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 September 2017, Vol. 56, No. 9

C O NT E NT S
AT E
SPECIAL REPORT
MIL/Aero Test
6 Aerospace sector prepares for growth
amidst currents of change
by Alan R. Earls, Contributing Editor

Industry Happenings
26 SEMICON West addresses extended
supply chain
by Rick Nelson, Executive Editor

I N S T R U M E N TAT I O N
SPECIAL REPORT
Power Supplies/Loads
12 Optimizing test for performance
and efficiency
by Rick Nelson, Executive Editor

Sensors Product Focus

24 Monitoring parameters from angle to
CO2 levels
by Rick Nelson, Executive Editor

MEDICAL TEST C O M M U N I C AT I O N S T E S T
Technology Insights Wireless Test
32 Setting the pacemaker on a 16 IMS reflects, precedes RF/microwave
new course innovation
by Alan R. Earls, Contributing Editor by Rick Nelson, Executive Editor

Cybersecurity
D E PA R T M E N T S 20 Initiatives aim to thwart hackers as
IoT proliferates
2 Editorial by Rick Nelson, Executive Editor
4 EE Industry Update
28 EE Product Picks S O F T WA R E
31 Index of Advertisers
Software
22 Make accurate and fast design
decisions with data analytics
by Ailee Grumbine, Keysight Technologies

@EE_Engineers
www.facebook.com/EvaluationEngineering
Written by Engineers
for Engineers evaluationengineering.com
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01_EE_201709_TOC_FINAL.indd 1 8/11/2017 10:38:27 AM

 EDITORIAL

Seeking the right evaluationengineering.com

technology mix for 5G EDITORIAL
EXECUTIVE EDITOR Rick Nelson
e-mail: rnelson@evaluationengineering.com

T his year is a key one for 5G, as I commented in an April story on the topic. As
James Kimery, director, marketing, RF research/SDR at National Instruments,
put it, 2017 will see the worlds telecommunication infrastructure companies,
MANAGING EDITOR Deborah Beebe
e-mail: dbeebe@evaluationengineering.com
silicon providers, service operators, and test-and-measurement companies finalize CONTRIBUTING EDITOR Alan Earls
the specifications, conduct field trials, and begin the commercialization process.
In that same issue, I quote Dr. Li-Ke Huang, research and technology director at PRODUCTION
Cobham Wireless, as saying 5G will not be a single wireless technology like its pre-
decessors. It will, in fact, comprise a number of different services being delivered AD CONTRACTS/TRAFFIC MANAGER Laura Moulton
e-mail: lmoulton@npcomm.com
to the end user across multiple access technologies and multilayer networks, he
said. 5G will effectively be a dynamic, coherent, and flexible technological frame-
BUSINESS
workand very different from the previous generations of wireless standards. It
will provide a system that leverages a variety of technologies depending on the PRESIDENT Kristine Russell
precise needs of the application, particularly as IoT becomes more prevalent. e-mail: krussell@npcomm.com
Speaking at SEMICON West in July in San Francisco, Sree Koratala, vice presi- PUBLISHER Jim Russell
dent, head of technology, Ericsson, agreed with Huang that 5G will be unlike pre- e-mail: jrussell@npcomm.com
vious wireless generations. The difference as she sees it is a shift from consumer
to industry use cases. Ericsson, she said, has a presence in 180 countries and par- ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER Michael Hughes
e-mail: mhughes@evaluationengineering.com
ticipates in carrying 40% of the worlds mobile traffic. From that vantage point,
she said, Ericsson predicts there will be 29 billion connected devices by 2022a MARKETING DIRECTOR Joan Sutherland
mind-bogging numberwith 18 billion of those being IoT devices. The IoT will
have an economic impact of $11 trillion by 2025, she added. ADVERTISING
Unlike any of the previous technologies, Koratala said, 5G will serve multiple WEST
Michael Hughes
industries and offer new areas and opportunities for growth. Use cases will vary Phone: 805-529-6790
widely, she emphasizedthere will not be a single use case for IoT, which will e-mail: mhughes@evaluationengineering.com
span the gamut from logistics to smart agriculture.
However, even as 5G technology accelerates, questions remain. Also speaking at EAST
SEMICON West, Cdric Dehos of CEA-Leti suggested it remains to be seen what Blake Holton or Michelle Holton
Phone: 407-971-6286 or 407-971-8558
combination of technologies will carry M2M and IoT data traffic. He cited esti- e-mail: bholton@cfl.rr.com
mates of a 47% CAGR in mobile data-traffic growth rates driven by smartphones mmholton@cfl.rr.com
and tablets, with 60% of traffic carrying video. Further, he expects huge growth in
M2M and IoT traffic by 2020. CIRCULATION
He said Wi-Fi and femtocells will play a role in data-traffic offloadingdescrib- SUBSCRIPTIONS / BACK ISSUES
ing LTE-M, NB-IoT, and 5G New Radio with massive MIMO as more cellular, e-mail: subscriptions@npcomm.com
while Wi-Fi, Sigfox, 802.11p, and Lora constitute more than cellular. He de- LIST RENTALS Laura Moulton
scribed several Leti projects, including a 6-GHz front-end module integrating PA, e-mail: lmoulton@npcomm.com
LNA, switch, and diplexer in RF SOI 130-nm LDMOS technology; an ultra-narrow- EPRODUCT COORDINATOR Mary Haberstroh
band transceiver for the low-power wide-area Sigfox network; and a contactless e-mail: mhaberstroh@npcomm.com
connector operating at 60 GHz. REPRINTS Evelyn Dodge
Reflecting Huangs comment about 5G being a flexible technological framework e-mail: edodge@npcomm.com
leveraging a variety of technologies, Dehos then elaborated on the heterogeneous
network as part of the European Horizon 2020 project. The hetnet, he said, will EE-EVALUATION ENGINEERING is available by
free subscription to qualified managers, supervisors
make use of the huge available bandwidth at mmWave frequencies, benefit from and engineers in the electronics and related industries.
high frequency reuse, offer natural immunity to interference, and exhibit low EMF.
He foresees the coexistence of three layers: 3G/4G networks, mmWave small cells, FOUNDER A. VERNER NELSON
and 60-GHz/E-band backhauling. e-mail: vnelson@nelsonpub.com
Dehos said that a clear 5G roadmap does not exist, and global indecision and
disagreement could lead to the emergence of new players. Nevertheless, he ex-
pects mmWave frequencies to play a key role in device-to-device short-range com-
munications and small-cell backhauling. The next hot topic, he said, will be the
mmWave outdoor access point.
He is looking for progress in SOI/CMOS/BICMOS technologies, antennas, and
packaging to reduce the cost of mmWave devices. Innovative approaches are still
needed to solve the major technical challenges, he concluded. NP COMMUNICATIONS LLC
2477 Stickney Point Rd., Suite 221B
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Visit my blog: www.evaluationengineering.com/ricks-blog/ Printed in the U.S.A.

2 evaluationengineering.com September 2017

02_EE_201709_Editorial_MECH_dB.indd 2 8/9/2017 4:50:15 PM

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 INDUSTRY
UPDATE
Veeco CNT ships 500th ALD
system
$80,000 Veeco Instruments announced that Vee-
co CNT, formerly known as Ultratech/
Average annual wage of jobs at Cambridge Nanotech, has shipped its
low risk of automation 500th atomic layer deposition (ALD) sys-
tem. The 500th systemthe Fiji G2TM
$40,000 ALD systemwent to North Carolina
State University and will enable the uni-
Average annual wage of jobs at versity to perform a variety of research
high risk of automation applications for next-generation elec-
tronic devices, including high-perfor-
Source: Center for Business and Economic Research
(CBER) and the Rural Policy Institutes Center for State mance wearables and sensors.
Policy at Ball State University The Veeco CNT Fiji G2 ALD system
will be a critical tool to meet our research
goals, said Bongmook Lee, Ph.D., re-
70% search assistant professor of the NSF
NERC ASSIST Center at North Carolina
Percentage of surveyed U.S. State University. This ALD tool enables
businesses planning to increase advances in our research for high-per-
spending on cloud computing formance CMOS, nonvolatile memory,
this year next-generation wide bandgap power
devices, and environmental and physi-
80% ological sensors. We selected the Veeco
CNT Fiji G2 for its demonstrated capabil-
Percentage of businesses considering ity to reliably deposit the most challeng-
implementing a hybrid cloud option ing oxide and nitride thin films.
in the future
Source: Clutch
Rohde & Schwarz Test and
Measurement Division under
new leadership
$10 billion plus
North American market for
semiconductor equipment
and materials.
347.4 million
Number of smartphones that
shipped globally in the first quarter
of this year.
$219 billion Andreas Pauly
Estimated global medical Rohde & Schwarz has announced that
electronics market by 2024. Andreas Pauly, who previously was vice
president for signal generators, audio
27,000 analyzers, and power meters, has taken
over as executive vice president of the
Number of people brought to Test and Measurement Division at Rohde
San Francisco annually by & Schwarz. He also was appointed to the
SEMICON West. board of directors.
Pauly (pictured), 47, succeeds Roland
49% Steffen, who will retire at the end of 2017.
Until that time, Steffen will support his
Percentage of SEMICON West successor as he settles into his new po-
attendees with engineering sition. Steffen has been with Rohde &
job functions. Schwarz for 40 years, 14 as executive vice
president of the Test and Measurement
Source: SEMI
Division. During this time, he contributed
significantly to the development of the
4 evaluationengineering.com September 2017
04-05_EE_201709_IndUpdate_FINAL.indd 4
Test and Measurement Division and cre-
ated the basis for its continuing success as
the strongest Rohde & Schwarz division.
Pauly joined Rohde & Schwarz in 1996
as a software engineer. In 2003, he as-
sumed his first managerial position in the
company, and in 2015 he was appointed
vice president signal generators, audio
analyzers, and power meters. Pauly ad-
vanced the expansion of the microwave
product portfolio and continued his busi-
ness units success story.
RF switches enable smart tuning
Peregrine Semiconductor announced
that Monarch Antenna is using UltraC-
MOS PE613010 tuning-control switches
in Monarchs latest prototypea compact
4G tunable antenna. Monarch Antenna, a
spinout of Delphi Automotive Systems,
selected the PE613010 switch to showcase
the smart switching capabilities of self-
structuring antenna (SSA) technology in
mobile handsets. Patented SSA technol-
ogy is the culmination of 15 years of R&D,
and initial prototypes show superior per-
formance compared to existing antenna
solutions, the companies reported. Mon-
archs 4G tunable antenna delivers a high
signal-to-noise ratio, which translates into
end-user benefits of better connectivity,
faster downloads, and longer battery life.
To fully demonstrate the advanced
tuning capabilities of SSA technology,
our team needed to find an SPST switch
with low on-state resistance, said Tay-
fun Ozdemir, Ph.D., co-founder and
chief technology officer of Monarch
Antenna. Our engineers had a long
list of desired technical specifications,
and Peregrines PE613010 was the only
switch on the market that could meet
our performance demands.
Sanechips licenses CEVA-X1 IoT
processor for NB-IoT
CEVA, a licensor of signal processing
IP for smart connected devices, has an-
nounced that Sanechips Technology
(previously named ZTE Microelectron-
ics Technology) has licensed the CEVA-
X1 IoT processor for its Narrowband-
Internet of Things (NB-IoT) product,
the RoseFinch7100. Sanechips leveraged
the CEVA-X1 to develop an area- and
power-optimized NB-IoT solution that is
capable of delivering on the promise of
long-life, low-cost cellular connectivity
for IoT devices.
Demonstrating its commitment to
NB-IoT, Sanechips recently took part
in the first large-scale field test of NB-
IoT using its precommercial RoseFinch
8/10/2017 3:58:38 PM
 INDUSTRY
UPDATE

chipset. The trial, organized by China
Mobile, tested the network of the entire
mobile chain including core network,
terminals, and apps and was reported
to have been successful.
NB-IoT is set to dominate long-range
IoT connectivity on a global scale, and
Sanechips is proud to be at the forefront of
this revolution, said Zhou Jin, marketing
director of Sanechips. Closely collaborat-
ing with CEVA ensures we develop best-
in-class products like the RoseFinch7100
that will enable mass market adoption of
this technology. The CEVA-X1 IoT pro-
cessor delivers exceptional performance
within the stringent power and cost con-
straints of NB-IoT devices.
Zuken adds XJTAG tool to PCB
design suite
Zuken and XJTAG have entered into a
partnership to enhance Zukens CR-8000
PCB Design Suite with a design DFT ca-
pability that will improve test coverage
during schematic entry. The capabil-
ity is based on XJTAGs DFT Assistant
and will be available later this year as a
free plugin for Zukens CR-8000 Design
Gateway users.
Simon Payne, CEO of XJTAG (pic-
tured), said, XJTAG is pleased to be
joining Zukens solution ecosystem.
Companies need to determine early in
the design phase how to maximize test
coverage using the minimum number of
test points, so it is essential to know what
JTAG access is available at the schematic
stage of the design process. The XJTAG
DFT Assistant for Zukens CR-8000 De-
sign Gateway will make it easy to see the
test access as the design evolves. This al-
lows test engineers to significantly opti-
mize testing before PCBs are produced.
Bob Potock, vice president of mar-
keting at Zuken USA, said, Boundary-
scan technology and XJTAGs DFT As-
Simon Payne
sistant will enable engineers to build,
optimize, and measure the chains test
coverage at the schematic entry stage.
For our customers, this enhancement
will mean better test coverage that
translates into better manufacturing
yields and lower costs.
Micron and SEMI host High Tech U
The SEMI Foundation and the Micron
Technology Foundation announced in
June its partnership to deliver the 213th
SEMI High Tech U program at Microns
facilities in Milpitas, CA. Forty students
from local high schools attended the
three-day STEM program.
The nonprofit SEMI Foundation has
been holding its SEMI High Tech U flag-
ship program at industry sites around
the world since 2001 to emphasize the
importance of STEM skills and inspire
young people to pursue careers in high-
technology fields. HTU allows students
to meet engineers and volunteer in-
structors from industry in a face-to-face
setting with tech-related, hands-on ac-
tivities such as etching wafers, making
circuits, coding, and professional inter-
view training.
We are delighted to partner with Mi-
cron in our common goal to motivate the
next generation of innovators, said Ajit
Manocha, president and CEO of SEMI
and the SEMI Foundation. HighTech U
has reached more than 6,000 students in
11 states as well as nine countries inter-
nationally.
FRAMOS partners with Tattile
The FRAMOS Group announced that it
has been appointed by the Italian Tattile
Group as a global partner for industrial
cameras and machine vision controllers.
Under this agreement, FRAMOS
will offer the entire Tattile portfolio to
its global network of imaging clients,
OEMs, and system integrators. The goal
is to serve customers worldwide along
the complete acquisition pipeline with
imaging solutions based on open hard-
ware and software. The Tattile industrial
cameras and machine-vision controllers
are complementing the FRAMOS portfo-
lio that ranges from sensors to systems.
Lorenzo Cassano, FRAMOSs head of
sales in Europe, said, The new partner-
ship is a next step in growing both FRA-
MOS and Tattile. The FRAMOS sales
strategy matches the Tattile products
line, providing state-of-the-art linescan
technology, fully open machine-vision
controllers, and the power of embedded
imaging with the S-Line smart cameras.
Wireless test bed maker opens
San Jose office
octoScope, manufacturer of the auto-
mated octoBox wireless testbeds, has an-
nounced the opening of a new office in
San Jose, CA.
The octoScope Bay Area satellite of-
fice will serve as a base for California and
western U.S. customers. The new site of-
fers customers access to live demonstra-
tions of the octoBox testbed for measuring
throughput, MU-MIMO, band-steering,
roaming, and mesh performance.

