For the MTTS Edition of Evaluation Engineering. In article seen HERE.
Low-cost modules
WindFreak Technologies will highlight a range of applications from system and device test to the general RF and microwave communications needs of the RF community, according to David Goins, chief technology officer. He added, “WindFreak offers low-cost RF and microwave modules such as RF signal generators, network analyzers, and frequency converters. These devices are controlled and programmed via a personal computer with intuitive software written in LabVIEW,” enabling engineers to easily integrate the devices into currently existing automated test environments. LabVIEW is a graphical programming method that allows people, mainly engineers, to visualize applications like hardware configuration, measurement data, and debugging, in order to help with the development of hardware. To be fully certified in this area, you will have to pass the clad exam, so you know how to handle everything that you could be faced with in this industry. It can help engineers to get the job done with ease. LabVIEW source code is provided with hardware purchases, he said, so engineers can cut, paste, or add new functionality quickly.
“The most striking feature of WindFreak’s products is the very low price for the performance delivered,” Goins said. “The Wind Freak modules can perform at near test equipment levels but with price tags at 1/20th the cost.” For example, at $1,300, the SynthHD is a dual-channel, 54-MHz to 13.6-GHz RF signal generator with 0.1-Hz frequency resolution, 0.01-dB amplitude resolution, 0.01 degree relative phase resolution, +20-dBm output power, and 50-dB amplitude range; it can generate frequency-modulated continuous-wave radar chirps and offers other unique features. “All features are driven by an open source LabVIEW GUI that looks and feels like virtual benchtop test equipment,” he said. “The hardware weighs only a few ounces and is smaller than a deck of cards.€
