New Handheld Gigabit Ethernet Analyzer

October 4th, 2011

New DADI GEA-8110A Gigabit Ethernet Analyzer

The DADI GEA-8110A Network Tester is an instrument for Ethernet deployment and troubleshooting, which supports 10/100/1000Mbps interfaces, checks wiremap, tests cable length, diagnose cable faults, finds cable location and supports common network test functions. At the same time, this device can test gigabit wire-speed error code and fully evaluate performance index of Ethernet link, which is the indispensable tool for wiring and network maintenance.

Features

  • Link performance test:check link’s error code performance index, support 1000M wire-speed and set long frame, short frame, random frame and PRBS
  • Cable length test:test various cables’ length, such as twisted pair and telephone line
  • Wiremap test:test wiremap of twisted pair, check shielding line and diagnose faults such as open circuit, short circuit and wiremap error
  • Audio line-tracking:produce four different audio signals, cooperate tone generator for wiring
  • Port test:identify port and socket’s service type, such as Ethernet and telephone
  • Flashing port:port indicator of switch or router flashes and locate port connected by network cable
  • Optical power test:test sending or receiving optical power of Ethernet optical package
  • PPPoE function:support PPPoE dial-up and make network test based on PPPoE
  • Network test:support DHCP acquisition function and make connectivity tests such as PING or trace-route
  • Terminal emulation:support FTP download, WEB browsing
  • Data loop back:support data loop back function of physical layer, MAC layer and IP layer
  • Data management:Convenient to copy, check and delete test data, the data can be exported

Characteristics

  • Small and portable: it is smaller and lighter than similar products
  • Convenient operation: colorful high-definition touch screen and Chinese graphical user interface
  • Powerful functions: includes many useful functions such as link performance test, wiring test, port test, network test and terminal emulation
  • Good compatibility: support the mutual test of the same series Ethernet tester in DADI company
  • Powerful battery: built-In large-capacity lithium battery with long endurance time
  • Optimized structure design: test interface’s anti-dust and anti -shock treatment
  • Advanced cooling system: Ensure long and stable operation of the device.

Applications

  • Terminal mode test: Use one device to connect socket, cable or network and execute port test, audio line-tracking, cable test, network test etc.

  • Link performance test:use two devices to test and check link’s error code index.

  • Data loop back:the device is in the status of data loop and loops back the received data according to set layer.

Dadi Telecommunication Equipment GEA-8110A Gigabit Ethernet Analyzer is an integrated Ethernet Testing Tool for 10/100/100Mbps Ethernet Installation, Maintenance and Troubleshooting.

DADI GEA-8110A Product Page

Network Monitoring and Management Solutions Market Gears Up

September 30th, 2011

Network Monitoring and Management Solutions Market Gears Up to Meet the Challenges of Migration

Network vendors in the performance monitoring and management solutions market are often daunted by the vast complexity of interprocess communications (IPC) and the need to scale with large network environments, running several applications simultaneously. Vendors with multiple management tools and data servers, and a separate solution for wireless performance of their networks will be hard pressed to focus on a unified holistic solution to manage the network services and applications proactively.

To best this challenge, vendors need to understand the interrelationship, inter-dependencies and interrelated impact of the performances of each of these applications and services.

New analysis from Frost & Sullivan, World Network Performance Monitoring and Management Solutions Market for Enterprises, finds that the market earned revenues of $1.49 billion by the end of 2010. It market is expected to reach $3.37 billion at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 12.3 percent from 2010 to 2017. (www.testandmeasurement.frost.com)

If you are interested in a virtual brochure for this study, please send an e-mail to Sarah Saatzer, sarah.saatzer@frost.com, with your full name, company name, job title, telephone number, company e-mail address, company website, city, state and country.

“Market participants have to provide an integrated network performance solution on a unified base to monitor and analyze network data and traffic in all the seven layers of the open system interconnection (OSI) model,” says Frost & Sullivan Research Analyst Mariano Kimbara.

Leading participants in this market are offering unified knowledge, unified ability and an integrated framework with other existing management solutions to manage applications and services more effectively. The continuous trend towards integration of network monitoring solutions with common data and other management tools has given a huge boost to the network monitoring market. This unified perspective is likely to not only accelerate the growth of the market but also influence product development.

“Most companies now talk of adding cloud capabilities to their product and service offerings, and several of them now claim to be cloud-based,” notes Kimbara. “There is a trend to store data not only internally but also externally and this is changing the nature of networking.”

Meanwhile, the rapid growth in network volume has spawned a need for network storage to gauge the way a network will perform in the future. The higher network volume has also led to greater complexity in monitoring the performance of networks and providing detailed information. With the introduction of next-generation services, bandwidth-intensive applications have placed huge demands on networks for transporting higher amounts of data traffic.