Multitest contactor serves WLCSP test

Multitest announced that its new 0.3-mm-pitch Atlas contactor successfully passed a
customer production-floor evaluation. The customers evaluation confirmed that the
Atlas reduced the customers cost of test while improving test yield and increasing
throughput. Based on the evaluation results, the customer ordered a significant number
of Atlas 030 contactors to support its new-product WLCSP production ramp.
The key to the WLCSP Atlass high performance and reliability is the combination of
increased mechanical tip strength and short-probe electrical performance, Multitest said.
Atlas WLCSP test contactors achieve mechanical reliability with a rigid cruciform tip.
The Atlas 030 offers a short electrical path with lower capacitance and inductance that
is suitable for functional and AC parametric testing of WLCSP devices that require high
system bandwidth and throughput gains in large multisite test applications. EE

Courtesy of Multitest

For more on these and other news items, visit www.evaluationengineering.com/category/industry-update/

September 2017 evaluationengineering.com 5

04-05_EE_201709_IndUpdate_FINAL.indd 5 8/10/2017 3:58:46 PM

 SPECIAL REPORT M I L /A E R O T E S T
Aerospace sector prepares for growth
amidst currents of change
By Alan R. Earls, Contributing Editor
T
he aerospace and defense market, as a whole, is in the
midst of some profound changes. According to the De-
loitte 2017 Global Aerospace and Defense Sector Outlook,1
On the defense side, resurgence of global security threats,
expected increases in U.S. defense budgets, as well as higher
defense spending from other major regional powers such as
Japan and India will likely promote global defense subsector
revenue growth in the near future, the authors noted.
In concrete terms, the authors said they expect commercial
aerospace to remain nearly flat in terms of revenues while the
defense sector is likely to grow at a much faster 3.2% rate after
multiyear declines in defense budgets in the United States.
Figure 1. Software-defined tactical radio communications test set
Courtesy of Astronics Test Systems
Providing a window into one aspect of that market is
AUTOTESTCON, which bills itself as the worlds premier
conference for the military/aerospace automatic test indus-
try and as a forum to share new technologies and discuss in-
novative applications. Sponsored by the Institute of Electri-
cal and Electronic Engineers (IEEE), this years event, which
includes exhibits of products and services, will be held Sept.
11-14 in Schaumburg, IL. The keynote presentation will be
made by John Johns, a former deputy assistant secretary
of defense for maintenance plans and now policy director,
global relations, at Northrop Grumman Technology Services.
With his experience overseeing the U.S. Department of
Defenses $80 billion military equipment and weapons main-
tenance program, Johns insights are being targeted at those
seeking to discern directions for the industry with a new ad-
ministration in Washington.
6 evaluationengineering.com September 2017
EE_201709_SpecRep-MILAERO_replacement.indd 6
Sponsored by
Those in industry, mindful of military and political devel-
opments as well as technology trends, offered a spectrum of
opinions regarding the state of the industry and the issues
likely to be top-of-mind at AUTOTESTCON.
Effective support is key to mission readiness and success,
and we continue to see a great interest in test solutions that
provide commonality of support equipment across aircraft
platforms and at all maintenance levels, said Stephen T.
Sargeant, Major General, USAF (Ret.) and chief executive of-
ficer at Marvin Test Solutions. However, extended product
lifecycles make support increasingly challenging as well, he
noted. Even if acquisition budgets increase, it makes sense
to streamline logistics in order to direct resources as efficient-
ly as possible, he said.
Another broad consideration is standardization. Most en-
gineers have recognized the benefits of standardizing hard-
ware in your test system, but often that thought process ends
with instrumentation, noted Ben Robinson, product mar-
keting manager for modular instruments at National Instru-
ments. That same line of thought should extend to the rack
and power infrastructure considering that the pieces of a test
system need to work together, be safe, and adequately sup-
port the instrumentation, he said. Weve heard anecdotes that
it can sometimes take more than a dozen purchase orders to
put together a rack-based test system, and in many cases, that
complexity is not warranted or valuable, Robinson added.
Organizations need to focus within their operations on
developing strategies for complying with Defense Federal
Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS) clause 225.204-
7012, according to Rob Mixer, chief engineersoftware se-
curity, also at National Instruments. DFARS requires con-
tractors to implement NIST Special Publication (SP) 800-171
Figure 2. M9383A PXIe microwave signal generator
Courtesy of Keysight Technologies
8/23/2017 8:25:06 AM
 S P E C I A L R E P O R T - M I L /A E R O T E S T

are driving RF test equipment like NIs second-generation

vector signal transceiver to support RF bandwidths of up to
1 GHz or more, said Charles Schroeder, vice president for
RF and wireless communications at NI. With wider band-
width RF instrumentation, engineers in the aerospace and
defense industry are better able to address applications like
radar prototyping, spectrum monitoring, electronic warfare,
and more, said Schroeder.
Given the extensive amount of research on autonomous
vehicles and deployment of drones in many aspects of war-
fare, testing of these systems and the line-replaceable units in
these devices will be increasingly important, too, explained
Bob Stasonis, sales and marketing director at Pickering
Interfaces.
Companies also offered a preview of what they will be
bringing to the event.

Figure 3. MTS-209 portable test set

Courtesy of Marvin Test Solutions

Figure 5. ATE core configurations

Courtesy of National Instruments
standards not later than Dec. 31, 2017. The DFARS require-
ment for defense contractor compliance with NIST SP 800-
171 applies to test systems, not just traditional IT systems,
noted Mixer. Compliance can be a challenge, he added.
The changing technology landscape also will demand new
and different responses. For instance, Herman vanEijkelen-
burg, director of marketing, Pacific Power Source, noted that
growing adoption of Ethernet and LXI for new ATE systems is
leading to a replacement of GPIB and other older technology.
And, interestingly, at least
one observer sees a re-emer-
gence of customers wanting
to build their own test solu-
tions. According to Brian Price,
executive vice president at
Astronics Test Systems, there is
a growing segment of custom-
ers that want to build their own
specific test solutions, typically
where a COTS solution doesnt
meet their specific test require-
ments. In some cases, this is
due to having specific product
requirements, cost consider-
ations, or proprietary product
information that needs to be
kept in-house, noted Price. Open platforms
In addition, as mature test sys- In discussions with our customers, we see that the military/
tems begin to be refreshed, We aerospace market is in the beginning of a transition to mod-
see more customers interested ern, open, and growth-oriented test platforms, explained
in moving their solutions to a Price. Indeed, he noted, Astronics is focused on developing
new PXIe format, Price said. solutions in these specific areas including modern radio test
He said PXIe offers custom- solutions. While radio test is not in itself new, customers are
ers a smaller footprint, a more putting emphasis on being able to test new multiwaveform
flexible form factor, and new radios while maintaining support for their legacy equip-
modern instruments with lon- ment, Price said. For example, he said, test solutions need
ger support. to support legacy SINCGARS radios, new multiwaveform
Figure 4. MT1888 laser source/ Meanwhile, Requirements protocols, and future battlefield requirements, such as LTE.
spot simulator from commercial technologies Among the items the company plans to showcase are the
Courtesy of Marvin Test Solutions like 5G and automotive radar ATS-3100 RTS (Radio Test Solution), a PXIe-based radio test

September 2017 evaluationengineering.com 7

EE_201709_SpecRep-MILAERO_replacement.indd 7 8/23/2017 8:25:21 AM

 SPECIAL REPORT M I L /A E R O T E S T
Figure 6. Model 312-AMX AC power source
Courtesy of Pacific Power Source
solution built on Astronics Test Systems newest platform,
the ATS-3100, providing the functionality of multiple instru-
ments on a single, software-defined platform. The company
also will highlight its CTS-6010 Tactical Radio Test Set (Fig-
ure 1). The flexibility of the software-defined CTS-6010 al-
lows for rapid addition of capabilities as new test require-
ments arise. The companys newest software release has
added capabilities for transmit EVM and receive sensitivity
(BER) testing of wideband digital radios including the Har-
ris PRC-117G and PRC-152A over their full frequency range.
PXIe and .NET platforms
According to Joan Gibson, solutions business manager for
A/D and Government Solutions at Keysight Technologies,
the company is focusing on exhibiting two specific prod-
ucts: the M9383A PXIe Microwave Signal Generator (Figure
2) and the Test Automation Platform Developers System
(KS8400A).
Gibson said the M9383A was introduced in June 2017. It
is the industrys first scalable PXIe microwave signal genera-
tor with frequency coverage up to 44 GHz and modulation
bandwidth up to 1 GHz, and it is designed to support MIL-
ATE test requirements, she said. It also provides flexibility
to upgrade performance as technology changes, she said. In
addition to the M9383A, Keysight offers a broad portfolio
of PXI instrumentation to support MIL-ATE applications,
Gibson added.
Figure 7. 3150AFX AC/DC power source
Courtesy of Pacific Power Source
8 evaluationengineering.com September 2017
EE_201709_SpecRep-MILAERO_replacement.indd 8
Sponsored by
The Test Automation Platform
(TAP) Developers System, based
on the Microsoft .NET platform,
provides a fast and flexible test
sequence and test-plan creation
platform to address automation
and automation-centric solution
needs. According to Gibson, it can
be used standalone or in combina-
tion with higher-level test execu-
tive software environments. It is
not another programing language,
it is a platform upon which you
can build your test solutions with
a modular software approach,
she stressed. TAP also provides
results and timing analytics to help engineers easily view,
debug, and optimize their tests.
In addition, she said, Keysights Radio Test Solution offers
hardware and software building blocks for testing analog
and digital radios from 10 Hz to 27 GHz. It has high density/
throughput and an open flexible and scalable modular ar-
chitecture for efficient and complete test development and
execution, said Gibson.
Figure 8. Model 60-105 four-slot-LXI-chassis
Courtesy of Pickering Interfaces
Smart ATE
According to CEO Sargeant, at AUTOTESTCON Marvin
will be showcasing its test solutions for O-Level, I-Level,
D-Level, and manufacturing testincluding the MTS-3060
SmartCan Universal O-Level Test Set, the MTS-209 Common
Armament Systems Test Set (Figure 3), and the MTS-1888 Se-
ries Laser Source Simulator (Figure 4) as well as the GENA-
SYS Switching/Digital Subsystems, legacy ATE replacement
products, and the ATEasy Test Development and Test Execu-
tive software, now in its Version 10 release.
MTS test solutions are designed to support the test-
ing of both legacy and SMART weapon systems as well
as providing an upgrade path to meet emerging and fu-
ture requirements. With more than 25 years of experience
8/23/2017 8:25:37 AM
 S P E C I A L R E P O R T - M I L /A E R O T E S T

in functional ATE, providing systems, and space-restrictive applications, he one and four Pickering 3U PXI mod-
applications, and specialized instru- said. The chassis are designed for desk ules. Possible systems include switch-
mentation, we are uniquely positioned or rack mounting and feature remote ing matrices up to 2,208 crosspoints or
to help our customers solve their most control via USB or LXI Ethernet. Re- up to 36 channels of programmable re-
demanding test challenges, make test mote control over a network enables sistor/sensor simulation.
easy, and ensure their success, said the switching function of a test system Both the two-slot and the new four-
Sargeant. to be located as close as possible to the slot chassis are USB 3 compatible and
target equipment, said Stasonis. The have a fully compliant LXI interface.
Core ATE new four-slot chassis supports between These communications standards en-
At AUTOTESTCON 2017, NI will
showcase the new ATE Core Configu-
rations (Figure 5), which the company
said can help simplify the design, pro-
curement, assembly, and deployment
of smarter test systems at a lower cost
and shorter time to market by empow-
ering test organizations with a plat-
WebDAQ
form for standardization. These 19- Internet Enabled Data Loggers from MCC
inch rack-based configurations include
core mechanical, power, and safety
infrastructure to help users accelerate
the design and build of automated test
systems in aerospace and defense test Remote Conguration and Monitoring
and are available in various rack-unit
heights, with scalable power profiles
Virtually Unlimited Storage
to match the needs of nearly any ap-
plication and geography. Test orga-
nizations can benefit from integrated
safety features such as thermal shutoff,
emergency power off, optional uninter-
ruptible power supplies, and IEC 61010 Integrated HW and SW
certification, Robinson said.

