The two major components in a high-speed digitizer's analog front end are the analog input path and the analog-to-digital converter (ADC). The analog input path attenuates, amplifies, filters, and/or couples the signal to optimize the digitization by the ADC. The ADC samples the conditioned waveform and converts the analog input signal to digital values that represent the conditioned input signal. Bandwidth describes the analog front end's ability to get a signal from the outside world to the ADC with minimal amplitude loss. Sample rate is the frequency at which the ADC converts the analog input waveform to digital data. The Nyquist Theorem explains the relationship between the sample rate and the frequency of the measured signal. Each of these terms is discussed in more detail below.

Relays come in a variety of form factors, styles, and technologies. Depending on your application, only one relay type may be suitable. In other cases multiple relay types may be appropriate. By understanding the strengths and weaknesses of the different relays you should be able to pick the one that is best suited for the job at hand. Note: Although many of the conclusions in this document apply to all relay applications, it discusses specifically what factors to consider when looking at the different types of relays that are used on switch modules targeted at automated test equipment (ATE) applications. The comparisons made here are between relays with similar voltage, current, and power ratings in the form factors that are found in typical switch modules. The most common types of relays used in ATE applications are: Electromechanical Relays Reed Relays Solid State Relays (SSRs) FET Switches

This tutorial recommends tips and techniques for using a National Instruments digital multimeter (DMM) to build the most accurate measurement system possible. In this tutorial, you learn how the NI 4070 can operate both as a 6½ digit DMM and a fully isolated, high-voltage digitizer, capable of acquiring waveforms at sample rates up to 1.8 MS/s at ±300 V input.

Thousands of engineers and scientists rely on LabVIEW for a variety of applications: test and measurement, process control and automation, monitoring and simulation. LabVIEW is the tool of choice due to its unparalleled connectivity to instruments, powerful data acquisition capabilities, natural dataflow-based graphical programming interface, scalability, and overall function completeness. One need that persists regardless of the area of expertise is the fact that users must manipulate data and measurements, and make decisions based on it. This paper focuses on the capabilities that make LabVIEW the right tool for data and measurement analysis.

High-level design tools offer field-programmable gate array (FPGA) technology to engineers and scientists who have little or no digital hardware design expertise. Whether you use graphical programming, C, or VHDL, the synthesis process is quite complex and can leave you wondering how FPGAs really work. What actually happens inside the chip to make programs execute within configurable blocks of silicon? This white paper is intended for the nondigital designer who wants to understand the fundamental parts of an FPGA and how it all works "under the hood." This information, also helpful when using high-level design tools, hopefully can shed some light on the inner workings of an extraordinary technology.