Waveform generator/analysers test LVDS on PXI

ATE engineers can now use National Instruments' new 400 and 200Mbit/s digital waveform generator/analysers to interface to LVDS devices using the PXI platform.

ATE engineers can now use National Instruments' new 400 and 200Mbit/s digital waveform generator/analysers to interface to low-voltage differential signalling (LVDS) devices using the PXI platform.

The new modules are ideal for military and aerospace ATE applications, such as surveillance, avionic communications, satellite and intelligence.

Engineers also can use the modules to interface to communications subsystems or semiconductor devices such as A/D and D/A convertors.

LVDS is rapidly gaining momentum among automated test system developers for its high datarates and low power consumption.

Because LVDS is differential, it offers high noise immunity and high common mode rejection.

The differential nature also permits a small voltage swing while still maintaining high signal integrity.

This low-voltage swing minimises power dissipation and also provides potential for fast datarates in hundreds of megabits per second.

Using LVDS, engineers can now transfer data at faster rates, with lower power and across longer distances, than is possible with other single-ended or differential technologies.

The NI PXI-6562 and NI PXI-6561 LVDS digital waveform generator/analysers offer 200 and 100MHz clock rates with 200 and 100Mbit/s datarates, respectively, in single datarate mode and 400 Mbit/s and 200 Mbit/s respectively in double datarate mode.

The modules feature 16 LVDS channels with user-defined per-channel direction control for acquisition or generation in single datarate mode and deep onboard memory up to 128Mbit/channel.

The new modules are built on the common synchronisation and memory core (SMC) architecture, so they tightly synchronise with other SMC-based modular instruments, such as the recently released 200Msample/s PXI digitiser and arbitrary waveform generator.

Engineers also can use the SMC synchronisation technology to build high-channel-count systems using multiple LVDS modules.

To create test applications quickly using these modules, engineers can use two powerful software tools: Express VIs in the NI LabView 7.1 graphical development environment and the NI Digital Waveform Editor for creating and editing test vectors.

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