Powering ATE
Pacific Power Source will be focusing
on its expanding line of precision pro-
grammable AC and DC power sources Flexible Triggers, Built-in Web Server,
for ATE test applicationsin particular Alarms, Emails, and Easy-to-Use
single- and three-phase output AMX SMS Texts
Series models (Figure 6) used to sup-
port avionics frequencies to 5 kHz.
The company also will highlight its
AFX Series. The higher power density
available from Pacific Power Sources
AFX Series (Figure 7) allows more
power to be installed in a small amount
Buy with Condence with a 30-Day Money-Back Guarantee
of rack space, said vanEijkelenburg.
It also allows upgrading of older ATE
MODEL INPUTS SAMPLE RATE RESOLUTION DIGITAL I/O
platforms for higher power demands
using the same or less space than older WebDAQ 316 16
75 S/s Max 24-Bit 4
Temperature Logger Thermocouple
power sources, he added.
WebDAQ 504
4 IEPE 51 kS/s/Ch Max 24-Bit 4
USB/LXI modularity Vibration/Acoustic Logger

According to Stasonis, one of the key

products Pickering will be sharing at MCCDAQ.COM/WebDAQ
AUTOTESTCON is a new four-slot
USB/LXI Modular Chassis, Model 60-
Contact us
105 (Figure 8). This chassis comple-
ments our recently released two-slot 1.800.234.4232
USB/LXI Modular Chassis since they
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 SPECIAL REPORT M I L /A E R O T E S T Sponsored by

able the chassis to be controlled directly

through standard interfaces found on
most personal computers and tablets
that support HTML5, said Stasonis.
The company also is focusing atten-
tion on its high-density modular LXI
reed relay matrix range (Model 65-22x).
Originally designed to test semicon- Figure 9. Model 65-221 high-density LXI reed relay matrix
ductors at wafer and package levels, Courtesy of Pickering Interfaces

the reed relay matrix (Figure 9) solu-

tion combines Pickerings LXI modular
matrix chassis (Model 65-200) with a
new plug-in matrix module that pro-
vides access to all signal connections
on 200-pin connectors. According to
Stasonis, the range includes four mod-
ules covering matrices of up to 1,536x4
Safety. Innovation. in increments of 128 (Model 65-221),
768x8 in increments of 64 (Model 65-

The New Hypot Series

223), 384x16 in increments of 32 (Model
65-225), and 192x32 in increments of 32
(Model 65-227).
Other companies havent yet dis-
closed their plans for AUTOTESTCON
to EE-Evaluation Engineering. Howev-
er, Teradyne said it will demonstrate its
PXI Express-based High-Speed Subsys-
tem (HSSub), which aims to address de-
fense and aerospace ATE requirements
that are common across most recent
designs. Teradynes newest acquisi-
tion, Avionics Interface Technologies,
will be demonstrating its own bus test
instrumentation for MIL-STD-1553 and
ARINC 429 (a data transfer standard for
aircraft avionics) and is expected to in-
troduce a new Shared Memory product.
Recent relevant product introduc-
Barcode Data Smart PPE tions suggest what other companies
Capability Transfer GFI Compatible may be highlighting at AUTOTEST-
CON. For example, Rohde & Schwarz is
likely to exhibit its new R&S SMA100B
analog signal generator, introduced in
June, which offers a frequency range
up to 20 GHz. The R&S SMA100B is de-
signed for the RF semiconductor, wire-
less communications, and aerospace
and defense industries.
Visit www.evaluationengineering.
com for more updates as the event
nears. EE

Reference
Test Faster. Test Safer. Test Better. 1. 2017 Global Aerospace and Defense Industry
go.arisafety.com/hypot Outlook, Deloitte.

13860 W. Laurel Drive, Lake Forest, IL 60045 USA

call +1-847-367-4077 online arisafety.com

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 SPECIAL REPORT POWE R SUPPLIES/LOADS
Optimizing test for performance
and efficiency
By Rick Nelson, Executive Editor
P
ower supplies and loads are key tools in the test of prod-
ucts ranging from highly efficient communications ICs to
high-power automotive-drive-train and battery systems.
Physical configurations range from benchtop units to floor-
standing cabinets.
Todays complex electronic designs place higher demands on
the systems that power them, said Bill Griffith, application en-
gineering manager at Keysight Technologies, speaking of power
supplies at the launch of Keysights latest model. But these
power systems often cause design problems, and basic power
supplies may be incapable of uncovering them.
As for loads, companies recently have introduced both re-
generative and dissipative versions since our last look at the
topic.1 Gerard Sheehan, Intepro Systems chief technical officer,
commented that the regenerative feature is valuable because
it minimizes the need for expensive cooling systems used by
conventional air- and water-cooled loads. However, Herman
vanEijkelenburg, director of marketing at Adaptive Power Sys-
tems, which makes both regenerative and dissipative loads,
notes the dissipative loads can provide higher dynamic-current
slew-rate performance.
Electronic load details
Intepro Systems latest load offering is the ELR 9000 HP Series
regenerative, programmable electronic DC load, designed to ac-
commodate three-phase mains between 360 and 528 VAC (Fig-
ure 1). The wide input voltage of the new ELR 9000 HP Series
of electronic DC loads is especially important to our customers
that have manufacturing facilities in multiple global locations,
said Sheehan.
Each unit provides load ratings of up to 15 kW in a single 3U
rack-mounted instrument. A master-slave bus can connect as
many as 16 units in parallel to test loads of up to 240 kW. The
company said a unique feature of the ELR 9000 HP Series is an
integral, grid-synchronized inverter designed to return up to
94.5% of the load test energy back to the grid.
Figure 1. ELR 9000 HP Series regenerative, programmable electronic DC load
Courtesy of Intepro Systems
12 evaluationengineering.com September 2017
12-15_EE_201709_SpecRep-POWER_FINAL.indd 12
Sponsored by
Adaptive Power Systems latest initiative with regard to
programmable DC loads is an upgrade to its 5VP line to sup-
port master/slave parallel operation (Figure 2). Individual 5VP
loads support power levels from 5 kW to 60 kW each; with the
upgrade, up to eight loads can be paralleled to support extend-
ed-range, high-power electric-vehicle battery-test applications.
The new 5VP Series loads offer a suite of built-in battery-
discharge-profile functions which engineers can customize
and execute without having to develop test software. Data
on battery performance can be collected during these test dis-
charge protocols.
According to Eric Lord, director of sales for Adaptive Pow-
er Systems and sibling company Pacific Power Source, These
high-power electronic loads are very cost-effective tools for de-
velopment and test engineering. They represent a logical product
line expansion to our existing AC source and DC power product
lines. With the addition of master/slave operation, we now can
offer programmable DC load solutions as high as 480 kW.
Power supplies
As for power supplies, Pacific Power Source recently announced
a range of high-power AFX Series integrated cabinet test systems,
which consist of two or more integrated AFX AC- and DC-capable
programmable power sources in a parallel configuration for pow-
er levels of 18 kVA and higher. All are prewired for AC input and
AC/DC output. AFX power sources use a proprietary, all-digital
power-conversion technology2 delivering higher power density
than previously available, allowing a 45-kVA system to fit in a 33-
inch bench-height cabinet, for example.
Also addressing high power, AMETEK Programmable Power
has added a 22.5-kVA unit to its California Instruments MX Se-
ries II AC/DC power sources (Figure 3). The MX22.5 delivers up
to 22.5 kVA and can be configured to have single-phase or three-
phase outputs in the AC, DC, or AC+DC mode. The company
describes the MX22.5 as more economical than the California In-
struments MX30 while offering more features and higher output
power than the product familys MX15 model.
The MX Series II provides controlled AC and DC
output for a variety of automated test equipment
and product test applications through the use of
PWM switching techniques. Using DSP technology,
the MX Series programmable controller can gener-
ate harmonic waveforms and arbitrary waveforms
to test for susceptibility to harmonics and other
power anomalies.
Users can combine units to configure systems up to
135 kVA or more. The model also offers regenerative,
bidirectional green power. Automatic crossover be-
tween source and sink power modes offers regenera-
tive capabilities in AC or DC mode. The power sourc-
es can regenerate up to 85% of the rated output power
back to the utility grid during sink mode operation
when equipped with the appropriate option.
8/11/2017 8:38:53 AM
 Go ahead. Bench it.

The New
Auto-Ranging, Programmable,
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Model Voltage Current Power
62010L-36-7 0~36V 0~7A 108W
62015L-60-6 0~60V 0~6A 150W

The new auto-ranging 62000L programmable DC power supplies provide low

ripple, low noise linear performance and a fast transient response to meet the
requirements of next generation power electronics like automotive power
electronics MCU/ECU, wireless communications, and semiconductor IC drivers
all in a portable, lightweight, and cost effective package. GPIB and USB come
standard and up to 7 units can be connected to achieve greater voltage and
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To find out more about our new DC source, visit chromausa.com.

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 SPECIAL REPORT POWE R SUPPLIES/LOADS Sponsored by

and overvoltage, overcurrent, and overtemperature protection to

prevent damage to the device under test.
Keysights BenchVue software3 supports the E36300 Series,
enabling control of power supplies to set parameters and sta-
tus alerts, visualize power output, and log changing voltage
and current over time. The included Test Flow capabilities let
users automate power-supply setups and measurements into
test sequences.
In related news, Chroma reports that its new power supplies,
the 62000L Series (Figure 6), include built-in features designed
Figure 2. 5VP line of loads with support for master/slave parallel to meet the requirements of next-generation automotive power
operation electronics, communications devices, and semiconductor IC
Courtesy of Adaptive Power Systems drivers. The initial release offers two models, the 62010L-36-7

Benchtop supplies
As for benchtop supplies, Kikusui Electronics recently an-
nounced the PWR-01 Series DC power supplies (Figure 4), avail-
able in models offering 400-W, 800-W, and 1,200-W rated power
and maximum rated voltage up to 650 V, offering a 30% increase
in power density compared with the companys previous model,
the company reports.
Figure 4. PWR-01 Series DC power supplies
The company cites variable internal impedance as a unique Courtesy of Kikusui Electronics
new feature that allows for various types of simulations suitable
for automotive test, solar-panel evaluation, and other applica-
tions. The PWR-01s soft-start function limits the inrush current. and the 62015L-60-6 with specifications of 36V/7A/108W and
The PWR-01 also is equipped with ergonomic power setting 60V/6A/150W, respectively. Chroma offers a 19-inch rack-
knobs, allowing the operator to control voltage and current inde- mounting kit for ATE integration.
pendently, as well as front-facing banana plugs. The supplies feature autoranging as well as fast transient re-
The PWR-01 programmable internal-memory feature lets the sponsefor example, when the output current changes from
operator save custom sequences on the device, eliminating the half load to full load at the speed of 1 A/s, the voltage change of
need to access a PC every time a test is conducted. Synchronized the actual output can return to 15 mV within 30 s.
operation allows for complex sequences over multiple channels The autosequencing programming function built into the
for accurate testing of DC/DC converters and other products. 62000L Series allows the user to define and edit the output wave-
LXI, USB, and RS-232 interfaces come standard; the PWR can be forms with eight steps per cycle.
operated in almost any testing environment via SCPI commands. Chroma says that conventional linear power supplies can
Keysight Technologies most recent entrant into the power- be cumbersome due to the frequency design and require more
supply market is the E36300 Series 80-W and 160-W triple-out- space for ventilation. Chroma simplified the design of the hard-
put programmable DC power supplies (Figure 5), which offer ware architecture, resulting in a better handling compact, light-
a large color display and device connections via LXI, USB, and weight design which is safer to stack.
optional GPIB.
With the E36300 Series, Adaptable for test and measurement
engineers can simulate power Other companies recently have introduced supplies for use in test
problems early in the design and measurement equipment and other applications. TDK, for ex-
cycle, said Griffith. And ample, recently added a 3,200-W, 48-V model (Figure 7) to its TPS
advanced features, such as power-supply series. The 2U-high product operates from a range
low-current measurements, delta or wye 350- to 528-VAC three-phase input. The 48-V model is
auto-series and auto-parallel suitable for use in many applications including test and measure-
connections, sequencing, and ment equipment, semiconductor fabrication, industrial printers,
data logging, help them de- and lasers. The high-voltage, three-phase input avoids the require-
tect power problems.
The E36300 Series low
normal-mode noise specifi-
cations assure quality power
for precision circuitry ap-
plications. In addition, the
power supplies are acousti-
cally quiet. Each model pro-
Figure 3. California Instruments
vides line/load regulation of
MX Series II AC/DC power sources 0.01%, fast transient response
Courtesy of AMETEK Programmable time of less than 50 s, low- Figure 5. E36300 Series triple-output programmable power supply
Power range current measurement, Courtesy of Keysight Technologies

