Today’s electronic components and products are evolving faster than ever, with design- to- production life cycles shrinking to just six months in most commercial applications. In addition, device content and topologies are migrating from single to multi functional components, and then to entire subsystems and systems, often as a single assembly solution (such as for smart phones and iPhone-type devices).
Furthermore, d irect software control and device configuration is now commonplace for multi- carrier power amplifiers (MCPAs) and software-d efined radios (SDRs). And d evices like RFICs can operate and be tested only in a mixed- signal environment, often under real-time conditions.
When all of these considerations are taken into account, the characteristics and requirements of the ideal design for test and manufacturing (DFT&M) solution emerge quite rapidly. These characteristics and requirements can be easily provided and satisfied by “synthetic” instruments. Quite simply, unlike static rack-and-stack test systems, synthetic instruments can systematically evolve in concert with the device under test (DUT) .
What is synthetic test?
Traditional test system providers take a combination of bench top instruments or instrument-specific modules and rack them up with the appropriate interconnect cabling and connectors between the instruments and the product. They then add software that makes calls to the functional capabilities embedded in these instruments. This is better known as the “rack-and-stack” approach to test system development. Traditional instruments employed today in standalone configurations, or as part of a test system, include oscilloscopes, digital multimeters, spectrum analyzers, and frequency counters.
Synthetic instruments “synthesize” the stimulus and measurement capabilities found in traditional instruments through a combination of software application programming interfaces (APIs) and measurement algorithms, hardware modules, and system-level calibration software based on core instrumentation functional building blocks. The concept of synthetic instrumentation finds its roots in the well-accepted technologies and techniques behind radar and EW transmitters and receivers, SDRs, mobile/handset devices and phones, wireless infrastructure, components and sub systems, and other communications systems designed and fielded today.
The synthetic architecture also enhances the ability to upgrade the test system as well as the systematic handling of obsolescence issues. When an upgrade or obsolescence situation arises, it’ s only necessary to add or replace the functional blocks directly impacted, not the entire instrument suite or the associated measurement and test applications. This reduces the cost of handling obsolete instruments, in addition to reducing the technical risks associated with the effort.
With the synthetic system, an organization can create a wide array of signal types, including digital, analog, power, RF, and microwave. This is accomplished by using modular hardware components, systems software, and modular measurement and applications software. The architecture of the synthetic system provides the unique ability to exploit the hardware, measurement, and applications capability separately and together. Hardware- agnostic software measurement libraries are also protected from the risk of re-development as hardware capability evolves.
The synthetic system addresses multi-industry test issues. It is defined by combining modular hardware and software components to form a powerful new class of test instrumentation that offers distinct advantages over the one box—one measurement function capability of traditional rack-and-stack instruments. Through the synthetic system architecture, it’ s possible to utilize multiple parallel paths to realize improved testing time and throughput from four to 10 times that of traditional rack-and-stack configurations.
Key benefits of synthetic test systems include:
- Reduced cost per unit of test
- Improved test time and throughput
- Reduced test equipment needs and test system configurations
- Faster and more accurate measurements
- Simplified system-level calibration
- Reduced capital, maintenance, and ownership costs
- Reduced product obsolescence and upgrade issues
- Future-ready platforms for next- generation measurement algorithm development
- Platform independence and system re use model
- Abstraction of test applications and measurement software from systems hardware and software configuration.
The synthetic system supports reduced upgrade issues and product obsolescence issues. Hardware, system software, application, and measurement functional architectural blocks can be replaced as required, completely and independently. This assists in reducing upgrade expenses and system-integration risks that can compromise a test application configuration.
The synthetic system resolves the re calibration issues that happen when calibration and functional test loops are programmed directly into the system functional blocks. This allows calibration routines to be executed at run-time and on a continuous basis. Thus, it eliminates the need for pre-scheduled down time that’ s often required to re calibrate a given system. In addition, the overall integrity of the test system is enhanced due to the continuous and embedded calibration capability.
The synthetic architecture also enhances the ability to upgrade the test system and handle systematic obsolescence issues. When an upgrade or obsolescence situation arises, only directly impacted functional blocks need be added or replaced—not the entire instrument suite or the associated measurement and test applications. This reduces the cost of handling obsolete instruments, in addition to reducing the technical risks associated with the effort.
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