EW - Testing Edition - Hioki Diode Testers, Pico Network Analyzers & More

B&K Precision Bench LCR Meters

(Image courtesy of B&K Precision.)

B&K Precision has announced the expansion of its bench LCR meter family with the addition of two models that extend the test frequencies to 1 MHz. The 894 and the 895 bench LCR meters provide test frequencies from 20 Hz to 500 kHz and 20 Hz to 1 MHz respectively, and can measure inductance, capacitance and resistance with 0.05% basic impedance accuracy.

Both bench LCR meters provide variable AC test signal levels from 5 mVrms to 2 Vrms, a built-in DC bias source, and three AC current ranges via the selectable 30/50/100 ohm AC source impedance setting. The 30 ohm internal impedance setting provides up to 66.7 mArms of drive current that is sufficient for testing large inductors and transformers.

The 894 and 895 models also feature a 4.3" color LCD screen that displays both primary and secondary measurements along with all test signal parameters. On the front panel, users can access the built-in DC bias source function and zoom display mode, with voltage and current monitoring. A USB host port enables external storage of measurement data logs, instrument setups and screenshots.

For information concerning pricing and availability, visit B&K Precision’s website.

Hioki Bypass Diode Tester

(Image courtesy of Hioki.)

Hioki has released the FT4310 bypass diode tester. Traditionally, bypass diodes can only be inspected for good working condition at night or when power is not being generated by the solar panels in order to verify that any applied current is guided past the solar cells. The FT4310, however, can detect for open faults even when the sun is out, without covering the panels. It is also suitable to test for short-circuit faults and cell string losses.

The FT4310 features open-circuit voltage, with 1000 V DC or less, and a rated current of 2 A to 12 A DC. Users can transfer data wirelessly via Bluetooth and are no longer required to physically climb onto roofs in order to test equipment, saving time.

Additional technical specifications are available on Hioki’s website.

Pico Technology Vector Network Analyzer

(Image courtesy of Pico Technology.)

Pico Technology has introduced the PicoVNA 106. The PicoVNA 106 is USB-controlled, 300 kHz to 6 GHz vector network analyzer, consisting of a Quad RX four-receiver architecture. The architecture supports both 8 and 12-term calibration without the uncorrectable switching errors, delays and unreliability of traditional three-receiver designs. The instrument supports calibration methods such as enhanced isolation correction and “unknown thru”.

The vector analyzer has a dynamic range of up to 118 dB at 10 Hz and 0.005 dB RMS trace noise at its maximum bandwidth of 140 kHz. It can gather all four S-parameters at 190 microseconds per frequency point. The PicoVNA 106 is supplied with Microsoft Windows software to support a range of plot formats for scalar and vector view of dual or single-port parameters. These can be saved or exported in various graphic and tabular formats including Touchstone.

For more information, visit Pico’s website.

Rohde & Schwarz Portable Oscilloscope

(Image courtesy of Rohde & Schwarz.)

Rohde & Schwarz (RS) has released the R&S Scope Rider portable oscilloscope. It offers the functionality of eight T&M instruments – including protocol, logic and spectrum analyzers and a data logger for long-term monitoring – in a compact design. This functionality makes the R&S Scope Rider suitable for signal integrity measurements on serial buses, for example. The oscilloscope permits differential measurements without the expensive extra equipment typically needed for serial protocols in automotive and other applications.

With the RTH-K9 CAN-FD triggering and decoding option, the user can also analyze CAN-FD signals. At transmission rates of up to 15 Mbit/s, the CAN-FD serial bus is significantly faster than the standard CAN (1 Mbit/s).

The digital triggering and decoding unit operates at a sampling rate of 1.25 Gsample/s, irrespective of the analog or digital channel sampling rates used for signal acquisition. This makes it possible to decode serial protocols even when very slow time domain signals are displayed at the same time. At the press of a button, the R&S Scope Rider displays the analyzed protocol in table format together with additional protocol-specific information.

For more information, visit the Rohde & Schwarz website.

Tektronix Automated Electrical Testing Software

(Image courtesy of Tektronix.)

Tektronix has increased its line-up of PAM4 test products to include 400G electrical compliance testing for OIF-CEI-56G VSR/MR/LR PAM4 standards. The 400G-TXE software package runs on Tektronix DPO70000SX Real-Time Oscilloscopes – a lineup of models which go to 70 GHz in bandwidth. The automated turnkey solution performs PAM4 compliance test sweeps in a single pass for shorter test times and greater ease of use.

The use of PAM4 encoding doubles the data rate of serial data channels compared to NRZ (non-return to zero). The 400G package also allows users to evaluate electrical PAM4 signals to specification-mandated limits and offers full OIF-CEI spec-level compliance tests. The package includes digital clock recovery capabilities that provide trustworthy measurement results under all conditions, including signals impaired with ISI jitter or other impairments.

The 400G’s detailed specifications and datasheet can be found on Tektronix’s website.