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3G Communications Test Manager Software Side-Steps Programming

The manufacturer says . . .

ChipCenter's Alex Mendelsohn says . . .

Agilent Technologies' Wireless Test Manager Automates, Simplifies, and Speeds the Design of Wireless Devices Palo Alto, Calif.--Agilent Technologies Inc. introduced their wireless test manager, a software family that automates the testing of wireless devices, giving developers confidence in the quality of their designs and enabling them to meet tight deadlines. The wireless test-manager family covers the CDMA2000, IS-95, GPRS, GSM, and AMPS wireless formats. When used with the Agilent 8960 wireless communications test set, the wireless test manager is a fast, simple way to make measurements without complex instrument-control and measurement programming. The quick and easy test automation enables wireless device developers to get the data they need to characterize and improve product design and move new designs into production more quickly. "Measurements that typically took days can now be accomplished in hours with the wireless test manager," said Al Schmidt, vice president of Agilent's Wireless Appliance Product Unit. "The solution quickly automates wireless device test, making wireless R&D and manufacturing engineers more efficient and productive." Designers can automate basic parametric testing and device characterization with ready-to-use tests and a hardware setup accessed from the wireless test manager's user-friendly interface. Test developers can select Agilent test plans, create custom test plans, change specifications and test parameters, change the order of test steps, specify data collection, set up instrument interfaces and more—all without programming. All Agilent test routines are open-code, written in Microsoft VisualBASIC with a wireless test wizard that simplifies the program development and integration. VisualBASIC gives test developers additional flexibility for developing custom tests, user interfaces, and automated handling routines. Agilent will continue to support wireless device developers working with multiple technologies, and expects to introduce new solutions for major wireless formats, including 3G formats such as W-CDMA. Additional information is available at www.agilent.com/find/E6560A.

In cell-phone and wireless widget design, as well as out on the factory floor, effective test automation and data collection, and the software that runs it, can spell the difference between a communications product's success or failure. That's especially true if you consider time-to-market (read time-to-money). That's why Agilent's new software is so compelling. Implied in Agilent's press statement is the fact that this software is PC hosted. It is, and under Microsoft Windows. As such, it operates with a familiar GUI. Agilent's press release never mentions that the test suites you'd run with this application are IEEE-488 (GPIB) configurable. They are. To host this software, you'll need a 500 MHz Pentium PC (or better) that runs Windows NT, 2000, or 98 SE with Internet Explorer v5 (or later) installed. If you opt to do some of your own coding, you'll also need Microsoft VisualBASIC (VB) v6 installed. For hardware, your system will need at least 128 Mbytes of DRAM (256 Mbytes is better), and 100 Megs of available hard disk space. You'll also need a CD-ROM drive, and an IEEE-488 (GPIB) card or converter with VISA drivers. The PC's parallel port accommodates a security dongle, and a serial port is used to communicate with fixtures, and to control subsystems and peripherals such as bar-code readers. With VB and its debugger fired up, you'll be able to develop and modify commands to your test instrument suite in order to make measurements or send a signal at a specified frequency, time, and power level. Using VB, you can develop custom user interfaces, and write data directly to an interface. That will let you control an automation task just to your liking, in order to perform special calibration routines, for example. Something else not mentioned in Agilent's press statement is the fact that you can run multiple instances of this test manager software. One computer can control up to two test systems; when a multi-system box is checked, folders display two instances for each type of I/O port in use. Pre-Packaged Test Plans It's apparent that the product development folks at Agilent were attuned to the needs of test engineers as they developed this offering. As such, the package includes a predefined test plan that can get you up-and-running quickly. The software's canned routines and the GUI-based interfaces permit you to modify communications-oriented test parameters and specs freely, as well as change the order of tests. You can readily add a test from a menu of communications tests, for example, and quickly manipulate values to set up Agilent's Model 8960 communications test set and other IEEE-488 equipment. Five folders provide access to the test manager's automation functions. GPIB addresses of devices in a suite are entered by mouse-selecting an instrument control button in the software's Change Configuration folder. For each test plan step, a listing of specs and parms are also provided in a Set Specs/Parameters folder. Adding new steps to a plan is accomplished by dragging and dropping a selection as you work. click for full-size image The user interface in this software also lets you configure non-Agilent test equipment in a suite, such as IEEE-488-compatible programmable power supplies, or bar-code readers or printers. click for full-size image Naturally, Agilent suggests that you use its test manager with the company's very fast Model E5515C or E5515B/T dedicated communications testers. These test sets support high-level measurements, running built-in measurement processing algorithms that are calculated to reduce bus traffic and spur throughput. Agilent also suggests that you use its software with its Model E1962B CDMA2000/IS-95/AMPS mobile test application, as well as Model 66319B and 66321B power supplies, and Model 34970A with 34901A, 34903A, and 34907A data-acquisition/switch units. But, you can also bring in additional instruments and accommodate them with appropriate VB coding. Using these hooks, you can build your own test plan, but whatever route you choose, you won't necessarily have to perform any programming. A test wizard can guide you through the process of adding your customization. When completed, the tests created with the wizard and VB can be added to the E6560A's test menu, and then used immediately in your test plan. Under Microsoft Windows, the package also lets you save test results, repeat saved test plans, retry a test on a failure, and stop testing at a failure. Communications-Centric Tests A wide variety of dedicated communications tests are built in. For CDMA call processing, for example, the software accommodates registration, base station and mobile station origination, and base station release tests. It also supports tests of voice quality and talk time for systems running under CDMA2000, IS-95, IMT-2000, Japan CDMA, NMT-450, Korean PCS, US PCS, and other US cellular protocols. Of course, it accommodates AMPS systems and protocols, too. For CDMA transmitter tests, Agilent's package can help you rapidly determine waveform quality, code domain power, traffic channel open- and closed-loop power control, and a CDMA transmitter's RF output power. It will also assist in testing how well controlled output power is performed, as well as gated power. It can also test for spurious RF emissions. The package can also help you test for code-channel timing and phase errors. On the CDMA receiver side, Agilent's wireless test manager can check main and supplemental channel traffic FER (frame error) with AWGN (additive white Gaussian noise). It will also test a receiver's front-end sensitivity. Likewise, if you're working with older AMPS cell-phone technologies, the package will let you quickly run AMPS transmitter and receiver tests. On the transmit side, it can help you make frequency checks and test for RF output power. It can also automate the determination of audio frequency response and distortion, as well as help check for hum and noise levels. It also automates the measurement of FM deviation and channel frequency-error, and can make checks of a system's compression response. For AMPS receivers, the test manager can assist in measuring SINAD (signal-to-noise ratio), as well as making audio frequency response and distortion tests, including the measurement of hum, noise, and a receiver's expandor response. The software can also make combined receiver/transmitter tests. Two Modes The test manager can also be operated in two modes. In a so-called "Administrator" mode, it permits full access to all features, letting you select and develop test plans, set up hardware, and set user permissions. Once that's done, and the suite is set up on a production line, for example, you can drop the test manager into an "Operator" mode. In the "Operator" mode, the package only gives access to features specified by your engineering department. Everything else is "padlocked" out. The test manager can also export a formatted copy of a test plan. This copy includes parameters and specs, itemized according to the tests. Also, an on-screen process monitor can calculate yield over a specified number of tests. You can also quickly select how many times you want to repeat a test. Like Al Schmidt says in the press release, measurements that took days can now be done in hours. Whether you're doing parametric testing or handset characterization, or creating advanced customized test plans, you'll be able to be almost immediately productive once you get this software installed and running. Best of all, most of what you can do won't involve much, if any, programming.

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