National Instruments today announced the release of the NI PXIe-5672, an RF vector signal generator that delivers signal generation from 250 kHz to 2.7 GHz, 20 MHz of instantaneous bandwidth and real-time data streaming at up to 25 MS/s. The NI PXIe-5672 also features a PXI Express interface that makes it possible to stream data from hard disk or PC memory at the full output rate of the instrument. The NI PXIe-5672 is compatible with all NI PXI, PXI Express modular instruments and NI LabVIEW modulation algorithms, making it easy for engineers to develop a complete PXI-based RF record and playback system, as well as broadcast video and general-purpose communication test systems.

The data streaming capability of the NI PXIe-5672 provides significant benefits over traditional RF instruments. On traditional instruments, waveform generation and acquisition sizes are generally limited to several hundred megabytes because of bus bandwidth and onboard memory limitations. With the NI PXIe-5672 module, PXI Express technology makes it easy for engineers to use redundant array of independent disks (RAID) arrays to continuously stream waveforms that are up to 3 TB in size.

Using NI PXIe-5672, engineers can implement RF record and playback applications. Combined with the NI PXI-5661 vector signal analyzer and the NI HDD-8264 RAID array, engineers have the ability to stream up to 20 MHz of RF bandwidth for more than five hours. Using this technique, engineers can record RF signals from many types of physical locations and under a variety of environmental conditions, making it possible to capture signals that exhibit traditional wireless challenges including multipath fading, interference and fluctuations in signal strength.

Engineers also can use the NI PXIe-5672 to regenerate recorded waveforms in a laboratory environment. This technique for waveform generation improves the efficiency and accuracy of wireless receiver validation and verification by allowing for more repeatable channel emulation testing.

About PXI and Modular Instruments
PXI is an open specification governed by the PXI Systems Alliance that defines a rugged, PC-based modular instrumentation platform optimized for automated test, measurement and control. Founded in 1997, the PXI specification is supported by more than 70 member companies and more than 1,500 products are available. With PXI modular instruments, engineers specify the essential functionality they require – choosing from a wide variety of measurement, signal generation, RF, power and switch modules. Then, they configure the instruments in software for their specific measurement tasks. PXI and modular instruments provide high-speed test execution by harnessing the power of industry-standard PC and advanced timing and synchronization technologies.

Courtesy of  National Instruments