Fast sampling rates and long recording times make data recorders useful for documenting signal qualities that ordinary test equipment can easily miss. Jamie Pederson | B&K Precision Corp. Data recording instruments have a long history that dates back to the 1800s when Charles Babbage incorporated an instrument into a rail car to record over a […]
FIPS 140-2 security testing for wireless medical devices
Design engineers should be aware of several testing issues surrounding encryption standards designed to protect data from bad actors. Jay White | Laird Connectivity The bad guys don’t care about your social security number and credit card numbers as much as you might think. Stolen security numbers are almost literally a dime a dozen on […]
Researchers get a charge out of measuring eels with battery powered oscilloscopes
Next time you find yourself swimming around with electric eels, try grabbing one and then put the leads of a battery powered oscilloscope on its head and tail. According to University of Central Florida zoology professor Will Crampton, you’ll probably measure a voltage in the 700-V range. Crampton and his associates went to the rivers […]
Testing regimes for the new frequencies and features of 5G
Measurements taking place in pre-commercial 5G network trials provide new insights and overcome uncertainties before the technology’s formal launch. By Rohde&Schwarz The 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) defined fifth-generation (5G) cellular technology in Release 15, which updated mission-critical (MC) communications and MC service functions, to meet the International Telecommunication Union’s IMT-2020 performance requirements. IMT-2020 laid […]
Verifying 5G with OTA testing
The 5G realm puts a new emphasis on making measurements without hardwired connections. Adnan Khan | Anritsu Co. 5G systems are being rolled out globally, bringing with them throughput speeds of up to 10 Gbps, higher frequencies that extend into the millimeter wave (mmWave) spectrum, and devices operating in multiple radio access technologies (RATs). Engineers […]
Detecting counterfeit integrated circuits without a microscope
Curve-trace testing can reveal whether an incoming batch of ICs are bogus without resorting to destructive inspection measures. Alan Lowne | Saelig Making fake “lookalike” integrated circuits which resemble real ones takes minimal skill. It may simply require finding cheap parts in the same package and applying new markings. This problem has arisen due to […]
The complexity of wireless receiver testing
Eric Hsu | Keysight Technologies, Inc. The demand for wireless communications now challenges the physical limitations of today’s wireless communications systems. Interference can easily arise when systems operate in a crowded wireless environment using a shared spectrum. Signal congestion makes the process of designing, testing, and isolating system problems more complex. In the next few […]
Will your Good Samaritanism in the pandemic buy you a lawsuit?
Leland Teschler | Executive Editor If you are one of the individuals voluntarily spending your time on technology to help abate the COVID 19 pandemic, consider the experience of the vacuum cleaner company Dyson in the U.K. Company founder James Dyson estimates his firm spent about $25 million and about 10 days to develop a […]
Mobile test gear captures multiple wireless bands
The ThinkRF RF Drive Test System is a complete, multiband, and versatile mobile testing solution employing a single piece of equipment, providing spectrum capturing, technology analysis, and I/Q storage. The RF Drive Test System Incorporates a ThinkRF R5750 Real-Time Spectrum Analyzer with GNSS (plus optional D4000 RF downconverter/tuner for performance up to 40 GHz), CelPlan […]
Tachometer/auto-sync stroboscope combined in one compact instrument
The integration of an auto-sync laser function gives users two devices in one: a portable stroboscope and a digital handheld tachometer with laser measurement. The tachometer function can be used up to a distance of about 3 m. The laser beam is aimed at a reflection mark. The reflected beam triggers the receiver which is […]