14 evaluationengineering.com September 2017

12-15_EE_201709_SpecRep-POWER_replacement.indd 14 8/24/2017 9:28:52 AM

 SPEC I AL REPOR T - POWE R SUPPLIES/LOADS
Figure 6. 62000L Series Auto-ranging DC Power Supplies
Courtesy of Chroma
ment for step-down transformers and assists phase load current
balancing.
In addition, Bel Power Solutions has expanded its ABC Series
open-frame, AC/DC power-supply portfolio to include the low-
profile ABC180, MBC180, ABC275, and MBC275 power supplies
for industrial and medical applications. Specifically engineered
for use in tight spaces, the high-efficiency units boast an ultralow
profile of < 0.75 inch (19 mm). The ABC180/MBC180 units deliver
180 W of output power or 120 W with convection cooling, and the
ABC275/MBC275 deliver 275 W with forced air-cooling or 160 W
with convection cooling.
The ABC Series is suitable for use in an array of space-con-
strained OEM, industrial, instrumentation, test and measurement,
telecom, and datacom applications, and the MBC Series is suitable
for medical applications.
Several other companies also have recently made power-sup-
ply news. Excelsys Technologies, for example, announced that its
CoolX600 Series 600-W convection-cooled modular power sup-
plies now are available with a PMBus communication option.
Pacific Power Source added a touchscreen monitor user-interface
mode for the AFX Series, which extends the front-panel LCD
touch and keypad controls onto a large, high-resolution monitor
with touch capability. Intepro Systems debuted the Procyon line of
integrated production test systems. Behlman Electronics said the
DCS1000T-1, P/N 94039-1, has been enhanced to meet the ship-
board input-power requirements of MIL-STD-1399, Section 300B.
And Versatile Power said
its BENCH XR line of 600-
W programmable supplies
provides accurate point-
of-load voltage regulation
without the use of an aux-
iliary remote-sense circuit.
These innovations are de-
scribed in more detail in
an earlier issue.4
Expect innovations in
both power supplies and
Figure 7. 3,200-W 48-V TPS power loads to continue. Indeed,
supply as this article nears pub-
Courtesy of TDK lication in late August,
Chroma is introducing its
newest programmable DC loadthe compact and lightweight
63000 Series (Figure 8), primarily designed to test switching pow-
er supplies, A/D power supplies, power electronic components,
adapters, batteries, and chargers. The company is offering initial
release models in two operating voltages, 150 V and 600 V, with
250-W and 350-W power levels up to 60 A in a single unit. Each
63000 Series model comes equipped with Chroma features in-
cluding CZ mode, user-defined waveforms (UDW), three current
ranges, data setting storage/recall, and short-circuit simulation.
12-15_EE_201709_SpecRep-POWER_replacement.indd 15
Steve Grodt, director of business development for Chroma,
said, Our new 63000 Series provides R&D labs a lower power
solution at a low cost without having to give up advanced func-
tionality and precision.
Power technology roadmap
In related news, The Power Sources Manufacturers Associa-
tion (PSMA) has announced the availability of the 2017 edi-
tion of The Power Technology Roadmap. The report forecasts the
power technology and power delivery trends through 2021.
This years PTR integrates recent inputs from webinars, sur-
veys, analyses, and discussions to offer a consolidated view of
the latest trends in power management, power control, and
power-delivery technologies.
Figure 8. Compact 63000 Programmable DC electronic loads built for
R&D and design validation
Courtesy of Chroma
New this year is a section titled Component Technolo-
gies, which contains overviews of each component segment
as applicable to power electronics. Component segments rep-
resented include silicon IGBTs, MOSFETs, SiC devices, GaN
devices, and ICs. The report also includes summaries from
PSMA webinars related to passive components, such as ca-
pacitors and magnetics.
The report is divided into five sections:
application trends,
component technologies,
emerging technologies,
webinar presentations, and
power supply and converter trends.
Power electronics has emerged, or should we say re-
emerged, as an enabling technology in its own right, said
Conor Quinn, co-chair of the organizing committee, in a press
release. Advancements in power are now shaping a large
part of the electronics industry as a whole.
Dhaval Dalal, co-chair of the organizing committee, added,
This latest edition of the PTR provides the most extensive,
forward-looking view of our industry. Its an invaluable re-
source for any organization involved in the power electronics
technology marketplace. EE
References
1. Lecklider, T., The loads are simulated, but the connections are real,
EE-Evaluation Engineering, September 2016, p. 8.
2. vanEijkelenburg, H., Advantages of digital switching in programmable
AC power supplies, EE-Evaluation Engineering, July 2017, p. 16.
3. Nelson, R., Speeding instrument setup, control, and communication,
EE-Evaluation Engineering, July 2017, p. 6.
4. Nelson, R., Powering chips and systems from FPGAs to shipboard
equipment, EE-Evaluation Engineering, June 2017, p. 28.
September 2017 evaluationengineering.com 15
8/24/2017 9:29:03 AM
 WIRELESS TEST
IMS reflects, precedes RF/microwave
innovation
By Rick Nelson, Executive Editor
T
he International Microwave Symposium in June in
Honolulu has served as a fulcrum for RF/microwave
innovation, with companies introducing new prod-
uctsranging from components to instruments and sys-
temsand technologies preceding the show, during it, and
after the events conclusion.
As described in our June issue,1 many companies planned
to highlight products and technologies that had been intro-
duced before IMSfor example, Analog Devices 1,000+ RF
and microwave product portfolio; AR RF/Microwave Instru-
mentations amplifiers, hybrid RF power modules, and RF
safety meters; MathWorks 5G Library for LTE System Tool-
box; Pickering Interfaces 40-785B microwave multiplexer;
Rigols EMC precompliance test capabilities; and Wireless
Telecom Groups Noisecom UFX7000A broadband noise gen-
erator and Boonton RTP5000 and RTP4000 real-time power
sensors.
Other companies chose the show to introduce new prod-
ucts. Copper Mountain Technologies (CMT), for example, in-
troduced 10 new products in its line of USB vector network
analyzers, including the R180 1-port VNA (Figure 1), which
features a frequency range from 1 MHz to 18 GHz and, the
company says, is the first 18-GHz one-port VNA that can
connect directly to DUT, improving measurement accuracy
by eliminating the practical limitation of test cables. R180 can
be controlled and powered through a USB-C port or through
an external 5-VDC power supply.
CMT also expanded its Cobalt VNA product line. New
two- and four-port models in 9-GHz and 20-GHz ranges offer
direct receiver access that meets the needs of power-amplifi-
er manufacturing test. Other new two- and four-port models
in the 9-GHz and 20-GHz range will support frequency ex-
tension to 50 to 75 GHz, 60 to 90 GHz, and 75 to 110 GHz for
5G, IoT, automotive-radar test, and other applications.
CMT is not the only
company making USB
VNAs now. In April,
Tektronix entered the
market with its 6-GHz
two-port, two path
TTR500 model, and just
before IMS, Pico Tech-
nology announced the
PicoVNA 106, a 300-
kHz to 6-GHz USB vec-
tor network analyzer.2
In an email inter-
view,3 Alex Golos-
chokin, CMTs founder
and chief revenue offi-
cer, made the case for
USB vector network
analyzers and posi-
tioned his company in
Figure 1. R180 single-port VNA the newly competitive
Courtesy of Copper Mountain Technologies market. Compared to
16 evaluationengineering.com September 2017
16-18_EE_201709_WirelessTest_MECH_dB.indd 16
other test instruments such as oscilloscopes and spectrum
analyzers, VNAs typically are more demanding and com-
plex, he said. Overall, customers are looking for smaller
and less expensive VNA solutions but are not willing to com-
promise on feature set and performance.
He made the case for USB instruments. In any analyzer,
including the VNA, the location of the processing module
(a.k.a. computer) is not relevant to its performance, he said.
A VNAs performance is driven by many other factors, but
not whether the computer is housed in the same location as
the measurement module. Consequently, he added, USB
VNAs can perform as well as conventional VNAs and offer
other advantages: the computer can be upgraded or repaired
without affecting the instrument, an engineering department
can afford more lower cost VNAs, and the instruments are
portable, for example.
As for the competitive landscape, he said, CMT has spent
more than 10 years working on the metrological aspects of
its VNA solutions to meet users high expectations, keeping
instrument performance a priority. The company has a dedi-
cated metrology group that focuses on measurement accu-
racy and stability during the design phase of the instruments
and closely monitors production in order to guarantee that
solutions perform within the specified uncertainty limits.
More instruments at IMS
Signal generators also received attention at IMS. For exam-
ple, Keysight Technologies announced the M9383A scalable
PXIe microwave signal generator (Figure 2) with frequency
coverage to 44 GHz and modulation bandwidth up to 1
GHz for generating complex waveforms used in emerging
5G and aerospace and defense applications. The company
said the M9383A delivers 1% EVM, a critical measure of 5G
modulated signal performance, for 800-MHz-wide pre-5G
waveforms.
The company also said engineers can create Keysight-
validated Verizon pre-5G standard (5GTF) compliant wave-
forms and 5G candidate waveforms, such as 8x100-MHz
OFDM component carriers, for the PXIe signal generator
using Keysights Signal Studio or SystemVue software. The
software also allows engineers to create custom waveforms
for emerging wireless, 5G New Radio, and aerospace and
defense applications.
National Instruments addressed the combination of ana-
lyzers and generators with an emphasis on its vector sig-
nal transceiver (VST) technology at IMS. The company an-
nounced a baseband model with 1 GHz of complex I/Q
bandwidth. The PXIe-5820 combines a wideband I/Q digi-
tizer, wideband I/Q arbitrary waveform generator, and high-
performance user-programmable FPGA into a single two-
slot PXI Express module. The baseband VST suits a range of
applications including 5G, 802.11ax, and LTE-Advanced Pro.
NI also offered a pre-5G waveform generation and mea-
surement technology demonstration, featuring signal gen-
eration and analysis of waveforms representative of both the
Verizon 5G Technical Forum (5GTF) and 3GPPs proposed
8/9/2017 4:44:21 PM
 WIRELESS TEST

applications, this reflective switch is

optimized for emerging MIMO radio
architectures. The company said the
PE42823 delivers excellent single-event
peak-power handling, low power con-
sumption, and high linearity. Offered
in a compact form factor, this high-
power switch features built-in ESD
protection.
Anokiwave announced the expan-
sion of its family of Ka-band 5G ICs
with the worldwide release of what
it called the first commercially avail-
able 39-GHz silicon active-antenna
quad-core ICs for 5G communications
Figure 2. M9383A PXIe vector signal generator in Gen 3 chassis operating to 44 GHz markets. The AWMF-0123/5 ICs oper-
Courtesy of Keysight Technologies ate from 37.1 to 40 GHz, support four
radiating elements, and include 5-bit
phase control and 5-bit gain control for
New Radio (NR) physical layers. The technology demon- analog RF beam steering.
stration combines the 1-GHz bandwidth of the PXIe-5840 In addition, Diamond Microwave, a specialist in micro-
second-generation VST with pre-5G software for waveform wave power-amplifier modules, announced the streamlining
modulation and demodulation. of its range of compact microwave GaN-based pulsed solid-
Eastern OptX announced the Model 1200 low-loss ground- state power amplifiers (SSPA) onto two common platforms,
to-antenna tower top system. The company noted that cable along with the introduction of new X-band PA models. The
connections often are found in radar-test, cellular, and other company described its flagship DM-X400-02 as a smart
communication systemspresenting problems due to cable X-band SSPA that offers power levels in excess of 400-W
loss and consequent reduction of the signal-to-noise ratio. over a 1,600-MHz bandwidthand approaching 500 W over
The Model 1200 reduces the transmission loss associated 750 MHzwith pulse widths up to 100 s and duty cycles
with RF cable links used in antenna-tower connections (up up to 15%.
to 40 GHz). And in passive-com-
Noise XT introduced the PNG-A phase-noise generator, a ponent news, AVX show-
2-lb instrument costing less than $3,000. The company said the cased its portfolio of RF
PNG-A is the first signal source to deliver a signal with math- and microwave solutions.
ematically computed phase noise in real time. There is no test The company introduced
industry standard for phase noise calibration, said Guillau- products including high-
me De Giovanni, president, Noise XT, in a press release. This power resistors, attenu-
is a new type of instrument in the phase noise industry; no ators, terminations, and
one has ever released such a universal solution. De Giovanni capacitors; wire-bond
continued, As circuits become more complex, they cannot resistors; and low-pass,
tolerate the slightest noise. Accurate detection and depiction band-pass, and high-pass
of phase noise are critical for rapid 5G development. thin-film and multilayer
In other news, Remcom chose IMS to highlight a partner- organic (MLO) filters.
ship with P3 group to provide a comprehensive solution for Frequency capabilities for
test and measurement combined with EM modeling and sim- the portfolio extend from
ulation. The partnership further extends the successful col- the kilohertz range to 100
laboration in air cabin communications modeling that com- GHz, and power capa-
menced between Remcom and P3 aero systems in late 2016, bilities extend up to hun-
giving P3s customers access to Remcoms electromagnetic dreds of watts, enabling
simulation and propagation prediction software to augment employment in a variety
test and measurement efforts. of commercial, consumer,
automotive, industrial,
Materials and components medical, telecommunica-
Also at IMS, W. L. Gore & Associates highlighted its new tions, optical, space, and Figure 3. PHASEFLEX microwave/
PHASEFLEX microwave/RF test assemblies, Type 0N, for military applications with RF test assemblies, Type 0N, for high
high-density test/interconnection, which offers consistent, environmental conditions density test/interconnection
repeatable measurements with stable electrical performance ranging from harsh to be- Courtesy of W. L. Gore & Associates
up to 50 GHz (Figure 3). Gore also said it has expanded the nign, the company said.
functional frequency range of its FF Series GORE VNA Mi-
crowave/RF Test Assemblies, now offering stable, reliable Innovation continues
performance up to 70 GHz. After the show, Rohde & Schwarz launched the benchtop
In IMS component news, Peregrine Semiconductor high- R&S ZNLE vector network analyzer (Figure 4) to address the
lighted the UltraCMOS PE42823, a high-power receiver- requirements of customers looking to perform RF measure-
protection RF switch. Suitable for wireless infrastructure ments to characterize components such as antennas, attenua-

