Radio Channel Emulation Challenges in 3GPP LTE
In recent years there has been a major change in the way people communicate. Now wireless connections are nearly everywhere. A wireless connection is subject to unpredictable phenomena and therefore is far more complex than a wired system.
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Dual Channel MIMO Measurements for WiMAX™ Wave 2
Systems using Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MIMO) configurations can provide higher data rates with improved spectral efficiency when compared to traditional Single-Input Single-Output (SISO) implementations. Characterizing and troubleshooting these advanced WiMAX systems often requires a dual-channel signal analyzer with channel estimation capability, a “matrix decoder” and an OFDM demodulator.
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Testing LTE and WiMAX OFDM/MIMO-Based Systems
Mobile wireless systems have dramatically evolved over the past two decades. Commercial wireless networks in the early 1980s provided low-capacity, voice-only services, whereas, in today's world, a growing number of mobile wireless networks are evolving to support higher capacity throughput for data-hungry applications.
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GPS Environmental Challenges Drive Common Test Practices
Geocaching involves discovering various "caches" whose coordinates can be found on the Web and whose contents are located all over the world. Several weeks ago, I joined hundreds of thousands of other GPS enthusiasts by trying my luck at geocaching for the first time.
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The Development of a Standard Hand Phantom for Wireless Performance Testing: Part 2
An informal survey of advertised handsets on the market revealed that they could generally be separated into two categories by width. Devices between 40 to 56 mm wide included most mono-block or “candybar”, fold or “clamshell”, slider, and rotator devices having a telephone-style keypad
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Testing Challenges of SDR's
Today’s communications industry has found it essential to be able to rapidly adapt their design methodologies in order to meet their customers’ ever increasing demands and expectations for more speed, range and reliability, all at a lower cost.
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Developing a Standard Hand Phantom for Wireless Testing
A standardized hand phantom used together with the SAM head phantom for radiated performance testing mirrors real-world use. In the early '90s, the IEEE began working on a standardized model for the human head and upper torso for use in Specific Absorption Rate (SAR) testing of wireless devices.
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Testing LTE
Emerging standards such as 3GPP Long Term Evolution (LTE) present a number of design and verification challenges for system engineers.
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Testing MMS Functionality in Mobile Phones
Over the years, the mobile-phone usage model has changed quite dramatically. No longer is it used solely for its voice services. Instead, the mobile phone is now being used for a growing number of social and mobile, data-centric applications.
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Simultaneous Multimode RRH Design Made Easy
The diverse modulation formats and sampling rates between standards such as MC-GSM, WCDMA, and LTE make designing common building blocks, including digital upconverters (DUCs) and digital downconverters (DDCs), challenging.
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Next-Generation Wireless Sensing is Moving Forward
Consider the gaming industry and you will find motion sensing at the forefront. The leading gaming platform today (and subsequent aftermarket equivalents) consists of a wireless sensing handheld remote.
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Electronic Packaging RF SiPs Demand Early Packaging Focus
Wireless technologies have evolved swiftly over the past two decades. What were once large RF/microwave modules and monolithic microwave integrated circuits (MMICs) have become miniaturized, multi-function systems.
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Designing Handsets with Modularity
ith worldwide shipments of 990 million units in 2006 and in excess of 1.1 billion units in 2007 (source: iSuppli), mobile handsets have rapidly become the most dominant consumer electronics device in the market today.
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Low Cost FPGA-Based HD/SD SDI Transceivers
As the explosion of HDTV, IPTV, VoD and YouTube downloads continues, together with the increased capabilities and falling prices of FPGAs, it is inevitable that the two technologies will intertwine.
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F-RAM Moves to Automotive Infotainment Applications
The use of non-volatile ferroelectric RAM (F-RAM) in automotive applications began with airbag applications. This type of safety critical application was particularly well suited to F-RAM's high endurance.
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Bringing Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) into Wireless Networks
In wireless as in wireline networks, there is never enough bandwidth. The introduction of smart phones like the iPhone, as well as mobile data cards, has created significant congestion on 3G networks with users complaining of slow downloads and dropped calls.
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MicroTCA for Mil/Aero Emerges
In military and aerospace design, the push is underway to replace proprietary architectures with COTS systems that can successfully integrate high density, multicore processors and multi-compute nodes.
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Femto Mass Market Mobilization
To be successful, femtocell installation will need to be a “zero-touch” experience for the consumer, similar to that of a cable modem or a WiFi router.
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Remote Possibilities
"Smart infrastructure" programs could generate significant demand for remote wireless sensors interfacing with advanced communications, computers and the internet to efficiently monitor and manage everything from intelligent transportation systems to vehicle infrastructure integration (VII), vibration and stress sensors for bridges and tunnels, smart grids and smart metering, as well as smart water technologies.
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Trend Report: Energy Conservation and Sustainable Design
One of the most interesting trends in the electronics industry at the moment is the movement towards designing products in an environmentally friendly way. Buzzwords such as Carbon Neutral, Sustainable Design and Eco-design have recently entered the vocabulary of designers and in the near future, energy efficiency may become just as important as performance and cost are now.
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How US Design Engineers Can Meet Global Legislation Challenges (Part 2)
Designers of electronic and electrical equipment are increasingly challenged to design new products that comply with legislation which applies in the markets where their products will be sold. Previously, we took a look at all the different flavors of RoHS. If you missed this, you can read about it at our Legislation Center on www.newark.com/edworld.
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How US Design Engineers Can Meet Global Legislation Challenges (Part 1)
Designers of electronic and electrical equipment are increasingly challenged to design new products that comply with legislation that applies in the markets where their products will be sold. As more US manufacturers sell their products internationally, design engineers not only need to consider legislation in the U.S., but also the rest of the world.
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