Creating a synthetic instrument with virtual instrumentation technology
Aug 1, 2006
By Eric Starkloff While stand-alone test and measurement instrumentation has served well in specialized applications, high-performance electronics enable a new class of testing equipment referred to as virtual instrumentation that will allow general hardware architectures to be optimized for these same specific tasks through software....
Designing and simulating THz wire waveguides using FEM modeling
Aug 1, 2006
By Jason A. Deibel and Daniel M. Mittleman This article outlines the requirments for effective THz waveguides, explains a solution to this engineering dilemma, and shows how finite element method modeling is being used to develop an effective and efficient THz waveguide system....
Measuring high-speed signals with an active differential probe
Aug 1, 2006
By Ashok Bindra, editorial director For high-speed design and analysis, Tektronix recently introduced wide bandwidth DSA/DPO70000 oscilloscopes. To ensure signal integrity and accurate measurements when verifying, debugging and testing high-speed signals with these new-generation instruments, probes play a crucial role....
Highly integrated transceiver enables high-volume production of GSM/EDGE handsets
Jul 1, 2006
By Patrick Morgan By combining a unique dual-transmitter architecture and a digital low-IF receiver architecture, EDGE services can be enabled in GSM handsets with best-in-class receiver sensitivity, integrated loop filters, elimination of the transmit SAWs and baluns and only one simple power measurement step for EDGE transmitter calibration....
The challenges and importance of testing mesh networks prior to deployment
Jun 1, 2006
By Fanny Mlinarsky Pre-deployment testing that automates
the performance testing of wireless mesh networks in a controlled laboratory
environment is required to establish its credibility for mission-critical metro-area
network applications....
Evaluating and optimizing RFID and NFC systems using real-time spectrum analysis
Apr 1, 2006
By Darren McCarthy Developing systems based on increasingly complex RFID technology, as well as achieving compliance with RFID regulations, requires advanced instrumentation. One instrument, the real-time spectrum analyzer, is particularly useful....
Over-the-air performance testing of wireless devices with multiple antennas
Feb 1, 2006
By Michael D. Foegelle The proliferation of wireless devices has led to the development of new
technologies that combine the use of multiple antennas with special algorithms
that can dynamically change the RF performance of the device. Measuring the
performance of these new technologies poses signifcant challenges to current
test methodologies....
Micro-coax pigtails for RF measurements to and beyond 5 GHz
Feb 1, 2006
By Tracey Chavers One of the challenges faced by designers involved in contemporary radio design and debug is being able to accurately measure portions of a signal path that are not connectorized. The answer lies in careful use of pigtail micro-coxial cable....
