Product category:
Stand-Alone Instruments
News Release from: Tektronix | Subject: AWG7000 Series
Edited by the Electronicstalk Editorial
Team on 29 April 2008
Generators are instrumental in serial
compliance
Testronic Laboratories uses many Tektronix products for standards compliance tests including high-speed oscilloscopes and the AWG7102 arbitrary waveform generator.
Tektronix is working with Testronic Laboratories to develop standards compliance test solutions for high speed serial bus standards such as SATA To date, he working relationship has resulted in the timely development and introduction of the TekExpress SATA automated compliance test software from Tektronix, which automates 100% of the required SATA Gen-1 and SATA Gen-2 compliance tests for receivers, transmitters, and interconnects, helping customers to streamline test operations and assisting them with bringing new products to market quickly
This article was originally published on Electronicstalk on 30 Oct 2006 at 8.00am (UK)
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The companies are also exploring similar automated test approaches for the next generation SATA Gen3i standard which is currently being defined.
Both companies work closely with the SATA-IO (International Organisation) working group to assist with standards definition.
Looking into the future, both companies plan to extend their efforts into other leading serial data standard technologies including HDMI, PCI-Express, Ethernet, DisplayPort and others.
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According to Trevor Smith, High Speed Serial Solutions Manager, EMEA Region, Tektronix: "Tektronix provides focused test solutions for the leading serial data standard technologies along with measurement and analysis capabilities across a wide range of serial technologies including SATA, HDMI, PCI Express and Ethernet".
"By working closely with Testronic Laboratories and sharing our well recognised expertise in addressing complex, high-speed measurements and analysis, we can ensure that designers can efficiently and confidently address the issues of complex system integration and product compatibility".
"With high speed serial bus technology evolving so rapidly, Testronic, as a leading test laboratory, needs to lead with the appropriate test methodologies at a very early stage", adds Johan Craeybeckx, Chief Technology Officer for Testronic Laboratories Europe.
"Through our relationship with Tektronix, Testronic receives the latest versions of tools and regular training and support".
"This allows us to enhance our total offering to customers".
"For example, we were the first company worldwide to certify products to be USB compatible, and we are now the first test laboratory in Europe that can carry out physical layer certification for SATA Gen-2".
Testronic Laboratories uses many Tektronix products for standards compliance tests including high-speed oscilloscopes, the AWG7102 arbitrary waveform generator and the recently introduced TekExpress compliance test automation framework and TekExpress SATA automated compliance test software.
All are part of the Tektronix test bench for the leading serial data standard technologies.
The Tektronix AWG7000 Series is the world's fastest range of arbitrary waveform generators, setting new benchmarks in terms of performance, sample rate, signal fidelity, and timing resolution.
It is specifically designed to meet the test needs of high-speed serial databuses and wideband digital RF devices.
With 5.8GHz bandwidth, 10bit resolution, and sample rates up to 20Gsample/s, the AWG7102 is the only generator on the market that can produce high-speed real-life waveforms with imperfections including noise, jitter, pre- and de-emphasis and multi-level signalling at up to 6Gbit/s.
These features make it ideally suited to SATA testing: in particular, SATA II which, with datarates of up to 3.0Gbit/s, pushes the limits of many existing measurement tools.
At these speeds, timing margins are small, eye diagrams and signal fidelity are more critical, and minor design and layout problems can have great impact while remaining difficult to trace.
Interpreting rigorous jitter and compliance specifications can require a time-consuming learning curve, so an instrument like the AWG7102 which enables these measurements to be made quickly and easily becomes essential.
Tektronix TekExpress software provides automated one-button testing of high-speed serial data standards using the approved suite of Tektronix serial data performance instruments, and automates all the required SATA compliance tests for receivers, transmitters, and interconnects.
It is built on the National Instruments TestStand platform, which serves as the sequence control engine.
Controlled from a Windows XP PC, TekExpress SATA efficiently executes the 153 SATA II tests required by the Methods of Implementation (MOI) certified by the SATA-IO working group, providing complete certification test results for all four SATA-IO approved MOIs in under three hours of total elapsed test time.
This represents a reduction in compliance test time of approximately 70%, saving engineers valuable time on SATA design verification cycles. Request a free brochure from Tektronix ...
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