» Our most closely followed product category by readers, as
usual. And now, we must comment on the single, most-commonly
expressed sentiment by our product experts in this category:
"I wish I could afford it." Or, "too expensive." Or, "Budget
concerns." You get the picture. Anybody else care to comment?
(1) LECROY High-performance scope probes grab signals where the rubber meets the road eeProductCenter's Alex Mendelsohn says: "Scope maker LeCroy joins the high-performance probe fray, competing with rivals Agilent Technologies (with its recently introduced InfiniiMax probes) and Tektronix (with its P7380 probe)." Readers say: » "Too expensive."
» "Nice, useful litle probe"
» "These are truly the most exciting set of scope probes I have seen for many years."
» "Unique for scientific applications. The future of diagnostics for Moore's law. I like it"
» "At insanely high frequencies, accurate measurements are a real challenge. These new probe sets should help."
USABILITY RANK: 3
(2) TEKTRONIX Realtime spectrum analyzer spans time, frequency, and modulation domains---simultaneously eeProductCenter's Alex Mendelsohn says: "With its deep memory and noteworthy 2000-fold boost in resolution over its predecessors, Tek's new RSA3408A spectrum analyzer---priced reasonably at less than $50,000---debuts at a time when RF systems are racing up the curve in complexity and scope. " Readers say: » "No mention of audio. Does it work with audio?"
» "Visualizing subtle information in the frequencey domain is rather difficult. This scope provides a unique window for engineers to look into what is really happening. "
» "Would be nice to have a USB connector on the front panel to move files or images out of the unit."
» "Every company I have worked at has rented one."
» "This is state of the art. This spectrum analyzer will be used in many of our applications in the future."
» "The maximum record length for the maximum bandwidth is NOT given. Can the demodulated data be saved to a file?"
» "This appears to be a major time saver. I just need to figure out how to justify the cost of the unit."
» "Good concept, I'd be very curious about the display options. How many different ways can I look at the signal output?"
» "Extremely valuable in evaluating RF source switching speed and settling"
» "I like the Freq-mask Trigger feature."
» "I wish I could afford this dude/dudette."
USABILITY RANK: 1
(3) MEASUREMENT COMPUTING I/O box expands PC systems with plug-and-play USB eeProductCenter's Alex Mendelsohn says: "For less than $300, the new multi-I/O USB-1096HFS is a smashing example of the power of USB 2.0 (Universal Serial Bus) on the bench and in the lab. As a high-speed, high-drive digital-I/O board, it also runs on Windows PCs. You can treat it as a plug-and-play peripheral under Windows 98 SE, Windows ME, Windows 2000, or Windows XP. " Readers say: » "Would be nice if it had some general purpose timers built-in"
» "Costs too much and is cumbersome to set up if you a first time user."
» "Neither the press relase nor the review cover the I/O 'speed' specifications. I had to drill down 4 links and download the full specs and still no clear answer."
» "LabVIEW compatibility - wonderful. This appears to be a great way to significantly scale up data-acquisition systems at a very reasonable cost."
» "Good idea, spoiled by bad implementation. Some bits affect others in some situations. The comunication speed is about 60 msec. The shortest possible pulse is only 10 msec. We have 2 of these devices and we are disapointed. In the PDS they don't warn the customer about the speed. Good only to control some relays. Also needs digital level translator."
» "A lot of I/O's. I think it can be useful especially with a USB interface"
» "Should have happened long ago. Excellent for pc-based testing equipment."
» "At $3 per Channel for USB-to-TTL solutions, the 1096HFS is a "no brainer." The UL is an excellent piece of software. Very highly recommended."
» "Prety neat, I want one now!"
USABILITY RANK: 2
(4) SAELIG JTAG debug product promises multi-fold advantages eeProductCenter's Alex Mendelsohn says: "J-LINK requires only one pin and two resistors, and reduces chip consumption, providing full speed JTAG debug access to a device through a single pin while maintaining compatibility with existing debug tools.
" Readers say: » "To debug in the field, this is very significant. "
» "If it works as indicated, this could be a pretty big deal. ICs such as FPGAs often share the JTAG pins with user I/O, but often with some painful constraints. This could help with that and also allow JTAG for small-pin count parts."
» "The original purpose of JTAG was to reduce IC test pin counts. This product pushed JTAG to its fullest potential."
» "Makes no difference to me. I still use multi_ice to debug. I don't see any improvements for software debugging."
» "If it doesn't down the speed of the JTAG or show up unwanted 'side effects' it is more than ok."
» "This is an excellent product to include in embedded controllers, especially where pin count is low."