September 2017 evaluationengineering.com 17

16-18_EE_201709_WirelessTest_MECH_dB.indd 17 8/9/2017 4:44:34 PM

 WIRELESS TEST
Figure 4. R&S ZNLE vector network analyzer
Courtesy of Rohde & Schwarz
tors, filters, and PCBs. The new standalone instrument weighs
6 kg and has a footprint of 408 mm x 235 mm, saving up to
two-thirds of space on the workbench compared with com-
petitive VNAs, the company said. The two-port vector net-
work analyzer provides quick and accurate measurements
due to its easy-to-use S-parameter wizard. The R&S ZNLE
performs bidirectional measurements of the S11, S21, S12, and
S22 S-parameters. The instrument comes in two models with
frequency ranges from 1 MHz to 3 GHz (R&S ZNLE3) and to
6 GHz (R&S ZNLE6).
In addition, Anritsu has introduced a single-instrument so-
lution that enables 1-Gb/s IP data communications through-
put testing based on its MD8475B signaling tester (Figure 5)
that supports 44 MIMO with 256QAM high-order modula-
tion and four-component carrier aggregation. The integrated
system, which consists of the new MD8475B-071 enhanced
multisignaling unit option and LTE 44 MIMO software, low-
ers cost-of-test and improves time-to-market by simplifying
mobile device evaluation for device makers, chipset manufac-
turers, and mobile operators, the company said.
Also since the conclusion of IMS, NI announced multiple-
antenna user-equipment (UE) support for its LabVIEW Com-
Figure 5. MD8475B signaling tester supporting 44 MIMO with 256QAM
high-order modulation and four-component carrier aggregation
Courtesy of Anritsu
18 evaluationengineering.com September 2017
16-18_EE_201709_WirelessTest_MECH_dB.indd 18
munications MIMO Application Framework.
Wireless researchers can pair the MIMO Appli-
cation Framework with NI software-defined-ra-
dio hardware to conduct real-time, over-the-air
experiments for a wide range of MIMO research
topics including multi-user MIMO, single-user
MIMO, and massive MIMO. This multi-FPGA
physical layer reference design ships with well-
documented LabVIEW Communications source
code that is fully reconfigurable and modifiable.
Massive MIMO has emerged as one of the
leading 5G technologies that has the potential
to provide unprecedented levels of spectral ef-
ficiency that will be critical in supporting the
vast number of wireless devices expected to
come online in the coming years, said Fredrik
Tufvesson, IEEE fellow and professor of radio
systems at Lund University, in a press release.
NIs MIMO Application Framework provides
the hardware and software capabilities needed
so that beamforming techniques can be explored
at not just the massive MIMO base station, but
also at the multi-antenna UEs to further enhance the overall
system performance of 5G networks.
IMS organizers reported a stellar year for the 2017 techni-
cal program, with 1,081 submitted and 554 presented techni-
cal papersthe second highest in the 60-year history of IMS.
International attendees representing 50 countries made up
44% percent of technical participants, with technical atten-
dance standing at 2,500. The exhibit featured 450 companies.
The emphasis on 5G before, during, and after the event
indicates the importance of the trends driving 5G develop-
ment. Yet another trend emerging from IMS 2017, said Golos-
chokin of CMT, is the imminent move of many IoT technolo-
gies from research to commercialization, which he said will
drive the demand for lower cost instrumentation over
the next five to 10 years. With the market moving IoT prod-
ucts from research to commercialization, customer require-
ments for reliability are increasing, along with demand for
smaller, lower cost, and more automated instruments.
Goloschokin said VNAs also are finding use in materials
testing, with compact USB VNAs able to be incorporated into
test systems due to their size and portability. A number of
attendees at IMS were very interested in an airplane cano-
py testing system demonstrated at CMTs stand by Com-
pass Technologies, which incorporated one of CMT VNAs,
he said.
You can expect innovation to continue at a furious pace
in the months leading up to IMS 2018, which will be held
June 10-15 in Philadelphia. In the nearer term, you can expect
many IMS exhibitors to reprise their IMS demonstrations
and introduce new products and technologies at EDI CON
USA, scheduled for Sept. 11-13 in Boston. EE
References
1. Earls, A., WLAN, radar, IoT, V2X to complement 5G at IMS, EE-Evalua-
tion Engineering, June 2017, p. 8.
2. Nelson, R., Portable units sport impressive GUIs, or lack them alto-
gether, EE-Evaluation Engineering, August 2017, p. 28.
3. Nelson, R., CMT founder makes the case for USB vector network
analyzers, Ricks Blog, EE-Evaluation Engineering, July 27, 2017.
8/9/2017 4:44:47 PM
EE201709_AD HOUSE2.indd 19 8/10/2017 8:11:08 AM
 CYBERSECURITY
Initiatives aim to thwart hackers
as IoT proliferates
By Rick Nelson, Executive Editor
E
verybody talks about cybersecurity, but is anybody doing
anything about it? To be sure, researchers at organizations
like imec are working on cybersecurity technologies, and
security consultants like Michael Barr, Barr Group founder and
CTO, are emphasizing the importance of cybersecurity to the
embedded-systems engineering community. But getting secure
products into the real world can be a tough sell. Embedded-sys-
tems designers can be unwilling to design-in security features
that their customers are unwilling to pay for.
And as for consumersmany simply cant be bothered with
securityeven if its virtually free. Consider: For the sixth
straight year, password joins 123456 as the two most common-
ly used passwords on SplashDatas annual list of Worst Pass-
words. Use of any of the passwords on this list would put users
at grave risk for identity theft.1
Nevertheless, Barr made the case for cybersecurity to engi-
neers at an Embedded Systems Conference Boston presentation
in May. And initiatives funded by United States National Secu-
rity Agency are looking to make the public savvier about cyber-
security. For example, Dr. Mengjun Xie, a University of Arkansas
Little Rock associate professor of computer science known for
his work in cybersecurity, network systems, data analytics, and
social-network analysis in bioinformatics, is working to build a
virtual cybersecurity lab. Yet another NSA-supported initiative
in the state of Georgia will extend cybersecurity education to
middle schoolers.
Governments and hackers in bedrooms
In his ESC Boston presentation,2 Barr cited several attacks
thought to be the work of governments, including Stuxnet,
which targeted Iranian centrifuges and is reportedly the work of
the United States and Israel.3 Stuxnet made its way into Siemens
PLC controllers not on the Internet by way of thumb drives. He
also cited a power outage in the eastern Ukraine in December
2015 believed to be the result of a cyberattack by Russia.
Dr. Mengjun Xie of the University of Arkansas at Little Rock
Courtesy of Lonnie Timmons III/UA Little Rock Communications
20 evaluationengineering.com September 2017
20-21_EE_201709_Cybersecurity_MECH_dB.indd 20
However, he said, hackers dont need the budget of a govern-
ment to attack an embedded system. Our embedded systems
are increasingly battlefields, he added. Hackers safely in bed-
rooms can remotely injure or kill people around the world. By
way of example, he said researchers have found security holes
that would enable attackers to switch off a pacemaker or re-
write its firmware from 30 feet away.
Barr also cited the vulnerabilities of connected carsessen-
tially networked computers with as many as 100 processors
that can be commandeered remotely. Wired,4 for example, re-
ported that cybersecurity researchers Charlie Miller and Chris
Valasek remotely hijacked a Jeeps digital network by sending
carefully crafted messages over the Jeeps CAN bus, prompting
Chrysler to recall 1.4 million vehicles.
Barr cited additional threats, including Mirai, a Linux
worm infecting embedded systems by exploiting default
usernames and passwords in IoT devices and hijacking them
to mount DDoS attacksincluding one against DNS pro-
vider Dyn last October, disrupting websites such as Spotify,
Twitter, and PayPal.5
He also described BrickerBot, which employs an entry
scheme similar to Mirais; it targets BusyBox Linux, wiping out
the file system of IoT devices in what has been called a perma-
nent denial of service. Brickerbot may be the work of a vigi-
lante who wants to destroy inadequately secured IoT devices
before worms like Mirai can conscript them.6
Many more are to come, Barr said. Indeed there are. The
week after Barrs ESC presentation, the WannaCry ransomware
attack affected hundreds of thousands of people in more than
150 countries, hitting Britains National Health Service particu-
larly hard.7 And subsequent cyberattacks, apparently disguised
as ransomware but without any means of decrypting hacked
files, affected airplanes in Ukraine, FedEx deliveries in Europe,
and container shipping around the world.8
Whats being done? In an effort to answer that question, Barr
Group surveyed 1,726 engineers and
asked what the consequences would
be of security failures of their designs.
Responses ranged from annoyed cus-
tomers to multiple deaths. Twenty-eight
percent of the respondents reported that
failures of safety-critical systemscon-
stituting what Barr called the Internet of
Dangerous Things, or IoDTcould lead
to injury or death. Yet 22% of designers
of potentially IoDT devices reported that
security is not a design requirement.
Barr cited too little use of best prac-
tices, with coding standers often not
enforced and code reviews sporadic. He
acknowledged that not every embedded
system can bear all costs of security, not-
ing that you cant have a $100 sensor in
each or your cars wheels. Further, he
said, Security is always an arms race,
with long-lived products eventually
8/9/2017 4:39:41 PM

computationally disadvantaged. And there may be no upgrade
path for existing vast networks in insecure devices.
Think like a hacker
Barr invited attendees to think like a hacker, using thieves as an
example. A car thief, for instance, faced with a vehicle equipped
with The Club steering-wheel locking device will simply move
on to a car not so equipped. The Club may protect your car, but
it doesnt lower the incidence of car theft. LoJack technology,
however, increases the thiefs risk of apprehension.
Barr moved on to a safe cracker, who may consider picking
the lock or cutting open the safe but who may decide its easier
to learn the combination. He may find it written down, or he
may obtain it from a target through threats, blackmail, eaves-
dropping, or bribery. In general, Barr said, a hacker will ask,
What is the goal, which path is easiest for me, how could I
get caught, and is it worth the risk? The goal of the embedded
system designer should be to make the risk as high as possible.
Barr asked, Isnt encrypting data good enough? Encryp-
tion is usually solid, he said, but noted it can be broken through
bugs in implementation, holes in protocols, backdoors, and
leaked keys. Encryption should never be the only link in your
security, he added.
DONT ignore security, Barr advised, citing a duty in ac-
cordance with ACM and IEEE codes of ethics. He concluded
with four DOs: DO adopt bug-reducing software best practices,
DO use cryptography where appropriate, DO practice defense
in depth, and DO get and stay educated about security.
Hardware security
Software best practices are indeed well advised, but hardware
may have a role to play as well in furthering cybersecurity.
Speaking in July at the imec Technology Forum USA held in
San Francisco in conjunction with SEMICON West, Luc Van
den hove, imec president and CEO, noted that no two chips are
identical, thanks to nanoscale variabilitya problem that has
plagued analog circuit designers in particular. But we may now
be able to make a positive use of this limitation to stamp each
chip with a unique fingerprint. He cited as an example physi-
cally unclonable functions (PUFs) based on unique imec IP.
Thomas Kallstenius, program director for security at imec,
described the PUF technology, based on intrinsic randomness
of oxide breakdown in CMOS, as having three unique features:
its low cost, low power, small footprint, and reliability make it
suitable for IoT; it does not require a trusted third party; and
it supports both random key generation and programmable
keys. It can offer cost, security, and performance advantages
over AES, he said, citing potential applications in smart locks,
secure data access, secure commissioning, and next-generation
Bluetooth low-energy beacons.
In his PowerPoint presentation, Kallstenius pictured imecs
security offerings as four aces: the PUF reliable hardware key,
CMOS random-number generation, lightweight cryptography
for public and private keys, and secure proximity for BLE. In
summary, we have a winning security hand, he concluded.
Educating consumers
As for consumers, getting them to avoid password and
123456 wont be enough. Making minor modifications to with a vengeance, ars TECHNICA, April 24, 2017.
an easily guessable password does not make it secure, and
hackers will take advantage of these tendencies, said Mor-
gan Slain, CEO of SplashData. Our hope is that by research-
ing and putting out this list each year, people will realize how
risky it is to use these common logins, and they will take steps
20-21_EE_201709_Cybersecurity_MECH_dB.indd 21
CYBERSECURITY
to strengthen their passwords and use different passwords for
different websites.1
In one NSA-supported initiative to further cybersecurity
awareness, Dr. Xie at UA Little Rock recently received an
$85,912 addition to his original NSA grant, bringing his to-
tal NSA funding for the project to $124,527. His project, titled
Networking and Network Security in the Cloud (NetSiC),
will address issues related to cloud-based computing environ-
ments and help students practice networking and cyberde-
fense skills.
This project is unique because it allows students to conduct
networking and security practices in a computing cloud they
choose, and the developed software will be free to use, Xie
said. While other cloud-based cybersecurity labs are avail-
able, they either do not provide enough flexibility or require
users to pay in order to use their platform.9
The virtual lab will incorporate a group of 12 learning mod-
ules. When the project is completed, Xie will deliver the mod-
ules to the NSA, where they will become part of a cybersecu-
rity curriculum available to the public.
Xies project targets undergraduates presumably already
interested in computer science. Another NSA-funded project
is targeting a younger clientele: middle schoolers. In that proj-
ect, Columbus State University is partnering with the Musco-
gee County School District to develop and implement a course
in cybersecurity education.
We do not think that a cybersecurity curriculum of this
magnitude has been attempted at the middle-school level in
Georgia, said Tom Hackett, chair of the universitys Depart-
ment of Counseling, Foundations, and Leadership and ex-
ecutive director, P-12/University Partnerships. This STEM
project is expected to raise interest in cybersecurity and will
encourage students to continue learning about cybersecurity,
a field very much in demand by todays workforce.9
Whether you are 6 or 60 years old, cybersecurity is impor-
tant to us all, added Wayne Summers, professor and Dis-
tinguished Chairperson of CSUs TSYS School of Computer
Science. By teaching the elements of cybersecurity in middle
school, we will encourage safe computing practice as well as
expand the pool of candidates for future cybersecurity pro-
fessionals. Based on a comprehensive study supported by
the National Initiative for Cybersecurity Education, there are
nearly 13,000 cybersecurity job openings in Georgia and near-
ly 350,000 openings nationally.
Hackett said the course curriculum will be available for
download and the course can be replicated in other middle
schools across the nation. EE
References
1. Morgan, Announcing our Worst Passwords of 2016, TeamsID.
2. Barr, M., Embedded Systems Safety & Security: Dangerous Flaws in
Safety-Critical Device Design, ESC Boston 2017.
3. Kushner, D., The Real Story of Stuxnet, IEEE Spectrum, Feb. 26, 2013.
4. Greenberg, A., The jeep hackers are back to prove car hacking can get
much worse, Wired, Aug. 1, 2016.
5. Symantec Security Response, Mirai: what you need to know about the
botnet behind recent major DDoS attacks, Symantec Official Blog, Oct. 27,
2016.
6. Goodin, D., BrickerBot, the permanent denial-of-service botnet, is back
7. Nelson, R., Ransomware hacks and the downside of upgrades, Ricks
Blog, EE-Evaluation Engineering, May 15, 2017.
8. Nelson, R, Ransomware without ransom? Ricks Blog, EE-Evaluation
Engineering, June 3, 2017.
9. Nelson, R., NSA supports teaching cybersecurity to undergrads,
middle schoolers, Ricks Blog, EE-Evaluation Engineering, July 20, 2017.
September 2017 evaluationengineering.com 21
8/9/2017 4:39:51 PM
 SOFTWARE
Make accurate and fast design decisions
with data analytics
By Ailee Grumbine, Keysight Technologies
D
ata analytics presents design engineers with complete
and accurate data to enable new designs to get to mar-
ket faster.
In an engineering firm, it is a common understanding that
the design engineers main task is to design the best product
and be the first to market. This means working with shorter de-
sign cycles and reducing the number of redesigns. The design
engineer also will have to deal with engineering resource short-
ages and budget constraints.
One of the greatest challenges design engineers face is mak-
ing informed design decisions. This is due to lack of complete
and accurate data. The task requires an enormous data-collec-
tion and data-analysis effort to gain confidence that the design
meets the passing guidelines set by the industry or the com-
panys own standard for release to production. In some cases,
it involves an entire team of engineers and managers from mul-
tiple sites.
Todays design and test flow
Companies often underestimate the enormous complexity in
managing and analyzing the data across multiple platforms,
groups, sites, or IPs. Ensuring everyone uses the same data
Figure 1. Histogram plot of jitter measurement on three different SERDES
22 evaluationengineering.com September 2017
22-23_EE_201709_Software_MECH_dB.indd 22
format is a pain, especially if multiple engineers from multiple
sites are involved. Engineers spend a lot of time working with
Excel spreadsheets to create pivot tables to present the data to
their managers to facilitate the decision-making process. With
different kinds of test environment requirements, designers
must spend a lot of time creating different types of filtering in
pivot tables to present the data correctly.
The complexity of todays designs with tight margins and
more measurement requirements presents a great challenge for
these designers to continue to use the legacy method. Lack of
visibility and consistency in the way the data is presented can
cause them to misinterpret test data, resulting in project de-
lays and increased costs. In addition, when engineers perform
IT functions like managing test databases and creating pivot
tables, they are not doing the job for which they were hiredto
design the best product for their customers.
The data analytics approach
Data analytics is the answer for overcoming these challenges.
Setting up data analytics capabilities requires two major compo-
nents to be successful. The first is a reliable repository to host and
secure the data. This can be a cloud, local server, or PC. The sec-
ond component is a collection of data-
visualization tools.
In the test and measurement indus-
try, designers use test equipment and
in certain cases automated compliance
test to help determine if their design
meets the industry criteria for device
certifications. For example, high-speed
standards like USB, PCIe, and JEDEC
for memory devices include published
device test specifications and proce-
dures for designers to test against us-
ing test equipment like oscilloscopes
and bit error rate testers with compli-
ance test software.
Data sources can include results
from simulation software, multiple-
vendor test equipment, and an in-
dividual companys proprietary
measurement tools. Data collected is
exported to a data-repository server
or cloud, which is accessible by a glob-
ally distributed design and validation
team. The team from different sites can
contribute and retrieve the test results
in a standardized format for analysis
purposes. They can analyze the mea-
surement results with different proper-
ties such as temperature, chip versions,
test bench, and others. Data analytics
with visualization tools can help make
the decision-making process more in-
tuitive and a lot faster. The visualiza-
8/10/2017 1:58:10 PM
 SOFTWARE

