Technical Support Engineer .... ?

Our Technical Support Manager has decided it's time to retire after 12 years at Saelig.  He's been a valuable player here with a broad experience of electronics, car repair, and mechanics.  Nice to hear him say that this is the best job he's ever had!

So it's time to place a job ad on the usual places:

"A self-motivated EE with wide-ranging electronics and computer skills is needed to support the range of test & measurement products sold by Saelig, especially oscilloscopes, spectrum analyzers, RF shielding, EMC pre-compliance products, torque sensors, and ABI PCB repair equipment.  Demonstration of the products we sell, and presentations to fellow employees may be required.  Strong interpersonal, writing, and sales skills, and a good visual presence for video recordings and web-based training is needed.  A diligent, trustworthy, self-motivated individual with wide-ranging technical skills is needed to act as first-line support for technical inquiries for the wide range of electronics products we market. Experience with laboratory electronics and automotive servicing is required, since the products we market include oscilloscopes (including automotive scopes), spectrum analyzers, USB, I2C, RS232/422/485, CANbus, crystals and oscillators, short-range radio modules, controllers, etc. Computer literacy, with experience with Microsoft Word, Excel, QuickBooks and email is helpful for this job.  The TSE will have a gracious telephone manner and trustworthy personality. The TSE position is also vital in assessing new vendor product opportunities, and verifying outgoing product fulfillment accuracy.

This position requires high ethical standards and minimal supervision, as well as excellent skills for identifying and/or creating profit opportunities. The successful applicant will be adaptive and inventive, committed to excellence in following system methods, and skilled in engaging and encouraging product sales.  A EE degree is preferred but other training and work experience may be considered.

Apply by email at employment@saelig.com"

Characterizing a System Like a Motor Drive

Some motor spec sheet are seriously lacking in detail.  What to do?  Tech Support Manager Al MacRobbie has made a series of videos showing how to use a torque sensor set-up to find out the limitations of an electrical/mechanical system.

The first video is here:

Facing the Counterfeit IC Issue

 “Fake” chips in the marketplace is a huge issue for manufacturing companies and distributors alike.  The Problem ICs are not like banknotes – hard to copy, and making fake “lookalike” parts which resemble real ones takes very little skill. It simply requires finding cheap parts in the same package and merely painting new marks on them. This problem has arisen due to the high value of electronics parts, and the whole manufacturing chain from assembly house to end-user is vulnerable. The number of companies that have been duped by batches of fake devices is incalculable. Counterfeiting semiconductors has been rapidly increasing, impacting a wide variety of electronics systems used by a wide gamut of involved parties - consumers, businesses, and military customers. The detection of counterfeit components has become an increasingly important priority, especially for electronics manufacturers and component suppliers worldwide.

The most prevalent counterfeiting technique is re-badged product. It is a simple matter to remove the existing mark from a chip package and put on a new logo and part number, or a different brand, a different speed – and sell the semiconductor to an unsuspecting buyer who has no way of making sure that the product is “real”. Sometimes the chip is only an empty package with no die inside. It is true that the finished system would fail before it left the factory – but this still requires expensive investigation and rework, with no part available to replace the bad one, causing the dreaded exclamation “Line Down!” But the failure of borderline ICs may not occur until the system is in the field, and field repairs can cost ten times as much to fix as those caught before they leave the factory. Counterfeiting can also be from chips which are gleaned from discarded scrap boards. After remarking with a different manufacturer’s logo, they are inserted into the supply chain and sold to innocent buyers - who naturally who assume that the products are genuine.

Usually, it is impossible to identify counterfeit components until they are fitted on a PCB when the first tests are made on the final product. Failure requires the costly identification of the components at fault and then lifting them from all boards in the production line. Complete batches of finished products may need to be recalled to the factory – directly hurting a company’s bottom line. Technical measures to solve this problem have previously included visual inspection of devices for marking errors – which needs a trained eye for all possible variations in marking. Electronically testing or x-raying every incoming batch is another technique. Another destructive method is to use a complex decapsulation system in order to visually inspect IC die sample, immediately losing revenue due to the component’s destruction. Not only is this expensive and time consuming, it requires complex training, skilled operators, and expensive equipment.

