A 4-GHz Vehicle Radar Test System (VRTS) helps engineers test advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) by simulating objects in a repeatable and accurate way. The massive automotive industry shift towards 79 GHz radar has reduced the cost of radar-based safety features like autonomous emergency braking (AEB) and rear cross-traffic alert (RCTA). The main advantage of […]
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Test setup wrings out computing platforms for autonomous vehicles
A new test setup is designed to put the computing platform for autonomous vehicles (AVs) through its paces. AVs are among the most complex systems being tested today. At the heart of the AV is a powerful computing platform that analyzes the environment around the vehicle and determines the appropriate action to help ensure the […]
Test system software enhancements help improve semiconductor production test efficiency
New Semiconductor Test System (STS) software enhancements deliver significant improvements to the programming and debugging experience, test execution speed, parallel test efficiency and overall equipment efficiency for the NI Semiconductor Test System. As market windows constrict, semiconductor production test engineers are trying to accelerate the process of developing, debugging and deploying new test programs to […]
The difference between a pulse generator, a signal generator, an AFG, and an AWG
There are a variety of instruments available to generate electronic signals these days. They go by different names and provide different kinds of outputs. Differences between the various kinds of instrumentation aren’t always obvious, so here is a short primer. Signal generators make available at their outputs sinusoidal waveforms with a settable frequency or amplitude. […]
New features and functionality for LabVIEW test automation software
New updates to the LabVIEW 2019 and LabVIEW NXG programs are said to increase developer productivity through improved visibility in the IDE, powerful enhancements in debugging, and new datatypes to the G-language. Additionally, LabVIEW 2019 addresses a critical pain point for engineers: managing dependencies and versioning with fragmented, non-standardized methods, which perpetuate as challenges in […]
New mmWave test setup designed to accelerate 5G commercialization
A mmWave Vector Signal Transceiver (VST) is designed to address the test challenges of 5G mmWave RFIC transceivers and power amplifiers. NI’s solutions use the mmWave VST, which combines an RF signal generator, an RF signal analyzer and integrated switching with 1 GHz of instantaneous bandwidth at frequencies up to 44 GHz. In addition to […]
Tools for optimizing circuit bias
If a semiconductor or vacuum tube is to accurately reproduce or amplify signals on its input, it must have on its input a non-time-varying dc voltage, i.e. dc bias, the purpose of which is to keep the device in its linear operating range. Otherwise, the input signal to be reproduced may drive the device beyond […]
What’s new with Wi-Fi 6? Focus on high-efficiency
The first wide-spread home electrical appliance was the toaster, and 90% of homes today still have one.[i] Today, wireless connectivity to the internet is as ubiquitous as the electricity was a hundred years ago. Smartphones, tablets, wearables, laptops, televisions, Nest thermostats, Alexa, Google Home, Ring video doorbell sensors, surveillance cameras door locks, smart lighting, and […]
T&M pioneers among lastest group of Inventor Hall of Fame inductees
The latest group of nineteen inductees making up the 2019 Class of the National Inventors Hall of Fame include two pioneers in the test and measurement field. Inductees Jeff Kodosky and James Truchard introduced LabVIEW in 1986 as a graphical programming language that enables user-defined testing and measurement and control systems. It grew to be […]
Synthesized tuning, Part 2: Advanced synthesizers and performance
Part 1 of this FAQ looked at the basic issues and topologies related to the challenge of frequency synthesis. Part 2 continues with advanced approaches and their attributes, as well as general concerns when choosing a synthesizer. Q: Are there other digitally-controlled synthesizer topologies? A: Yes. A widely used one is called the classical phase […]