directly to a host PC in a rack, the functionality is useful but the space taken up can be restrictive. To counteract this, a number of PCI based instruments have begun to appear in the marketplace providing the fullOscilloscopes and waveform generators have long been the tools of choice for Research & Development laboratories. Since the oscilloscope was first invented in 1897, bench-top instrumentation has become increasingly sophisticated and complex. The oscilloscope has gone from a simple, bulky CRT based device with basic triggering functions to a slim, portable model with a much larger array of features. This has provided the design engineer with a much more powerful fault finding tool. Functionality such as automatic frequency display, peak to peak voltage display, rms voltage display, non-event triggering and FFT analysis are now standard features in even the most basic instruments.

With the rapid upward trend in processing power, PCs are increasingly used in test applications, particularly at the end of production lines. When connecting an instrument directly to a host PC in a rack, the functionality is useful but the space taken up can be restrictive. To counteract this, a number of PCI based instruments have begun to appear in the marketplace providing the full

ophisticated and complex. The oscilloscope has gone from a simple, bulky CRT based device with basic triggering functions to a slim, portable model with a much larger array of features. This has provided the design engineer with a much more powerful fault finding tool. Functionality such as automatic frequency display, peak to peak voltage display, rms voltage display, non-event triggering and FFT analysis are now standard features in even the most basic instruments.

With the rapid upward trend in processing power, PCs are increasingly used in test applications, particularly at the end of production lines. When connecting an instrument directly to a host PC in a rack, the functionality is useful but the space taken up can be restrictive. To counteract this, a number of PCI based instruments have begun to appear in the marketplace providing the full

gineer with a much more powerful fault finding tool. Functionality such as automatic frequency display, peak to peak voltage display, rms voltage display, non-event triggering and FFT analysis are now standard features in even the most basic instruments.

With the rapid upward trend in processing power, PCs are increasingly used in test applications, particularly at the end of production lines. When connecting an instrument directly to a host PC in a rack, the functionality is useful but the space taken up can be restrictive. To counteract this, a number of PCI based instruments have begun to appear in the marketplace providing the full

es in even the most basic instruments.

With the rapid upward trend in processing power, PCs are increasingly used in test applications, particularly at the end of production lines. When connecting an instrument directly to a host PC in a rack, the functionality is useful but the space taken up can be restrictive. To counteract this, a number of PCI based instruments have begun to appear in the marketplace providing the full

directly to a host PC in a rack, the functionality is useful but the space taken up can be restrictive. To counteract this, a number of PCI based instruments have begun to appear in the marketplace providing the full functionality of a scope or waveform generator in the form-factor of a PCI card. This gives the added advantage of having one local display avoiding confusion to the operator with many different screens when using separate test equipment. It also gives full control of the instrument to the PC which for example allows windowing of signals. This is where a UUT is tested and compared to a pre-defined window of acceptance. If the signal falls inside this window the unit is passed. If products are incorrectly failed by the system, the tolerance of the window can be adjusted until an optimum level is reached.

As PC’s becomes increasing popular in industry being adopted as a way to automate test platforms, using a standard desktop PC is never going to withstand the environmental and vibration conditions some test rigs are expected to work in. With this a