As the industry migrates from 10 Gbps to 40 and 100 Gbps network speeds, vendors will have to overcome migration-related issues before they can meet the escalating demands for data and bandwidth.

“Today, with the possibility of analyzing the data by looking at historical information and with extra storage room, simulation of the same issue is no longer necessary,” observes Kimbara. “This saves time in analyzing the network issues.”

World Network Performance Monitoring and Management Solutions Market for Enterprises is part of the Test & Measurement Growth Partnership Services program, which also includes research in the following markets: World Wireless Protocol Analyzers and Network Monitoring Systems Market. World Service Assurance Markets. All research services included in subscriptions provide detailed market opportunities and industry trends that have been evaluated following extensive interviews with market participants.

WanXL-AsyncCom is an essential test tool for data communication product developers, network integrators, network troubleshooters and field service technicians.

Request a Quotation

World xDSL Test Equipment Market

September 22nd, 2011

Upswing in Demand for IPTV and Broadband-based Video Services Stokes Growth in the World xDSL Test Equipment Market

Participants focus on enhancing QoS and QoE to activate demand for xDSL test equipment products

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. – Sept. 21, 2011 – The spike in demand for Internet protocol TV (IPTV) and broadband-based video service is a major factor spearheading growth in the world xDSL test equipment market. High bandwidth requirements for IPTV and customers’ higher expectations of service uptime are forcing service providers to purchase the latest test equipment and service monitoring tools.

The IPTV network infrastructure is complex with many protocol layers, including the physical layer, asymmetric digital subscriber line (ADSL) layer, and IP layer, present between the video source and the subscriber’s TV. As the video stream passes through these various protocol layers, it is prone to audio drop-out, pixelization and distortion. Service providers understand the need to perform network testing to identify the exact location of faults in the network before those faults affect their customers.

New analysis from Frost & Sullivan

(www.testandmeasurement.frost.com), World xDSL Test Equipment Market, finds that the market earned revenues of $279.0 million in 2010 and estimates this to reach $545.7 million in 2016.

“Simple DSL metrics are no longer sufficient to support QoE, which has resulted in an upsurge in demand for multilayer test equipment capable of testing the triple play architecture (voice, video and data) in real-time,” says Frost & Sullivan Senior Research Analyst Srihari Padmanabhan. “Due to heavy competition in the service provider segment, QoE and QoS in the broadband service market will assume great importance in the future and enable growth in the xDSL test equipment market.”

Wireless broadband technology is witnessing significant activity. Factors such as convenience (mobility), cost of deployment, and bandwidth are pushing subscriber migration from DSL to wireless broadband technology. As network equipment manufacturers develop advanced routers and modems to optimize the reach of wireless technology, the DSL technology market is expected to be negatively impacted, restraining uptake of new xDSL test equipment.

As service providers mull significant capital expenditure (CAPEX) investment in evolving technologies, such as high bandwidth video-based services, market uncertainty necessitates careful analysis of the expected return on investment. Furthermore, a sudden demand shift for a specific DSL variant might affect a service provider’s business.

As the telecommunications space is witnessing fast-paced evolution, test equipment vendors must avidly invest in developing new products and technologies to cater to changing end-user requirements.

“The xDSL test equipment market is highly competitive, with many Tier-1 companies active in the market,” says Padmanabhan. “This leaves manufacturers with little control over pricing, which results in reduced profit margins.”

Due to pricing pressure from customers, test equipment vendors must revise their own pricing. To be successful in such a scenario, participants must perform a careful analysis of the expected return on investment and leverage their market intelligence information to tap opportunities that lie latent in the market.

If you are interested in a virtual brochure for this study, please send an email to Sarah Saatzer, Corporate Communications, at sarah.saatzer@frost.com, with your full name, company name, job title, telephone number, company email address, company website, city, state and country.

World xDSL Test Equipment Market is part of the Test & Measurement Growth Partnership Service program, which also includes research in the following markets: World Network Performance Monitoring and Management Solutions Market for Enterprises, World SONET/SDH Related Test Equipment Market, World Fiber Optic Test Equipment Markets, and World Wireless Protocol Analyzers and Network Monitoring Systems Market. All research services included in subscriptions provide detailed market opportunities and industry trends that have been evaluated following extensive interviews with market participants.

Sunrise Telecom Sunset xDSL Test Set

Hand-held Test Set that supports modules for many different transmission technologies, including ADSL, IDSL, SDSL, HDSL, Voice Frequency, and Datacom



Frederick Engineering ParaScope mPA VDSL2 IPTV/Copper Bundle

Advanced handheld chassis with 7″ touch screen high-resolution display, dual 10/100 Ethernet ports, USB port, SD card port, VGA port. Includes VDSL2/ADSLx module, IPTV Analysis Suite and Copper Module Bundle.


