This 50 MHz pulse generator was built as solid as a rock. It’s almost all metal. We take the unit completely apart and look at it from a system and board level. On a visit to the MIT swapfest in 2024, I came across an HP 8112A 50 MHz pulse generator. For $20, I brought […]
Instrumentation
15 W PXI programmable resistor modules simulate sensors
These modules let you perform HIL testing for industrial, automotive, medial and other products.
Data-acquisition recorder gets 1500 VDC module
B+K precision adds a 4-channel, ±1500 VDC input module to its DAS1800 data recorder. Today’s electric vehicles operate at voltages approaching 1000 VDC, engineers need to monitor and record those voltages during tests. to that end, B+K Precision has added the D18-HVM4 high-voltage, 4-channel input module to its DAS1800 modular data recorder. The D18-HVM4 adds […]
What is an instrument driver and why do I need one?
Instrument drivers take some of the sting out of controlling test instruments by adding an abstraction layer. Almost everyone who uses computers has had experiences with drivers, and probably not good ones. In the olden days, if you had wanted to hook an old printer up to a new computer, you would have searched through […]
I’ve got the measurement blues again
Back from a three-year hiatus, I’m covering test and measurement again. This time, it’s for EE World.
Engineer ambitiously or be acquired?
Emerson Electric makes a significant offer to acquire NI, which is fighting back.
BNC interface lets piezoelectric sensors hook up to data acquisition gear
A new interface allows the use of IEPE sensors on all data acquisition devices with a 1-MΩ BNC interface. The TA487 IEPE Signal Conditioner is a simple adaptor that allows any PicoScope or oscilloscope to capture and measure signals from a large selection of piezo-electric IEPE sensors, such as the Pico Technology TA095 accelerometer. Integrated […]
ATEasy gets a facelift for 2021
The test programming environment also adds usability features and 64-bit support.
OpenVPX backplanes designed for horizontal-mount enclosures
New OpenVPX backplanes are designed for horizontal-mount enclosures. The horizontal-mount backplanes can be placed into 1U-4U tall 19-in rackmount OpenVPX enclosures. They provide enough space to have three 3U slots or one 3U and one 6U slot side-by-side. So, a wide range of configurations and size options are available. The backplanes are typically designed to […]
NI CEO: COVID-19 on day one
NI CEO Eric Starkloff’s first decision was what to do about COVID-19 the night before he took over on February 1, 2020. Since then, he’s seen the opportunities in communications resulting from the pandemic. How would you like to take on a new leadership role just as a pandemic takes hold? That’s what Eric Starkloff […]