Here is a solution to that problem: 

The ABI SENTRY is a unique solution for the quick and easy detection of Counterfeit ICs and components. ABI Electronics has over 27 years of experience in the field of Test & Measurement equipment as well as Contract Electronics Manufacturing. Knowledge of both industries has allowed ABI to design this product around two main concepts: 

• To offer a simple and easy to use system that can be operated by any personnel, and particularly non-technical staff.
• To provide a powerful solution that would lead to the detection of counterfeit devices, thus protecting a business from very high unexpected costs.

SENTRY is an easy to use tester, aimed at goods inwards inspectors and designed to measure the unique electrical signature (PinPrint) of components. The information collected is managed through a database and is used to compare known good devices against suspect components. Typically, SENTRY can easily detect missing or incorrect dies, lack of bond wires, inaccurate pin outs and pin impedance variations. Simple pass or fail results are returned after testing, offering a high level of confidence in the authenticity of components. SENTRY does not require any knowledge of electronics to use efficiently. For in-depth analysis though, PinPrints can be reviewed and full reports can be generated. The SENTRY software also offers options for customization and the ability to store essential documentation such as photos, PDF datasheets, web pages and images.  SENTRY is able to accommodate virtually all types of components, from simple two pin devices to more complex packages such as BGA. A range of standard and universal adapters is available and custom designs can also be supplied. In order to ensure consistency throughout the whole supply chain, SENTRY is designed to support data sharing. This means that the PinPrints of a given component can be shared between users, from the OEM through to the distributor and end user. 

More here:  

https://www.saelig.com/product/TSTEQICT001.htm

13 Examples of Driver-assisted Systems

 https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/13-examples-advanced-driver-assistance-systems-adas-willian-santos

Willian Santos (ABI Electronics) writes:

Automotive safety technology is pretty easy to wrap your head around, but advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) are a little harder to pin down. At this point, the debate over whether anti-lock brakes are really necessary is pretty much nonexistent, but most technologies classified as ADAS are still seen as luxuries or even amusing curiosities.

Many advanced driver assistance systems are right on the bleeding edge of emerging automotive technologies, and the jury is actually still out on some of them. Some of these systems will have the staying power to stick around, and you can expect to see at least a few of them in your next car. Others may fizzle and disappear or be replaced by better implementations of the same basic idea. Since ADAS rely on electronics and often include firmware elements, the development of these cutting-edge systems is governed by international safety standards like IEC-61508 and ISO-26262.

Advanced driver assistance systems are tweaked every year, but here are thirteen different options that you might want to check out the next time you're in the market for a new car.

Adaptive cruise control

Adaptive light control

Automatic braking

Automatic parking

Blind spot detection

Collision avoidance systems

Driver drowsiness detection

GPS navigation

Hill descent control

Intelligent speed adaptation

Lane departure warning systems

Night vision

Tire pressure monitoring

Read more here:   

 https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/13-examples-advanced-driver-assistance-systems-adas-willian-santos

Social Media, Social Schmedia

YouTube is becoming more important for technical folks as they seek to find out specs and recommendations on products. Here at Saelig we have our own video studio where we can do online demos and shoot product photos and videos.

We now have 350 videos on our YouTube Channel, with more than 400 subscribers and over 146,000 views.

Our most popular video "Choosing the best 100MHz Scope" has been viewed more than 9,000 times!

FaceBook and Twitter also remain important for sharing our latest news.  Keep checking on us there!

Commercial EMC Test Summary

https://interferencetechnology.com/summary-commercial-emc-tests/

Ghery Pettit wrote a nice summary of commercial EMC testing in  a recent "Interference Technology".  