OSP Frontline Triple-Play

The OSP FrontLine Triple-Play is an advanced modular test set developed for installation, maintenance and troubleshooting of VDSL2, ADSL, ADSL2 and ADSL2+Triple-Play services.


PICOTEST Waveform Generators

September 21st, 2011

PICOTEST G5100A Waveform Generator

The PICOTEST G5100A LXI Class C compatible 50MHz Function / Arbitrary Waveform Generator uses DDS (Direct Digital Synthesis) Technology. Compared with the competition, the G5100A offers higher frequency performance, faster rise and fall times, larger memory (256Kx14 bit) a 16 bit digital pattern generator, standard 10MHz synchronization and better stability. Like all Picotest products, it’s backed by a 3 year warranty.

Great Performance for Functions and Waveforms

The PICOTEST G5100A 50MHz Function / Arbitrary Waveform Generator can create stable, precise, clean and low distortion sine waves by using DDS (Direct Digital Synthesis) Technology. With fast rise and fall times up to 25 MHz for square waves and 200KHz for linear ramp waves , the G5100A also can reach users』 demand on waveforms.

Pulse Generation
The G5100A can generate variable-edge-time pulses up to 10MHz. With variable period, pulse width and amplitude the G5100A is perfectly suited to applications requiring a flexible pulse signal.

Custom Waveform Generation
The G5100A can generate complex custom waveforms. With 14-bit resolution, and 125 MSa/s sampling rate, the G5100A offers users the flexibility to create waveforms. It also allows users to store up to 5 waveforms, 4 (4 x 256K Points) in nonvolatile memory and 1 in volatile memory.

Waveform Editor Wavepatt
PICOTEST Waveform Editor Software Wavepatt allows users to create, edit and download complex waveforms. In addition, users can retrieve waveforms from Agilent Oscilloscope MSO 8104 by using the Wavepatt.

Graph Mode
In graph mode, user can easily visual verify the signal settings. Also, user can always see the selected function on the upper left corner of display.

Data Transmission via Pattern Out
User can use Wavepatt to create and store 16-bit data in G5100A. The data can be transmitted via Pattern Out from G5100A rear panel as source for control.

User Friendly Operation
The front-panel operation of G5100A is simple and user friendly. Users can enter all functions with a single key or two, and use knob or numeric keypad to adjust frequency, amplitude, offset and other parameters. Otherwise, users can also directly input voltage values in Vpp, Vrms, dBm or high & low levels. Timing parameters can be entered in Hertz (Hz) or second.

Easy-to-use Functions

  • Users can easily use the following functions.
  • Internal modulations of AM, FM, PM (PSK), FSK & PWM for waveform adjustment.
  • Built-in linear and logarithmic sweeps from 1ms to 500 s.
  • The burst mode has a selectable number of cycles per period of time.
  • Using remote control via USB, LAN or Opt. GPIB interface.
  • The program-ability by SCPI commands under the remote control connection.
  • Precise phase adjustments and calibrations can be done from the front panel or via a PC.

Support External Frequency Input and Output
The G5100A external frequency reference allows users synchronizing to an external 10 MHz clock, to another G5100A, or any other unit which can support 10-MHz-frequency-input function.

PICOTEST G5100A Waveform Generator Features:

  • 50 MHz Sine, 25 MHz Square & 10 MHz arbitrary Waveforms
  • 14-bit, 125 MSa/s, 256 K-point Arbitrary Waveform
  • Pulse, Ramp, Triangle, Noise & DC Waveforms
  • Linear & Logarithmic Sweeps & Burst Operation
  • AM, FM, PM (PSK), FSK & PWM Modulation Types
  • Amplitude Range, 20 mVpp to 20 Vpp into Open Circuit
  • Remote Control via USB, LAN or Opt. GPIB
  • Graph Mode for Visual Verification of Signal Settings
  • 16-bit Data Output via Pattern Out
  • Free Waveform Editor Software Wavepatt
  • User Friendly Operation
  • Product Page Here

Public Testing of the First Television White Spaces Database

September 21st, 2011

FCC’s Office of Engineering and Technology Issues Public Notice to Start Public Testing for Spectrum Bridge’s TV White Spaces Database System

Washington, D.C. The Federal Communications Commission issued a Public Notice announcing that the Office of Engineering and Technology (OET) will commence a 45-day public trial of Spectrum Bridge Inc.’s TV band database system, beginning September 19, 2011.

