Software for Digital RF Test Signal Creation and Editing By Tektronix

Beaverton, OR -- Tektronix, Inc. launches RFXpress, an advanced new software package that performs RF/IF/IQ waveform creation and editing of digitally modulated signals for AWG5000 and AWG7000 arbitrary waveform generators. The user interface makes creation and management of general purpose digital RF waveforms more intuitive and in the same time provides specialized UWB-WiMedia plug-ins and a library of waveforms for thoroughly testing new designs.

A critical step in the development process for modern wireless devices is signal generation for stress testing digital RF product designs, a complicated process, often requiring many hours of tedious setup and requiring multiple instruments. With RFXpress software, this has been simplified by automating many of the repetitive and arcane functions typically found in competing signal generation solutions.

In vice president’s, Mike Higashi, opinion, ”RFXpress is ideal for design and test engineers who need to perform validation and characterization of prototype digital RF wireless communication designs”. “Instead of needing to create mathematical formulas, the intuitive UI provided by the general purpose RFXpress application enables efficient use by providing pre-defined, fill-in the blank templates for frequencies, modulation schemes, etc. The additional capabilities provided by the compliance and custom plug-ins assist with performing a wide range of tests reliably and efficiently for the UWB WiMedia standard.”

The RFXpress application supports a variety of modulation schemes like QPSK, QAM, GMSK, etc., and also allows engineers to build their own modulation schemes. Furthermore, RF / IF & IQ signals captured on a Tektronix Real-Time Spectrum Analyzer or using an oscilloscope can now be modified by simply adding impairments, interference and distortions using RFXpress before they are replayed by an AWG7000 or AWG5000.

“The RFXpress Application is a great addition to the AWG platform, effectively transforming a general purpose signal generator into a powerful and easy to use RF generator,” said Ray Wang, System Test Manager, Texas Instruments. “Features such as I/Q Impairments, Distortion, and Interference Addition will help validate our products against real-life parameters. Using RFXpress, we essentially get the functionality of both a general purpose and application-specific signal generator in a single package.”

The RFXpress WiMedia custom mode plug-in enables engineers to individually configure every part of the WiMedia frame / packet for thorough characterization, limit and stress test of the receiver's PHY layer. This proves that direct synthesis is a flexible and repeatable method for creating ideal or impaired waveforms that are then directly synthesized using an arbitrary waveform generator. With RFXpress and the AWG7000, customers can directly generate band hopping signals for UWB-WiMedia Bandgroup 1 and Bandgroup 2 without the need for multiple instruments.