With the race to develop 5G products in full stream, designers have to deal with a number of challenges, not the least of which is testing. Keysight Technologies, a provider of test solutions, has jumped on the bandwagon with its PathWave Test 2020 software suite, which delivers an integrated experience for electronic manufacturers to accelerate time-to-market of their digital and wireless platforms and products.
Developed on the Keysight PathWave software platform, the PathWave Test 2020 software suite enables 5G, IoT and automotive engineers and managers to streamline test data processing and analysis to speed product introductions and secure a competitive advantage in the market.
PathWave Test 2020 software provides data sharing and management between platform software tools including test automation, advanced measurement, signal creation and generation, as well as data analytics. This integrated software platform allows application-tailored solutions to be developed and deployed to significantly accelerate electronic test workflows and product introductions.
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“We were the original test equipment provider,” said Todd Cutler, Vice President and General Manager, Design and Test Software at Keysight Technologies,” in a recent interview with FierceElectronics. “Customers want more than a box; they want high-level solutions. We are being asked to move up the value chain as a software centric solutions company.”
Cutler added that the PathWave platform can help designers navigate the complexity of 5G, as the number of tests that have to be done is more than existing wireless technologies. “One issue is that the 5G standard has not been fully [finalized], as all kinds of trials are going on with pre-released software versions.”
Keysight’s work on the group developing 5G standards also helps. “We are on the standards body working closely with customers. We got in early with chipset providers .”
PathWave Test 2020 runs on both Windows and Linux, and provides customers with flexible and immediate access to the design and test tools they need, when they need them. The interoperability of the design and test tools and advanced data management significantly speeds the product development cycle, eliminating the need to re-create individual measurements and test plans at each discrete stage of the process.
The platform includes PathWave Desktop Edition and PathWave Test Automation, which leverages the OpenTAP open source test sequencer. For design verification, validation, and test engineers under extreme deadline pressures, the PathWave Test 2020 suite supports efficient test flows including shared data and analysis for making fast, informed decisions.
At the core of the PathWave Test 2020 software suite is PathWave Desktop Edition, which provides users with access to the platform to launch and manage applications in the design and test ecosystem. The platform manages instrument discovery and installed design and test software. It shares data with a common user experience across all design and test software, accelerates solution development and deployment, and improves insights leveraging.
The platform’s open architecture connects with customers’ existing enterprise software and environments making them interoperable with Keysight and external supplier tools. It contains open source components including OpenTAP that leverage the power of community R&D. A PathWave solutions developer tool kit will be available for open integration of third-party applications in the near future.