Unused spectrum between TV stations–called white spaces–represents a valuable opportunity for our changing wireless mobile landscape. This block of spectrum is powerful platform for innovation and experimental use, holding rich potential for research and commercial purposes. The result of white spaces innovation has already led to a wave of new consumer technologies, including wi-fi and other innovations like baby monitors and cordless phones that have generated billions in economic growth.

Commission rules require that unlicensed TV band devices contact an authorized database system to obtain a list of channels that are available for their operation (i.e., channels not occupied by authorized radio services) at their individual locations and must operate only on those channels.

The limited trial is intended to allow the public to access and test Spectrum Bridge’s database system to ensure that it correctly identifies channels that are available for unlicensed TV band devices, properly registers those facilities entitled to protection, and provides protection to authorized services and registered facilities as specified in the rules. FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski said, “Unleashing white spaces spectrum will enable a new wave of wireless innovation. It has the potential to exceed the billions of dollars in economic benefit from wi-fi, the last significant release of unlicensed spectrum, and drive private investment and job creation.”

Parties may participate in the trial by accessing Spectrum Bridge’s TV band database test facility at

http://whitespaces.spectrumbridge.com/Trial.aspx

The trial of the Spectrum Bridge database system is scheduled to last for 45 days and will end on November 2, 2011. During this trial, participants are encouraged to test the channel availability calculator; the cable headend and broadcast auxiliary temporary receive site registration utilities; and the wireless microphone registration utility to ensure that each of these elements of the database system is working properly and providing the interference protection required under our rules.

In addition, participants are encouraged to report any inaccuracies or other issues with any aspect of the database system to Spectrum Bridge through the response facility on the trial’s website. Spectrum Bridge will respond, as appropriate, to such reports with an explanation and notification of any responsive actions it may take, as appropriate. During the trial, Spectrum Bridge may apply any corrective measures it determines are needed and will advise participants of such measures through the trial’s website.

Participants are also encouraged to report any inaccuracies or other issues with any aspect of the database system to Spectrum Bridge through the response facility on the trial’s website, which will make modifications as appropriate. After the close of the trial, Spectrum Bridge will provide a summary report to OET that identifies problems reported and their disposition, as well as descriptions of changes made to the channel availability calculator or registration systems.

Read the Public Notice here: http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-11-1534A1.doc. (source fcc.gov)

The FCC TV White Spaces Database Certification Public Trial went live at 8.30am EDT on September 19, 2011.

Who is Spectrum Bridge?

From Their About Us Page:
Spectrum Bridge, Inc. (SBI) provides software and services for the next generation of wireless networking. Our solutions address the industry’s insatiable demand for wireless bandwidth by utilizing database-driven cognitive networking technology to redefine the way in which spectrum is accessed, allocated, and utilized. Founded in 2007 by a team of proven wireless experts, Spectrum Bridge established its leadership in the spectrum marketplace thorough the company’s flagship products SpecEx.com and ShowMyWhiteSpace.com. Providing the only online marketplace of available licensed radio spectrum for sale or lease on the secondary market, SpecEx.com increases the visibility into available spectrum solutions, while enabling access to underused spectrum. As the creators of the first TV white space channel map capable of showing spectrum availability across all 3,141 U.S. counties, ShowMyWhiteSpace.com along with our TV white space trial initiatives, demonstrate the viability of this newly unlicensed band as a means for addressing the perceived spectrum scarcity crisis. Spectrum Bridge has achieved remarkable recognition over the past couple of years. The FCC conditionally appointed Spectrum Bridge a TV White Space Database Administrator in January 2011. In addition to this, the Company’s achievements were recognized in the National Broadband Plan in 2010 as the first to deploy multiple trial networks using TV White Spaces.

Instek Signal Sources

September 20th, 2011

The Instek GFG-8200A Product Family of Function Generators

Instek GFG 8255A Fubction Generator

The Instek GFG-8200A product family offers a complete solution in generating signals at the 3MHz/5MHz ranges. All models are embedded with standard functions such as TTL/CMOS/Ramp output, External Voltage Controlled Frequency (VCF), and built-in 6-digit counter (except for GFG-8215A).

Further versatility of Logarithmic and Linear sweep is added into GFG-8255A/8219A/8217A, while GCV output feature and AM/FM modulation are available in GFG-8255A/8219A. All these integrated functions and user-friendly operations of the GFG-8200A series are made to accommodate the applications in audio response testing, vibration testing, servo system evaluation, ultra sound application, etc.

