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Spectrum launches flagship 10GS/s AWG card

Spectrum launches flagship 10GS/s AWG card

New Products |
By Nick Flaherty



Spectrum Instrumentation in Germany has launched a new flagship arbitrary waveform generator (AWG) card that generates nearly any waveform at up to 10 GS/s with a 2.5 GHz bandwidth and 16bit vertical resolution.

The four models in the M5i.63xx AWG series have onboard memory of up to 8 GigaSamples (16 GB) and the possibility to stream data at up to 10 GigaBytes per second directly from CPUs or even GPUs. Each card comes with 2 GSample of onboard memory (8 GSample optional) and high-speed data transfer using a 16 lane PCIe 3.0 bus. For demanding applications, data can be continuously streamed directly to the AWG for replay in a FIFO mode for allows almost limitless waveform production. Spectrum’s SCAPP driver package llows FIFO streaming directly to and from a GPU.

The variants deliver waveform generation with bandwidths of 2.5 and 1.5 Gigahertz (GHz) and output rates of 10, 5 or 3.2 Gigasamples per second (GS/s). The units combine 16-bit vertical resolution with programmable full-scale outputs. Single outputs deliver up to ±500 mV into 50 Ohm and ±1.0 V into high impedance loads – or double the range in differential mode.

Waveforms can be output in Single-shot, Repeated and Multiple Replay modes. To maximize memory efficiency, Multiple Replay can be used to output segmented data and can also be combined with FIFO streaming. Waveform replay can be initiated by a simple software command or via a trigger event and trigger signals can be input on two external trigger lines.

Individual cards have one or two analog output channels. To create larger multi-channel systems, cards can be connected together using the company’s proprietary Star-Hub clock and trigger synchronization module. Star-Hub allows systems with up to eight cards to share a common clock and trigger, delivering fully synchronous output rates of 5 GS/s on up to 16 channels, or 10 GS/s on up to eight channels.

The four new models of the M5i.63xx AWG series and the seven variants of the M5i.33xx digitizer series are designed for working together in stimulus-response, receiver-transmitter or closed-loop type testing systems. For example, if two Star-Hubs are used, ultrafast MIMO systems can be built that contain up to 8 AWGs and 8 digitizers. This allows the creation of systems with up to 16 transmit and 16 receiver channels, each channel with 5 GS/s.

For easy system integration, the front-panel hosts four multi-function SMA connectors. These can perform a variety of Input/Output tasks like Asynchronous Digital-I/O, Timestamp Reference Clock Input, Synchronous Digital-Out, Trigger Output, Run and Arm status flags, or the System Clock.

Switching the multi-function I/O lines to digital outputs, another four synchronous output channels can be added so that a single AWG card can generate up to two analog and four digital outputs, in parallel, at full speed. As an option, a Digital Pulse Generator firmware is available to turn the four digital outputs into digital generators outputs to interface to other equipment for experiment control or in OEM projects.

All products are shipped together with SDKs for C++, C#, Python, VB.NET, Julia, Java and IVI. Drivers are also provided for third-party software products LabVIEW and MATLAB.

The Spectrum M5i.63xx series AWGs are available for immediate delivery. All cards are shipped factory tested and include a five-year warranty, with software and firmware updates, free of charge, for the lifetime of the product. 

www.spectrum-instrumentation.com

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