Pickering Interfaces, a leading provider of modular signal switching and simulation products for electronic test and verification, will exhibit at The European Microwave Exhibition, Europe’s largest trade show dedicated to Microwaves and RF which runs from 25th – 27th September 2018 at the Feria de Madrid, Madrid, Spain. On booth 280, the company will show a range of RF & Microwave switching products that increase test system effectiveness and productivity.
Launching at the show will be a 13-model family of PXI 8GHz solid-state RF switches, including SPDT, SP4T, SP6T, SP8T, SP16T and 4×4 Matrix devices. Pickering Interfaces’ series 40-88xA high-performance switch family now covers 10MHz to 8GHz in the modular PXI format for easy system integration. All units feature automatic termination of unused switch channels, up to +36dBm input power handling and excellent RF performance characteristics.
Also new from Pickering Interfaces at European Microwave will be the series 60-801 and 60-802 four and six channel LXI Ethernet microwave multiplexers. Packaged in compact 1U and 2U rack-mount form factors, these high-performance microwave switches are available with up to 16 relays in 6GHz, 18GHz, 26.5GHz or 40GHz bandwidths. They feature excellent RF and repeatability characteristics and are simply-controlled via the 1000Base-T Ethernet interface.
Pickering will also be showing their USB/LXI chassis, the 60-104 2-slot chassis and 60-105 4-slot chassis. These chassis offer a small, lightweight form/factor for portable, benchtop and space restrictive applications. Both chassis are controlled remotely via USB3 or 1000-BaseT Ethernet, allowing switching to be sited close to the Device Under Test (DUT), thereby minimizing cable lengths and preserving RF performance. The 60-105 chassis will be shown containing 3 x SP4T and 3 x SP6T 26.5GHz switches, demonstrating the flexibility of this modular chassis when used in conjunction with Pickering’s range of around 250 PXI RF/microwave switch modules.
Pickering’s larger 60-103B LXI 18-slot rack-mount chassis will showcase a variety of the company’s high performance PXI RF and microwave switch modules, from 300MHz to 65GHz, including several terminated switches, where unused channels are automatically terminated in 50Ω for more consistent RF performance. Most of the microwave switches shown have LEDs on the front panels to show the energized switch paths – a very useful feature when debugging test programs.
Also shown will be Pickering’s PXI remote microwave multiplexer controller module. The single PXI slot 40-785B occupies less chassis space than a standard microwave switch module, and allows up to three microwave relays to be placed close to the DUT and other RF test equipment. In some applications this can shorten the length of RF cable runs and improve system performance. The remote relays are supplied complete with a 1.5m interface cable.
Also highlighted in the booth will be Pickering’s:
eBIRST Switching System Test Tools – Designed specifically for Pickering’s PXI, PCI and LXI products, these tools simplify switching system fault-finding by quickly testing the system and graphically identifying the faulty relay.
Switch Path Manager Signal Routing Software – this new signal routing software simplifies signal routing through switching systems and speeds up the development of switching system software. Switch Path Manager supports Pickering’s PXI, LXI, PCI and GPIB switching modules and the interconnection between these products.
Pickering Interfaces stands behind all of its manufactured products with a standard three-year warranty and guaranteed long-term product support. Pricing and availability information is supplied on their website at www.pickeringtest.com.
