Troubleshooting support in the field of RF design and test applications
Provides 5 times the bandwidth, 33% reduced space, and a user-programmable FPGA over existing VSTs

National Instruments (ni.com/korea, hereinafter NI) has released the second-generation Vector Signal Transceiver (VST).

The NI PXIe-5840 module is a VST with the world's largest bandwidth of 1 GHz, designed to solve demanding problems in RF design and test applications.

Olga Yashkov, Communications Test and Measurement Practice Manager at Frost & Sullivan, said, “NI launched the industry’s first VST with a programmable FPGA via LabVIEW in 2012, enabling accelerated design speed and reduced test costs. “The 2nd generation VST clearly demonstrates that NI is at the forefront of the rapidly changing wireless technology testing field, supporting engineers in various tasks using software-based instruments while being based on the industry’s most innovative RF test, measurement, and prototyping solutions,” he said.

Charles Schroeder, Vice President of Product Marketing for NI’s RF division, stated, “With the 2nd Generation VST, engineers can immediately solve RF test application challenges and customize functionality using software-based architectures and user-programmable FPGAs. Using intuitive LabVIEW system design software, VSTs can be precisely configured as needed at the firmware level, ultimately overcoming the challenges associated with the most demanding test and measurement processes. The 2nd Generation VST is an unrivaled product that provides the flexibility and RF performance required for conventional testing, as well as measurement and software-defined radio-based wireless communications.”

Niels Koch, Head of Radar Systems at Audi AG, said, “We were able to precisely detect the radar sensors in Audi vehicles through the software-based NI VST, which boasts maximum bandwidth and low latency, and identify problems from the early design stage. “We rapidly verified a wide range of scenarios for the safety and reliability of automobiles to enable autonomous driving capabilities using NI VST and LabVIEW-programmable FPGAs,” he said, sharing his thoughts.

VST is an essential component of NI's platform and ecosystem, enabling engineers to build smarter test systems. NI test systems utilize PXI products ranging from DC to mmWave testing. Furthermore, high-throughput data movement is possible through PCI Express Gen 3 bus interfaces and sub-nanosecond synchronization with integrated timing and triggering.

VST users can not only utilize the LabVIEW and NI TestStand software environments but also build future-proof test systems by significantly reducing test costs, accelerating time-to-market, and meeting constantly changing requirements through a vast partner network and add-on IP.