Electronics Automation

Agilent has demonstrated at 3GSM a new test capability for Unlicensed Mobile Access/Generic Access Network (UMA/GAN) that promises low pricing and exceptional ease-of-use.

Agilent has demonstrated at 3GSM a new test capability for Unlicensed Mobile Access/Generic Access Network (UMA/GAN) that promises low pricing and exceptional ease-of-use. This one-box benchtop UMA/GAN test solution will initially be available via subscription release to Agilent 8960 Wireless Communications Test Set customers with E6720A annual contracts. UMA specifications are intended to extend mobile voice and data services over fixed WLAN.

These services are available to mobile users via dual-mode and UMA-enabled handsets.

Consumer acceptance of this new generation of handsets depends heavily on their ability to seamlessly transition between cellular and WLAN networks during calls, while using services such as SMS/MMS, Web browsing and in idle mode.

Protocol developers and integration engineers, therefore, require an easy-to-use, comprehensive solution for testing the functional aspects of UMA/GAN, as well as to ascertain whether handovers occur at the correct parametric conditions and that all services are correctly managed throughout the transition.

Previously, to perform these tests, engineers would have been required to use a substantially more costly conformance test system.

With Agilent's one-box tester, all testing takes place on a bench rather than getting access to a system rack.

Engineers simply connect the equipment and begin testing.

'Today's engineers require cost-effective, easy-to-use measurement solutions that provide broad test coverage for stress test, validation and regression testing across RF, protocol and software', says Earl Thompson, Vice President and General Manager of Agilent's Wireless Division.

'Agilent's subscription release of the UMA/GAN capability reiterates our continued commitment to deliver cost effective, innovative and value-added solutions to manufacturing and RandD activities worldwide in support of new and emerging communication technologies like UMA'.

Agilent's new UMA/GAN handover testing capability will initially be available only via the Agilent E6720A Lab Application annual contract.

This contract not only offers all new official releases that are available during the contract period, but also gives customers access to subscription releases, which are early releases of leading-edge test capabilities such as UMA/GAN.

Keithley Instruments has published its 2007 Test and Measurement Product Catalogue. This desktop reference guide offers details and specifications on Keithley's general-purpose and sensitive sourcing and measurement products, DC switching, RF switching and measurement, data acquisition solutions, semiconductor test systems, and optoelectronics test hardware. Tutorials simplify choosing solutions for specific applications.

Arranged by major product type and application area, each section of the catalogue contains a tutorial on test-system design and use with practical tips to help users avoid common measurement errors, increase productivity, and lower their cost of test.

The major catalogue sections include: digital multimeters and systems; switching and control; RF/microwave switching and instruments; specialised power supplies; source and measure products; low level measurements and sourcing; pulse/pattern generators; PXI hybrid system products; optoelectronic test; semiconductor test; and data acquisition products.

Automotive test products can easily be integrated in complex, automated functional test configurations, which can be leveraged from design validation into production.

At Embedded World, Agilent Technologies introduced a number of product options to help automotive engineers develop their electronic products faster and under budget, while meeting quality requirements. These automotive test products can easily be integrated in complex, automated functional test configurations, which can be leveraged from design validation into production. A FlexRay option for the Agilent 6000 series mixed signal oscilloscopes offers a robust set of FlexRay frame, slot and error triggering, including the ability to trigger on specific FlexRay communications qualified on base-cycle and cycle-repetition.

A FlexRay extension to the Agilent 16800 and 16900 Series logic analyser provides FlexRay packet decoding capabilities and is essential when debugging and validating activity between multiple buses in an automotive system.

Analysis includes timing between signals, inverse assembly and packet display for key buses, as well as time-correlation of protocol packets to CPU and memory bus activity.

'New advanced driver assistance systems will further connect subsystems within the car, and from cars to cars and cars to the infrastructure', said Roland Jeutter, Automotive Business Manager at Agilent Technologies Germany.

'Our new automotive products help to master new technologies and the increasing complexity of these advanced electronic control units'.