Commercial EMC tests cover a wide range of products.  These include the obvious ones like computers and their peripherals, but also cover household appliances, electric tools and a wide variety of other products.  While the standards, including limits and test methods may differ, all EMC test standards have a few things in common.  The most basic are the limits for emissions and the types and levels of immunity testing.

The article covers: Conducted Emissions, Radiated Emissions, Commercial Immunity Tests (ESD, Radiated electric field immunity, Electrical Fast Transients, Electric Surge, Conducted RF, Power Frequency Magnetic Fields, and Dips & dropouts.

Check it out here:  https://interferencetechnology.com/summary-commercial-emc-tests/

LED Lighting Grows - So Must Advances in Fabrication Technology

Clive Beech (Plessey Semiconductor UK) writes in Radio-Electronics.com:

As Expectations for LED Lighting Grow, So Must Advances in Fabrication Technology

14 June 2017

Clive Beech

LED Components Manager

http://www.plesseysemiconductors.com

LED technology has advanced a long way in recent years - from he small LED indicators used years ago, LED lighting is now a major technology providing everything from television displays to domestic and commercial lighting as well as having many automotive applications.

LED lighting is no longer a novelty – consumers, businesses and governments now appreciate the very real energy-saving and environments benefits this technology is capable of. Users have also been won over on the advantages of LED lights compared to other energy-saving alternatives, so much so that they are now demanding even better solutions for an ever-wider range of applications.

The battle for improved energy efficiency, especially in the home, began some 30 years ago with the compact fluorescent lamp (CFL), which offered an energy reduction of up to 75% and, with an 8 times life expectancy, promised significant cost savings over the bulb’s life despite an initial high cost. But convincing consumers to adopt CFLs wasn’t easy and, in the early years, often required governments to subsidize bulb costs via energy utilities to encourage uptake.

More here:  http://bit.ly/2uyIoCi

Vector Network Analysis for Everyone from Pico Technology

http://www.microwavejournal.com/articles/28539-vector-network-analysis-for-everyone-from-pico-technology

The prestigious Microwave Journal just published a nice piece on Pico's new Vector Network Analyzer.  

It states: " Pico Technology has applied its expertise in compact USB instrumentation, combined with its experience with high-performance sampling oscilloscopes and time domain reflectometry, to bring an outstanding value in a high-quality, low-cost vector network analyzer.

If you work with high-speed data, communications or computing, you often need to characterize high-frequency interfaces, devices, multi-path interconnect and antennas. Today’s engineers and systems integrators do not have time to become microwave specialists. They need a straightforward, accurate, fast, portable and low-cost measurement instrument, and ideally one that can support developing applications such as 5G, IoT, radar and tissue and materials imaging.

Pico also included in their free-of-charge PicoVNA 2 software two utilities to tackle gain compression (P1dB) and AM to PM. Both of these use a port power sweep at each test frequency. Both measures are extracted using second-order interpolation.

Calibration standards and interconnect for vector network analysis can dominate both performance and costs. Pico offers PC3.5 and SMA, male and female test ports via flexible and flex-formable, phase- and flatness-stable test leads. Four mating calibration standards, with traceable data, are assembled into convenient male and female SOLT housings. Like the test leads, the SMA and PC3.5 calibration standards all use robust, high-precision stainless steel connectors.

More here:

Saelig Introduces PicoVNA 106 Low-Cost Vector Network Analyzer

Economical USB-controlled, professional-grade 300 kHz to 6 GHz Vector Network Analyzer with excellent performance, portability, and affordability.

The Pico Technology PicoVNA 106 Low-Cost Vector Network Analyzer - an economical USB-controlled, professional-grade 300 kHz to 6 GHz Vector Network Analyzer (VNA) with excellent performance, portability, and affordability.  Despite its small size and low cost, its full-function, minimal-error, ‘Quad RX’ four-receiver architecture supports both 8- and 12-term calibration without the uncorrectable switching errors, delays, and unreliability of traditional three-receiver designs. The instrument supports convenient calibration methods such as ‘enhanced  isolation correction’ and ‘unknown thru’.

