(1) VMETRO
PCI Express analysis zeros-in on AdvancedMC
eeProductCenter's Alex Mendelsohn says: "Board maker and test-and-measurement vendor Vmetro expands its existing Vanguard Express analyzer family with the introduction of its Vanguard Express PCI Express Protocol and Link Analyzer for the AMC (AdvancedMC) form-factor.

Designed for debugging, testing and validating the PCI Express protocol, the Vanguard Express AMC supports testing of AMC.1 Type 1, Type 2, Type 4, and Type 8 modules."
Readers say:
» "The Vanguard Express analyzer appears to be a quality product for PCI Express development. The debug environment looks good and should assist in creating higher quality PCI Express products."
» "It's a handy product, easy to use and set up."
» "I would definitely look into this. Very recently we rented one (we're a small start up so can't afford one) during our debugging efforts for UWB chip rev A0. We found bugs and fixed it because of analyzer inputs. Our next generation UWB chipset will have PCI express i/f so definitely need one. You can count on us as one of potential customers...."
» "Fabulous."
» "It's a handy product, easy to use and set up."
» "Impressive."
» "This will be a very important product to help debug PCIe systems using the AMC form factor."

USABILITY RANK: 1

(2) PICO TECHNOLOGY
Ergonomic plug-and-play oscilloscopes reside in USB probes
eeProductCenter's Alex Mendelsohn says: "Pico Technology introduces the PicoScope 2104 and 2105, lightweight, high-performance two new PicoScope PC Oscilloscopes designed to that fit in your hand. These cost-effective instruments give you all the capabilities of a conventional oscilloscope in a compact probe that you can carry anywhere."

Readers say:
» "Need a Macintosh version!"
» "Great, cost effective tool."
» "Fabulous."
» "It's a handy product, easy to use and set up."
» "Excellent price point and compact size makes these very attactive for travel and job-site work. Also, excellent for the student or advanced hobbyist."
» "100MHz or better bandwidth would be nice."

USABILITY RANK: 2

(3) TEKTRONIX
Windows CE and GPS marriage puts mapping on nomadic spectrum analyzer
eeProductCenter's Alex Mendelsohn says: "This less-than-$7000 battery powered handheld from scope maker Tektronix defines what a user-friendly instrument ought to be. And, it's software upgradeable. Not mentioned in Tek's comprehensive description (on the left) is the fact that the Windows CE-based RF Scout spectrum analyzer also pack a nifty touchscreen interface. Combine that with its colorful iMap geographic mapping features (more on that below), and you've got one really neat piece of gear. "

Readers say:
» "Fabulous."
» "It's a handy product, easy to use and set up."
» "With the right probes might be useful for FCC/CE emissions compliance testing to find hot spots."

USABILITY RANK: 3

(4) AZIMUTH SYSTEMS
Wi-Fi test suite measures portable design's battery current, voltage
eeProductCenter's Alex Mendelsohn says: "This product comes at a time when trailblazing technologies are poised to enhance and supplant present ones. Newer cellphones with the likes of video, or Wi-Fi-equipped MP3 players, are cases in point. Developments such as MIMO (multiple-input multiple-output) radios, UWB (ultra-wideband), and video cellphones are revitalizing nomadic designs. Nonetheless, for designers of portables, identifying and addressing those Wi-Fi parameters that cause battery drain can be tough. Determining optimal device configuration for maximum battery life is no easy task. "

Readers say:
» "Good for a test lab, too expensive for the average engineering dept."
» "Fabulous."
» "It's a handy product, easy to use and set up."

USABILITY RANK: 4

(5) AGILENT TECHNOLOGIES
RF network analyzer improvements ease multi-port microwave measurements
eeProductCenter's Alex Mendelsohn says: "Test-and-measurement house Agilent Technologies Inc. is adding capabilities to its existing PNA Series of microwave network analyzers. Options can now simplify complex measurements for multi-port as well as active devices. If you?re a component manufacturer, you can now reduce test time while enhancing accuracy, thanks to these single-connection measurement approaches. "

Readers say:
» "Fabulous."
» "It's a handy product, easy to use and set up."

USABILITY RANK: 5

(6) MICROSTAR LABORATORIES
Data-acquisition board implements parallel realtime processing on your PC
eeProductCenter's Alex Mendelsohn says: "If your data-acq application needs realtime processing, yet you typically run engineering applications on a Windows platform, check out Microstar Laboratories's latest DAP (Data Acquisition Processor). The company's mid-range plug-in provides concurrent processing in order to achieve deterministic acquisition on a PC. Microstar Laboratories's latest mid-range DAP board, dubbed the DAP5000a/526, clocks its own on-board Intel Pentium 233-MHz processor. The board also includes 32-Mbytes of DRAM, and has sufficient horsepower to run many DSP routines. "

Readers say:
» "No significant improvement from previous products."

USABILITY RANK: 6

(7) AUDIO PRECISION
Multi-channel tester lets your PC automatically analyze audio
eeProductCenter's Alex Mendelsohn says: "If you're developing a multi-channel audio product such as a Dolby 7.1 Surround Sound or automotive sound system, here's news of a PC-controlled tester from Audio Precision, Inc. that will let even semi-skilled operators get up-and-running quickly. Its liberal use of colorful 3-D graphics makes it a snap to learn and use. Slated for availability this July, the APx585 audio analyzer will work in conjunction with a fast Windows PC. As an almost plug-and-play box, the APx585 will also feature a Windows user-interface that lets new users take measurements almost immediately. "

Readers say:

USABILITY RANK: 8

(8) ALAZARTECH
250-Msample/s 2-channel PCI digitizer uses unique dual-port memory
eeProductCenter's Alex Mendelsohn says: "While AlazarTech makes some of the industry's fastest PCI bus plug-in digitizer cards, speed alone isn't the only differentiating factor for this company. AlazarTech also concentrates on usability. With that in mind, note that Alazar's existing digitizers (as well as this new product), lend themselves to relatively quick start-up, so you can get your application up-and-running without too much fuss or frustration. The company can also work with you to customize its boards. "

Readers say:
» "Impressive specs for the price, but the quality of the host-side software will make or break the user experience."

USABILITY RANK: 7

(9) LECROY
Cost-effectiveness marks PCIe protocol analyzer
eeProductCenter's Alex Mendelsohn says: "The folks at LeCroy Corp. continue to leverage the technology that originated at CATC (Computer Access Technology Corp.), a company acquired by LeCroy. When it debuted at CATC in 2003, the PETracer ML (Multi-Lane) PCI Express verification system permitted bi-directional decode and capture of x8, x4, x2, and x1 PCI Express links. PETracer used a high-impedance non-intrusive probe supporting un-altered data pass-through, tapping into PCI Express fabrics with a slot interposer card and a mid-bus probe. "

Readers say:

USABILITY RANK: 9

(10) NATIONAL INSTRUMENTS
PXI generator line extends into the microwave domain
eeProductCenter's Alex Mendelsohn says: "RF test gear, based on plug-in PC-hosted cards, is getting cheaper and better. With PXI (PCI EXtensions for Instrumentation) instruments capable of generating signals above 6-GHz, National Instruments now offers seven signal generators, essentially spanning DC to microwave. They're priced starting at less than $3000. The company's line-up includes plug-in four boards for DC to high-frequency generation, and three boards for RF and microwave frequencies. All seven generators use DDS (direct digital synthesis) signal generation techniques to provide high-resolution frequency hopping or phase-continuous sweeping for characterization applications. "

Readers say:
» "Nice potential solution to a benchtop device."

USABILITY RANK: 10