Modern analog/digital converters can help implement equivalent time sampling to provide picosecond timing resolution. Dave Guidry, Texas Instruments Inc. A picosecond is an astonishingly short period of time. Imagine a stopwatch with a trillion divisions between each tick of the second hand. While it sounds fantastical, this resolution of time measurement is indeed necessary for […]
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Test and measurement connections in the world of 5G
Connectors and cabling can be as important as the test instruments used to check out systems operating in the 5G realm. John Muzzio, Times Microwave Systems Andrew Dinsdale, SV Microwave Unlike previous cellular technology generations that were focused on a specific frequency band, 5G deals with a much larger potential frequency range. For example, 4G […]
Raspberry Pi for DAQ
Though they are more closely associated with the maker space, Raspberry Pi boards can be effective at handling stringent industrial measurements. Steve Radecky, Measurement Computing Corp. Originally designed to be a cheap, almost disposable computer, Raspberry Pi was created to get kids interested in programming. Since its introduction in 2012, Raspberry Pi has become the […]
A scope-based technique for optimizing EMI input filters
A simple oscilloscope setup can size common-mode and differential-mode noise filtering components separately and more accurately. Marcus Sonst, Rohde & Schwarz Any switched-mode power supply (SMPS) needs an EMI (electromagnetic interference) input filter to avoid disturbing power lines. Input filters generally contain both common-mode and differential-mode filter elements, and the two are rarely optimized separately. […]
Sorting out PC-based instrumentation
It used to be the case that only a few kinds of relatively simple instruments were based on PCs. Now several categories of lab-grade instrumentation take the PC approach. Trevor Smith, Pico Technology The diversity of measurements that must be made by electronics engineers constitutes a huge challenge. The debugging and validation of components and […]
A day in the life: Five RF measurements for field engineers
A handful of basic techniques go a long way toward characterizing modern communication systems. Sarah Gross, Keysight Technologies Field engineers often find that every day presents its own special challenges. A typical work day may involve measuring a variety of devices or signals — cables, antennas, over-the-air 5G signals, or intermittent spurious signals. Successful completion […]
Choosing a test system for emerging PCIe 6.0 designs
New PCIe 6.0 standards demand instruments with upwards of 59 GHz bandwidth and which are capable of running special signal integrity tests. Contributed By Anritsu Co. PCI Express (PCIe) 6.0 addresses the high-speed data transmission needs of emerging applications ranging from data centers to connected cars. With the doubling of data rates and upgrades of […]
The challenge of testing obsolete PCBs
How to test and maintain obsolete systems when the relevant documentation is absent. Alan Lowne, Saelig Co. Inc. Obsolete PCBs or boards lacking circuit schematic diagrams present a conundrum when there’s a need for repair. Online searches for old datasheets may not be productive. What happens when obsolete boards must be fixed but there is […]
Grounding considerations for renewable power generation
It pays to know the difficulties that can arise when testing and evaluating ground systems for solar panel arrays and wind farms. Jeff Jowett, Megger Industrial wind turbines are typically 280 ft high and getting taller. Their height makes them prime targets for lightning strokes that peak in less than 10 µsec while producing tens […]
Signal jitter and RF receiver sensitivity
Traditional frequency modulation has long been used in broadcast applications, but modern digital communication schemes use various digital versions of FM. Communication parameters for digital communication techniques differ somewhat from those for their analog counterparts. It can be useful to review some of these changes. Perhaps the most basic is communication receiver sensitivity. For purposes […]