The PicoVNA 106 has a dynamic range of up to 118dB at 10Hz and only 0.005dB RMS trace noise at its maximum bandwidth of 140kHz. It can gather all four S-parameters at just 190usec per frequency point, so a 500 point 2-port S2P Touchstone file (compatible with many test, math, view and EDA simulation tools) is captured in less than 1/10 sec. This performance compares with other full-function VNAs that are more than four times as expensive.  The PicoVNA 106 is even cost-effective as a high-dynamic-range scalar network analyzer where phase measurements are not needed, or even as a single-port vector reflectometer.  The product also includes bias-Ts for the convenient injection of a bias or test stimulus. The PicoVNA 106’s software two utilities address gain compression (P1dB) and AM to PM. Both of these use a port power sweep at each test frequency, with both measurements extracted using second-order interpolation.

The PicoVNA 106 is supplied with Microsoft Windows-compatible software to support a full range of plot formats for a scalar or vector view of dual or single-port parameters. These can be saved or exported in various graphic and tabular formats including Touchstone. The software includes Fourier transformation to the time domain, adding convenient distance-to-fault capability and pulse response determination. In all cases nominal impedance transformation (10 ohm to 200 ohm) is available, mathematically or using port matching pads, with limit tests on the Cartesian plot formats.

Today’s engineers don’t have time to become microwave specialists. They need a straightforward, accurate, fast, portable and low-cost measurement instrument, and ideally one that can support developing applications such as 5G, IoT, radar, and tissue and materials imaging. Pico Technology’s expertise in compact USB instrumentation, combined with its experience with high-performance sampling oscilloscopes and time domain reflectometry, has created a VNA that can characterize high-frequency interfaces, devices, multi-path interconnect and antennas.  The PicoVNA 106’s remote automation interface suits test automation needs, or as a reflectometry or transmission measurement module for embedded installations.  Test environments include broadband interconnect, cable and harness, antenna, component or subsystem assembly, installation and fault over life, in the manufacturing, calibration, distribution and service industries.

Made by Pico Technology, Europe’s award-winning test and measurement manufacturer, the new PicoVNA 106 Vector Network Analyzer is available now starting at $5995 from Saelig Company, Inc. their USA technical distributor. For detailed specifications, free technical assistance, or additional information, please contact Saelig 888-7SAELIG, via email: info@saelig.com, or visit www.saelig.com

Rigol DL3000 Programmable DL Loads: Intro Videos

High performance, advanced programmability, and affordability make these test instruments ideal for stress-testing products and components

The DL3000 Series 200W/350W Programmable DC Electronic Loads are economical single output 150V 40A/60A units.  With a user-friendly interface and excellent performance specifications, the DL3000 series is useful for simulating a variety of load conditions for both equipment and components.  A 4.3” color TFT LCD clearly shows multiple instrument parameters and conditions simultaneously.  RS232, USB, and LAN interfaces come as standard for the remote control of these electronic loads, with GPIB available as an option.

The DL3000 Series of Programmable DC Electronic Loads can be used in various industries, such as automotive electronics, aerospace, and fuel cells. Applications include testing the performance of DC power supplies under varying conditions for voltage regulation or constant current variation.  This applies to linear or switch-mode power supplies (SMPS), modular power supplies, or power adapters, etc.  Battery manufacturers can use the DL3000 series to test various battery and cell constructions under varying loads.  Chargers for batteries and cell phones can be evaluated with these electronic loads, as can components such as MOSFETs, IGBTs, capacitors, and ballast resistors.  These loads are also ideal for educational experiments.

