Agilent Technologies LXI manual Ease of use, Steve Stetler

Steve Stetler

Business Development Manager, Agilent Technologies steve_stetler@agilent.com

The automotive industry’s highly competitive nature puts intense pressure on electronic manufacturers to boost quality while lowering costs. Activities such as electronic functional test are often viewed as necessary evils that must provide a high return on investment.

Enter LAN eXtensions for Instrumentation (LXI), an architecture for next- generation test systems based on proven, widely used standards such as Ethernet. Combined with the time-tested principles of providing just enough cooling,

Figure 1. Agilent’s LXI-compatible 34980A LXI multi-function switch/measure unit allows for insertion and removal of plug-in cards while power is on.

power, shielding and physical size to provide superb mea- surements in modular and traditional form factors, LXI’s appeal is bolstered by its avail- ability in bench-top instruments, providing excellent performance at competitive prices.

System designers who test automotive electronics can use LXI to maximize performance, minimize cost and plan for the future. There are at least nine good reasons to consider LXI for present and future test sys-

tems, as described in the April 2006 edition of LXI ConneXion magazine1:

1.Ease of use

2.Performance

3.Cost

4.Scalability

5.Longevity

6.Flexibility

7.Rack space

8.Distributed systems

9.IEEE-1588 synchronization

1. Ease of use

With the year-to-year changes in new car models, automotive electronics manufacturers must bring new products to market quickly. Rapid test system creation depends on getting instruments connected and systems running as soon as possible, which not only saves time but also enables manufac- turers to focus on verifying the functionality of a module and its subassemblies.

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