New-Tech Europe | May 2017

deployed via portals and API’s to be accessed by developers within and outside the company, thus enabling easier collaboration, shorter development times and lower overall costs. The ZT-20X6NB is just one example of Mini-Circuits’ capabilities to develop equipment to multiplex application-specific tests systems across multiple DUTs and multiple test stations in a wide variety

Mini-Circuits has created a shell of the ZT-20X6NB for this purpose. Using this shell, the user can include the ZT-20X6NB into their virtual lab environment within the cloud sandbox. Combined with a powerful orchestration script to author and direct a workflow, a complete environment replica with specific triggers can be created. Later, the sandbox environment can be

of configurations. This system was developed for a unique set of requirements for the network test application described here, but the same capabilities can be readily extended to many other applications. Depending on the number of test channels needed in a particular test setup, some users may require the flexibility to add multiple switch matrices into their system. To support this need, Mini-Circuits test systems have been developed with SPI interfaces, allowing a user to cascade multiple units in daisy chain configuration. All software commands are issued to the Master unit (the first unit in the chain), which controls all subsequent Slave units in the chain. The GUI software is extensible to support multiple cascaded units comprising hundreds of test channels, allowing the user to scale his or her setup while managing all switch paths of all units through a single, simple control interface. Extension 2: High-Speed Solid State Switching Consumer demand for ever higher data capacity is driving extensive efforts by network operators to accelerate research and development toward deployment of next generation wireless technologies like Massive MIMO and 5G. Because of the dense deployment model for these technologies, test systems need to collect very high volumes of data from many different base stations at once. Routing test signals in Extension 1: Cascadability

Figure 2: ZT-20X6NB in 6U height, 10-inch rack-mountable chassis.

Figure 2: Receiver section of the AD9371: A monolithic direct conversion receiver

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