Here are a set of five helpful videos which explain more about these loads:

1)  Rigol DL3000 - Electronic Load Introduction

2) Rigol DL3000 - Electronic Load Static Modes

3) Rigol - DL3000 Electronic Load Transient Modes

4) Rigol - DL3000 Electronic Load Battery Test

5) Rigol - S1501 Ultra Load Software

What makes LoRa Technology ideal for IoT networks and applications?

Here are seven key features:

http://hubs.ly/H07Y9JV0

Saelig Introduces TekBox TBCGx Comb Generators For EMC Testing

- comb generators are useful for testing radiated noise measurements and shielding effectiveness 

Here are two new TekBox TBCGx Comb Generators for EMC testing:

The TBCG1 is a radiating comb generator with an internal dipole antenna and a base frequency of 100MHz. It radiates a comb spectrum that is characterized up to 6GHz. The comb generator is intended as a quick reference for testing radiated noise measurements in anechoic chambers, TEM/GTEM cells, shielded chambers, or to gauge the effectiveness of cable shielding and other shielding materials.  With its built-in dipole antenna the TBCG1 can be used in three orientations to emit vertically- or horizontally-polarized signals.  It is a compact and portable device, powered by a 9V alkaline cell.  Being self-contained and battery-powered, there are no cables to disrupt the emitted field.

The TBCG2 is a versatile, passive comb generator/frequency multiplier which takes a square-wave input and creates a wide spectrum of comb frequencies.  Based on a step-recovery diode design, this comb signal generator is optimized for an overall flat spectrum with an output frequency range from 1MHz to 2.5GHz. The recommended drive power is between +10 dBm and +20 dBm with an input frequency of 1MHz to 350MHz. The TBCG2’scapability to work with such low drive frequencies makes it also suitable for the measurement of cable resonances. Cables on a product can themselves act as an antenna, causing radiated emissions and possible compliance test failures. They can resonate at their half-wave frequency and magnify any harmonic currents in the cable shield near that resonance.  The resonant frequency of cables and wires in a product or system can be characterized by injecting harmonic energy from a comb generator into the cable and observing the resultant resonances on a spectrum analyzer; a primary peak will show where the harmonic content is resonant.

Every EMC test engineer should own a harmonic comb generator that produces a simultaneous set of harmonically related CW signals whose spacing is based on a fundamental oscillator frequency.  The harmonic amplitudes produced are consistent and can be used as a frequency and amplitude calibrator, insuring, for example, that a semi-anechoic test chamber is reading correctly from day to day. Simply place the TBCG1 generator on a turntable and measure specific harmonics each day and record the trend data. Loose connectors or bad cables can be detected by comparing the current readings with past data. This will fulfill the requirement for “equipment verification testing” as specified in ISO 17025.

TBCG1 Radiating Comb Generator Specifications:

• Base frequency: 100MHz
• Comb spectrum: 30MHz - 6GHz
• Tolerance: +/- 2.5dB
• Power supply: 9V alkaline battery
• Current consumption: 175mA
• Dimensions: 3.2” x 2.4” x 1.1”
• Weight (incl. 9V battery):  3oz

TBCG2 Comb Generator Specifications:

• Input Power: +10 dBm to +20 dBm; 25 dBm max.
• Input Frequency: 1MHz to 350MHz
• Comb spectrum: 1MHz - 2.5GHz
• Input connector: N female
• Output connector: N male
• Dimensions: 3.2” x 1.1” x 1.1”
• Weight: 3.5oz 

Manufactured by Singapore-based Tekbox Digital Solutions, the TekBox TBCGx Comb Generators are available now  from their authorized North American distributor Saelig Company, Inc. Fairport, NY. 