SELECTION GUIDE

MODEL

GFG-8255A

GFG-8250A

GFG-8219A

GFG-8217A

GFG-8216A

GFG-8215A

DISPLAY

6 Digits LED Display

-

WAVEFORM

Sine , Square , Triangle

FREQUENCY RANGE

5MHz

5MHz

3MHz

3MHz

3MHz

3MHz

LIN/LOG SWEEP

V

V

V

AM/FM MODULATION

V

V

FREQUENCY COUNTER

V

V

V

V

V

VOLTAGE CONTROL FREQUENCY

V

V

V

V

V

V

GCV OUTPUT

V

V

TTL/CMOS OUTPUT

V

V

V

V

V

V

Features

*Frequency Range: 0.3Hz ~ 3MHz (GFG-8215A/8216A/8217A/8219A)
*Frequency Range: 0.5Hz ~ 5MHz (GFG-8250A/8255A)
*Waveforms: Sine, Triangle, Square, Ramp, TTL and CMOS Output
*External Voltage Controlled Frequency (VCF) Function
*Two-Steps (-20dBx2) and Variable Attenuator
*Built-In 6 Digits Counter with INT/EXT Function up to 150MHz(Except GFG-8215A)
*INT/EXT AM/FM Modulation (GFG-8219A/8255A)
*GCV Output for Synchronization (GFG-8219A/8255A)

Instek GFG8255A


Instek GFG8250A


Instek GFG8219A

Instek GFG8217A


Instek GFG-8216A


Instek GFG-8215A


Infrastructure Projects Bolster NDT Inspection Services

September 2nd, 2011

Asia Pacific and Latin American Large-scale Infrastructure Projects Bolster the Nondestructive Test Inspection Services Market

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. – Nondestructive test (NDT) inspection service has been one of the few markets that performed impressively during the global economic downturn. It witnessed modest growth in 2009 and rebounded with an unexpectedly improved performance in 2010.

North America is the main contributor to revenues, due to high government safety regulations stipulating that inspection be carried out regularly, even during the downturn.

Analysis from Frost & Sullivan (www.testandmeasurement.frost.com), World Nondestructive Test Inspection Services Market, finds that the market earned revenues of $3.05 billion in 2010 and estimates this to reach $5.59 billion in 2017.

If you are interested in a virtual brochure on this study, please send an email to Sarah Saatzer, Corporate Communications, at sarah.saatzer@frost.com, with your full name, company name, job title, telephone number, company email address, company website, city, state and country.

Impulse Winding Component TesterImpulse Winding Component Tester

Even though industries were hit severely during the economic downturn, the global NDT inspection services market revenues registered a growth of 4.7 percent in 2009. However, with the U.S. economy still recovering from the effects of financial downturn and the European economy being troubled by a sovereign debt crisis, the primary regions being outlined for growth in the global market are Asia Pacific and Latin America.

“The rapid rate of infrastructure development in emerging economies such as India, China, and Brazil is driving the demand for NDT inspection,” notes Frost & Sullivan Research Associate Nikhil Jain. “In Japan, the accident at Fukushima nuclear reactor is expected to trigger widespread increase in safety regulations for nuclear power plants, besides driving short-term precautionary inspection in existing nuclear plants worldwide.”

Meanwhile, in Latin America, Brazil has been the vanguard of the market recovery. The Brazilian economy is the largest in Latin America, with oil and gas, power generation, aerospace and automotive sectors being the main revenue generators. In this region, majority of the revenues came from oil and gas end use segment, which perform compliance-based maintenance inspection.

The power generation segment, especially wind energy and nuclear power, also provides expansion opportunities to NDT inspection service providers. The awareness of the need for NDT inspection in these regions is low; however, industries are beginning to understand the importance of protecting their assets against catastrophic failures.

“Although most established participants provide high-quality inspection, less established and relatively smaller participants occasionally compromise on safety and quality,” says Nikhil. “This is especially witnessed in Asia Pacific, where the end users are highly price conscious.”

Price is a major hurdle for many NDT inspection service providers in Asia Pacific. The lack of government safety regulations has affected the effective implementation of NDT inspection in this region. End users are unconcerned about the reputation and quality of the inspection service provider, but they demand the most competitive price-performance ratio.

With the number of pipeline explosions and infrastructure failures being witnessed around the world, authorities have intensified the scrutiny of inspection performed. Also, many industries that are reluctant to incur the exorbitant installation costs of new infrastructure, are trying to extend the useful life of their existing assets. This has led to relative aging of these assets and periodic inspection is essential to guard against catastrophic failure.

To tap this ever increasing demand for NDT inspection, the service providers need to increase their market presence and technicians employed. However, this offers a considerable challenge as there is a clear lack of qualified and skilled technicians in this industry. To overcome this challenge, NDT equipment manufacturers have dedicated their resources to simplify the operational complexity of the instrument used for inspection and increasing the speed of inspection. As a result, technicians have additional time to perform a thorough analysis of the data collected.

