Sample rate and memory of modular instruments doubled

Maintenance, Test & Measurement, Calibration

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January 2005 Maintenance, Test & Measurement, Calibration

National Instruments is offering two 200 Msps modular instruments that extend its mixed-signal measurement capabilities. The new modules, based on the company's synchronisation and memory core (SMC), double the available sample rate and memory depth of its digitiser and arbitrary waveform generator product families. When combined with National Instruments' precision DC, RF and high-speed digital PXI instruments, the new modules are suitable for a variety of applications in consumer electronics, semiconductor, military/avionics and scientific research.

"Due to increasing production throughput and better accuracy requirements, we chose National Instruments' modular instrumentation along with MicroLEX Systems VideoMASTER software for our camera test and calibration," said Deepak Murji, senior test engineer for Baxall. "Based on our extensive evaluation and the comparison to traditional test methods, we can obtain more than 25% higher throughput and calibrate our products with higher accuracy."

The NI PXI-5124 12-bit, dual-channel digitiser and the NI PXI-5422 16-bit arbitrary waveform generator use the latest commercial semiconductors to extend the SMC architecture by increasing sample rates to 200 Msps and memory depth to 512 MB per channel. The new modules bring the advantages of NI modular instruments to an even broader set of applications by delivering world-class accuracy, flexibility and tight integration of mixed-signal I/O. The PXI-5124 digitiser offers 75 dBc spurious-free dynamic range (SFDR) and 150 MHz bandwidth, while the PXI-5422 arbitrary waveform generator delivers less than 6% pulse aberration and a 1,8 nanosecond rise time.

Design and test engineers can use the new 200 Msps digitiser and arbitrary waveform generator to quickly build stimulus/response systems anywhere in a product's development flow using the new NI SignalExpress interactive measurement software as well as LabVIEW 7.1 and NI TestStand test management software. With the Express technology available in each of these software packages, engineers can interactively configure the digitiser and arbitrary waveform generator with little programming, offering much faster system set up. Engineers can customise their measurement systems with the more than 400 measurement and analysis functions including spectral measurements and analog and digital modulation available in LabVIEW 7.1

All NI mixed-signal modular instruments are built on the common SMC architecture, so they tightly synchronise with other SMC-based instruments, such as the NI PXI-6552 100 MHz digital waveform generator/analyser. With module-to-module jitter of less than 20 picoseconds rms, the synchronisation of the SMC makes high-performance mixed-signal or high-channel-count measurement systems possible. In addition, both new modules can import external sample clocks, reference clocks and triggers through front panel connectors or the PXI trigger bus.

About NI modular instruments

NI modular instrumentation combines high-performance hardware, flexible software and innovative timing and synchronisation technology for test and design applications. NI modular instrumentation includes:

* High-resolution digitisers (eight to 14 bits, up to 200 Msps).

* Signal generators (up to 16 bits, 200 Msps).

* Digital waveform generator/analysers (up to 100 MHz).

* Digital multimeters (up to 6½ digits).

* RF vector signal generators and analysers (up to 2,7 GHz).

* Dynamic signal analysers (up to 24 bits, 204,8 Ksps).

* Switching (multiplexers, matrices and general purpose).

The toll-free number for National Instruments SA is 0800 203 199.

For more information contact Michael Hutton, National Instruments SA, 011 805 8197, [email protected], or visit www.natinst.co.za

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Maintenance, Test & Measurement, Calibration

Sample rate and memory of modular instruments doubled

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