Synthetic Instruments Tackle Military Testing

摘要

These initial products hint at the flexibility, versatility, and cost savings that can be achieved in military test systems through the use of the synthetic-instrument (SI) concept. Synthetic instruments (SI) promise a flexible, cost-effective future for military systems testing. These modular function blocks can be combined under the command of different software engines to perform all of the functions currently offered by traditional "rack-and-stack" test systems, but at a fraction of the cost and without the built-in obsolescence that plagues application-specific measurement solutions. Several new SI modules from Agilent Technologies (Santa Rosa, CA), including high-speed data converters and several frequency converters, hint at the road that lies ahead for the military's use of SI solutions.