Aeroflex Corporation of the United States, a global leader in the microelectronic devices and test and measurement instrument industries, recently announced that its S series of RF signal generator products have fully entered the Chinese market. This series of products, with its highly competitive price, ease of use, portability, modular design and excellent RF performance, consolidates Aeroflex's reputation for continuous innovation in the field of RF signal sources. S-series instruments adopt a revolutionary graphical interface design that caters to the needs of modern engineers who want to operate through touch screens and obtain instant feedback, eliminating the complex buttons, knobs and deeply nested software menus on traditional instruments.
SGA Analog RF Signal Generator Overview
The first Aeroflex SGA analog RF signal generator to enter the market, it is not only reasonably priced, but also features a small and lightweight size, low phase noise, high accuracy and fast setup time.
“Especially for young engineers, they are very familiar with the touch-screen interfaces on smartphones and MP3 players and want similar ease of use in test instruments.” Bill Burrows, Aeroflex business development manager, said, “Aeroflex has always been the signal As a pioneer in generating technology, today we have taken another step forward, combining the latest technology to bring the signal generator into a new era of intelligence."
The SGA is a high-specification, cost-effective analog RF signal generator suitable for general, aerospace and military test applications in laboratory, production line and field environments. Its intuitive high-definition LCD touch screen can generate various modulated or swept RF signals with fewer button operations, greatly saving engineers' operating time and reducing the probability of errors.
The modular design using Aeroflex’s patented Aerolock™ locking mechanism allows users to easily implement modular combinations such as additional RF instruments, second signal generators and combiners through external mechanical operation, especially suitable for amplifier testing Wait for the scene.
The Aeroflex SGA series starts with two models: SGA-3 with a frequency range of 100 kHz to 3 GHz and SGA-6 with a frequency range of 100 kHz to 6 GHz. The SGA is the first device in Aeroflex's new S Series, which will include full-featured digital vector signal generators and a range of digital vector signals specifically designed for emerging wireless standards such as LTE, LTE-Advance and IEEE 802.11ac. Analyzer.
Portability is a key feature of this signal generator series. The SGA is a half-rack width design, 4U high, and weighs less than 17 pounds (approximately 8 kilograms) - only half the weight of its predecessor. This allows it to be easily moved within the laboratory or used in the field.
"Signal sources have always been our core product, and this represents the first time we have provided customers with a high-performance product in such a small form factor and at a competitive price point." David Asquith, product manager of Aeroflex Test Systems Division, commented: “SGA redefines the price/performance standard and is completely comparable to the high-end signal generators in the industry, achieving low phase noise and high output power in terms of fast frequency switching and level switching, but at a price comparable to mid-range signal generators.”
SGA performance specifications
The typical single-sideband signal (SSB) phase noise of the SGA signal generator at 1GHz carrier frequency and 20kHz frequency offset is -135 dBc/Hz, which means it can easily measure receiver sensitivities up to 80dB or more. In universal frequency selection mode, fast frequency setting time is 1ms, while in list mode switching time is only 100μs. This makes the SGA particularly suitable for fast frequency hopping and semiconductor test applications, as well as for maximum throughput in production environments.
SGA provides a maximum output power of +13 dBm with a resolution of 0.01dB; it also provides a high-power option that can extend the maximum output power of the RF level to +20dBm. The level section adopts a high-speed electronic attenuator, which can quickly switch power levels. The switching time is less than 100 μs within the final value range of 0.1dB, and the repeatability is better than 0.05dB.
The SGA also supports digital sweep control of carrier frequency, RF level and modulation source in single, continuous or external trigger modes, as well as list mode frequency sweeps.
SGA provides more modulation mode choices, including amplitude modulation/frequency modulation/phase modulation and pulse modulation, through built-in four 10 MHz oscillators and two external modulation inputs.