Product category:
Electronics manufacturing: quality control equipment, software
News Release from: Keithley Instruments | Subject: RF test instruments
Edited by the Manufacturingtalk Editorial
Team on 30 January 2006
RF testers made for wireless device
makers
A line of RF test instruments, that have unrivaled combination of high performance, speed, flexibility, ease of use, and compact size employ new approaches to test and measurement.
Keithley Instruments, a leader in solutions for emerging measurement needs, introduces an innovative line of RF test instruments With an unrivaled combination of high-performance, speed, flexibility, ease of use, and compact size, these instruments employ new approaches to test and measurement that enable users to save time, effort, and money
This article was originally published on Manufacturingtalk on 21 May 2008 at 8.00am (UK)
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These new products will be used throughout the design, development and manufacturing processes, and they complement existing Keithley solutions sold in this market such as battery simulation sources, semiconductor characterisation systems, and Source-Measure Units.
The first product available in this line is the Model 2910 RF Vector Signal Generator.
Utilising a number of industry innovations, such as its software-defined radio (SDR) architecture, patent-pending synthesiser technology, and unique power leveling techniques, the Model 2910 provides a flexible platform that utilises software to adapt as test requirements change and reduces test time with the fastest frequency tuning, amplitude settling, and waveform switching available.
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Model 2910 V2.0 includes additional wireless signal generation waveforms, a new power calibration feature, and increased ARB memory
In addition, the Model 2910 makes generation of RF signals simple for even the novice user with the most intuitive user-interface on the market.
Designed with a focus on reliability, all of this comes with an industry-leading three-year standard warranty, compared to the one-year warranty typically seen with similar products.
In the summer, Keithley will announce the availability of two related products - the Model 2810 RF Vector Signal Analyser and the Model 3500 Portable RF Power Meter.
Designed to complement the Model 2910, the Model 2810 employs innovative approaches to provide high speed measurement and modulation analysis with the same flexibility, ease of use, and compact size.
The Model 3500 Portable RF Power Meter is a handheld instrument used for measuring average RF power in both R and D environments as well as in the field, where Keithley's innovation enables laboratory accuracy in a handheld package.
The Model 3500 is the first instrument of its kind in the market.
The Models 2910/2810 are broad application instruments that will be used by test engineers in companies designing and manufacturing mobile and wireless handsets and portable devices, mobile and wireless infrastructure, RFICs (RF integrated circuits), and RFIDs (radio frequency identification) devices.
In addition, universities and aerospace/defense organizations will find applications for both the Models 2910/2810.
* Dramatically reduces test time - whether switching between frequencies, amplitude levels, or waveforms, the Model 2910 delivers switching speeds that are two to ten times faster than the best competitors - delivering the fastest execution of key signal generation tasks.
Faster execution times increases throughput, since more tests can be conducted on a greater volume of devices.
The Model 2910 enables dramatic test time reduction through a number of innovations.
For example, unlike competitive instruments, the Model 2910 settles in 1.5ms, and the sync-out source-settled indicator is only set when the source is settled.
This eliminates the need seen with other instruments to slow down tests by adding wait states to ensure the signal generator has settled.
In another example, fast switching among waveforms is a critical attribute for reducing test time in devices operating within multiple wireless standards.
The 64 mega-sample Arbitrary Waveform Generator supports simultaneous loading of multiple signal waveforms and enables switching between these signals in less than five msec.
* Equipment that easily adapts to changing needs - Keithley's Model 2910 RF Vector Signal Generator is an extremely flexible and versatile test instrument.
Employing a software-defined radio architecture, the Model 2910 can help reduce time-to-market, increase design flexibility, and provide adaptability as wireless standards evolve.
The Model 2910 offers optional built-in signal generation software personalities for key cellular formats targeted at mobile phone testing, including GSM, GPRS, EDGE, W-CDMA, cdmaOne, and cdma2000.
Users can easily upgrade to new and emerging standards as they become available.
For those signal formats not included in its initial release, the Model 2910's Arbitrary Waveform Generator supports downloading of virtually any externally generated signal waveforms with up to 40MHz of bandwidth.
In addition, the Model 2910 can generate an RF signal with up to a 200MHz bandwidth from analog baseband in-phase and quadrature signals provided by the users.
The bandwidth and architecture of the Model 2910 provide a significant future cost savings, because customers do not need to purchase new RF sources as new wireless applications emerge.
* Get wireless products to market faster - the Model 2910 provides unparalleled 'ease-of-use' in RF test equipment.
A variety of features combine to make the Model 2910 easy to configure and operate.
For example, an intuitive touch-screen graphical user interface makes it simple to use for both experienced RF test engineers as well as novice users learning RF instrumentation for the first time to generate high-quality signals fast.
Competing products tend to have rows of buttons on the front panel or multiple layers of soft-keys that are often confusing to operate.
In addition, users of the Model 2910 can choose between graphical or tabular methods to edit waveforms or create new ones.
There is also comprehensive and easy-to-use help documentation accessible from the front-panel, the remote interface, or CD-ROM.
The Model 2910 also is easy to control remotely.
A built-in 100Base-T Ethernet and USB interface allows direct, high-speed programming and command transfer, while a GPIB interface provides configurability with legacy instruments.
Instruments that are easy to use enable users to get results sooner and get products to market faster.
* Full Class C LXI compliance - the Models 2910 and 2810 feature LXI (LAN eXtensions for Instrumentation standard) Class C compliance.
They support the physical, programmatic, LAN, and Web portions of the emerging LXI standard.
For facilities testing wireless communication devices and components, that are faced with intense budget and time-to-market constraints but cannot compromise on measurement quality, valuable rack or bench-top space, or ease of use, Keithley Instruments delivers high performance measurements for the lowest test equipment investment.
* Availability - the Model 2910 RF Vector Signal Generator is available end of March.
Models 2810 and 3500 availability will be in the summer, 2006.
* About Keithley - with 60 years of measurement expertise, Keithley Instruments has become a world leader in advanced electrical test instruments and systems from DC to RF (radio frequency).
Its products solve emerging measurement needs in production testing, process monitoring, product development, and research.
The company's customers are scientists and engineers in the worldwide electronics industry involved with advanced materials research, semiconductor device and wafer characterization, and the production of end products such as electronic assemblies or portable wireless devices.
The value Keithley provides its customers is a combination of precision measurement technology and a rich understanding of their applications to improve the quality, throughput, and yield of their products. Request a free brochure from Keithley Instruments ...
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