Spectrum Instruments Introduces Next-Generation Digitizers That Push Transmission Limits

     Spectrum Instruments announced two new PCIe digitizer cards that take PC-based device performance to a new level. The new product uses 16-lane's third-generation PCIe technology, which can transfer data over the bus at an incredible speed of 12.8GB/s, which is almost twice as fast as other PCIe digitizers on the market today. In addition, the new product can run continuously at 12-bit resolution and a maximum sampling rate of 6.4GS/s, and the acquired data can be transferred directly to PC memory storage space, or to CPU and CUDA-based GPU for processing and analysis.

     The new products launched this time are divided into two models: M5i.3330-x16 and M5i.3337-x16. The M5i.3330-x16 is a single-channel card with a sampling rate up to 6.4GS/s. The M5i.3337-x16 is a simultaneous dual-channel card with a sampling rate of 3.2GS/s, or a single-channel card with a sampling rate of 6.4GS/s. With 12-bit resolution, these fast digitizers provide excellent dynamic range. It performs 16 times better than most digital oscilloscopes or 8-bit digitizers. The superior resolution not only improves the accuracy of voltage measurements, but also enables users to capture and describe subtle signal details that are often missed by lower resolution devices. Thanks to the phase-locked loop internal clock, timing measurements are also excellent, with an accuracy of 1ppm.

     The new products introduced by Spectrum Instruments are suitable for processing all kinds of signals. They feature full-featured front-end electronics with bandwidths in excess of 2GHz, programmable ranges from ±200 mV to ±2.5 V, and variable offset. Large on-board memory enables easy capture of long and complex waveforms. The standard configuration of this series of products includes 4GB (2GSample) memory, and 16GB (8GSample) memory can also be selected according to needs. In addition, the new product supports single-pulse and multi-waveform recording modes and trigger timestamps. Multi-waveform recording divides the on-board memory into zones, allowing access to large numbers of events even at very high trigger frequencies. The new products are ideal for serial bus testing or systems that use stimulus-response processes (such as lidar and radar systems). To increase product flexibility, the on-board memory can function as a ring buffer like a traditional oscilloscope, or as a FIFO buffer that continuously streams data to the PC environment.

     The new products are easy to integrate into any test system and feature SMA connectors on the front panel for channel inputs, clock trigger inputs and outputs, and 4 multi-function digital I/O lines. Additional clock and trigger connectors enable the new product to be synchronized with other digitizers or measurement equipment.

     Oliver Rovini, CTO of Spectrum Instruments, said: "We are very pleased to add two new members to the M5i high-performance digitizer family. With a unique set of features, they are ideal for high-frequency signal acquisition and analysis. For example, the new product released this time is ideal for acquiring signals in applications such as fiber optics, mass spectrometers, semiconductors, RF recording and quantum technology. We are also very proud of the new product's excellent speed in data transmission. Will Data is transferred to the latest processor (CPU and GPU) technology at speeds of up to 12.8 GB/s, opening up a new class of applications for intensive signal processing. For example, artificial intelligence (AI) systems now use radio and microwave sensor technology to Detecting and identifying objects. This involves the acquisition and analysis of signals in the MHz and GHz range and generates a lot of information that needs to be processed. Similarly, astronomers scan the sky to collect light or radio waves from distant objects. The amount of data they collect is enormous, and analyzing it and revealing the secrets of the universe requires enormous data processing power. Adding a faster bus to the M5i family of products will make it a key element in changing the entire industry ecosystem. It will be able to combine all Data is continuously transferred to the advanced processing system with no loss of data, and data is processed as soon as it arrives. Fast data transfer also improves measurement speed and productivity for users, especially those who need to run automated test processes Finally, we also see a significant increase in resolution. This improves the accuracy of measurements and provides test engineers with tighter tolerance trials for better quality control.”

    To verify the transfer speed of the new product, Spectrum Instruments also conducted product testing on different computer platforms. The test results show that the new product can reach its peak transfer speed on AMD EPYC model 7252 service processor. In addition, Spectrum Instruments also tested the transfer speed of RDMA data from a digitizer card to an Nvidia model P2000 GPU at full speed. The SCAPP (Spectrum’s CUDA Access for Parallel Processing) package provided by Spectrum Instruments enables direct data transfer to a 5000-core CUDA GPU, which is also a cost-effective option. SCAPP includes drivers required to support CUDA GPUs, and users can also develop their own processing routines. In addition, working examples include basic functions such as continuous averaging for noise reduction or FFT for spectral analysis.

     The new product is installed on a computer and runs on a Windows or Linux operating system. Users can program it in almost most major languages on the market, including C, C++, C#, Delphi, VB.NET, J#, Python, Julia, Java, LabVIEW, and MATLAB. Each card comes with a software development kit that includes driver libraries and programming examples necessary for the product. Spectrum Instruments also provides SBench6 for users who do not need to write code. This powerful GUI not only controls the product, but also features data display, analysis, storage and archiving.