2012 ACE Awards Ultimate Products: Test and measurement systems and boards

We will announce the winners March 27 at a cocktail reception in San Jose during DESIGN West. Tickets to the event are available. See www.ubm-ace.com for additional information.


Azimuth FTL (Field-to-Lab) solution, Azimuth Systems

The Azimuth Systems Field-to-Lab solution was designed to provide an environment that bridges the gap between laboratory and field-measured test results. Azimuth’s FTL solution accomplishes this by expanding the scope of lab testing to allow real-world channel conditions collected from drive testing to be replayed through the Azimuth ACE MX MIMO channel emulator in the customer’s network test bed. By utilizing measurements of field data and playing them back through the ACE MX channel emulator, R&D engineers and operators can truly test device performance against the dynamics of the field to validate or benchmark pre-deployment mobile device performance and/or recreate network trouble spots/conditions for analysis and resolution. These capabilities result in reduced test time and cost and faster time to market, while substantially reducing potential issues experienced in the field. FTL also makes real-world testing more affordable, resulting in wider audience reach. Azimuth’s FTL solution allows users to automate their entire test bed in a modular, nonprogramming environment, allowing even novice users to write automation modules. As a result, the architecture of FTL’s automation enables users to share test information not only within their company but also across the entire supply ecosystem.

HRO 12-bit oscilloscopes, LeCroy Corp

The HRO (High Resolution Oscilloscope) features an industry-leading 12-bit analog-to-digital converter (ADC), deep memory of 256 Mpts/Ch, and superior DC accuracy specifications. A pristine signal acquisition architecture offers unmatched signal fidelity with low noise. This performance is augmented by a huge offset and timebase delay adjustment to allow easy signal and amplifier performance assessment and zooming on vertical and horizontal signal characteristics. From the crisp, ultra-thin traces to the blazing update speed and responsiveness, LeCroy HRO models provide a shocking contrast to traditional 8-bit oscilloscopes. www.lecroy.com/hro

PXIe-5665 14-GHz VSA, National Instruments

The NI PXIe-5665 delivers best-in-class dynamic range and accuracy in a cost-effective PXI form factor. The NI PXIe-5665 is a modular, three-stage superheterodyne analyzer that can be used as both a spectrum analyzer and a vector signal analyzer to perform signal measurements over a frequency range from 20 Hz to 14 GHz. The VSA features industry-leading phase noise and dynamic range, regardless of form factor, including traditional rack-and-stack instruments. Because of its PXI platform, the VSA can deliver measurement speeds up to 20 times faster than box instruments and for less cost. This modular instrument also increases flexibility while decreasing physical bulk compared with previous box solutions. Additionally, it takes advantage of multicore computing architectures and parallel programming capabilities through NI LabVIEW system design software. It also offers peer-to-peer data streaming for signal processing and a flexible multiple input, multiple output (MIMO) architecture for phase-coherent measurements. This makes it ideal for demanding RF test applications, including radio detection and ranging (RADAR), satellite, radio, and harmonic testing.

iMSO-104 mixed-signal oscilloscope, Oscium

iMSO-104 is a mixed signal oscilloscope for iOS. It is compatible with all generations of iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch. Here’s how it works: (1) Download "iMSO" from the Apple App Store. (2) Plug the iMSO-104 hardware into the charging port (or 30-pin dock connector) of the iPad, iPhone, or iPod touch. (3) Connect Analog Probe and Logic Probe to the appropriate ports on the scope. Once hardware is plugged in, the full functionality of the iMSO software is unlocked and available to the user. Using Apple’s iOS platform for test equipment has opened up a new and exciting alternative to PC-based systems and other handheld oscilloscopes. With iMSO-104, users now have the ability to navigate an oscilloscope interface using intuitive hand gestures. For example, changing both the vertical and horizontal scaling can be done by touching the screen and then moving two fingers away from each other. To zoom out, simply pinch the screen, moving two fingers toward each other. iMSO-104 also provides for an elegantly portable solution for FAEs or other on-the-go engineers. The iMSO-104 hardware is small enough to be compared to a quarter, and although it requires an iOS device to function, many customers already carry this with them, making the iMSO-104 scope something that can fit into their pocket.

MDO4000 mixed-domain oscilloscope, Tektronix

The Tektronix MDO4000 Series oscilloscope has a built-in spectrum analyzer. It gives users the ability to capture time-correlated analog, digital, and RF signals for a complete system view of their devices. It combines both the time and frequency domains in a single screen, enabling engineers to seamlessly move between the two domains. Engineers can also view the RF spectrum at any point in time in their acquisition to find sources of noise, or to see how the spectrum changes over time or with device state. The built-in, dedicated spectrum analyzer channel has 50 kHz to 3 or 6 GHz of frequency coverage, and at least 1 GHz of capture bandwidth. That is a hundred times wider than a typical spectrum analyzer, which has only 10-MHz capture bandwidth. The MDO4000 tool allows the design engineer to look at his analog, digital, serial, and RF data, all time-correlated, with one instrument, saving time. This breakthrough capability represents a powerful new way to solve complicated design issues quickly and efficiently.

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Click here to view all the 2012 ACE Awards Ultimate Products finalists.