tion tools include line and

histogram charts with pass/
fail limits and statistical in-
formation.
Figure 1 shows an exam-
ple of a measurement jitter
histogram plot of different
ASIC names. It reveals that
two ASICs, SERDES 700
and SERDES 701, both have
the same histogram mode
and profile while SERDES
702 doesnt have enough
measurement data to con-
clude its performance. A
manager may want to in-
struct the team to make
more measurements on
SERDES 702 before a deci-
sion for release to produc-
tion is made.
The next plot (Figure 2)
is a bit error measurement
against input voltage for Figure 2. Line plot of bit errors on four different ASIC versions
different ASIC versions. Al-
pha, beta, and gamma ver-
sions have the same bit error measurements while the delta For most measurements, there are upper and lower limits that
version is performing better with a lower bit error measure- would tell the design engineers the margins they have in their
ment. The team could conclude that the delta version ASIC design. This can be represented in the histogram and line charts
has better performance compared to the other versions. It as red zones. All users will need to agree on one syntax for nam-
also could be that there is discrepancy in the way the mea- ing properties and measurements to ensure a successful data
surement is made that causes the outlier behavior. The team import.
also should look at other possible contributing factors such as In summary, design engineers along with their managers need
test equipment, test bench, and the engineer who made the to have confidence that the design meets company or industry
measurements. standards for release to the market. It is important they create the
best product in the shortest design cycles to be the first to market.
Setting up data analytics Being ahead of the competition and doing it in the most cost-
The visualization tool is the easy part of setting up data analyt- efficient manner have positive business impact. Hence, data-
ics capability. The harder and more challenging part is setting analytics features are designed to work with all measurement
up a web server that would interact with the data repository data collection methods to allow for simple, quick, nontedious
server for data upload and access. The data repository server integration into the design and characterization work flow. This
must be secured and have the support for backup, restore, and would enable all designers to focus on design work instead of
replication. It is highly recommended to have the companys spending time on graphing and analyzing test results to facilitate
internal information technology (IT) departments support in decision-making processes related to the design.
setting up the data repository server. Important data-analytics software features would include
The web server hosts the data analytics web server appli- a web server application to enable real-time huge data import
cation software. It needs to support massive data upload via and access. It also would support visualization tools with dif-
streaming or bulk transfer. The data also should be accessible ferent chart options to enable fast and intuitive data analysis for
in real time. It needs to be operating system-independent. It making quick decisions. All these elements should build an in-
also needs to be programming language-independent, which frastructure that would support data analytics successfully in a
means a user should be able to upload data via any data import company. EE
programming script, such as Python, C#, C++, or Java script.
It should use HTTPS for secure data transfer within the com- For further reading
panys network. It must protect the data from any corruption. It Keysight N8844A Data Analytics Web Service Software, Data-
also enforces data consistency so that the same kind of format sheet, Keysight Technologies, June 19, 2017.
will always be imported to the repository.
It is recommended that the web server and the data reposi- About the author
tory server be set up using two separate servers to allow for Ailee Grumbine is strategic product planner, Data Center Indus-
scalability, performance, and data-repository security. The most try Solution Team, Keysight Technologies. She specializes in high-
common data format is .CSV. Users can collect the data in a speed memory technologies such as DDR and SD UHS interfaces.
.CSV file with measurements and properties information. Ex- Grumbine graduated from the University of Science Malaysia in 2001
ample of properties are temperature, test-bench names, ASIC and completed a Masters of Business Administration at the Univer-
names, ASIC versions, and test engineers. Measurements can sity of Colorado. Prior to her current position, she was a regional ap-
be jitter, bit error, input voltage, and power. plications engineer.

September 2017 evaluationengineering.com 23

22-23_EE_201709_Software_MECH_dB.indd 23 8/10/2017 1:58:21 PM

 SENSORS PRODUCT FOCUS
Monitoring parameters from angle to CO2 levels
By Rick Nelson, Executive Editor
T his product focus looks at some sensors introduced since
our last examination of the category.1 Youll find position,
speed, and angle sensors as well as a gyro module. In
addition, youll see a liquid sensor that can protect telecom
equipment from leaks. The impact of leaks on networking
equipment can be heavy, with the consequential downtime
being harmful to the telecom companys reputation
and raising frustration for their subscribers, explained
Paddy Shannon, technical director at SST Sensing. The
implementation of our Optomax devices in this scenario
is proving increasingly popular. Through only minimal
investment, the ongoing functional integrity of vital telecom
hardware can be assured.
Youll also find a CO2 sensor that can be used in fitness
testing, breath analysis, capnography, sports science,
and veterinary medicine. Ralph Weir, CEO at Gas Sensing
Solutions, explained, We are the only company producing
CO2 sensors using LEDs and photodiodes, and as we make
the LEDs and photodiodes ourselves, we have been able
to develop ultrafast response times that no other NDIR
Miniature LVDT sensors
ILAT Series miniature LVDT
sensors provide precision
measurements of position
and path in the single-digit-
millimeter range. The sen-
sors include Models ILAT2,
ILAT4, and ILAT10 for the
measurements of 1-mm,
2-mm, or 5-mm traveling
distances. Owing to their di-
mensions with a housing length of 79 mm and a diameter of
8 mm at a weight of 30 g (including cable), the sensors can
navigate within tight-fitting conditions. The ILAT sensors oper-
ate free from wear and provide a linearity tolerance of <0.25%
or optionally <0.1%.
They come in a stainless-steel housing in protection class
IP65 (optionally in IP67). Nominal temperature rating is 0 to
70C, and the probe and can provide more than 10 million cy-
cles. The sensors are suitable for applications including medi-
cal technology, engineering, agriculture, and navigation.
Fitting the ILAT path sensors are external sensor amplifiers
available for signals in the ranges of 0 to 5 V, 0 to 10 V, 5 V, 10
V, and 0 or 4 to 20 mA. Inelta, the manufacturer, can provide
custom sensor designs with further optional features such as
custom-made cable lengths and expanded temperature rang-
es. Available through Hoffmann + Krippner, www.rsleads.
com/709ee-176
Liquid sensors
To help telecom companies guard against the threat of rainwa-
ter ingress, a series of leak-detection sensors, based on pro-
24 evaluationengineering.com September 2017
24-25_EE_201709_ProdFocus_MECH_dB.indd 24
[nondispersive infrared] sensor can match. Typical NDIR
CO2 detectors take several seconds or even minutes to take
a reading because they use slow-reacting IR sources, which
need time and energy to warm up, like MEMS hotplates,
micro-bulbs, or filament-based micro-lamp technologies.
Our LEDs, by contrast, are solid-state emitters and
illuminate almost instantly. With the new SprintIR6S, weve
also minimized the sample volume down to only 2 ml, which
enables us to achieve our fastest ever response rates.
They also can serve in health and safety applications.
Weir notes that a leak from a CO2 canister can push CO2
levels up from the normal 400 ppm to several thousand
ppm. You cannot smell CO2, and it is colorless, he said.
Yet it can present serious health problems at raised
concentrations, so the sooner an alarm is raised, the sooner
people can take remedial action.
Reference
1. Nelson, R., Sensors Expo offers gamut from components to networks,
EE-Evaluation Engineering, May 2017, p. 24.
prietary Optomax technology, has been developed. These liq-
uid-level switch devices dont have moving parts. Instead they
utilize an infrared sensing mechanism. If a liquid comes into
contact with the sensor tip, it will change the properties of the
optical setup with light that previously was internally reflected
being dispersed. Less light is thus incident on the devices pho-
totransistor, leading to change in the output voltage.
The Optomax devices are available in an M10 housing with
a length of 22.7 mm. Supporting a working temperature range
of -25C to +80C, these units can deal with severe fluctuations
in environmental conditions and maintain long-term operation.
SST Sensing, www.rsleads.com/709ee-177
NDIR CO2 detector
The SprintIR6S
employs the ven-
dors SmartIR tech-
nology to enable
the new sensor to
take up to 20 CO2
readings per sec-
onda six-times-
faster response
rate than the cur-
rent SprintIR, the
vendor reports.
SmartIR technol-
ogy detects the
presence of CO2 by detecting how much light is absorbed by
CO2 molecules as light passes through the sample gases. CO2
absorbs between 4.2 and 4.4 microns so that its presence is
8/9/2017 4:49:14 PM

