Electronic test equipment
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Electronic test equipment (sometimes called "testgear") is used to create signals and capture responses from electronic Devices Under Test (DUTs). In this way, the proper operation of the DUT can be proven or faults in the device can be traced and repaired. Use of electronic test equipment is essential to any serious work on electronics systems.
Practical electronics engineering and assembly requires the use of many different kinds of electronic test equipment ranging from the very simple and inexpensive (such as a test light consisting of just a light bulb and a test lead) to extremely complex and sophisticated such as Automatic Test Equipment.
Generally, more advanced test gear is necessary when developing circuits and systems than is needed when doing production testing or when troubleshooting existing production units in the field.
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[edit] Types of test equipment
[edit] Basic equipment
The following items are used for basic measurement of voltages, currents, and components in the circuit under test.
- Voltmeter (Measures voltage)
- Ohmmeter (Measures resistance)
- Ammeter, e.g. Galvanometer or Milliameter (Measures current)
- Multimeter e.g., VOM (Volt-Ohm-Milliameter) or DVM (Digital "Volt" Meter) (Measures all of the above)
The following are used for stimulus of the circuit under test:
The following analyze the response of the circuit under test:
- Oscilloscope (Measures all of the above as they change over time)
- Frequency counter (Measures frequency)
And connecting it all together:
[edit] Advanced or less commonly used equipment
Meters
- Solenoid voltmeter (Wiggy)
- Clamp meter (current transducer)
- Wheatstone bridge (Precisely measures resistance)
- Capacitance meter (Measures capacitance)
- LCR meter (Measures inductance, capacitance, resistance and combinations thereof)
- EMF Meter (Measures Electric and Magnetic Fields)
- Electrometer (Measures charge)
[edit] Probes
[edit] Analyzers
- Logic analyzer (Tests digital circuits)
- Spectrum analyzer (SA) (Measures spectral energy of signals)
- Protocol analyzer (Tests functionality, performance and conformance of protocols)
- Vector signal analyzer (VSA) (Like the SA but it can also perform many more useful digital demodulation functions)
- Time-domain reflectometer for testing integrity of long cables
[edit] Signal-generating devices
- Signal generator
- Frequency synthesiser
- Function generator
- Digital pattern generator
- Pulse generator
- Signal injector50X24"
[edit] Miscellaneous devices
- Continuity tester
- Cable tester
- Hipot tester
- Network analyzer (used to characterize components or complete computer networks)
- Test light
- Transistor tester
- The Energy Detective
[edit] Test equipment platforms
Combining individual pieces of test equipment into automated test and measurement systems requires the use of software and hardware interfaces between the various sources, measurement instruments, and the system controller to manage the execution of test sequences, switch test signals, trigger sources and instruments, and record the results. Although a variety of test platforms have been developed over the years, including GPIB, PXI, VXI, and many others, the most recent addition to the list is LAN eXtensions for Instrumentation or LXI, which was introduced in 2005. The LXI instrumentation platform] combines Ethernet-enabled electronic test equipment with the virtually universal availability of World Wide Web access and applies them to test and measurement applications. The LXI standard defines modular instruments using low-cost, open-standard LAN (Ethernet) as the system backbone.
