Test & Measurement

USB instrument maker Pico Technology has re-written the host software for its head-less vector network analysers to run on PCs, Macs and Linux computers, and Raspberry Pi. Dubbed ‘PicoVNA 5’, and replacing the Windows-only PC-only ‘PicoVNA 3’ software, it “will run at speed on Linux, Windows and macOS, and PCs, Macs, and embedded systems, including Raspberry Pi 3”, according to ...

Spectrum Instrumentation has added a GPU-based digital down-conversion (DDC) option to its PC-based ‘SCAPP’ software, used with its PCIe signal digitiser cards – effectively ADCs for PCs. Working with sufficiently-powerful Cuda-based GPUs, the DDC option allows on-the-fly baseband signal extraction, and is offered as an alternative to FPGA-based DDC and its associated programming. “The GPU, which can have thousands of ...

For 5G FR1 network verification and interference hunting, Anritsu has added a 6GHz option to its MS2080A portable spectrum analyser. These units offer multiple instrument functions in the same unit, many of them pay-for add-on options, some time-limited – Electronics Weekly covered them in detail last October. 6GHz operation comes with option 0706. Later this year, in October, Anritsu released ...

Pickering Interfaces will be showing its BMS (battery management system) test demonstration at Battery Tech Expo at Silverstone. “With increasing adoption of electric vehicles, one significant challenge to be tackled is the effective and validation of BMS,” said Pickering simulation product manager Paul Bovingdon. “Using modular, PXI-based switch and simulation modules offers advantages, including flexibility to optimise the test system ...

Anritsu has introduced a portable 3GHz spectrum analyser with a 10inch display, measuring 290 x 212 x 96mm and 3.8kg for field, lab and manufacturing use. MS2070A has a dynamic range over 105dB at 2.4GHz and the optional pre-amplifier takes typical DANL to from -150dBm to -167dBm, coupled with a third-order intercept +11dBm. Typical level accuracy is ±0.5dB. “It can ...

Jetperch has releases a second generation of its Joulescope precision power consumption measurement instrument. Called JS220, it has a huge dynamic range: ±3A max (10A peak) with 500pA resolution over six 16bit auto-ranges – equivalent to 34bit – which allows the measurement of both active and sleep power. It has a bandwidth of 300kHz backed by a 2Msample/s conversion – simultaneously ...

Fluke has introduced a series of product calibrators, intended to be used by people with “minimal training”, it said. “With demand for calibration growing every year, Fluke 5560A [right] defines a new class of multi-product calibrator by catering for new and inexperienced workers joining the calibration business without much training,” according to the company. “Key features include a large [7inch] display ...

Siglent Technologies has introduced a range of display-less oscilloscope, with four or eight channels and bandwidths of 2 or 1GHs, or 500MHz. Sampling is at 5Gsample/s on each channel on all models, and 16 digital channels can be enables as a option. Called SDS6000L, they are based on the display-inclusive SDS6000A series, and by adding a separate ‘synchronisation distributor’ unit, ...

Rigol has introduced an eight channel microwave generator that works across 9kHz to 20GHz and can deliver related coherent signals or independent signals. Called DG5208, it is one of the DSG5000 range, which also includes units with 2, 4 or 6 channels, and versions which top-out at 12GHz. If eight channels are still not enough. multiple instruments can be connected ...

Anritsu has created an anechoic chamber based antenna tester for 5G millimetre wave (mmWave) angle-of-arrival RRM (radio resource management) testing. It operates within the company’s ‘New Radio RF conformance test system’ (ME7873NR, see below and photo) “Evaluating user-equipment communications quality and connection stability at handover between base stations is a difficult technical challenge for mmWave mobile communications,” according to the ...