easily detected, and the amount of light absorbed indicates
how much CO2 is present.
Typically, CO2 detectors use a miniature heater to generate
a range of wavelengths that have to be filtered down to the
wavelengths needed, which is wasteful and energy inefficient,
especially as a lot of heat is produced. By contrast, GSS de-
veloped commercial, mid-range IR LEDs are tuned to emit just
at 4.2 to 4.4 microns, making them energy-efficient. A single
lithium cell can power a SmartIR sensor for up to 10 years.
At less than a cubic inch (23.8 mm in diameter and 24 mm
tall), the SprintIR6S operates at between 3.25 V and 5.5 V, with
a power consumption of 35 mW. The SprintIR6S is available in
measurement ranges from 0% to 100%. Gas Sensing Solu-
tions, www.rsleads.com/709ee-178
Speed and direction sensor IC
A new optimized Hall-effect integrated circuit and rare-earth
pellet combination provides a user-friendly solution for direc-
tion detection and true zero-speed, digital gear-tooth sens-
ing. The small package can be easily assembled and used in
conjunction with a variety of gear-tooth-sensing applications.
This new IC employs patented algorithms for the operational
requirements of automotive-transmission and recreational-
vehicle applications. It also is compatible with nonautomotive
applications found in white goods as well as exercise and in-
dustrial equipment.
The speed and direction of the target are communicated
through a variable pulse-width output protocol. The ATS699 is
adept at handling vibration without sacrificing maximum air
gap capability or creating any erroneous direction pulses.
Even higher angular vibration caused by engine cranking is
rejected by the device. The advanced vibration detection algo-
rithm will systematically calibrate the sensor IC on the initial
teeth of true target rotation and not on vibration, always guar-
anteeing an accurate signal in running mode. Allegro Micro-
Systems, www.rsleads.com/709ee-179
TMR angle sensor
The TAD2141 TMR (tun-
nel magneto resistance)
angle sensor with digital
output offers a guaran-
teed accuracy of 0.2
and at room tempera-
ture achieves an angle
error of only 0.05 when
an automatic correction
function is activated.
The sensor is capable
of contactless sensing
over 360 degrees with-
in a temperature range of -40C to +150C. Furthermore, the
new TAD2141 sensor represents a level of miniaturization and
weight-saving in comparison with conventional solutions us-
ing resolvers. Engineering samples of TAD2141 are available
while certifications according to ISO 26262 and ASIL are under
preparation.
The automatic correction function available with the TAD2141
reduces the design-in effort. Moreover, the new angle sensor is
equipped with a self-diagnostic function that detects not only
an abnormality in the sensor itself, but also any abnormalities
in the exterior environment, such as a power failure or loss of
the magnetic field. The main applications of the new sensor in-
clude industrial and robotics applications as well as automo-
24-25_EE_201709_ProdFocus_MECH_dB.indd 25
SENSORS PRODUCT FOCUS
tive applications focusing on future systems for automated
driving. TDK, www.rsleads.com/709ee-180
Vertical gyro modules
The new VG380
vertical gyros pro-
vide accurate pitch
and roll (with re-
spect to gravity) in
both static and dy-
namic conditions.
The static and dy-
namic accuracy is
specified at 0.2
and 1.0 degrees
(respectively) over the -40 to +85C temperature range.
The VG380 is offered in two package/interface options. The
VG380SA is a 41 x 48 x 22-mm module designed for standalone
applications, including built-in power conditioning (compatible
with power supplies from 9 V to 32 V), and with RS-232/RS-
422 interfaces. The VG380ZA is designed for OEM/embedded
applications, offering a smaller 24 x 37 x 9.5-mm package and
an SPI/UART interface for integration into an end-user system.
The VG380 is designed for attitude determination and plat-
form stabilization in applications such as unmanned aerial
vehicles, satellite antenna tracking, precision agriculture,
surveying instruments, and construction equipment where
size, performance, and cost are critical. Pricing starts at $353
in quantities of 100. An evaluation kit with a USB PC connec-
tion speeds the evaluation and prototyping phases. MEMSIC,
www.rsleads.com/709ee-181
Linear position sensor
The LRS-18 Series
sensors are contact-
less devices designed
for dimension or
position measuring
applications in fac-
tory automation and
in various industrial
and commercial ap-
plications such as automotive testing, MIL/aero test stands,
robotic arms, and packaging equipment where the sensing
element cannot be attached to the object being measured.
The company says existing technologies with similar electri-
cal specifications are 9 inches long to measure 1 inch; the
equivalent LRS-18 is 4 inches long.
Features include contactless operation that prevents in-
ternal wearout from dithering or rapid cycling and an M18 x
1 threaded aluminum or stainless steel body with mounting
nuts. Ranges extend from 12.5 to 100 mm (0.5 to 4.0 inches).
Maximum tip force on the item being measured is 1 lb.
LRS-18 sensors have a 19-mm (0.75-inch) diameter alu-
minum or stainless steel body with an M18 x 1 thread and
come with two hex jam nuts for installation in place of an
18-mm analog proximity sensor. These sensors use a 0.25-
inch diameter probe equipped with an AGD No. 9 contact
tip and are offered with either an axial cable or a connec-
tor. Operating from a variety of DC voltages, the sensors are
available with a choice of four analog outputs, and they all
include ASGs proprietary SenSet field calibration feature.
H.G. Schaevitz LLC Alliance Sensors Group, www.rsleads.
com/709ee-182
September 2017 evaluationengineering.com 25
8/9/2017 4:49:26 PM
 INDUSTRY
By Rick Nelson, E xecutive Editor
HAPPENINGS
SEMICON West addresses extended
supply chain
S
EMICON West events got underway in July with the co-lo-
cated imec Technology Forum USA (ITFUSA), marking the
seventh time the ITFUSA has co-located with SEMICON
West. The ITFUSA theme was Nanobytes creating magic
semiconductor and system scaling beyond tomorrow. In a key-
note address titled Technology needs a human face, Luc Van
den hove, imec president and CEO, questioned whether nano
and digital technology together can create magic, or is magic just
an illusion? I dont believe in magic as such, he said, suggest-
ing that what might seem magical today has been the result of
hard work.
Other ITFUSA topics included machine learning, scaling, 3D
chips, solving the BEOL RC dilemma, and cybersecurity.
At a Tuesday morning press conference, SEMI organizers
emphasized the events theme: Smart Starts Here. Dave An-
derson, SEMI Americas president, said, The industry is doing
great2017 will be a record year. North America is now a $10
billion plus market for equipment and materials. He added that
SEMIs span of the extended electronics supply chain is reflected
in a focus on several verticals: smart automotive, smart medtech,
smart manufacturing, and the world of IoT.
In company news, UnitySC at SEMICON West marked its
first year as an advanced process-control company developing,
manufacturing, and marketing metrology and inspection solu-
tions for heterogeneous integration. The company, an offshoot
of FOGALE nanotech Group, made its debut at SEMICON West
2016. The company addresses advanced-packaging, sensor, and
power-device applications using optical-based microscopy, inter-
ferometry, spectrometry, reflectometry, and other technologies.
Orbotech announced that imec has named its SPTS Technolo-
gies company as a new supplier of physical vapor deposition
(PVD) solutions for under-bump metallization (UBM) and redis-
tribution-layer processes for next-generation fan-out packaging
technologies. imec has selected SPTSs Sigma fxP PVD solution
as the new process tool of record for low-temperature PVD for
Figure 1. Precis solid-state generator capable of 1.6-kW microwave
output at 2.45 GHz
Courtesy of Reno Sub-Systems
26 evaluationengineering.com September 2017
26-27_EE_201709_IndHappenings_MECH_dB.indd 26
Figure 2. High-resolution Wave Scale MX mixed-signal card
Courtesy of Advantest
development of novel fan-out technologies such as micro-bumps
for chip-scale packaging.
Several companies highlighted new products. Reno Sub-Sys-
tems, a producer of high-performance RF matching networks,
RF power generators, and gas-flow management systems for
semiconductor manufacturing, announced the latest addition
to its lineup. The new Precis generator (Figure 1) offers the
highest-power solid-state microwave generator available for
semiconductor plasma applications, the company said, adding
that its approach to power generation fills a growing need for
advanced subsystem technologies to keep the industry on pace
with Moores law.
Advantest chose SEMICON West to highlight the addition of
a mixed-signal channel card to its Wave Scale MX product fam-
ily (Figure 2) for the V93000 platform. The new high-resolution,
highly accurate mixed-signal channel card extends the Wave
Scale MX product familys range in testing analog-to-digital and
digital-to-analog waveform converters. The card provides high
performance and fully independent AC and DC testing across
as many as 32 instruments16 arbitrary waveform generators
and 16 digitizersfor either single-ended or differential signals.
It has local, temperature-controlled references that ensure the
highest DC stability over time, and single-ended signals can be
referenced to a ground sense per channel to achieve high fidelity.
Advantest also launched the T5822 memory testerthe new-
est member of its T5800 product series, optimized for wafer-level
testing of DRAMs, NAND devices, and other nonvolatile memo-
ries used throughout portable electronic devices. The new tester
offers high-voltage resources such a level driver and DC testing
capability along with an economical compact test head. It also
features a memory repair analysis capability to help customers
maximize their yields.
Pickering Electronics highlighted a new miniature reed relay
with applicability to semiconductor test (Figure 3). The Picker-
ing Series 120 is a range of single-pole reed relays that require
a board area of 4 mm x 4 mm. Two switch types are available,
a general-purpose sputtered ruthenium switch rated for up to
20 W, 1 A and a low-level sputtered ruthenium switch rated at
8/10/2017 1:56:31 PM
 10 W, 0.5 A. Sibling company Pickering Interfaces previewed its
soon-to-be-released Model 65-221 High-Density Modular LXI
Reed Relay Matrixa new LXI switch system thats applicable
to semiconductor test.
Optimal+ highlighted its efforts to get semiconductor makers
and electronics manufacturers to communicate to determine the
root causes of faults. The company was emphasizing what it is
now calling SQN, or Suppliers Quality Network, which aims to
break down barriers between component makers and OEMs in
what company representatives called a win, win for everyone.
Igus was exhibiting its line of plastics, emphasizing its appli-
cability to reliable, flexible electrical cable guidingincluding
its ReadyChain systems offering a selection of cables, connec-
tors, and accessories. The companys products find use in au-
tomotive, aviation, machine-tool, medical-equipment, robotics,
solar, wind, electronics-manufacturing, radar-equipment, and
other industries.
Astronics highlighted its system-level test approach, aimed at
smaller nodes that can result in missed transistors during tradi-
tional test and at advanced packaging techniques that can drive
the cost of test escapes higher. The company highlighted its ATS
5034 system-level test platform, which can process up to 396 de-
vices simultaneously.
Seica exhibited one of its Pilot flying probers for PCB test, but
the companys main emphasis was on a new industrial monitor-
ing solution emphasizing energy-saving requirements and pre-
dictive monitoring of events in compliance with the principles of
Industry 4.0.1 Seica shared a booth with Microtest, which offers
MEMS test; OSAI, which makes MEMS handlers; and CREA,
which makes semiconductor test equipment.
Figure 3. Series 120 single-pole reed relay requiring a board area of only
4 mm x 4 mm
Courtesy of Pickering Electronics
National Instruments and Marvin Test Solutions highlighted
their PXI semiconductor test systems. NI displayed its Semicon-
ductor Test System, or STS, with an emphasis on RF and wireless
device test in conjunction with its vector signal transceiver (STS)
technology. Marvin Test Solutions exhibited its TS960e PXI Ex-
press semiconductor test system and introduced the Marvin Test
Expansion Kit (MTEK) Series (Figure 4), which offers a tester up-
grade solution for legacy semiconductor test systems.
At a show floor presentation, Melissa Grupen-Shemansky,
Ph.D., CTO, Flexible Electronics, SEMI, said consumer products
dominate with respect to ICs volumes, but growth opportuni-
ties for the semiconductor industry are appearing in market ver-
ticals. Consequently, SEMICON West this year has focused on
verticals such as smart automotive and smart medtech. The lat-
ter topic was the focus of a Thursday afternoon session on elec-
26-27_EE_201709_IndHappenings_MECH_dB.indd 27
Figure 4. Marvin Test Expansion Kit for legacy system upgrades
Courtesy of Marvin Test Solutions
tronics requirements and solutions for medical technology. Gru-
pen-Shemansky noted that, in general, various elements of the
supply chainfrom materials to applications marketsdont
communicate well. SEMIs role, she said, is to fill those gaps.
When it comes to medtech, she said, healthcare professionals
have no visibility into the IC fab. A connection between IC and
healthcare innovators would allow the latter to be more upfront
in influencing what semiconductor devices get developed, and it
can help semiconductor makers see what functionality is missing
that might be useful in the application space.
The 5G digitalization transformation was the topic of a SEMI-
CON West presentation by Sree Koratala, vice president, head of
technology, Ericsson. She described 5G, unlike previous wireless
generations, as representing a shift from consumer to industry
use cases. Ericsson, she said, has a presence in 180 countries and
participates in carrying 40% of the worlds mobile traffic. From
that vantage point, she said, Ericsson predicts there will be 29
billion connected devices by 2022a mind-bogging number
with 18 billion of those being IoT devices. The IoT embraces
cars, sensors, meters, wearables, and buildings all getting con-
nected and will have an economic impact of $11 trillion by 2025.
Koratalas talk was followed by a presentation on 5G hetero-
geneous networks, or hetnets, by Cdric Dehos of CEA Leti. He
proposed four initiatives to meet 5G requirements for data rate,
latency, reliability, and power consumption: boost spectral effi-
ciency; design low-cost, low-power ICs for sensors and IoT; de-
velop efficient, large-bandwidth front-end modules; and offload
data traffic to millimeter-wave and small-cell access points. He
concluded that the 5G roadmap remains unclear.
At a private event Wednesday evening, Xcerra introduced a
new deskside system called the DxV. Executives rolled it out (it
weighs 100 lb or so fully configured with instruments, according
to Xcerra personnel present at the unveiling) and booted it up
within a few minutes. Xcerra executives described the system as
offering full semiconductor ATE performance in a desktop
PC footprint. The system can work with PXI instruments in a
separate chassis although the base unit accepts Xcerras propri-
etary DiamondX cards. EE
Reference
1. Corli, L., Energy saving and predictive event monitoring in Industry 4.0,
EE-Evaluation Engineering Web Exclusive, July 24, 2017.
September 2017 evaluationengineering.com 27
8/10/2017 1:56:49 PM
 EE PRODUCT PICKS
Half-bridge transformers
The MID-LLCEPC Se-
ries offline transform-
ers use LLC resonant
half-bridge topology.
The series is capable of
power levels up to 400
W. With the low switch-
ing losses of the LLC topology, the MID-LLCEPC series yields
good efficiency, which makes the topology attractive with high-
er power levels.
All four of the parts in the series are designed to take pow-
er from a PFC boost converter at a voltage ranging from 340
VDC to 420 VDC, switching at 70 kHz to 140 kHz. These new of-
fline LLC transformers are suited for LLC resonant converters,
high-efficiency switch-mode power supplies, display panels,
telecom circuits, and audio applications. Wurth Electronics
Midcom, www.rsleads.com/709ee-202
mPCIe digital I/O cards
The mPCIe-DIO family of mini PCI
Express (mPCIe) digital I/O cards
with digital-integration features
a selection of digital I/O func-
tions for compact control and
monitoring applications. Users
can choose up to 24 channels of-
fering various voltage, isolation,
speed, and counter/timer options
and integrate additional I/O func-
tions in systems without board
modifications or customization. The design provides numerous
off-the-shelf I/O configurations for new and existing embedded
systems.
The mPCIe cards offer high-retention latching connectors
for shock and vibration mitigation as well as an extended op-
erating temperature range of -40C to +85C. They have been
designed for use in harsh and rugged environments such as
military and defense along with applications such as health and
medical, point of sale systems, kiosk design, retail, hospitality,
automation, and gaming. ACCES I/O Products, www.rsleads.
com/709ee-203
Bluetooth mesh SDK
The nRF5 SDK for Mesh is a software development kit (SDK)
that allows engineers to develop with Bluetooth mesh. The
launch of the SDK coincides with the Bluetooth Special Inter-
est Groups formal adoption of Bluetooth mesh 1.0. nRF5 SDK
for Mesh can be downloaded from the vendors website and
includes the companys first release of its Bluetooth mesh soft-
ware protocol stack. The SDK is compatible with the nRF51 and
nRF52 Series SoCs and the S110, S130, and S132 Bluetooth
4.0-compatible SoftDevices (the vendors Bluetooth low energy
stacks). With the nRF5 SDK for Mesh, developers who already
have an nRF52 development kit can immediately start building
Bluetooth mesh-based applications.
Bluetooth mesh extends Bluetooth low energy wireless con-
nectivity to multinode applications in consumer, smart home,
and industrial applications. The technology is suitable, for ex-
ample, for enterprise lighting installations covering large areas.
The alpha version of the nRF5 SDK for Mesh is available now.
Nordic Semiconductor ASA, www.rsleads.com/709ee-204
28 evaluationengineering.com September 2017
28-31_EE_201709_ProdPicks_MECH_dB.indd 28
Waveguide phase shifters
A new series of waveguide phase
shifters comprises seven mod-
els that operate in the frequency
range of 18 GHz to 110 GHz and in
seven waveguide bands from K to
W band. They provide phase shift
range from 0 to 180 degrees and
1-dB maximum insertion loss. These waveguide phase shift-
ers are constructed of gold-plated brass waveguide material
and feature UG flange-style per military standard. A microm-
eter allows for precision and repeatable phase settings. They
are suited for aerospace, defense, industrial, telecom, instru-
mentation, and medical industries.
Typical applications include instrumentation, test benches,
product development, and characterization. The waveguide
phase shifters are in stock for immediate shipment with
no minimum order quantity. Pasternack, www.rsleads.
com/709ee-205
Next-generation interface BERT
The Signal Quality Analyzer
(SQA) MP1900A BERT can
measure next-generation
PCI Express Gen 4 and Gen
5 buses as well as the latest
400 GbE/200 GbE Ethernet
networks. With comprehen-
sive interface support, the
MP1900A measures next-
generation high-speed electronic and optical devices and op-
tical transceivers used in high-end servers, communications
equipment, and optical transceivers/modules, including those
for M2M and IoT applications.
The SQA MP1900A can accurately evaluate high-speed
interface designs during the early development stage. Its
all-in-one, extendible platform can measure performance of
network-side interfaces, such as 400 GbE, 200 GbE, and 100
GbE, as well as internal PCI Express bus interfaces, to help
speed design evaluation times and lower cost-of-test.
Simple to operate, the MP1900A has an intuitive GUI
that can display block diagrams on the instruments large
touch-panel 12.1-inch display. Remote commands matching
each GUI function can be displayed on-screen to shorten
configuration time for automated measurements. Anritsu,
www.rsleads.com/709ee-206
Wideband record, playback system
The Model RTR 2745 rack-mount version of the vendors Talon
Series recorders is optimized for rugged operating environ-
ments and increases the bandwidth for record and playback
of the Talon Rackmount Series with capability to capture and
reproduce signal bandwidths up to 560 MHz. The RTR 2745
is a turnkey, wideband recording and playback system that
provides real-time capture of RF and IF signals. It incorporates
two 3-GHz 14-bit A/D converters and built-in digital downcon-
verters.
The Talon RTR 2750 Rugged Series recorder starts at $77,895.
All Talon recorders include the vendors SystemFlow software.
The vendor provides a Talon Recording System Simulator for
evaluation of the SystemFlow software package. Pentek,
www.rsleads.com/709ee-207
8/10/2017 1:59:24 PM
EE201709_AD HOUSE1.indd 29 8/10/2017 8:11:36 AM
 EE PRODUCT PICKS
AC power calibrator
The LS3300 AC power calibra-
tor can accurately and stably
produce a range of AC power
outputs for the calibration of
power meters and other types
of power-measuring instruments. The LS3300 can calibrate AC
voltage, current, and power as well as test both phase differ-
ence and power factor. It delivers accuracy of 0.045% and sta-
bility of 0.01% per hour.
The LS3300 also includes as a standard feature the capability
to output currents of up to 62.5 A for extended periods of time.
Further, three LS3300s can be synchronized to output currents
of up to 180 A, thus enabling the calibration of instruments
such as smart meters and shunt-resistor current sensors and
other devices that require higher currents.
Major target markets include government calibration labo-
ratories, privately owned calibration organizations, and com-
panies with departments that perform in-house calibration of
power meters and other measuring instruments. Companies
that develop and/or manufacture measuring instruments such
as power meters, clamp power meters, clamp testers, and
smart meters also are potential customers. Yokogawa Meters
& Instruments, www.rsleads.com/709ee-208
FIB system
The Helios G4 plasma focused-ion-beam (FIB)
system can deprocess and provide ultrahigh-
resolution scanning-electron-microscope (SEM)
analysis on a variety of semiconductor devices.
It can perform a variety of failure-analysis ap-
plications, from high-speed delayering to SEM
cross-section imaging of devices and TEM sam-
ple preparation. The plasma FIB and proprietary
Dx chemistry is used to expose metallization
layers, allowing electrical fault isolation and analysis to be per-
formed with the vendors nanoprobing tools.
The Helios G4 plasma FIB system can support deprocess-
ing down to the 7-nm node and offers automated end pointing
that stops milling automatically when the metal or via layer
of interest is exposed. It provides up to 10 to 20 times faster
milling rates than conventional (Ga+) FIB solutions, allow-
ing engineers to create larger samples for nanoprobing and
TEM imaging, as well as large area SEM cross-sections, on
a broad range of advanced (2.5D) packaging, including light-
emitting diodes and MEMS devices. Thermo Fisher Scientific,
www.rsleads.com/709ee-209
Hall-effect switch ICs
The A1130, A1131, and A1132 family of two-wire vertical Hall-effect
switch ICs has been developed in accordance with ISO 26262.
These devices have integrated continuous diagnostic features
and a safe output state that supports a functional safety level of
ASIL-B. They feature a two-wire current output interface that fa-
cilitates open/short diagnosis along with signal path verification
from input to output.
This family of devices is especially suited for systems re-
quiring high levels of functional safety such as active and pas-
sive occupant restraint systems, electronic power-steering
systems, advanced driver-assistance systems, electronic brak-
ing, and transmission and clutch systems, the vendor said.
Allegro MicroSystems, www.rsleads.com/709ee-210
30 evaluationengineering.com September 2017
28-31_EE_201709_ProdPicks_MECH_dB.indd 30
Headphone test fixture
The AECM206 headphone test fixturein
conjunction with APx Series analyzers, acces-
sories, and softwareprovides a complete
system enabling precise and repeatable elec-
tro-acoustic testing of headphones and insert
earphones (earbuds).
The AECM206 is a dense, robust fixture
mounted on a resilient base to isolate ambi-
ent noise, which can adversely affect mea-
surement integrity. Equally capable in both R&D and production
test applications, it is suited for testing circum-aural, supra-au-
ral, and intra-concha headphones and earbuds. The AECM206s
high level of acoustic isolation also enables the measurement
of noise-reduction performance of ANC (active noise canceling)
headphones as well as the evaluation of hearing-protection ear
muffs. Audio Precision, www.rsleads.com/709ee-211
PXI remote control
The PXIe-8301 remote-control module, which the vendor calls
the industrys first solution for laptop control of PXI systems us-
ing Thunderbolt 3, offers PCI Express Gen 3 connectivity through
two Thunderbolt 3 ports to maximize performance and delivers
up to 2.3 GB/s of sustained data throughput. Engineers can use
the second port to daisy-chain additional Thunderbolt 3 or USB-
C devices. With its modern connectivity and low price point,
the PXIe-8301 makes high-performance control of PXI systems
more accessible and affordable to engineers performing bench-
top characterization and validation or developing portable auto-
mated test systems.
The PXIe-8301 extends the vendors portfolio for low-cost PXI
control, which includes the recently released embedded PXI
controller, the PXIe-8821. The PXIe-8821 is optimized for test-
and-measurement applications, featuring a 2.6-GHz Intel Core
i3-4110E dual-core processor and providing up to 2-GB/s system
bandwidth. With their industrial ratings, small physical footprint,
and managed life cycles, embedded controllers are suitable for
long-life PXI deployments into harsh operating environments.
National Instruments, www.rsleads.com/709ee-232
Digital microscope
Uncluttered and ergonomic, the new
C12 high-definition digital micro-
scope is a plug-and-play microscope
designed for SMT/PCB electronics
assembly and rework applications.
The all-in-one optical digital inspection system offers 12:1 opti-
cal zoom, autofocus, integrated illumination, on-board controls,
and SD-card image capture. The C12 produces crisp images of
inspection objects up to 90x magnification directly on an LCD
monitor or PC.
The C12 provides relief to eyes, neck, and shoulders through
an ergonomic design and 245-mm working distance. By allow-
ing operators to sit comfortably in a good working position, their
inspection tasks can be carried out more efficiently. An optional
built-in laser pointer aims at the area of interest and assists in
locating it on the screen.
Optimized settings can be saved and recalled for individual
samples, and to further simplify operation, selected functions
can be controlled by a foot pedal. The Inspectis C12 reduces the
time spent on inspecting parts when compared to other optical
visual systems. Inspectis AB, www.rsleads.com/709ee-233
8/10/2017 1:59:37 PM
 EE LITERATURE
EE PRODUCT PICKS
MARKETPLACE