» "What was the point of Alex Mendelsohn's column? Unclear where he agreed / disagreed with the manufacturer."
» "What am I losing when using this? You don't get anything for nothing. Am I trading pin count for speed, for instance?"
» "It's about time."
» "There are compatibility issues to contend with in several markets"
» "The prospects of fewer pins needed for debugging and reduced power consumption are very attractive. The queston of addition chip space being used for interface logic is a good one though."
USABILITY RANK: 4
(5) SIGNAMETRICS PCI plug-in DMMs outperform benchtop equivalents eeProductCenter's Alex Mendelsohn says: "When I think of PCI plug-in cards for establishing a PC-based DMM, I tend to think of low resolution instruments, relegating laboratory-grade DMM performance to benchtop systems. However, Signametrics's newest 7-1/2-digit instruments are no slouches, with measurement rates from 0.2 readings/s to 20,000 readings/s, current measurement capabilities down to the picoamp regime, resolution to 10-nV, and precise triggering functions. " Readers say: » "Specs are impressive and it looks like good value as well."
» "In our application the shortage of PCI slots and the need for many different types of instruments makes GPIB better suited for us"
» "Interesting product at what sounds like a reasonable price. I think the press release should have had a lot more specifications."
» "Still more expensive than an HP multimeter and not part of an entire instrument suite"
» "Its about time someone gave some serious competition to the Agilent 33401. Now if they could just bring the price down a bit....."
» "Generally, when I'm using a DMM I want an integrated solution with a built in display. I don't want to lug a complete PCI capable PC system along with me. I have, at times, considered building an entirely PC hosted test bench (scope, logic analyzer, data acquisition and with this, DMM) but until I do, this is far less useful to me than my trusty 3.5 digit Fluke."
» "Nice capabilities. But it is not portable. Maybe a handhold device with USB interface would receive more appreciation"
» "I would be reluctant to diagnose a PC that my meter is plugged into."
» "Yet another physical tool-bit for our Universal Tool, the PC. How configurable is the tool-handle (the panel display)?"
» "I want one of these too!"
USABILITY RANK: 5
(6) AUDIO PRECISION Software speeds Dolby Digital audio testing eeProductCenter's Alex Mendelsohn says: "With the OPT-2711 Dolby Digital Generator software you can now perform much faster tests when working with the Dolby standard. It's reasonably priced, too, at about $4500.The software implements a closed-loop system when it's loaded onto one of the company's PC-controlled 2700 Series audio analyzers (specifically, the SYS-2722)." Readers say: » "Windoze, Windoze. A lot of guys in this business use Macs."
» "Acoustically sound"
» "I think it is useful for Dolby equipment producers"
» "Impressive spectrum analyzer tools."
USABILITY RANK: 8
(7) BERKELEY VARITRONICS SYSTEMS Nomadic handheld makes quick checks on 802.11 WLAN boxes eeProductCenter's Alex Mendelsohn says: "Measuring frequency-hopping spread spectrum RF power levels from 0-dBm to 30-dBm, the battery powered Butterfly (it runs off four AA cells) does that in tight 1-dB steps for the 2400-MHz through 2483.5-MHz ISM (industrial, scientific, medical) band, in which the 802.11/802.11b/g standards apply.
" Readers say: » "Nice gadget. It remins me of the old 'dip'-meter"
» "Cost effective on the go."
» "And if the power is too low/high?"
USABILITY RANK: 7
(8) AGILENT TECHNOLOGIES Nomadic tester makes short work of statistical analysis on Ethernet networks eeProductCenter's Alex Mendelsohn says: "The N2620A FrameScope Pro nomadic performance analyzer, with its traffic generator functions, removable lithium-ion rechargeable battery pack, and good-sized color LCD touchscreen (it's 2.4 x 6.25 in. in size), lets you readily run pre-defined performance test suites. " Readers say: » "Nice look."
» "High caliber, high dollars. Budget concerns."
» "Very nice. Great for IT departments but too much moola for a small lab."
USABILITY RANK: 6
(9) INTERACTIVE CIRCUITS & SYSTEMS PCI data-acq plug-in packs high-speed FPDP II port eeProductCenter's Alex Mendelsohn says: "The ICS-645C data-acq board is derived from the company's predecessor ICS-645 product. It too is designed for applications such as sonar, radar, or high-speed test. It also lets you process up to 32 channels at sample rates of up to 20-MHz/channel.
" Readers say: » "Pretty high-end data-acq. Would love to have the budget for it."
» "PCI? What about all those PCs without slots?"
» "This can be useful."
USABILITY RANK: 9
