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UWB signals from arbitrary generator

Tektronix’ RFXpress is a software package that runs on the company’s AWG 5000 and 7000 arbitrary waveform generators and outputs complex digitally modulated and multi-carrier RF signals such as UWB (ultra-wideband). A Tektronix spokesman describes it as a“shortcut to stress-testing [complex digitalmodulated-signal] designs”. The package performs RF/IF/IQ waveform creation and editing, with a user interface that—the company says—makes managing these signals more intuitive. Through the use of software plug-ins it can create specific signal patterns to comply with standards such as UWB-WiMedia. With the AWG 5000 and 7000 you can directly generate the frequency-hopping UWB signals for band groups 1 and 2 of the specification (which extend up to just over 6 GHz— most of today’s planned applications are in these groups, and the majority of those are in band group 1, topping out at around 4.5 GHz). The plug-in enables engineers to individually configure every part of the WiMedia frame and packet to check out and stress-test the receiver’s PHY layer. The package does not deliver the ultimate in signal purity and noise performance that comes with a “pure” RF signal generator— you will still need one of those to verify the ultimate performance of RF components. The package will cover all of the six UWB band groups out to over 10 GHz by frequency up-conversion, or you can use the software to generate I/Q signals to modulate a suitable signal generator. You can, Tektronix asserts, replace long set-up procedures with multiple instruments by a simple programming exercise. Programming is either by completing pre-defined templates for known signal types, or you can begin with a signal specification you create in packages such as Matlab. You can add impairments or known faults to signals the AWG generates, either by specifying them in the software or by adding in degradations you capture from real signals: for example, Tek says, you can use the wideband input of its 70000 series digital oscilloscopes or real-time spectrum analysers for exactly this purpose. RFXpress supports modulation schemes such as QPSK, QAM, and GMSK, and also allows you to build custom modulation schemes. RFXpress software runs as an integral part of the AWG5000 or AWG7000, or as a standalone application on an external PC. It costs €4,590 for the general-purpose module: the UWB WiMedia compliance plug-in is €2,020 and the UWB WiMedia custom plug-in is €6,610. The custom plug-in includes the compliance plug-incapabilities.

Tektronix, www.tektronix.com.