Unique! Cleverscope CS448 High Voltage Isolated Oscilloscope

The Cleverscope CS448 is a unique isolated high common-mode rejection ratio (CMRR) four-channel 200MHz 14-bit oscilloscope. It has been designed to measure high voltage, fast slew-rate signals such as those in a full or three-phase power electronic switching bridge (e.g.  gate drives to measure voltage and charge, power switching to measure loss and parasitic stress, output signals to measure power and spectrum for EMC compliance, control system signals for gain/phase and stability, etc.)  The CS448 includes a built-in isolated 65MHz signal generator to provide stimulus signals, and eight isolated 100Mb/s logic inputs to measure digital control signals. The CS448 has 110dB frequency domain dynamic range using its 14-bit ADC's, which is ideal for EMI and frequency response analysis. Two CS448's can be slaved to make an 8 channel oscilloscope with coherent sampling.

The CS448 has been designed from the ground up to accurately measure small voltages while exposed to large (<1000v 800v.="" and="" are="" attenuating="" available="" extend="" input="" probes="" range="" ranges="" span="" style="margin: 0px;" swings.="" the="" to="" up="" used="" while="">  The application software automatically scales the values to adjust for probe attenuation. Sampling at 500MSa/s, all 4 channels are phase aligned with better than +/-140ps skew so the CS448 can be used for impedance and gain/phase measurement.  The CS448 provides coherent measurements of the channel inputs and the built-in tracking generator. The signal generator has >110dB CMRR at 50 MHz, with a working isolation between the output and ground of 800VRMS. The high CMRR and the isolated design allow high-side gate drives to be measured without large unwanted common mode artifacts.  Dead time, pulse timing, gate charge characteristics, and parasitics can all be observed.

The CS448’s free application software allows a USB or Ethernet connected Windows PC to provide operating controls and display. A built-in Link Port is used for controlling Cleverscope accessory devices such as the CS1070 1A 50 MHz power amplifier, or the CS1110 V_CE Sat Probe.  The CS448 also includes RS232, SPI and I²C ports for the control of other user equipment.

With optically-isolated channels, a high dynamic range and an internal signal generator, this combination in the CS448 is targeted for measuring power switching values, carrying out tradeoff analysis, and verifying the design and operation of power electronics designs.  Designed and made in New Zealand by Cleverscope, an innovative test equipment manufacturer, to be compact in size (9.75” x 6.5” x 2.2”) and weight (5.5lb), the CS448 is available now at $9600 from Saelig Company, Inc. Fairport NY at $1758.00. Saelig Company Inc. 1-888-7SAELIG  info@saelig.com  

http://www.saelig.com/cleverscope-pc-oscilloscopes/cs448.htm

http://www.saelig.com/cleverscope-pc-oscilloscopes/cs448.htm

“Bolting on” a cellular modem or wireless link to a product? Disaster!

Platform interference has quickly become one of the most challenging issues for manufacturers building in wireless technology into new or existing products. Success depends on carefully designing the entire product to ensure minimal EMI. Proper circuit board layout and stack-up is a key factor for success. Cutting corners by simply “bolting on” a cellular modem to an existing product is a recipe for disaster.

Ken Wyatt tackles this in an informative article here.  He describes measurement setups for general PC board noise characterization using a Rigol DSA815 Spectrum Analyzer. Near field probes are used to narrow down the areas of noise generation and to characterize the type of noise produced at the board. In this case, a high frequency current probe is being used to measure the USB cable harmonic currents coupled to the outside of the shielded cable.

Read on:

Customized Switches - let me count the ways ...

In March of 2007, Lorlin Electronics appointed Saelig Company as authorized dealer to distribute its industry-leading line of standard and customized rotary/key, pushbutton, indicator & push-push potentiometers to the North American market. Lorlin manufactures in the UK and also maintains partnerships in India & China.  They are represented in over 30 countries by local stocking distributors. All switches for appliances are approved to European Norm EN61058 by national certification bodies as ‘VDE’ ‘S’ ‘D’ ‘N’ ‘FI’ or under the European norms Electrical certification ENEC   Lorlin is a BSI Registered Firm to BS EN ISO 9001: 2000.Certificate No FM 28270. All Lorlin products are RoHScompliant.  Need a customized switch for your new product?  Give us a call!

