Fast Measurement Mode Extends 100,000 Measurements per Second Capability of Wideband USB Power Sensor

Posted May 24, 2016

55 Series USB Peak Power Sensor Gains Fast Measurement Mode to Accompany 195 MHz Video Bandwidth, 3 ns Rise Time Performance Leadership

Boonton, a Wireless Telecom Group company, has added a new fast measurement mode to the 55 Series USB wideband power sensor adding to its industry leading 100,000 measurements per second capabilities. This new measurement mode unleashes the power of the Real-Time Power Processing architecture by analyzing a signal as it is being captured and quantifying user defined events such as a series of pulses, bursts, or time intervals. This real-time analysis is quickly available to the user through a fast measurement readout of RF power measurements. These measurements, such as peak, average, crest factor and minimum power enable, continuous, real-time monitoring of physical layer performance. Combined with 3 ns rise time and 195 MHz video bandwidth, real-time measurement capabilities like this enable testing and characterizing of complex WiFi, radar, MRI and RF amplifiers at high speeds not previously obtainable.

The 55 Series is built upon Boonton's innovative Real-Time Power Processing™ architecture which eliminates the acquisition latency associated with traditional peak power meters and sensors, yielding lightning-fast performance in a USB platform. The 55 Series offers an advanced user interface, robust API, and compact form factor making it ideal for R&D laboratory, manufacturing, automated test and field use.  

Boonton power meters and sensors have been in use in major laboratories around the world for 70 years and have established the standard for RF power characterization of the fastest pulse and wideband communication signals. The 55 Series includes 6, 18 and 40 GHz models which pack the signal processing power of class-leading Boonton benchtop power meters into a small, lightweight, portable form factor for real-time power characterization.

For more information regarding the 55 Series USB peak power sensor, Real-Time Power Processing™ and the new fast measurement mode please visit the Boonton website.  The new fast measurement mode is available in the latest, free to download, version of the Peak Power Analyzer Suite of software for the 55 Series sensor.