Instrument roundup at Autotestcon
-- Test & Measurement World, 9/26/2006 12:10:00 PM
Autotestcon was the venue for several product demonstrations, including Amrel programmable power sources and loads, Dow-Key Microwave RF switches, Senariotek RF switches, and Virginia Panel connectors. These demonstrations complemented previously reported news from ZTEC, Data Translation, Agilent, National Instruments, and Geotest.
Amrel (www.amrel.com) introduced a dual-channel 300- to 360-W switch-mode programmable power supply and to demonstrate its new 0-V programmable electronic load.
Packaged in a 19-in. 1U-high box, the SPD power supply fills what the company calls a gap in the 200- to 600-W range. It provides voltages from 8 to 300 VDC and features a a front-panel keypad and encoder control, a voltage-tracking function, and a display. Models without the keypad and encoder are available for burn-in and ATE applications. GPIB and RS-232 interfaces are standard; Ethernet and USB are optional. Voltage accuracy and voltage read-back accuracy are 0.1% and 0.2% (respectively) of maximum rating.
The company’s ZVL programmable 0-V electronic load, introduced last month, comes in 100- and 200-W, 0- to 150-VDC versions. Packaged in a 4U half-rack bench-top unit, it can operate down to 0 V at 40 ADC. It targets single-cell fuel-cell and ultra-low-voltage-battery testing, operates on a 0- to 10-VDC analog programming voltage, and includes GPIB and RS-232 interfaces.
Dow-Key Microwave (www.dowkey.com) demonstrated its DK-PXI-1001 18-GHz 4x4 non-blocking matrix and its 4104-4/10 DC to 18-GHz bidirectional coaxial RF switch matrix. The DK-PXI-1001comes with an IVI-compliant driver and occupies four slots of a 3U PXI chassis. The 50-ohm instrument’s switching speed is 20 ms max. Dow-Key’s 19-in.-wide 1U-high 4104 can serve as a master controller that supports up to four individual single-pole ten-throw switches. Featuring a 50-ohm impedance, the unit switches in 50 to 100 ms and comes in GPIB and Ethernet versions.
Senariotek (www.senariotek.com), in conjunction with COM DEV (www.comdev.ca/codeone), demonstrated its e-trak smart RF switch matrices, which provide for remote inline calibration correction based on COM DEV’s CodeOne software. Able to operate to 32 GHz, the LXI-compatible e-trak matrices, coupled with the CodeOne software, are designed to minimize errors caused by switch repeatability issues, cable movement, and temperature changes.
Virginia Panel (www.vpc.com) demonstrated its iCon connector modules, which accommodate up to 320 signal contacts and support signal, power, or coaxial connections in homogeneous or hybrid configurations. The modules feature a half-turn quick cam to facilitate receiver engagement and a U-shaped cable clamp allows the modules to be prewired before assembly. An EMI-shielded cover slides off to facilitate access to wiring.
Also at Autotestcon, as reported last week:
• ZTEC demonstrates 4-Gsample/s modular scopes.
• Data Translation to develop synthetic-instrument software.
• Agilent’s MXA and MXG instruments to gain LXI Class B compliance.
• National Instruments, Phase Matrix, and BAE Systems plan 26.5-GHz synthetic instrument.
• Geotest debuts a combination PXI smart chassis, two digital products, an RF power-analyzer module, a legacy-instrument replacement, and a release of ATEasy.
