Sector News

Yokogawa has launched a current sensor element and upgraded the firmware for its WT5000 precision power analyser. The enhancements are designed to help companies improve performance when developing or evaluating electronic devices such as electric vehicle (EV) related equipment or systems for solar and wind power installations.

The new current sensor element runs off the WT5000’s internal DC power supply, so there is no need for external power supplies. This makes set up for measurements easier as only the current sensor and a connecting cable are required.

Three sensor connection cable lengths are available: 3m, 5m and 10m. This helps take account of varying test bench layouts where the power analyser may not be located right next to the device under test. The three different cable lengths allow users to select the one most suitable for their set up while keeping the leads as short as possible.

The new current sensor element also improves noise immunity with a low noise power supply and measurement circuit. Previously, reducing the signal to noise ratio required external shunt resistors. In the new modules, shunt resistors are built-in and are included in the shielding in the instrument, increasing noise immunity.

Current signals can be measured with a higher degree of precision, even if they are small, when using the current sensor element and dedicated cable, says Yokogawa. A step-by-step navigation menu simplifies the configuration and use of the current sensors.

Firmware has also been upgraded, with the data streaming function now supporting a 50ms to one second update rate. On the previous version, when using the data streaming function, the WT5000 only offered an update rate with a measurement interval of one second. This meant that all electrical parameters, such as power and Urms and Irms, were calculated over a period of one second. With the new upgrade, the WT5000 calculates all parameters over measurement periods of up to 50 ms, giving a better insight into the dynamic behaviour of the device under test. The upgraded firmware now also offers a 10 ms update rate.

Other upgrades include improvements to the menu such as current phase correction and amplitude correction, which makes setting up external sensors easier by compensating for the phase and gain error.

http://tmi.yokogawa.com/eu

R&S ZNA high-end vector network analysers (VNA) from Rhode & Schwarz feature models with 50 GHz and 67 GHz maximum frequencies which opens the analysers up to new areas of application. The main applications for the new analyser models are signal integrity measurements, as well as aerospace and defence and 5G component and module characterisation.

The R&S ZNA features what the company describes as “excellent RF performance”, including wide dynamic range and low trace noise, and comes with a user-friendly, purely touch-based graphical user interface. The hardware platform offers up to four internal, phase coherent sources plus a fifth source which can be used as a second internal local oscillator or as an additional source for measurements on mixers. In combination with up to eight parallel measurement receivers, the R&S ZNA hardware architecture suits demanding measurements on components and modules.

For engineers working on tasks such as high-end research and development, the 50 GHz and 67 GHz R&S ZNA models offer opportunities for the aerospace and defence industry by enabling characterisation of radar and transmitter/receiver modules as well as performing antenna measurements and supporting satellite applications such as downconverter characterisation. They also offer versatile capabilities for both pulse generation and measurement, including a range of trigger functions. Since the analyser’s original introduction, updates have added features such as direct source monitor access, which enables accurate measurements even on high gain devices such as satellite downconverters.

In combination with integrated de-embedding solutions (ISD, SFD, DELTA-L and EZD), the R&S ZNA provides characterisation of PCB conductor structures for high-speed signal transmission. The effects of fixtures, lead- ins and lead-outs are removed from the measurement results.

Covering the 5G frequency bands and, in combination with Rohde & Schwarz mmWave converters, the 6G frequency bands, the R&S ZNA offers a solution for research on active and passive components such as LNAs, filters, antennas and mixers.

Over-the-air tests with Rohde & Schwarz OTA test solutions benefit from the analyser’s dynamic range. The R&S ZCxxx mmWave converters extend the frequencies into the terahertz range and provide high dynamic range and output power for on-wafer device characterisation and antenna measurements on 6G components and modules.

https://www.rohde-schwarz.com/product/zna