The editorial offices of Testandmeasurementtips.com recently received a letter from an individual who headed up a group of investigators of paranormal phenomenon. It was a serious letter. To summarize, the group had concluded there was no legitimate method to record the activity of an alleged haunting. But the writer did have a question for us, […]
Test Equipment
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 […]
How big is the band gap? A heated discussion
There’s a trick with a soldering iron that can be used to determine whether an unidentified semiconductor is n-type or p-type. In essence, it determines whether the majority carriers are holes (p-type) or electrons (n-type). Just as heat makes a gas expand (PV=nRT), the hot tip of a soldering iron makes carriers expand away from […]
Test setup simulates, characterizes, validates PCIe designs
An end-to-end PCIe test solution enables the simulation, pathfinding, characterization, validation and compliance testing of PCIe designs. To maintain performance goals and prepare for the PCIe 6.0 move to pulse amplitude modulation 4-level (PAM4), customers need a smooth transition from PCIe 5.0 to 6.0, where the integrity of PCIe measurements are backed by leading-edge tools […]
High-voltage probe provides isolation via fiber optics
The Saker-MV ISOVP Probe enables high-voltage isolated measurements via fiber optic cables. Optical fiber isolation provides high-voltage safety and increased signal integrity due to absence of induced interference from external fields. This also allows for much higher common mode rejection as compared to conventional differential probes. The probe head can be remotely put in standby, […]
Test system handles latest Wi-Fi 6E devices
A newly integrated testing system allows testing to the new IEEE 802.11ax WLAN standard. The new band adds to the already available 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands. Anritsu’s Wireless Connectivity Test Set MT8862A has been integrated with the EMITE E600 Reverberation Chamber, allowing developers to test the OTA TRP/TIS performance of IEEE 802.11ax devices […]
Test setup handles high-speed Ethernet cable assemblies up to IEEE 802.3ck
New compliance test automation software from Rohde & Schwarz for IEEE 802.3 cable assemblies allows for precise and time-saving compliance tests of high-speed cables and backplanes according to the IEEE 802.3bj, by, cd and ck standards. The R&S ZNrun vector network analyzer automation suite controls a vector network analyzer and a switching solution from Rohde […]
What is Fourier transform IR spectroscopy?
Most EEs probably think of a Fourier transform in terms of an operation that converts time-based waveforms on a scope into their component frequencies. But Fourier transforms also play a role in infrared spectroscopy. It might be easiest to explain Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy by contrasting it with conventional spectroscopy. Also called “dispersive spectroscopy,” the […]
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 […]
