T&MZONE Products for the week of September 18, 2006
Agilent Says . . .
MXG Signal Generator: Best ACPR Performance and Fastest
Switching Speeds
Dramatic yield and throughput increases; simplified self-maintenance
Agilent Technologies Inc. announced the availability of the Agilent MXG signal generators, which offer industry-best adjacent channel power ratio (ACPR) performance and switching speeds, coupled with simplified self-maintenance to maximize uptime. These new analog and vector signal generators are ideal for manufacturing teams producing components and receivers for communications systems.
The Agilent MXG signal generators feature the industry's best adjacent channel leakage ratio (ACLR) performance at -65 dBc (-69 dBc measured) for a 4-carrier 3GPP W-CDMA signal, and -71 dBc (-76 dBc measured) for a single-carrier signal. This performance allows for greater test margins, ensuring more accurate measurements and improved yield, and also makes the Agilent MXG signal generators ideal for characterizing high dynamic-range components such as multi-carrier power amplifiers (MCPAs).
Agilent MXG signal generators also provide the fastest switching speeds available on the market today, enabling a dramatic increase in throughput. With SCPI programming, the generators can make arbitrary switches in frequency and amplitude at =1.2 ms -- at least two times faster than the nearest competitor. In list mode, simultaneous switching of frequency, amplitude and waveforms takes place at =900 µs.
Simplified self-maintenance is another key feature of the Agilent MXG signal generators, making it possible for all users to maintain or repair the instruments in-house and maximize uptime. Typical onsite calibration can be performed in less than one hour and requires only a spectrum analyzer and power meter. With 100-percent internal diagnostic capability and a simple design consisting of five assemblies including the single RF assembly (all are field-replaceable), the average Agilent MXG repair time is just 30 minutes with no calibration required.
"With its exceptional levels of performance and fast switching speeds,
we expect the MXG to fully support the needs of engineers working on components
for cellular communications and wireless connectivity systems," said
Pat Byrne, president of Agilent's Electronic Measurements Group. "In
these dynamic and fast-paced markets, the functionality and performance
'firsts' enabled by the MXG provides users with the capabilities they need
to stay ahead of the competition. It stands as a testament to our ongoing
and continued commitment to developing innovative solutions which will enable
a new range of possibilities in wireless communication."
analogZONE Says...
This signal generator is designed to work -- and keep working. With its self-calibration system and the guaranteed module replacement system it is going to be the stuff of legend on the factory floor.
The generator is available in two different frequency range options, either 250 kHz to 3 GHz in 5 bands or 250 kHz to 6 GHz in 6 bands, both with a resolution of 0.01 Hz. The reference output is at 10 MHz with a level of at least +4 dBm into 50Ω. The aging rate of the internal time base reference oscillator is said to be <±1 ppm over one year and <±5 ppm over 10 years. The standard external reference input is also 10 MHz but can optionally be set anywhere from 1 MHz to 50 MHz in multiples of 0.1 Hz.
The digital sweep modes can be a step sweep with either linear or logarithmic spaced steps; a sweep from an arbitary list of frequencies; simultaneous sweep of amplitude amd waveforms. The available power from the generator is at least +14 dBm out to 3 GHz. External I and Q modulating signals can be inputted and the RF output is available on both the front and rear panels of the rack wide generator.
This is not the place to go through the data sheet is great detail but it is our place to point out that some of the numbers in the various forms of modulation available are quite stunning and will allow the factory test implementation of all the existing radio standards and most of those that can be forseen for the next few years. As noted, getting one of these generators back on line within 30 minutes in the event of a failure is a money maker in and of itself. It's not cheap -- what piece of decent test equipment is? -- but this MXG generator is extremely affordable and has return-on-investment written all over it. Connectivity is provided through 100-based-T LAN, LXI, GPIB and two USB 2.0 ports.
Both the N5181A MXG analog signal generator and the N5182A MXG vector signal generator are in production. Pricing will depend on the options chosen but base pricing is $6,200 for the N5181A and $16,000 for the N5182A