Agilent's vision for the future of general-purpose instruments

In the electronics industry, universal measurement instruments such as digital multimeters, frequency counters, data acquisition, arbitrary waveform generators, and programmable power supplies are tools that engineers face daily. When the entire industry is facing the pressure to shorten the design cycle and reduce costs, where is the development of universal measuring instruments? In this elite interview, Electronic Engineering Album interviewed Kari Fauber, marketing manager of Agilent's Electronic Measurement Division's system product factory, and asked her about the latest developments in the field of current test and measurement, the most advanced general-purpose instrument products on the market, and "Comments on the test and measurement solutions for product and technology development, and China's local general-purpose instrument brands."

What is the current development trend of the general instrument market?

In fact, in the past 20-30 years, the instruments used by engineers in the field of universal basic measurement have not changed much. For example, a digital multimeter for measuring voltage is almost indistinguishable from the beginning of the market.

As we all know, the entire electronics and communications industry is currently facing pressures such as shortening the design cycle, using fewer resources to speed up the production of new products, and using advanced tools to improve personal efficiency. Therefore, improving the measurement speed and precision is a commonly used strategy for test and measurement product suppliers. The goal is to provide higher performance to meet or exceed the technical requirements used by R&D engineers and meet the requirements of the manufacturing department for test speed and technology. . For example, Agilent recently introduced an up-to-date function and arbitrary waveform generator. The instrument integrates high-end arbitrary waveform generator technology to support complex two-way signal synchronization and advanced waveform editing functions. Thanks to high-end technology, the new 33522A function and arbitrary waveform generator can increase the jitter of traditional products by 225 times at the price of the basic instrument.

In addition, the adoption of new technologies to achieve a high degree of integration of universal basic measuring instruments is also the future direction of development. Simply providing a simple measurement function does not meet the needs of the engineer. In real projects, engineers often don't have the time to conduct a lot of off-line calculations and analysis. They need to have a deep understanding of the performance of the DUT, whether the DUT is a component, a PCA, or a complete product. Therefore, Agilent is committed to the introduction of comprehensive instruments that provide "answers" rather than just measurement functions, and bring revolutionary improvements to basic instruments in terms of performance and ease of use.

For example, the basic instrument platform created by Agilent System Products. The platform combines the best performance computing platforms and leading measurement technologies, and provides a user interface that can display results in text, graphics, tables, and more. As a representative product of the platform, the DC power analyzer can output “high-power arbitrary waveforms”, use the built-in oscilloscope function to measure the power characteristics, and record the measurement results. In this way, the power supply designer can use the graphical display to view the current behavior of the device under test, thereby avoiding the cumbersomeness of off-line analysis and calculations.

Can you disclose the short-term and long-term development blueprint for Agilent's general-purpose products?

In the short term, Agilent will continue to introduce new universal products that provide engineers with integrated measurement instruments that integrate visual interfaces and analysis tools. For example, Agilent’s recently introduced 34972A data acquisition unit, and more new products will also appear in the near future.

For a long time, we have been working hard to further extend Agilent's existing high-end technology to general-purpose instruments. Currently we have been able to establish a general instrument platform and provide solutions with better visibility and analysis capabilities. In the next step, Agilent will pay close attention to the needs of engineers and develop general-purpose instruments for spectrum analysis to provide them with in-depth analysis functions and measurement results. We have introduced the data recording technology of the 34972A product into the power supply products and applied the point-by-point waveform generation technology to the latest functions and arbitrary waveform generators, thus setting a new benchmark for the industry. Agilent plans to redevelop universal instruments by applying more measurement technologies and personal portable device technologies.

In today's market, the development of new technologies such as new energy-friendly vehicles is in the ascendant, which also provides more opportunities for the test and measurement industry. What are Agilent's solutions for this latest application?

This is a sharp question. In all the places I've been to, I discovered that engineers are all engaged in the development of "green" products and technologies, from micro-converters that convert solar energy to AC, to mobile phones, mobile computers, mobile Internet, which reduce power consumption and charging times, Audio and video memory, digital cameras, and personal data devices, etc., analyze power supply and power consumption characteristics.

For emerging areas, Agilent leverages existing products and technologies in unprecedented ways, providing numerous solutions to meet market needs. For example, Agilent's application engineering department in China developed a solar panel test system for Chinese users. Solar array simulators, traditionally used only for satellite testing, have also been applied to the development of civilian solar small DC/AC converters. In the field of new energy vehicles, in order to solve the impact of outstanding voltage transient characteristics on the stability of automotive electronic systems, Agilent provides N6705A DC transient characteristics simulation and analysis equipment, as well as many high-power programmable power supplies. At the same time, with the advent of a large number of portable electronic products, more and more use of batteries has also brought potential harm to the environment. For this reason, we have specially developed power consumption test and analysis equipment for portable electronic products and components to enable engineers. It can accurately and accurately characterize the power consumption characteristics of the product under different working conditions, thereby prolonging the battery life and reducing the number of charging.

In short, creating a green living environment is the responsibility of every citizen of the earth. At the top of the Agilent headquarters building in California, Agilent installed solar power stations that can provide more than 15% of the energy needed for the entire building and can reduce thousands of tons of CO2 emissions every year.

How do you view the Chinese general brand of general-purpose instrument products and their competition with Agilent?

The domestic brands of general-purpose instruments occupy a considerable portion of the Chinese market. We believe that these test and measurement instrument manufacturers are an important asset and an important part of the engineering network. Chinese companies may choose to provide testing and measurement products for local manufacturers at the beginning of their entry into the market. However, these companies will gradually enter the international market or establish cooperation with multinational companies after their development and expansion, which will result in even better performance and reliability of end products. High demand.

On the other hand, multinational companies that manufacture electronic products in China will provide the same engineering skills and test and measurement capabilities as in other regions. The number of newly graduated engineers in China exceeds that of all countries and regions. They will use the latest and most advanced test and measurement products to ensure that the products they market worldwide reach market requirements.

Does Agilent have a special strategy for the rapidly growing Chinese market?

China's test and measurement market is extremely large. China's electronics industry is maintaining rapid growth, and it is booming in everything from aerospace and satellites to consumer electronics and industrial applications. The Chinese market is global in terms of quantity and breadth. The product series developed by Agilent's System Products Division, including digital multimeters, function generators, counters, data loggers, and power supplies, is very suitable for the Chinese market. In addition, we also plan to introduce general instruments with superior performance to similar products in the Chinese market, and at the same time further expand the company’s authorized distributor network and expand the company’s market share.