EW - Testing Edition - FormFactor Probe Card, Rohde & Schwarz Interference Locator & More

B&K Programmable DC Electronic Load Testing

(Image courtesy of B&K Precision.)

B&K Precision has announced the expansion of its 8600 Series with the addition of four programmable DC electronic load models: 8620, 8622, 8624 and 8625. With operating voltage ranges up to 500 V, the models bring the series an increase in power range from 2500 W to 6000 W and a capability of sinking up to 720 A for high-current applications.

All 8600 Series DC loads are suitable for testing and evaluating a variety of DC sources such as DC power supplies, DC-DC converters, batteries, LED drivers and photovoltaic arrays. Key features include: transient mode up to 25 kHz, 16-bit resolution voltage and current measurement, adjustable slew rate in CC mode and analog current control and monitoring.

Information concerning pricing and availability can be found on B&K Precision’s website.

FormFactor Probe Card

(Image courtesy of FormFactor.)

FormFactor has announced the release of the SmartMatrix 1500XP probe card to reduce the cost of test for DRAM devices. As the industry transitions to sub-20 nanometer design rules to increase die per wafer and bit density, SmartMatrix 1500XP enables testing of 25 percent more die simultaneously in a single touchdown, while increasing wafer test speeds to 200 MHz. The device includes Matrix architecture and FormFactor’s MEMS capability, combined with advanced tester resource enhancement (ATRE) technology.

“The combination of performance and cost-of-test improvements provided by SmartMatrix 1500XP enable DRAM manufacturers to reduce costs during increasingly steep product ramps at 20 nm and below,” said Mike Slessor, President and CEO of FormFactor. “As we continue to innovate and extend the capabilities of the proven Matrix platform for DRAM wafer sort, we remain focused on partnering with our customers to advance their yield knowledge and accelerate their profitability.”

For more information, visit FormFactor’s website.

Hioki Flying Probe Tester

(Image courtesy of Hioki.)

Hioki has launched the FA1811 flying probe tester. Designed specifically for package board testing, the FA1811 achieves both high-precision contact with a total probing precision of 10 μm, and a testing speed that is comparable to generic flying probe testers in order to generate greater analytical power, faster testing speeds and reduced costs.

Key Features:

Double test method delivers an operation rate of 100 percent
Full-net insulation continuity test using resistance: 10x max. speed
High-speed test using capacitance: 2x max. speed

For more information, visit Hioki’s website.

PROMAX Hybrid Fibre-Coaxial Network Analyzer

(Image courtesy of PROMAX.)

PROMAX has introduced the Cable Ranger DOCSIS 3.0 analyzer for hybrid fibre-coaxial networks, which provides all the required measurements to install and carry the network maintenance of those hybrid networks using fiber-optic and coaxial cables at the physical layer.

The operating frequency range spans from 5 Mhz to 1700 Mhz, fulfilling DOCSIS 3.0 and 3.1 regulations. The device has an available frequency band up to 200 Mhz for the return path (upstream) and up to 1700 Mhz for the forward path (downstream), ensuring extra bandwidth for future network upgrades.

The built-in cable modem in the Cable Ranger can be used to take measurements before registering into the DOCSIS network, for instance the ranging process display or the return band attenuation measurement. It can also be used to take measurements under registered mode, such as PLR, Delay and Jitter, for IPTV and VoIP quality of service (QoS) assessment, by forwarding RTPS and UGS packets respectively onto the network. In addition, it displays all the IP addresses from network devices involved in the communication process.

Additional technical specifications are available on PROMAX’s website.

Rohde & Schwarz Interference Locator

(Image courtesy of Rohde & Schwarz.)

Rohde & Schwarz (RS) has released the MNT100 RF interference locator. The MNT100 RF locates and identifies sources of RF interference in mobile networks. The handheld instrument is optimized to detect, analyze and locate sources of interference from 600 MHz to 6 GHz. It automatically locates interferers by using a real-time FFT receiver and automatic direction finding.

The instrument’s polychrome display enables resolution of superimposed pulsed signals, making it possible to detect and differentiate complex signal bursts that cannot be seen with traditional swept-tuned spectrum analyzers. Furthermore, the MNT100 can detect very low-level signals due to its high spurious-free dynamic range.

The MNT100 is available in various RF interference locator packages: a standard locator package for manual handheld interference hunting, an automatic locator package for automatic mobile direction finding and the complete locator package comprising basic and automatic locator equipment.

For more information, visit RS’s website.

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