World Nondestructive Test Inspection Services Market is part of the Test & Measurement Growth Partnership Services program, which also includes research in the following markets: Digital X-ray Technology: The Future of Industrial X-ray Inspection, Renewable Energy Opportunity: Wind Testing, World Nondestructive Test (NDT) Equipment Markets, and Chinese Mechanical Test Equipment Markets. All research services included in subscriptions provide detailed market opportunities and industry trends that have been evaluated following extensive interviews with market participants.

DranISO 5000D
DranISO 5000D

Dranetz DranISO 5000D Digital High-Voltage Insulation Tester Features:

Test Voltages to 5000 V
The instrument is suitable for non-destructive measurement of insulation resistance in electrical systems, as well as in machines, transformers, cables and electrical equipment utilized in, for example, locomotives, street cars and ocean going vessels with selectable test voltages of up to 5 kV. Voltage Measurement to 1000 V Testing for absence of voltage at the device under test in systems of up to 1 kV can be performed with the voltage measuring range.

Discharging Capacitive Devices Under Test
Capacitive devices under test such as cables and coils, which may be charged by the test voltage, are discharged by the measuring instrument. The falling voltage value can be observed at the display. Measurements per EN 61557 Parts 1 and 2 (VDE 0413) Nominal current amounts to 1 mA at a test voltage of 100 V, 250 V, 500 V or 1000 V.

Highly Insulated Measurement Cables
The highly insulated measurement cables are permanently connected for safety reasons, and due to technical measuring considerations. Danger resulting from inadvertently disconnected cables, for example in the event of charging caused by capacitive devices under test, is thus avoided.

Polarization Index
A polarization index test is recommended for electrical machines. This procedure involves expanded testing of insulation resistance. DC measuring voltage from the DranISO 5000D is applied to the insulation for a duration of 10 minutes. Measured values are documented after one minute, and after ten minutes. If the insulation is good, the value measured after ten minutes is higher than the value measured after one minute. The relationship between the two measurement values is the polarization index. Charged material within the insulation is aligned due to the application of measuring voltage over a long period of time, resulting in polarization. The polarization index indicates whether or not the charged material contained in the insulation can still be moved, thus allowing for polarization. This, in turn, is an indication of the condition of the insulation.

Data Management and Report Generation
The data of each measurement can be stored under a selected object number. Furthermore, a description for this object can be entered via the keyboard of the optional PSI module. The data management function allows for individual measurement data of a previously selected object to be displayed and to be deleted if required, or for previously entered objects to be deleted. Depending on the number of stored objects (max. 254), up to
1,600 measurements can be stored. The current memory occupancy is continuously displayed as a bar graph.

Visit the DranISO 5000D Digital High-Voltage Insulation Tester Product Page

Rigol on Sale 2011 Year End Promotion

September 2nd, 2011

Rigol on Sale 2011 Year End Promotion for DS1000CA and DS1000B Series Oscilloscopes from Test Equipment Connection

Rigol Technologies provides a broad set of instruments and test tools popular worldwide in educational, industrial, and consumer applications. Founded 12 years ago in Beijing, Rigol has grown to become one of the worldwide leaders in benchtop oscilloscopes and currently designs and manufactures a broad set of instruments including Digital Oscilloscopes, RF Spectrum Analyzers, Digital Multimeters, Function/Arbitrary Waveform Generators, Digital Programmable Power Supplies, Virtual Instruments and Chemical Analysis Systems.

The DS1000CA Series Digital Oscilloscopes set a new standard for technology and capability. With features including 2GSa/s sample rate, FFTs, record and replay, roll mode, alternate trigger mode, adjustable trigger sensitivity, and PictBridge printing the DS1000CA is the new bench standard.

Rigol DS1062CA 60 MHz DSO 2 Channel, 2 GSa/s Digital Oscilloscope

Rigol DS1064B 60 MHz 4 Channel 2 GSa/s Digital Oscilloscope


The DS1000B Series Oscilloscopes offer 4 Channel measurement capability with adjustable trigger sensitivity for effective noise removal and false trigger elimination. The DS1000B series offers built-in USB host support , USB flash drive support and PictBridge printer support. LXI class C LAN ethernet connectivity is standard. DS1000B oscilloscopes provide users with backlit keys, ituitive user interface and builtin menu help in both English and Chinese.

