends must also minimize loading of the device being tested and provide appropriate coupling. Additionally, filtering may be needed to reduce the impact of broadband noise. All of these features are provided by the instruments ‘front end’ which includes all the circuitry between the input and the ADC.
DownloadModular digitizers offer many acquisition features matched to the primary application of acquiring multiple channels of input data and transferring that data at high rates to analysis computers. They also offer multiple acquisition modes that are intended to use on-board memory efficiently and decrease the dead time between acquisitions. This is especially true with signals that occur at low duty cycles in such applications as echo ranging (including radar, sonar, lidar, and ultrasound), and transient data collection applications (such as time of flight spectrometry and other stimulus-response based analysis).
DownloadTwo of the key specifications of digitizers are bandwidth and amplitude resolution. These specifications are not independent - with increasing resolution available with decreasing bandwidth. Users must make a tradeoff in selecting a digitizer to meet their measurement needs. This article discusses the advantages and limitations of high resolution in high bandwidth digitizers. Where high resolution is greater than 12 bits and high bandwidth is greater than 20 MHz.
DownloadThis article provides general information about digitizers. The article explains in detail different features and the difference between digitizers and digital oscilloscopes. In addition this article provides a glossary of common digitizer specifications and terms.
DownloadModular digitizers allow accurate, high resolution data acquisition that can be quickly transferred to a host computer. Signal processing functions, applied in the digitizer or in the host computer, permit the enhancement of the acquired data or the extraction of extremely useful information from a simple measurement. Modern digitizer support software, like Spectrum’s SBench 6 and many third party programs incorporate many signal processing features. These include waveform arithmetic, ensemble and boxcar averaging, Fast Fourier Transform (FFT), advanced filtering functions and histograms. This application note will investigate all these functions and provide typical examples of common applications for these tools.
DownloadThe use of Ultrasonic products is increasing as new techniques and improvements in instrument performance constantly expand the range of applications. Spectrum digitizers are ideal tools for making ultrasonic measurements and can play a key role required in the development, testing and operation of these products.
DownloadThis application note discusses using digitizers as oscilloscopes.
DownloadProbes convert signal levels, change impedance levels, or offer convenient connection methods. Sensors or transducers convert physical phenomena to electrical signals. Examples include current probes, accelerometers, and photomultipliers. Both types of input devices are supported by Spectrum digitizers. This application note deals with using both probes and sensors with Spectrum modular digitizers.
DownloadModern modular digitizers, like the Spectrum M4i series PCIe digitizers, offer greater bandwidth and higher resolution at any given bandwidth than ever before. Although they are in the class of general purpose measuring instruments they are capable of many RF and lower microwave frequency measurements. This article focuses on some examples of common RF measurements that can be performed with these modular digitizers.
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