Multilayer ceramic capacitors FAST PULSE TEST SYSTEMS

Avtech offers over 500 standard models of
The addition of the EIA 0603 case-size
high-speed pulsers, drivers, and amplifi-
(1608 metric) devices with C0G tempera-
ers. Some of our standard models include:
ture characteristics expands the vendors
AVR-E3-B: 500 ps rise time, 100 Volt pulser
line of surface-mount high-voltage mul-
AVRQ-5-B: Optocoupler CMTI tests, > 120 kV/us
tilayer ceramic capacitors. The company
AVO-8D3-B: 500 Amp, 50 Volt pulser
said these devices are the smallest of
AV-1010-B: General purpose 100V pulser
their kind and offer designers the ability to
AVO-9A-B: 200 ps rise, 200 mA laser diode driver
continue miniaturizing their designs while still maintaining op-
AV-156F-B: 10 Amp current pulser for airbag initiator
erating voltages up to 1,000 VDC. This release complements the
tests. Avtech Electrosystems Ltd.
companys ArcShield X7R 0603 capacitors.
By utilizing patented base metal electrode technology, the Visit www.rsleads.com/709ee-360
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temperature. Available in both commercial and automotive PRODUCT SAFETY
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is Pb-free as well as RoHS and REACH compliant. KEMET, www. ED&D, a world leader in Product
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Power supplies with PMBus interface for meeting various UL, IEC, CSA,
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A PMBus communications interface op- Product line covers categories such
tion card for the 700- to 1,500-W QM Se- as hipot, leakage current, ground,
ries modular power supplies allows the force, impact, burn, temperature,
user or system to remotely turn the QM access, ingress (IP code), cord flex,
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signal output. The QM power supplies are available with up to NEMA TESTING
16 outputs, have full medical MoPPs isolation, and exhibit low CertifiGroup offers a full UL, CSA, IEC and
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Index of Advertisers

ADVERTISER PAGE
AR RF/Microwave Instrumentation ........www.arworld.us/multiTone ....................IFC

AR RF/Microwave Instrumentation ........www.arworld.us/html/catalogRequest ...31 NEW 2ND HALF

Avtech Electrosystems Ltd........................www.avtechpulse.com ..............................31 2017 CATALOG!
ARs latest catalog features the new low
CertifiGroup ..................................................www.CertifiGroup.com ..............................31 cost Universal series amplifiers with
CHROMA Systems Solutions, Inc. ...........chromausa.com............................................13 the widest bandwidth in the industry,
covering the 10 kHz to 1000 MHz
Educated Design & Development. Inc. ..www.ProductSafet.com ............................31
frequency range. Additional highlights
Marvin Test Solutions ................................www.marvintest.com/ateasy10 ............. BC include new RF Solid State CW
Measurement Computing Corp ................www.mccdaq.com/WebDAQ .....................9 Amplifiers, Pulsed Amplifiers, TWTAs,
details on HIRF systems components,
Pickering Interfaces Inc............................www.pickeringtest.com ...................COVER
and reference to a new product demo
Pickering Interfaces Inc............................www.pickeringtest.com/resistors ............3 video on the 6-18 GHz amplifier series
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VTI Instruments Corporation ....................www.vtiinstruments.com ..........................11 Visit www.rsleads.com/709ee-363

This index is provided as a service. The publisher does not assume liability for errors or omissions.

September 2017 evaluationengineering.com 31

28-31_EE_201709_ProdPicks_MECH_dB.indd 31 8/10/2017 1:59:47 PM

 TECHNOLOGY
By Alan R. Earls, C ontributing Editor
INSIGHTS
Setting the pacemaker on a new course
S
pecialized pacemaker cells are
found naturally in the heart. But
if pacemaker cells go awry, the
heartbeats slow down, causing faint-
ing or even sudden death. Patients
with slow heartbeats who are healthy
enough to undergo surgery often look
to an electronic pacemaker as their only
treatment option. The implantable heart
pacemaker, a triumph of engineering,
has been helping keep alive millions of
individuals since the first fully implant-
able pacemaker was given to a patient
in 1958 at the Karolinska Institute in
Solna, Sweden.
Since then, pacemakers have grown in
sophistication and durability while also
becoming a big business. According to a
new report1 by Grand View Research, the
global pacemaker market is expected to
reach $12.3 billion by 2025. The growing
prevalence of cardiac conditions and the
availability of medical insurance cover-
age are key driving factors influencing
the growth of pacemakers globally.
Meanwhile, though, innovators are
not standing still. For instance, research-
ers at Rice University and the Texas
Heart Institute (THI) recently showcased
a wireless, battery-less pacemaker that
can be implanted directly into a patients
heart. The pacemaker, designed by the
Rice lab of electrical and computer en-
gineering professor Aydin Babakhani,
receives power from radio frequency
radiation transmitted from an external
battery pack. In the prototype, the wire-
less power transmitter can be up to few
centimeters away from the actual device.
This has important implications be-
cause pacemakers usually are not im-
planted directly into a patients heart.
Instead, theyre placed where surgeons
can periodically replace their onboard
batteries with minor surgery. Short
leads carry the actual impulses to the
heart. However, all that wiring can
lead to bleeding and infection, thus the
wire-less approach of Rices proto-
type reduces these risks.
Although other lead-less pacemakers
have been developed, their form factors
limit them to a single heart chamber, and
they are unable to provide dual-cham-
ber or biventricular pacing. In contrast,
battery-less, lead-less, and wirelessly
32 evaluationengineering.com
32_EE_201709_TechInsights_MECH_dB.indd 32
powered microchips can be
implanted directly to pace
multiple points inside or out-
side the heart.
In a press statement, Dr. Me-
hdi Razavi, director of clinical
arrhythmia research and inno-
vation at THI and an assistant
professor at Baylor College of
Medicine, who collaborated
with Babakhani on develop-
ment and testing of the new
pacemaker, noted, This tech-
nology brings into sharp focus
the remarkable possibility of
achieving the Triple Crown
of treatment of both the most
common and the most lethal
cardiac arrhythmias: external
powering, wireless pacing,
andfar and away most im-
portantlycardiac defibrilla-
tion that is not only painless
but is actually imperceptible The circuitry of the Rice-Texas Heart Institute
to the patient. pacemaker, incorporating multiple features and
wireless power
The chip at the systems
Courtesy of Rice Integrated Systems and Circuits/Rice University
heart is less than 4 mm wide
and incorporates the receiv-
ing antenna, an AC-to-DC rectifier, a sure readingsto clinicians, accessible to
power management unit, and a pacing them via a secure website.
activation signal. A capacitor and switch In parallel with the work of the engi-
join the chip on a circuit board that is neer and the medical doctor, others are
smaller than a dime. The chip receives hard at work on making devices obso-
power using microwaves in the 8-GHz lete by harnessing nature.
to 10-GHz spectrum. Now, a $3 million grant from the Na-
Wireless technology also is being em- tional Institutes of Health to the Los
ployed in novel ways in Canada, where Angeles-based Cedars-Sinai Heart Insti-
a medical team has implanted a wire- tute is helping investigators move closer
less device inside a heart-failure patient, to their goal of developing a biological
permitting clinicians to monitor the pa- pacemaker that can treat patients af-
tients cardiovascular statusremotely flicted with slow heartbeats. Using mini-
and in real timeand proactively adjust mally invasive gene therapy, a patients
treatment to prevent costly or potentially normal heart cells can be turned into
unnecessary hospitalization. pacemaker cells that regulate heart func-
Funded by the Ted Rogers Centre for tionpotentially replacing electronic
Heart Research, the device called Car- pacemakers one day.
dioMEMS HF System was successfully If the upcoming safety studies on the
implanted by interventional cardiolo- biological pacemaker are successful, Eu-
gists at the Peter Munk Cardiac Centre in genio Cingolani, M.D., the principal in-
March 2017. The system features a small vestigator in the project, said the biologi-
butterfly-like sensor that then sits inside cal pacemaker could be tested in patients
the pulmonary artery of a heart-failure within the next five years. EE
patient. When the patient lies on an ac- Reference
companying antenna-equipped pillow 1. Global Pacemaker Market Size To Reach
device, the sensor provides important USD 12.3 Billion By 2025, Grand View Research,
dataincluding the patients lung pres- December 2016.
September 2017
8/9/2017 4:47:44 PM
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