Rigol DS1102CA 100 MHz DSO 2 Channel, 2 GSa/s Digital Oscilloscope

Rigol DS1104B 100 MHz DSO 4 Channel, 2 GSa/s Digital Oscilloscope

Rigol DS1202CA 200 MHz DSO 2 Channel, 2 GSa/s Digital Oscilloscope

Rigol DS1204B 200 MHz 4 Channel 2 GSa/s Digital Oscilloscope

Rigol DS1302CA 300 MHz 2 Channel, 2 GSa/s Digital Oscilloscope

Product Spotlight – Tabor Electronics WS8352

August 31st, 2011

Tabor Electronics WS8352 350MHz Dual-Channel Arbitrary / Function / Pulse Generator

Tabor’s WS8352 350MHz Dual Channel Generator has the functionality of a function, arbitrary, modulation and pulse/pattern generator, all in one easy to use, high performance, compact stand alone bench top, which enables engineers to test analog, digital and mixed signals devices with a single instrument.

Tabor Electronics WS8352
Tabor Electronics WS8352

Standard Waveforms
The WS8352 has 10 built-in functions for quick and easy waveform generation. Front panel operations allows for easy selection and editing of all waveform parameters. All the standard waveforms can reach up to 125MHz with Sine and Square going as high as 350MHz and 250MHz respectively.

User Defined Waveforms
For more advanced users the WS8352 with its 14-bit vertical resolution offers a standard 512Kpoint memory depth and a 2GS/s sample clock for designing waveforms. With the ability to control and edit the value of each and every point any wave is possible. The Memory can be divided into segments for storing all of the user defined waveforms.

Common or Separate Clocks

Need a dual channel unit, a single channel unit… why choose? With the new WS8352 you can have it both ways. The WS8352 has two differential output channels, which operate either independently, or synchronized. As two separate channels, one has the advantage of having two separate instruments in one box, each having the ability to be programmed to output different function shapes, frequency, amplitude levels and even in different run modes. Alternatively, the advantage of having two synchronized channels with less than 10ps skew and skew control is very significant in applications that require an accurate and controlled phase between the two channels.

Pulse / Pattern Creation
Generating complex pulse trains has never been easier. The Pulse Composer is a powerful built-in tool that converts the WS8352 to a very sophisticated Pulse/Pattern Generator, allowing to create literally any complex pulse train / pattern, whether it’s a single pulse, multi-level, linear-points, initialization or preamble pattern definition, arbitrary bit design, user-defined or even standard random patterns with programmable resolution, so it doesn’t matter if your application is radar communications, nanotechnology or serial bus testing, the pulse/pattern composer is the right tool for your application. Moreover, all the WS8352 advanced trigger modes are applicable, hence one can choose to use the “step” mode to advance every bit independently or the “once” mode to advance a complete data block in one trigger event, enabling even more applications, such as trigger, clock and data protocols.

Multi-Level and PAM(n) Signals
The WS8352’s pulse composer enables up to 350Mbit/s data rate generation, utilizing either NRZ and RZ modes (minimum transition times) which is ideal especially for multi level and PAM(n) applications such as, LED (light-emitting diodes), CAN, QPHY, FlexRay or simulating and testing Ethernet environment, whether it’s 100Mbit/s (100BASE-T), the later gigabit Ethernet (1000BASE-T) or even the latest 802.3an standard (10GBASE-T), which utilizes PAM-16.

Modulated Waveforms

Agility and modulation capabilities open the door to diverse applications. In addition to the capability of generating any shape and style of waveform with the arbitrary waveform generation power, the WS8352 can also do standard modulation schemes such as AM, FM, FSK, PSK, sweep and chirp without sacrificing the power of the instrument control and output run modes.

Accuracy and Stability

As standard, the instrument is equipped with an internal frequency reference that has 1ppm accuracy and stability over a period of 1 year. An external frequency reference is provided on the rear panel for applications requiring greater accuracy or stability, supported by the instrument’s 14 digits resolution.

Easy to Use
Large and user-friendly 4” backlit color LCD display facilitates browsing though menus, updating parameters and displaying detailed and critical information for your waveform output. Combined with numeric keypad, cursor position control and a dial, the front panel controls simplifies the often complex operation of an arbitrary function generator.

Remote Control
Model WS8352 comes standard with a variety of interfaces: Ethernet, USB and GPIB allowing the user to freely select the interface best suited to his individual requirements. The included ArbConnection software is a powerful editorial tool for designing waveforms and provides the user with full control of instrument functions, modes and features.

Multiple Environments to Write Your Code
In addition to the included ArbConnection software, the WS8352 comes with a complete set of drivers, allowing you to write your application in various environments such as: Labview, CVI, C++, VB, MATLAB. You may also link the supplied dll to other Windows based API’s or, use low level SCPI commands (Standard Commands for Programmable Instruments) to program the instrument, regardless if your application is written for Windows, Linux or Macintosh operating systems.

