Test and Measurement: NI launches new vector signal transceiver

National Instruments has launched the second generation of its Vector Signal Transceiver.
Adam Foster, senior product marketing manager for automated test systems at NI, said the new instrument is aimed at addressing four key trends in test needs driven by the “internet of things”: convergence of technologies and test needs; pressure for lower test costs; rapid change within devices and software; and data capture.
In particular, Foster said, the IoT is not well suited to the limitations of single-function, box instruments with slow and complicated connection requirements. NI, he said, has taken a software-driven strategy that allows customers a strong degree of customization as well as a smaller PXI form factor.
As part of the instrument launch, NI said Qualcomm has been able to use the new VST to test Wi-Fi chipsets 200 times faster than with a traditional box instrument set up, while also increasing the number of tests to include more Wi-Fi standards and put the chip “into every single state it could possibly be in and really fundamentally understand the behavior of the devices,” Foster said.
The new VST’s features include 1 gigahertz of instant bandwidth for wideband signals and digital predistortion tests; faster measurement speeds; and support for up to 8×8 multiple-input, multiple-output configuration in a single 18-slot chassis.
In other test news this week:
• Shareholder litigation firm Brodsky & Smith has filed a class-action lawsuit on behalf of Electro Rent shareholders over the sale of the company, citing breach of duty by the parties involved as well as categorizing the related proxy statement as “false and misleading.” When Electro Rent announced in early June that it would be acquired by Platinum Capital for $323.4 million, a number of law firms promptly responded by starting investigations into the sale’s fairness to stockholders.
• Keysight Technologies released new software that it said is the industry’s first all-in-one offering for assessing “5G” candidate waveforms.
–Viavi Solutions, CommScope, NI and Keysight will be providing various types of testing support for a new White House initiative on advanced wireless research.
• Teledyne LeCroy launched a new wideband Bluetooth protocol analyzer, which supports Bluetooth 5 and is aimed at IoT devices. The Frontline Sodera LE captures all Bluetooth communications at 2.4 GHz, the company said.
Teledyne LeCroy acquired Frontline Test Equipment earlier this year for its expertise in protocol testing for Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and near-field communications.
• Test and sensor company MTS said this week it has technology that enables position measurement with accuracy between two to four inches, developed by the University of Minnesota for use by the Minnesota Valley Transit Authority to allow buses to use the road shoulder and give the driver very precise information about the vehicle’s position.
MTS said that conventional, consumer-grade Global Positioning Systems data is only accurate within seven to 10 feet. The MVTA plans to install the Driver Assistance System on 11 vehicles and upgrade 10 others outfitted with an earlier release of the technology. The driver alert system also includes seat vibration alerts if the bus moves too far from the shoulder, as well as radar and laser-based functionality to identify nearby obstructions.
• The University of New Hampshire’s InterOperability Lab launched the SDN Consortium for interoperability testing and benchmarking between virtualized switches and controllers. Full story here.