We develop highly-complex, custom, wireless testbeds for simulating satellite transmissions, including full transmitter and receiver functionality. We not only emulate the hardware physical layer but implement the higher layer messaging and signaling protocols as well. These protocols control timing, framing, routing, and logical channel functionality. These testbeds enable hardware-in-the-loop emulation for interaction with actual subscriber devices, alleviating the need to perform costly and cumbersome over-the-air testing.
Our expertise in developing this testbed is extended to development of other wireless communications technologies, including land mobile radio, cellular, PCS, and 802.11.
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Testing is a critical piece of electrical hardware development and manufacturing. Each circuit design can represent different testing challenges to ensure proper function. Here at IIW, our test engineers work closely with the development and manufacturing engineers to provide a thorough testing platform for each circuit.
These platforms comprise various technologies and methodologies suitable for testing the function and interfaces of each circuit. Test design and levels of automation are chosen that are commensurate with the production processes.
Our test development includes the following methods and technologies:
- LabVIEW development for automated test with various test equipment
- Boundary scan development for high density digital testing
- Embedded test software for custom digital circuits and memory tests
- Perl or Bash "C" scripting language for system-level tests
- Production-level radio frequency (RF) circuit testing
- GSM network simulation and device testing
- GPS device testing and simulation
- High-speed digital network performance testing (Spirent SmartBits®)
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Reliability engineering at IIW begins during the design phase. Our design teams draw from their physics-of-failure training to identify and mitigate potential failure modes during the design phase. During the validation and verification (V&V) phase, testing is performed either to customer specification, or based on standard testing derived from system performance specifications. Reliability statistics are used to both develop statistically sound test plans and to analyze test results. Intelligent accelerated testing is implemented wherever possible to shorten the V&V phase without introducing additional failure modes. Testing is typically performed per MIL-STD-202 test methods. Standard in-house testing capabilities include:
- Temperature/humidity testing
- Thermal shock
- Thermal cycling
- Free-fall drop testing
- Vibration testing
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