Evaluation Engineering - 15

Alderson said. "We designed/delivered a
36x1 self-terminating 50-GHz switch that
also included some additional requested
custom features. We are also delivering
various switch configurations for the
further development and testing of the
next generation of 5G wireless products."
"Keysight's switch offerings range from
low-cost individual switches to fully integrated application-specific switch
solutions like the customizable Z2091B
switch matrix," said Matt Campbell,
product marketing engineer. "We also
offer instrument-specific solutions, like
the E5092A multiport test set for ENA
network analyzers."
Campbell commented on applications
for the company's switching products.
"When customers test base-station or
satellite antennas, they need to account
for every imaginable operating condition,"
he said. "They can't troubleshoot an antenna in space." He noted that switches
let customers quickly cycle through measurements. "For example, customers can
have one switch cycling transmit polarization on an antenna and another switch
cycling between the antenna's ports," he
said. "This enables them to measure the
co- and cross-polarization response of
each test port in just one rotation of the
antenna."
Marvin Test Solutions (MTS) designs
and manufactures high-density RF switch
cards in PXI 3U and 6U configurations;
several are part of the GENASYS switching subsystem, said Jon Semancik, marketing director. "The GENASYS switching
subsystem leverages the flexibility of the
PXI 6U standard and features a compact
footprint as well as the option to support
both switching and instrumentation resources within a single, PXI chassis," he
said. Specific features include a modular,
expandable analog matrix supporting an
internal 16-wire bus for routing analog
instrumentation and triggers from an instrument source to the receiver interface;
a matrix architecture that can support up
to 64 signal inputs, outputs, and triggers;
an overall signal bandwidth of > 20 MHz
(independent of switch card configuration) with dedicated switching cards
offering a bandwidth of over 500 MHz;
an analog/digital hybrid pin switching

architecture, offering a high-bandwidth
digital signal path and providing "any resource to any pin" functionality; integration of a mass termination interface; and
a comprehensive software environment
for managing overall signal routing.
"Application-specific integrated test
systems are also available which incorporate various RF switching solutions,"
Semancik added. Specific products include the GX6192 GENASYS high-frequency multiplexer/matrix switch card;
the GX6864 GENASYS 75-Ω RF multiplexer switch card; the GX6062 high-density
RF switch card with 12 groups of 1x4 differential, nonterminated RF multiplexers in a 6U PXI formfactor; the GX6021
20-channel RF multiplexer/scanner in a
3U PXI formfactor; and the TS-960e-5G
mmWave/5G production test system, including a 44-GHz switching subsystem.

scalable matrix providing connections
to systems resources, multiplexed pins
with support for over 4,000 interface test
points, and a hybrid pin architecture
supporting digital or analog test capability to each test system interface pin."
Semancik noted that MTS's switching systems are managed by SwitchEasy
software, which allows customers to display, control, and manage overall signal
routing; the software provides end-toend signal routing by having the user
define the resource and receiver pin or
UUT connections.
Marvin Test switching systems serve
military/aerospace test, satellite test,
telecommunications test, and 5G production test, Semancik said.
According to Bob Stasonis, technical product specialist at Pickering
Interfaces, "We offer a wide range of

Marvin Test Solutions
GX7016 GENASYS switching subsystem.

"The GENASYS switching architecture
is configurable to support virtually any
switching requirement," said Semancik.
"The system's analog resources are
routable to the mass-interconnect receiver directly from the switch matrix for
high-bandwidth RF applications or via the
hybrid pin/multiplexer subsystem providing uncompromised analog and digital
test capabilities for each multiplexed
receiver pin."
He continued, "GENASYS switching
supports multiple topologies with a

RF/microwave products that cover the
frequency spectrum, including SPDT,
transfer, MUX, and matrix switches
with bandwidths from 100 MHz to 67
GHz available on PXI, LXI, and USB
platforms." He added, "We offer flexible
options for control communications and
system architecture." Specific products
include the Model 60-801-008 50-Ω
6-channel LXI microwave multiplexer
and Model 40-780A PXI microwave relay
module. Continued Stasonis, "If we don't
have an off-the-shelf solution available,
APRIL 2020 EVALUATIONENGINEERING.COM

15
http://www.EVALUATIONENGINEERING.COM
Evaluation Engineering

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Evaluation Engineering
