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National Instruments Announces PXI RF Vector Network Analyzer

09 August 2010 – National Instruments introduced the NI PXIe-5630 6 GHz two-port vector network analyzer (VNA), the automated test industry’s first VNA available in a compact PXI form factor. With support for full vector analysis of transmission and reflection (T/R) parameters, precision automatic calibration and flexible software-defined architecture, the new VNA is ideally suited for automated design validation and production test.

Its modular PXI architecture and small, two-slot footprint make it possible for test engineers to incorporate vector network analysis into their test systems without the added cost and large footprint of traditional benchtop VNAs.

The NI PXIe-5630 is optimized for automated test with a mature feature set including automatic precision calibration, full vector analysis on both ports, reference plane extensions and a flexible LabVIEW API that is ideal for parallel test. The VNA also delivers advanced performance specifications including a frequency range of 10 MHz to 6 GHz, a wide dynamic range of greater than 110 dB and sweep speeds of less than 400 microseconds/point over 3,201 points. Additionally, because of its PXI configuration, engineers can combine up to eight NI PXIe-5630 modules in a single PXI chassis and perform multisite RF test in true parallel fashion.

Engineers can control the NI PXIe-5630 interactively using its full-featured soft front panel, or programmatically using APIs for NI LabVIEW software and NI LabWindows™/CVI ANSI C development environments. Both APIs are optimized for multicore processing to facilitate parallel test of multiple RF components, which provides a significant throughput advantage over sequential, switched testing.

The NI PXIe-5630 further expands the already-wide selection of PXI modular instrumentation for automated test. As an added benefit of its industry-standard PXI configuration, the VNA integrates with more than 1,500 PXI instruments from NI and more than 70 other vendors to address the requirements of almost any test application.

The VNA will be available in October 2010.

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