Feature sponsored by Test & measurement
PXES-2314T HELPS ENGINEERS REDUCE TESTING COST AND TIME
W
hat do you think of when we talk about a hardware engineer's desk? Perhaps a messy anti-static desk covered with various
types of electronic parts and connector wires, a smoking solder gun, glowing green oscilloscope, and signal generator displaying measurement data. The analogue circuit engineer Jim Williams's desktop is a classic and representative example occupied by various instruments, connecting wires, PCB to be tested, and more. Whether an office desktop or a laboratory desktop, engineers have always faced one problem: too many gadgets, not enough working space.
PXES-2314T SOLVES MEASUREMENT PROBLEMS FOR R&D ENGINEERS During testing, commonly used measuring instruments like oscilloscopes, stabilised power sources, signal generators, and electronic load devices, each with a bulky box-type case, quickly exhaust the available free space. In addition to their large size, measuring instruments are also single-purpose devices, necessitating new instruments to perform verification on different testing objects. Synchronising different instruments also becomes troublesome when adding more than one testing device. Manual setup of box-type instruments stretches the testing and verification process as the manual settings require a lot of time to set up correctly, and they are often limited in their capabilities. These are day-to-day problems faced by R&D engineers during testing. As a leading manufacturer of modular
measuring instruments, ADLINK Technology, with its own large staff of R&D engineers, truly understands engineers' daily challenges. ADLINK developed and launched the PXES-2314T 4-slot portable PXI Express chassis to tackle numerous types of measurement applications, allowing R&D
staff to complete various measurements easily at their office desks. Traditional testing systems require an expansion card installed in a desktop computer to connect to the PXI chassis, making portability practically non-existent. The new PXES-2314T uses the widely available Thunderbolt connector, with two built-in Thunderbolt 3 ports to connect directly to a notebook computer without any special adapters.
The PXES-2314T is compact and super-
portable, allowing single-handed use, and supporting up to four PXI modules. Multiple functions in a single device allow sharing of host machine resources such as power, chassis, and internal bus interface, cutting initial equipment investment costs. Instead of multiple devices, the PXES-2314T can, for example, have a spectrum analyser, signal generator, radiofrequency attenuator, and electric meter installed at the same time. In addition to the cost advantage, the PXES- 2314T also avoids the problem of discontinued box-type instruments. Customers can combine the device with other PXI products from other manufacturers and continue product measurement services with familiar software and hardware interface. As mentioned above, in comparison to box- type instruments, the PXES-2314T reduces testing costs, saves space, and is easy to upgrade because of its modular architecture. Specific component parts that cause performance bottlenecks can be upgraded on an as-needed basis, eliminating the expensive full-system upgrades required for box- type systems. For example, suppose the CPU is the performance bottleneck to the PXES-2314T. In that case, it is a straightforward procedure to upgrade the CPU of the notebook computer or to buy a new one because only the Thunderbolt 3 connection is required to connect to the PXES- 2314T. Even if the box-type instrument and the PXES-2314T have the same initial speed, the PXES-2314T can still benefit from incremental upgrades, allowing it to keep pace with faster requirements without being completely replaced.
DUAL THUNDERBOLT 3 PORTS REDUCE CONFIGURATION TIME SIGNIFICANTLY The PXES-2314T achieves the same performance as a traditional PXI Express system, but with some important differences. The configuration is flexible and easier because the system is compact and easy to handle. Specifically, the dual Thunderbolt 3 ports on the PXES-2314T offer a widely available connection for the testing system. This setup contrasts with the configuration of a traditional PXI bridge that requires a desktop expansion card,
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chassis module, and cable connection, severely limiting the product's portability. Now, only the compact PXES-2314T chassis (only 20.8 x 14.8 x 22 cm), a notebook computer with a Thunderbolt 3 port, and the necessary modules are needed to complete the configuration setup. Advancement in 5G and the extensive
development of next-generation connected devices have pushed communication transmission from single-channel and single-function to multi- channel and multi-function. To ensure transmission quality, the measurement of electronic signals has become more complicated. Testing often requires simultaneous testing of multiple devices all at once or testing multiple functions of a single device. For example, a power amplifier cannot be merely equipped with the power amplification function but needs to be equipped with the functions of a high order filter, power management, and conversion between analogue and digital data. For R&D personnel, traditional box-type measuring instruments are insufficient. The PXES-2314T is compact, equipped with multiple slots in a single chassis, allowing effortless card insertion and removal to satisfy complex testing requirements. Two decades ago, a box-type instrument with one single test function was sufficient. However, faced with the complicated testing tasks nowadays, the user is required to change the use of numerous machines of different functions and perform tests manually and continuously, which is time- consuming, expensive, and laborious. For engineers looking for a portable and flexible testing solution, the PXES-2314T is an excellent choice.
ADLINK Technology
www.adlinktech.com November 2022 Instrumentation Monthly
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