RF Measurement Synthetic Instrumentation - 26.5 GHz and beyond

Synthetic Instrumentation is a class of test devices implemented primarily with software and supported with minimal hardware conditioning for the test signals. This philosophy permits frequent reuse of the hardware elements (processors, A/Ds, D/As, signal conditioners and switches) when commanding different instrument functions. Substantially lower purchase and life cycle costs are therefore achieved. This paper describes the status of Honeywell's RF Measurement Synthetic Instrumentation, developed to meet the needs of both flightline test and Intermediate/depot testers (e.g. CASS). The functions developed included: spectrum analyzer, microwave transition analyzer, frequency/time interval counter, waveform digitizer, power meter and digital multimeter. Performance is competitive with standalone instruments. Honeywell's previous development work and our current Measurement Hardware Emulator (MHE) results show that Synthetic Instrumentation is sufficiently mature to: (1) be included in service life extension programs of legacy ATE, (2) be inserted in current ATE such as CASS, and (3) become the basis of next generation ATE architecture, such as NxTest.