Check and Measurement: Tektronix touts a ‘breakthrough’ in PCIe testing

Tek launches its new PCIe Margin Tester

Tektronix is claiming that it has a brand new product class that gives disruptive capabilities and value for PCI Specific testing, saying that its newly unveiled Margin Tester takes a “utterly new method to PCIe validation testing.”

In an illustration video, Tek functions engineer Evan Smith defined that the tester is aimed toward PCI3 Gen 3 and Gen 4 testing and determines the hyperlink well being of designs quicker, extra simply and extra successfully in order that issues will be uncovered earlier in growth. The brand new instrument isn’t an oscilloscope, a bit error charge tester (BERT) or a protocol analyzer, he mentioned, however has parts of every one and might be thought of a brand new PCIe testing device that enhances different devices and addresses related ache factors with PCIe testing.

Tek says that the instrument has a plug-and-play set-up and is straightforward to make use of, able to delivering “in minutes” testing that usually would take hours or days to arrange and conduct.

Chris Witt, VP and GM of portfolio options at Tektronix, mentioned that the TMT4 Margin Tester “empowers engineers to understand technological advances with ever higher ease and pace.”

In different take a look at information:

–Keysight Applied sciences, Synopsys and Ansys are specializing in assist for millimeter-wave growth of 5G/6G system-on-chip designs. The three firms introduced this week that availability of their newmmWave RF design movement for TSMC’s 16nm FinFET Compact (16FFC) know-how for high-speed SoC design.

“At this time’s high-speed designs want to handle an rising vary of multi-physics results to optimize energy, space, reliability and efficiency,” mentioned John Lee, vice chairman and normal supervisor of the electronics, semiconductor, and optics enterprise unit at Ansys, including, “The collaborative mmWave design reference movement utilizing TSMC’s 16FFC know-how is a profitable instance that streamlines entry to superior silicon design and manufacturing for 5G and wi-fi merchandise by bringing collectively Synopsys’ Customized Design Household with Keysight’s premier RF design capabilities and Ansys’ multiphysics signoff options for energy integrity and electromagnetic evaluation.” 

“Semiconductor trade megatrends for wi-fi communication are rising RF and mmWave content material in HPC, smartphone, automotive, and IoT functions,” mentioned Dan Kochpatcharin, head of the design infrastructure administration division at TSMC. “Such complicated designs require in depth ecosystem collaboration to assist designers obtain silicon success with well-established options. The mmWave design reference movement that Synopsys, Ansys and Keysight have developed for TSMC’s 16FFC course of advantages from its superior efficiency and energy consumption benefit for a tightly built-in resolution that enhances productiveness and quality-of-results for 5G/6G SoCs.”

–Rohde & Schwarz mentioned this week that voice and audio evaluation knowledgeable HEAD acoustics will use R&S’ CMX500 5G take a look at resolution to research and confirm voice and audio companies in 5G gadgets. Moreover, the take a look at firm is already engaged on partnerships and supporting analysis with an eye fixed towards future 6G programs: It reported that it labored with China’s Tsinghua College and Chinese language agency Actenna Know-how to take a look at reconfigurable clever surfaces (RIS), which it mentioned is a “main space of curiosity in 6G analysis”.

“The technical trial primarily evaluated the deployment results and efficiency of sub-6 GHz RIS and mmWave RIS in several indoor and outside eventualities,” Rohde & Schwarz defined in a launch, saying that the exams “modeled deployment situations with and with out RIS, completely different incidence and reflection angles, completely different deployment distances, and many others. Recorded efficiency index parameters included RSRP, throughput and others.” The trial included each indoor and outside exams and included each a 860mm x 860mm sub-6 GHz RIS 20×20 ingredient array, and a 180mm x 180mm mmWave RIS arraywith 32×32 parts. Varied R&S devices have been used within the exams, together with Rohde’s SMW200A vector sign generator and its TSMx drive take a look at scanner, plus its QualiPoc software program and drive take a look at terminals and an R&S FSW sign and spectrum analyzer, amongst others.

R&S mentioned that the trial “[yielded] arduous knowledge that makes a robust argument in favor of continued RIS know-how growth.”

-Enterprise networking firm OneLayer is opening a 5G non-public community safety lab.

-In the meantime, in Taiwan, UL Options has opened a brand new state-of-the-art automotive electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) laboratory in Hsinchu, which incorporates testing capabilities for IoT and numerous RF functions.

“With the opening of this laboratory, mixed with the UL Options Web of Issues (IoT) Lab in Hsinchu and the E-mobility and Vitality Laboratory in Taoyuan, we’re assured that the testing capabilities provided by UL Options for automotive elements will present producers in Taiwan with an entire vary of testing companies and a single supply of service,” mentioned Jonathan TH Chen, VP and managing director of UL Options in Taiwan, mentioned. “Our skilled testing applied sciences and high quality companies meet the most recent worldwide requirements and assist allow producers in Taiwan to enter the worldwide automotive digital element market safely and shortly.”