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The Beginner’s Guide to Test Equipment Obsolescence

Female chemical engineering with long dark hair in a white lab coat works at a lab table, pictured from behind

Addressing test equipment obsolescence can be a daunting task, further complicated by the speed of innovation. However, you don’t need to be a seasoned engineer or technician to understand the importance of the topic! This post will go over the basics of test equipment obsolescence, providing a starting point for anyone new to the industry or simply looking for a comprehensible guide.

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PXI and PXIe Compatibility

Closeup side view of PXI-5105

The PXI and PXI Express chassis portfolio from National Instruments includes a wide range of size and performance options, as well as additional features to ease system interface and usage. The variety of options to fit specific needs is one of the reasons that the NI PXI and PXIe are industry leaders for automated testing and measurement. However, understanding the compatibility differences between the two can often lead to some confusion.

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The “Why” and “When” of Test Equipment Calibration

Closeup of red digital multimeter

As every test engineer planning out their Test Program Sets has probably heard at some point, keeping up with calibration is crucial. But how do you know when to get your test equipment hardware calibrated, and why exactly is it so important? Not only is it mandated by government agencies, required by quality regulations, and monitored by international standards groups- it directly impacts the efficacy of your equipment over time. While regular calibration may seem like a tedious extra step, it is clear that the benefits are well worth it. Here at Apex Waves, our stock of NI parts is fully calibrated, so each part is ready to ship to you right when you need it- at the highest quality condition available on the market.

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Planning for Test Equipment Obsolescence in 2022

SpaceX Rocket Launching

With each new year comes new technological advances. Technology is developing at a rapid pace, which can spell out problems for test engineers facing challenges of obsolescence within their Test Program Sets (TPSs). For test engineers in the aerospace or defense industries, where parts and products are manufactured and supported for decades, obsolescence creates unique challenges. In many cases, the TPSs the engineers work with were created in archaic software languages with little to no documentation. At Apex Waves, we understand that many of our clients have a system they’ve been using for years and don’t have the resources, budget, or time necessary to replace it. We provide the calibrated, warrantied NI parts that you need now, with a tested stock of ready-to-ship parts to help you plan for the future.

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Production Test

Nowadays, many defense programs’ duration will go beyond the typical life cycle of products, thus creating challenges for the engineers responsible for maintaining such programs. NI’s platform has made it possible for large companies like Harris Corporation to have a 74% decrease in the cost of testing and a remarkable 83% reduction in floor spaces. Since this is an issue relevant to many aerospace and defense companies, here are three best practices to refer to when dealing with production testing.

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Semiconductor Characterization and Validation with NI PXI

Few things are more irritating than cumbersome stacks of differing electronic equipment that must be realigned and reconnected in order to perform routine tasks. The endless racks of boxes and miles of winding cable can be like navigating the Amazon jungle. It’s a small wonder that such common testing scenarios are prompting company engineers to search for better solutions.

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National Instruments PXI in the Semiconductor Industry

PXI – NI – STS. To the unschooled reader, these abbreviations are meaningless. But to those involved in the electronics and testing industry, they are the combination for continued success. National Instruments (NI), a world leader in electronic testing products and software solutions, has long been at the forefront of semiconductor testing.

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NI LabVIEW and PXI Modular Instruments Help Microsoft with Xbox 360 Gaming

Together, Microsoft’s Xbox and Xbox 360 formed a legendary cornerstone in the gaming world. While production of the platform was discontinued in 2016, ending an 11-year run, the gaming system remains in popular use today. In fact, out of more than 22 million game consoles sold, estimates state that well over half remain in regular use, thanks to the continuation of Xbox Live.

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Using NI’s PXI Hardware to Control the World’s Largest Particle Accelerator

Particle Accelerators are used in complex research that reveals much of what we know about basic matter in our universe. A particle accelerator is an enclosed machine that accelerates elementary particles (electrons and protons) to fast speeds and energy levels. After the beam is moving quickly, targets are positioned in the path of the beam, as well as measurement devices, to observe and record information about how the beam and the target respond upon collision.

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NI and CMT Partner Together to Expand Offerings

On July 17, 2019, National Instruments announced it would be the sole provider of Copper Mountain Technologies’ VNAs that are now compatible with NI’s PXI platform. According to the Microwave Journal, “The relationship gives NI’s users access to metrology-grade VNAs while CMT expands the products it provides for manufacturing applications. Also, CMT will strengthen the company’s presence in the semiconductor, automotive, aerospace, defense, and education markets served by NI.”

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