To ensure that the advanced electrical/electronic system of a vehicle stays within the limits for the electromagnetic emissions, Agilent has added support for the widely adopted measurement methods defined in the CISPR25 standard.

As unveiled at IEEE EMC 2006, Agilent's fully CISPR16-compliant solution will be released later this year.

In addition to making CISPR25 measurements, the Agilent solution, which is based on the Performance spectrum analyser (PSA), will allow testing throughput not seen in previous-generation EMI receivers, at a competitive price.

Measurement system provides the highest-level FlexRay triggering and protocol decode measurements available in an oscilloscope.

Agilent Technologies and Dependable Computer Systems (Decomsys) have introduced a measurement system that provides the highest-level FlexRay triggering and protocol decode measurements available in an oscilloscope. This new measurement solution allows automotive designers who use embedded microprocessors to verify proper signal integrity of their FlexRay signals and proper timing of the time-triggered communication bus. The measurement system combines an Agilent 6000 Series mixed signal oscilloscope (MSO) with a Decomsys::Busdoctor 2 protocol analyser to provide the first time-correlated slot/segment boundary display of the global FlexRay timing schedule on an oscilloscope.

The FlexRay serial bus is an automotive communication bus with a time-triggered, deterministic architecture.

This higher-performance and fault-tolerant serial bus is gaining rapid adoption in the design of some of today's higher-end automobiles including BMW's X5 SUV, where it initially is being used to support a suspension application.

Because of the fault-tolerant nature of the FlexRay protocol, FlexRay technology is expected to be used in the near future for many safety-critical applications such as steer-by-wire, brake-by-wire and collision-avoidance systems.

When used in combination with the Decomsys::Busdoctor 2 protocol analyser, Agilent's FlexRay option for the 6000 Series mixed signal oscilloscopes offers a robust set of FlexRay frame, slot and error triggering, including the ability to trigger on specific FlexRay communications qualified on base-cycle and cycle-repetition.

Designers can see a synchronous and time-correlated display of segment and slot-timing boundaries by importing a Fibex file that defines the global FlexRay schedule directly into the 6000 Series mixed signal oscilloscope.

This capability allows the system to be used as a stand-alone tester (no external PC required).

Alternatively, the Decomsys::Busdoctor 2 and MSO can be configured for synchronous operation using Decomsys' Vision software package.

This type of system configuration provides higher-level FlexRay protocol analysis measurements on the PC and time-correlated FlexRay measurements on the oscilloscope's display.

The Agilent N5432A FlexRay triggering and real-time decode option for the 6000 Series mixed signal oscilloscope is priced at $2500.

The Decomsys::Busdoctor 2 FlexRay protocol analyser and optional MSO communication cable can be ordered directly from Decomsys.

Agilent Technologies and Beceem Communications have signed an agreement to develop high-speed manufacturing test solutions for mobile WiMAX devices based on the IEEE802.16e-2005 standard.

Agilent Technologies and Beceem Communications have signed an agreement to develop high-speed manufacturing test solutions for mobile WiMAX devices based on the IEEE802.16e-2005 standard. Agilent will initially develop a new test system based on the MXA signal analyser and MXG signal generator for WiMAX, and Agilent's test executive and control software. This test system will be optimised to directly control Beceem's MS120 baseband and RF chipset and the WiMAX modem software, thus enabling the highest possible measurement throughput.

Beceem will certify Agilent's test systems for use by manufacturers that are developing mobile WiMAX products based on the MS120 chipset.

'We are truly excited to be working so closely with Beceem', said Pat Byrne, President of Agilent's Electronic Measurement Group.

'Beceem is a leading chipset vendor in Mobile WiMAX, and is in a first-mover market position with shipping well-qualified chipsets and reference designs for this rapidly growing industry'.

'Agilent is a leader in test equipment for CDMA, GSM and WCDMA, and it's our pleasure to work with them to accelerate the mobile WiMAX market', said Babu Mandava, President of Beceem Communications.

'Solutions like Agilent's are critical for enabling OEMs and ODMs to develop and test their WiMAX products, both in their labs and in production'.