Automated External Calibration
Leading-edge technology is implemented to allow calibration from any interface, USB, GPIB or LAN and calibration factors are stored in a flash memory thus eliminating the need to open instrument covers.

Tabor Electronics WS8352 Highlights

  • Dual-channel Arbitrary / Pulse / Function Generator
  • Differential outputs configured as separate or synchronized
  • 350MHz sine and 250MHz square waves
  • 14-Bit, 2GS/s, 512Kpoint arbitrary waveforms
  • 4Vp-p into 50Ω (8Vp-p differential), double into open circuit
  • 10 built-in waveforms: sine, square, pulse, triangle, ramp (saw-tooth), sinc, gaussian, exponential , DC, repetitive or white noise
  • AM, FM, FSK, PSK and Sweep modulations
  • Continuous, triggered, gate and burst modes
  • Powerful pulse/pattern composer for analog, digital and mixed signals
  • User friendly 4” color LCD display
  • Remote control through LAN, USB and GPIB
  • Store/recall capability on disk-on-key or 1GB internal memory
  • Free ArbConnection software, IVI and MATLAB drivers
  • LXI Class C compliant

Tabor Electronics WS8352 Product Page

Rice University Builds Nanowire Battery

August 29th, 2011

Hybrid Energy Storage Device is as Small as it can Possibly Get

The world at large runs on lithium ion batteries. New research at Rice University shows that tiny worlds may soon do the same.

The Rice lab of Professor Pulickel Ajayan has packed an entire lithium ion energy storage device into a single nanowire, as reported this month in the American Chemical Society journal Nano Letters. The researchers believe their creation is as small as such devices can possibly get, and could be valuable as a rechargeable power source for new generations of nanoelectronics.

In their paper, researchers described testing two versions of their battery supercapacitor hybrid. The first is a sandwich with nickel/tin anode, polyethylene oxide (PEO) electrolyte and polyaniline cathode layers; it was built as proof that lithium ions would move efficiently through the anode to the electrolyte and then to the supercapacitor-like cathode, which stores the ions in bulk and gives the device the ability to charge and discharge quickly. The second packs the same capabilities into a single nanowire. The researchers built centimeter-scale arrays containing thousands of nanowire devices, each about 150 nanometers wide. A nanometer is a billionth of a meter, thousands of times smaller than a human hair.

Ajayan’s team has been inching toward single-nanowire devices for years. The researchers first reported the creation of three-dimensional nanobatteries last December. In that project, they encased vertical arrays of nickel-tin nanowires in PMMA, a widely used polymer best known as Plexiglas, which served as an electrolyte and insulator. They grew the nanowires via electrodeposition in an anodized alumina template atop a copper substrate. They widened the template’s pores with a simple chemical etching technique that created a gap between the wires and the alumina, and then drop-coated PMMA to encase the wires in a smooth, consistent sheath. A chemical wash removed the template and left a forest of electrolyte-encased nanowires. In that battery, the encased nickel-tin was the anode, but the cathode had to be attached on the outside.

The new process tucks the cathode inside the nanowires, said Ajayan, a professor of mechanical engineering and materials science. In this feat of nanoengineering, the researchers used PEO as the gel-like electrolyte that stores lithium ions and also serves as an electrical insulator between nanowires in an array.

After much trial and error, they settled on an easily synthesized polymer known as polyaniline (PANI) as their cathode. Drop-coating the widened alumina pores with PEO coats the insides, encases the anodes and leaves tubes at the top into which PANI cathodes could also be drop-coated. An aluminum current collector placed on top of the array completes the circuit.

“The idea here is to fabricate nanowire energy storage devices with ultrathin separation between the electrodes,” said Arava Leela Mohana Reddy, a research scientist at Rice and co-author of the paper. “This affects the electrochemical behavior of the device. Our devices could be a very useful tool to probe nanoscale phenomenon.”

The team’s experimental batteries are about 50 microns tall — about the diameter of a human hair and almost invisible when viewed edge-on, Reddy said. Theoretically, the nanowire energy storage devices can be as long and wide as the templates allow, which makes them scalable.

The nanowire devices show good capacity; the researchers are fine-tuning the materials to increase their ability to repeatedly charge and discharge, which now drops off after a about 20 cycles.

“There’s a lot to be done to optimize the devices in terms of performance,” said the paper’s lead author, Sanketh Gowda, a chemical engineering graduate student at Rice. “Optimization of the polymer separator and its thickness and an exploration of different electrode systems could lead to improvements.”

Rice graduate student Xiaobo Zhan is a co-author of the paper. The Hartley Family Foundation, Rice University, National Institutes of Health, Army Research Office and Multidisciplinary University Research Initiative supported the research. (source www.rice.edu) Read the abstract at http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/nl2017042