Evaulation_Engineering_August_2020 - 15

applies to multichannel measurements,
especially since these instruments are
scalable, allowing for maximum number
of ports."
They added that usually, a soft front panel facilitates the viewing of measurements
on an external display. "For example, the
M9290A CXA-m PXIe signal analyzer enables full performance of a 26.5-GHz signal
analyzer in a compact format," they said.
"The form factor enables the combination
of functionalities and creates new instrument categories."
They also cited the Keysight M9410A/
M9411A PXIe vector transceiver (VXT),
which integrates a 6-GHz vector signal
generator (VSG) and a vector signal analyzer (VSA) in a 2- or 3-slot PXIe module
with up to 1.2 GHz bandwidth. "It enables
the user to access industry-leading RF performance in a compact modular design,
for improved efficiency and scalability in
design verification and manufacturing
test," they said. "By incorporating high-performance mmWave heads, the frequency
range can be extended up to 40 GHz to
cover 5G applications."
They described benchtop instruments
as the classic solution, providing an all-inone, self-contained instrument. "Keysight
benchtop signal analyzers reside in many
labs due to specifications like performance,
speed-of-test, and accuracy," they said.
"Due to a multitouch, large front panel,
measurements and viewing results are
easy and intuitive."
They also commented on portable instruments. "Instruments like the FieldFox
and HSA handheld spectrum analyzers allow the user to carry microwave
measurements wherever they go," they
said. "These instruments are rugged and
weather-resistant, making them ideal
for field measurements. With a long operating life of four hours and a field-replaceable battery, handheld instruments
provide an option that the user can take
with them. Latest enhancements such as
100-MHz analysis bandwidth and RTSA
make this solution the ideal companion
for advanced wireless field test such as 5G
and satellite communication."
"Expectedly, traditional benchtop
analyzers with their larger size allow
for more: more ports and connectivity,

built-in displays, physical buttons, and
powerful processors," said Allen at Signal
Hound. "Industry familiarity with the
benchtop formfactor is also an advantage. The larger footprint of these devices
can be a disadvantage, though, in some
work environments."
Allen continued, "Handhelds deliver
power in a convenient purpose-built formfactor/UI and portability. USB-connected
devices also deliver portability-albeit to a
lesser extent due to display/PC connection
requirements-but the flexibility afforded
by USB devices in terms of cross-PC portability, device sharing between employees,
and lower-cost-of-entry makes for a perfect
solution across a variety of applications.
And with powerful processors getting both
smaller and less expensive, the use of USBpowered test equipment in critical situations is becoming more commonplace.
Finally, Allen said, "The PXI analyzers
fill the void between power and configurability-allowing for custom, applicationspecific design and powerful processing
capabilities in a headless form-factor-but
this high performance and flexibility can
come at a higher monetary cost."
According to Malatest at Per Vices,
"Handheld and small form-factor instruments always offer the convenience of portability, smaller footprint, and lower power
requirements; however, these also come
with a limitation in performance. These
solutions may be ideal for enthusiasts
and for applications that do not require
the higher performance offered by other
configurations. Other form factors, including benchtop instruments and rackmount
instruments, offer significantly greater
performance and are ideal for an audience
that requires the high performance that
typically comes from these instruments."
When asked about the choice of benchtop, portable, USB, PXI, and other form factors, Tipton at Rohde & Schwarz responded, "Wow, that is a big question. We clearly
see the advantages of each, related to the
task that is needed. There is also a clear
distinction in the price and performance
class of each instrument."
Tipton added, "PXI modules are sometimes considered as a lower cost, compact
form factor. But often the cost of chassis
and more importantly the costs of the

required software integration and future
engineering support are neglected in the
decision-making process, resulting in
budget overruns for an organization in the
course of a project. There are also questions
around metrology and traceability of measurement results relating to instrument
specifications, which are not always clear
to the customer and which take significant
time and effort for the user to understand."
Tipton said Rohde & Schwarz's approach
is to integrate the company's hardware and
software tightly, to produce an optimal
price/performance ratio for customers.
"It saves them both time due to rapid integration and deployment as well as money
and long-term operational support costs
for their platforms," he said.
Maxwell at Rohde & Schwarz commented that many users favor having a
contained instrument that does not require a separate PC, is easy to carry, and
has a long battery life. "For benchtop instruments, having a complete instrument
with fully tested and supported application software is an advantage for many
users," he added. "Some of the alternative
form-factor instruments require ongoing
maintenance of FPGA code and verification that any kind of analysis software
works correctly. These are some of the
hidden costs associated with modular
instruments. Fully integrated and tested
benchtop instruments work right out of
the box and can help users quickly get up
and running with testing."
Sandler at Picotest attributed formfactor selection to personal preference.
"Traveling is obviously much easier with
a portable handheld instrument," he said.
"USB requires a computer, and while many
do have computers in their lab, installing
software can require an act of Congress."
Consequently, engineers often ask for an
all-in-one instrument, he noted.
REFERENCES

1. Cisco Annual Internet Report (2018-2023)
White Paper, Cisco, March 9, 2020 (updated).
2. FCC Adopts New Rules For The 6 GHz Band,
Unleashing 1,200 Megahertz Of Spectrum
For Unlicensed Use, Federal Communications
Commission, April 23, 2020.
3. Owen, Gareth, Wi-Fi 6/6E-A Viable
Alternative to 5G NR for Low Latency
Applications? Counterpoint, April 2020.

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