Call a Saelig sales representative for a custom quote.

An oscilloscope with 8 - 16 bit resolution?

YES!

The award-winning Picoscope 5000 Series PC Oscilloscopes are high-resolution tools that are designed with novel technology that allows the hardware resolution to be adjusted from 8 up to 16-bit resolution, ideal for small signal or distortion measurements. The 5000 scopes combine the high sampling rate of the 3000 series with the high resolution of the 4000 series.  Available in 2 or 4 channels and bandwidths from 60 – 200MHz, they sample at a maximum rate of 1GSa/s.  Memory sizes range from 16Msamples up to 512Msamples.  

Details here:   http://www.saelig.com/category/picoscope-5000.htm

How To Emulate Rare and Retro Platforms on the Raspberry Pi

Makezine recently featured an interesting article on "How To Emulate Rare and Retro Platforms on the Raspberry Pi.

Among others:  Commodore Pi is a native Commodore 64 emulator for Raspberry Pi. It boots nearly instantly, can access the full RAM of the Pi and takes advantage of the GPIO, Ethernet, and USB ports.

MAME, the Multiple Arcade Machine Emulator. PiPlay (formerly PiMAME), a pre-built Raspberry Pi operating system made for gaming and emulation. It can emulate many retro consoles including Playstation, Genesis SNES, NES, Gameboy, Atari 2600. PiPlay has a built in FTP server and web-based uploader utility that makes adding game ROMs easy.

The PC XT-compatible emulator 8086tiny is written in C, it can be compiled fairly easily on the Raspberry Pi. The open source distribution includes FreeDOS and the classic game Alley Cat. The emulator is powerful enough to run Windows 3.0 (as pictured above) and even AutoCAD! (Also be sure to check out FastDosBox, which is optimized for DOS gaming on Raspberry Pi.)


http://makezine.com/2014/08/05/how-to-emulate-rare-and-retro-platforms-on-the-raspberry-pi/

Model101 Picoammeter fast, accurate measurements in a low cost instrument

Model 101 is a high quality picoammeter that provides quiet, stable readings and fast response.

Technical Features

AutoZero Function. The unit is equipped with an AutoZero function that ensures that the input burden voltage remains as close to zero as possible, thus compensating for time and temperature induced drifts.

Solid State Switching. Solid state range switching eliminates the uncertainties associated with electromechanical relays.

Isolation. The Model 101 can float up to ±300 V from Earth ground permitting accurate high-side current measurements.

Data Interface. The unit is equipped with an USB interface that is easier to use, more cost effective than GPIB or RS-232 and eliminates non-native operating system support, expensive GPIB cards and expensive cables.

Bias Supply. The quiet programmable voltage bias supplies ensure stable current measurements. These supplies have fine resolution to allow precise adjustment. The voltages can be monitored by the measurement system to verify the actual voltages and the included interlock connector can be used to disable the supplies when the device is under test is being installed in a fixture. The high voltage bias supply can be used for biasing silicon photodiodes, biasing avalanche photo-diodes, characterizing the low current regions of semiconductors, and high-megohm resistance measurements.

Data Display. The Model 101 Picoammeter leverages the user’s computer for data display since typically users use their PC for storage, analysis, or reporting, rendering an additional display redundant.

Soft Front Panel. The intuitive user interface provides control, display, and data logging functions.

User Created Interface. The Model 101 Picoammeter provides powerful APIs for data acquisition and control. Support for user-written software in Visual Studio® or LabVIEW™.

Digital I/O. The digital I/O interface, can be configured to drive selected pins based on measurement levels, which is ideal for alarms and part binning. Users can control the digital I/Ovia scripted commands or buttons within the user interface. The digital I/O lines are compatible with traditional TTL signal levels and can detect up to +24 V logic levels or sink 24 V loads at up to 200 mA.

Details here: 
http://bit.ly/2tIIhE1