ETS-Lindgren, the global authority in Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC) and Wireless Testing Solutions, has leveraged its decades of expertise in the design, manufacture, and installation of test chambers to the development of test and measurement software – an integral part of any test system. TimeWise, the latest addition to ETS-Lindgren’s popular Software Solutions, allows time domain gating and Fourier analysis of raw data, simulated or collected from equipment such as vector network analyzers (VNAs). TimeWise is a library toolkit for data post processing that can be used with other software packages, providing maximum flexibility to greatly simplify your EMC testing and antenna measurements.
“The TimeWise library provides many features beyond basic Fourier Transform analysis including on-the-fly parameter adjustments to help better identify time domain events, perform additional gating analysis even on previously gated data sets, and utilize a patented edge treatment method,” said Zhong Chen, Chief Engineer at ETS-Lindgren. “As an active technical contributor to and Vice Chair of the American National Standards Committee (ANSC) C63®️, I can emphasize the committee is always looking for improvements in measurement techniques. With the development of the new standard ANSI C63.25.1 for EMC test site performance validation from 1 GHz to 18 GHz, we’ve realized the enormous benefits of time domain gating for fast, diagnostic, repeatable, and reliable measurements. TimeWise was a natural evolution of our C63 standards research.”
Time domain gating is a well-known technique to remove or isolate responses in a multiple reflective environment. Many commercial VNAs include the gating algorithm as a “black box” function. A user has little recourse to reprocess or further process the data once the data has been downloaded from a VNA. TimeWise provides users with the convenience, flexibility, and control of the process rather than relying on the VNA-generated data. The library enables users to process measurement data at any time, from anywhere. The library also seamlessly integrates with conventional programming languages such as Matlab, Python, C#, and others.
It is well known that gated results can exhibit significant “band edge effects” due to the band-limited measurement data. Consequently, these effects lead to difficulties in comprehending measurement uncertainties. “TimeWise incorporates the standard edge treatment technique (edge renormalization method) often found in commercial VNAs. The newly developed spectrum extension edgeless gating (SEEG) technique is included in TimeWise to reduce the edge effect significantly compared to the conventional edge renormalization method,” said Yibo Wang, Senior RF Engineer at ETS-Lindgren. “By incorporating the patented SEEG algorithm to address band edge effects, we have improved measurement accuracy in various scenarios. This enables a more effective evaluation of measurement uncertainties that pertain to a user’s particular applications,” he added.
Understanding that this is a novel measurement toolkit, Dr. Wang has created a series of short videos to illustrate the simplicity of TimeWise software when used in conjunction with Matlab, Python, and C# . You can also visit our YouTube channel to watch educational videos on applying multiple gates using TimeWise and to learn more about the patented edge treatment available with TimeWise.
In addition to time domain applications, TimeWise works equally well for spatial and spectrum applications, such as for image processing and spectrum analyses in antenna measurement applications.
TimeWise is just one of many industry-leading Test Software Solutions available from ETS-Lindgren. The company’s software products are developed by professionals with the knowledge gained from supporting numerous EMC, EMF, and wireless test applications. TILE!™ (Total Integrated Lab Environment Software) is an integrated test environment for creating and performing EMC tests. TILE! is available with a library of profiles designed for testing to international test regulations for radiated emissions and immunity in addition to conducted emissions and immunity. EMQuest™ EMQ-100 Antenna Measurement Software offers a wide range of fully parameterized test methods for measuring basic antenna performance metrics, as well as testing both radiated and conducted performance of various wireless devices. ProbeView™ II Software is designed for use with HI-4413P or HI-44USB fiber converters. VALET™ (Voice-Activated Lab Environment) Software provides the highest level of hands-free convenience, efficiency, and control for your test environment. Last, but not least, VisionTRX™ Visual Monitoring System Software redefines automated movement-based analysis of equipment under test during EMC testing. VisionTRX visually monitors and records what the human eye may miss in a sub-moment of time!
For further information about Automated EMC, EMF, and Wireless Test Software and maintenance programs, contact ETS-Lindgren at info@ets-lindgren.com or call +1 512.531.6400.
Click here to learn more about the EMC test site validation and antenna measurement standards developed by ANSC C63. Join the 1,200 viewers of ETS-Lindgren’s Time Domain Measurement Demonstration available here for an in-depth review of the EMC test site validation method (SVSWR) described in ANSI C63.25.1 (1 GHz to 18 GHz) as an alternative to CISPR 16 SVSWR.
