NI updates its Vector Signal Transceiver to 2nd-gen, 1-GHz b/w
The NI PXIe-5840 module is presented as the first 1 GHz bandwidth VST, that gives engineers with more advanced software-designed instrumentation to stay ahead of complex and rapidly changing wireless technologies and requirements.
The NI PXIe-5840 combines a 6.5 GHz RF vector signal generator, 6.5 GHz vector signal analyser, high-performance user-programmable FPGA and high-speed serial and parallel digital interfaces into a single 2-slot PXI Express module. With 1 GHz of bandwidth, the latest VST is suited for a wide range of applications including 802.11ac/ax device testing, mobile/Internet of Things device testing, 5G design and testing, RFIC testing, radar prototyping and more.
NI presents the VST as both an instrument that can be used for many test functions “as-delivered” – and also as a software-defined unit in which the signal path and test profile can be customised by configuring the embedded FPGA, which is now a Xilinx Virtex-7 class device. By programming the FPGA to carry out specific functions, it can act as an “accelerator”, speeding complex measurements. NI says, “Using the intuitive LabVIEW system design software, engineers can transform the VST into exactly what they need it to be at the firmware level and ultimately address the most demanding test and measurement challenges. This instrument is an unparalleled example of a product that delivers the RF performance required for traditional test and measurement and the flexibility of a software defined radio.”
The PXI unit features;
– 1 GHz of instantaneous bandwidth for advanced digital pre-distortion (DPD) test and wideband signals such as radar, LTE-Advanced Pro and 5G
– Measurement accuracy that enables systems based on the second-generation VST to measure 802.11ac Error Vector Magnitude (EVM) performance of -50 dB
– Measurement speeds up to 10X faster than traditional instrumentation using FPGA-based measurement acceleration and highly optimised measurement software
– Small size and tight synchronisation allowing for up to 8×8 multiple input, multiple output (MIMO) configuration in a single 18-slot chassis
– User-programmable FPGA that engineers can design with LabVIEW; the larger FPGA has 5x more programmable DSP blocks than before.
A user endorsement is given by Neils Koch, Component Owner Radar Systems, Audi AG, “The combination of the industry’s widest bandwidth and low latency software-designed instrument allowed us to discover our automotive radar sensors as never before, and even allowed us to identify problems very early in the design phase that were previously impossible to catch. With the VST and FPGA programmable by LabVIEW, we were able to rapidly emulate a wide range of diverse scenarios…”
The bandwidth of 1 GHZ opens applications in digital pre-distortion; automotive radar; LTE carrier aggregation and other 5G communications; and in millimetre-wave. Improved EVM capability opens up test of modulation schemes up to 1024 QAM.
National Instruments; www.ni.com/vst
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