Today, an advanced multimeter such as the Fluke 287 in volts mode accurately displays frequency. High frequencies are displayed in a bench-type frequency counter, which can read above 100 GHz. At still higher frequencies, measurements are made indirectly via heterodyning to down-convert the signal. Using a diode or similar device as a mixer, a frequency […]
Meters & Testers
Key considerations for RF power measurement equipment
The choice of power sensor and meter greatly depends on the qualities of the signal being measured. Bob Buxton, Boonton Electronics Today’s complex modulation schemes and pulsed communication modes have brought the need to measure RF power ever more accurately and efficiently. There are multiple technologies available for the measurement of RF power, falling into […]
3U development platform handles SOSA 1.0 and CMOSS designs
A 12-slot, 3U Development Platform is aligned to SOSA 1.0 and CMOSS and features high-speed RF and optical I/O connectivity on a number of key SOSA profiles while supporting both I/O-intensive and compute-intensive processor slots, two switch slots and one PNT slot as part of the test solution. Prior to its official release, the development […]
Measuring and using static electricity
Many moons ago, a future member of our editorial staff was playing with his very first multimeter. He was a farm kid. One of his first experiments was to put the negative lead of the meter on a ground rod and the positive lead on one of the metal bands used to reinforce the interlocking […]
Radio altimeter flight-line test set adds fiber optic delay
The ALT-9000 universal radio altimeter (RADALT) flight line test set adds fiber optic delay to traditional radio frequency (RF) testing, enabling it to test all types of RADALTS on the market today. The RADALT measures an aircraft’s altitude above the terrain, by transmitting a radio frequency (RF) signal down to the ground and receiving a […]
Hand-held spectrum analyzers come in 1.3 and 2.7-GHz versions
The Aim-TTi PSA Series 3 RF Spectrum Analyzers are available in 1.3 GHz and 2.7 GHz versions and have long battery lives with improvements over the previous Series 2 instruments, even rivalling more expensive handheld RF products. Improvements include a lower noise floor for increased sensitivity, a new frequency counter, additional RMS, Sample, and Average […]
Teaching instrumentation gets new filter options, lock-in amp
New enhancements for Moku:Go, a complete, portable and accessible lab solution platform designed for engineers and students to actively test designs and projects, feature a full range of connectivity, optional programmable power supplies and an intuitive user interface. These enhancements include the addition of new instruments for Moku:Go: Digital Filter Box: A tool to design […]
Ohm meter features low stimulus voltage for sensitive components
The AltoNovus OR-01 OhmRanger-LCV Low Compliance Voltage Ohmmeter is an accurate, affordable, portable meter which can measure a wide range of resistances simply and quickly. Individually factory-calibrated, this meter measures resistances from greater than 100 MΩ down to 10 Ω. Additional built-in features include a signal-to-noise measurement, which indicates how much noise, variation, and ac […]
High-performance LCR meter spans 4 Hz to 10 MHz range
The R&S LCX family of LCR meters serves all established impedance measurements plus specialized measurements for selected component types and provides both, the high accuracy required in R&D, and the high speed needed in production test and quality assurance. With its supported frequency range from 4 Hz to 10 MHz, the R&S LCX is suitable […]
What’s all this triplen harmonics stuff?
Unless your background is in ac power, it’s possible you haven’t run into the term triplen harmonic. Triplen harmonics have to do with the third harmonic. Even-numbered harmonics do not normally exist in power systems due to symmetry between the positive and negative halves of the ac cycle. It is the odd-numbered harmonics that engineers […]
