New instrumentation simplifies the task of examining how wireless applications behave during periods of both high and low power consumption. Tom Bifiato, Rohde & Schwarz America Countless devices use cellular platforms to connect and exchange data. Machine-to-Machine (M2M) and device-to-device (D2D) communication systems all use cellular networks via GSM and GPRS. M2M and D2D communication […]
Test and Measurement Tips
Better testing with well-controlled ac power
Modern ac power supplies are adept at cleaning up line conditions that can lead to garbled electrical test results. STEVE BOEGLE BEHLMAN ELECTRONICS, INC. IF you plug your product’s power cord into any unregulated standard factory ac main, there is a possibility that the power you are using could corrupt any testing you do. The […]
Safer Testing with Dynamic Power Supplies
It can be easier to use programmable auto-ranging power supplies as alternatives to fuel-cell power sources that would otherwise force the installation of safety and compliance equipment just to run a few characterization tests. ERIC TURNER INTEPRO SYSTEMS ONE of the most challenging aspects of configuring a test system is that the test rig must […]
Simplifying signal generation using arbitrary waveform generators
New instruments excel at constructing super-complicated waveforms that once took a lot of time to create. CHRISTOPHER SKACH, SAHAND NOORIZADEH TEKTRONIX IT’S hard to beat arbitrary waveform generators (AWG) for convenience and flexibility when it comes to generating signals for test applications. If a waveform can be defined or captured, chances are good that an […]
How to reduce oscilloscope noise during measurements
Several tricks can help reveal small signals that are obscured by measurement system noise. KENNY JOHNSON KEYSIGHT TECHNOLOGIES, INC. THERE is a need to observe small signal details in many modern applications. Transducers, biomedical sensors, high energy physics, power integrity, and high-speed digital designs are examples of situations where details can be obscured by measurement […]
Signal Analyzer Handles 5G Signals, 800 MHz Modulation Bandwidth
Company introduces the Signal Analyzer MS2850A that can cost efficiently and accurately evaluate 5G signals with the 800 MHz modulation bandwidth (8 x 100 MHz channels) associated with 5G designs. With analysis bandwidth up to 1 GHz, excellent dynamic range and high flatness performance, the MS2850A provides wireless equipment manufacturers and mobile operators with a […]
Test Setup Analyzes Coverage of 5G Base Stations
Keysight Technologies, Inc. (NYSE: KEYS) today announced a solution for measuring, analyzing and visualizing the coverage generated by 5G base stations. Keysight’s Nemo Outdoor, combined with FieldFox handheld RF and microwave analyzers, enables mobile operators and network vendors to measure 5G radio propagation and coverage. The solution uses the Nemo Outdoor analytics tools to provide […]
No, you can’t detect ghosts with a gauss meter
Leland Teschler – Executive Editor lteschler@wtwhmedia.com On Twitter @DW_LeeTeschler WE’D like to think that the average viewer who tunes into a TV show on the SciFy channel called Ghost Hunters might get a laugh out watching investigators prowl around places that are reported to be haunted. But the show participants seem to be completely serious […]
Temporal and spatial aliasing in signal processing
The concept of aliasing is relevant to the oscilloscope user and unless it is confronted and steps taken to mitigate it, problems can arise in signal interpretation. Aliasing is almost always harmful unless clever ways can be devised to make use of it. When a signal is sampled, aliasing can appear in the end product, […]
Fully automated test suite for OIF-CEI-56G VSR/MR/LR PAM4 specs runs on real-time oscilloscopes
The PAM4 test suites now include 400G electrical compliance testing for OIF-CEI-56G VSR/MR/LR PAM4 standards. The new 400G-TXE software package from Tektronix runs on high-performance DPO70000SX Real-Time Oscilloscopes; a lineup of models which go up to 70 GHz in bandwidth. The automated turnkey solution performs PAM4 compliance test sweeps in a single pass for shorter […]