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Pre-Test Phone Assembly Final Tests

Visual Test Keyboard Test

Audio Test Transmitter Tests:• TX Power• Phase/Frequency Error• Output RF Spectrum• Power vs Time

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Bit Error Rate Test

Radio Tests

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8960AWIRELESS RF COMMUNICAWIRELESS RF COMMUNICATIONS TIONS TEST SETTEST SET

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MEASUREMENTMEASUREMENTSELECTIONSELECTION

INSTRINSTRUMENTUMENTSELECTIONSELECTION

REGISTERREGISTERRECALLRECALL

MAIN MENUSMAIN MENUS

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CALL SETUP

SYSTEMCONFIG

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Contents

Reduced Instruction Parallel ProcessingArchitecture ....................................................... 2Test Sequence Examples .................................. 3Transmitter Power ............................................. 4Phase/Frequency Error ..................................... 5Power Versus Time ........................................... 6Output RF Spectrum .......................................... 7Comparing Transmitter Measurements .......... 8Conclusion .......................................................... 8

Ensuring that mobile stationsmeet specifications versusminimizing the time it takes toperform the required measure-ments creates two conflictingstrategies for the final-test phaseof production. Thoroughly testinga mobile requires making manymeasurements, yet increasingthroughput means reducing testtime. Agilent Technologiesresolves this conflict with theAgilent Technologies 8960Series 10 wireless communica-tions test set. Designed to maxi-mize measurement speed, the

Product Note

Agilent Technologies 8960 Series 10Wireless Communications Test Set

Increase Your Throughput withReduced Instruction Parallel Processing

8960 Series 10 is effective any-where that high-speed transmittermeasurements are advantageous.Its ability to run transmitter testsconcurrently with BER testsmakes final test a perfect place touse the 8960 Series 10.

The 8960 Series 10 is based onAgilent Technologies’ proprietaryreduced instruction parallelprocessing (RIPP) architecture.You get the proven benefits ofAgilent’s accuracy and repeatabili-ty, along with a test platform thatmaximizes measurement speed.As compared to previous GSM

mobile station manufacturing testsets, the 8960 Series 10 can save50% or more of the time in thefinal-test stage of GSM testing.

This product note provides a look atthe speed advantage of the 8960Series 10. Use the Agilent website atwww.agilent.com/find/8960supportto find more information on how the8960 Series 10 can help you be moresuccessful and competitive inmanufacturing GSM mobile phones.

2

RIPP is Agilent Technologies’ proprietary architecturethat addresses everything from overall system archi-tecture to specific measurement architecture. A keyresult from RIPP is that the manual user interface andthe remote user interface are independent of eachother, increasing operation speed and simplifyingprogramming. Overall, RIPP provides improvedindividual measurement speed, optimal test sequencespeed, and allows for concurrent receiver and trans-mitter tests.

Reduced Instruction specifically refers to the mostcompact and easy-to-use remote user interface in theindustry. The commands and their structure are easyto learn, and the resulting code is more than 25% lessthan for other test sets. Statistical results, measure-ment timeouts, and data integrity are features provid-ed with standard commands. Commands are availableto fully synchronize the 8960 Series 10 with the mobilephone and an external controller. No extra codedevelopment or maintenance is required for full-featured production tests.

Parallel Processing means hardware designed toaccommodate fast microprocessors running in paral-lel. Using a true multi-tasking operating system, the

UserInterface

HostProcessor

ProtocolProcessor

DSPProcessor

Demodulation Path

Output

Power Detector Path

IF Measurement Path

SignalGenerator

MultipleSamplers

High-SpeedVME Bus

High-SpeedCommunication

High-SpeedPCI Bus

Agilent Technologies 8960 Functional Block Diagram

RIPP architecture provides measurement speed whichis typically 10 to 30 times faster than currently avail-able test sets. This speed significantly increases thethroughput on your production lines.

8960 Series 10 can handle multiple processes at thesame time. With optimized algorithms and tasksoptimally distributed among the processors, fulladvantage is taken of the high-speed internal commu-nication available on the VME bus. Complementingparallel processing are dual-receiver paths and multi-ple samplers.

Dual-Receiver Paths - With two independent receiverpaths, call processing is completely separate frommaking measurements. The digital signal processing(DSP) processor makes measurements while theprotocol processor maintains the link. Any non-ADChardware control is handled concurrently by the hostprocessor and master serial control chips, providinghigh-speed parallel communication.

Multiple Samplers - Multiple analog to digital convert-ers (samplers) provide multiple signal access to theDSP processor. The DSP processor controlling thesamplers over a high-speed PCI bus provides the 8960Series 10 with the ability to optimize a sequence ofmeasurements. Look at “Comparing TransmitterMeasurements” in this document to understand themeasurement speed of the 8960 Series 10.

Reduced Instruction Parallel Processing Architecture

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Test Sequence 1 (for the Agilent Technologies 8960 Series 10)

Call ProcessingTime

(varies with mobile phone)

Phase/FrequencyError

5 bursts0.130 s x 2

TX Power1 burst

0.012 s x 6

Power vs Time5 bursts

0.200 s x 6Total Test Time

3.5 s

Test Sequence 2 (for the Agilent Technologies 8960 Series 10)

Phase/FrequencyError

20 bursts0.480 s x 2

TX Power1 burst

0.012 s x 6

Output RFSpectrum50 bursts

0.740 s x 6

Total Test Time7.5 s

+ + +

+ + +Call Processing

Time(varies with

mobile phone)

Test Sequence Examples

The graph in figure 1 is a performance comparison ofthe Agilent Technologies 8960 Series 10 and AgilentTechnologies 8922 test sets. Two test sequences wereused to demonstrate the complete speed advantagethat is provided by RIPP architecture for final test.

• Test Sequence 1 is representative of what mightbe used today in final test; transmitter power (TXpower) and power-versus-time measurements at 3power levels on 2 channels, and phase/frequencyerror measurements at 1 power level per channel.

Although there can be an advantage in measuringmultiple bursts of the waveform measurements(power vs time and phase/frequency error), thetime penalty incurred with current generation testsets usually prohibits multiple measurements. Inthis test sequence, 5 bursts are measured on bothpower versus time and phase/frequency error todemonstrate the viability of the 8960 Series 10 forhigh-speed multi-burst measurements.

• Test Sequence 2 is not typical of what is used infinal test today, but was chosen to demonstrate theflexibility the 8960 Series 10 has in meeting poten-tially challenging test scenarios. Measuring outputRF spectrum or making high burst count measure-ments results in a high cost of test time when usingthe current generation of test sets. In this testsequence a 50 burst output RF spectrum measure-ment at 2 offsets, both modulation and switching, is

The 8960 Series 10 reduces multi-channel,multi-power, and multi-burst test sequences by afactor of 5 to 20. Full-featured test times under5 seconds are achievable.

included with the TX power measurement at 3power levels on 2 channels and a 20 burst phase/frequency error measurement at 1 power levelper channel.

These test sequences are just two examples of theextraordinary speed of the 8960 Series 10. Use the datafrom “Comparing Transmitter Measurements” in thisdocument to calculate the 8960 Series 10 speed onyour test sequence.

Figure 1

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Transmitter Power Measurement Speed(multi-burst)

Transmitter Power Measurement Timing(Agilent Technologies 8960)

35 ms

4.6 ms

Transmitter Power

Transmitter power is the most frequently made mea-surement in the GSM mobile station manufacturingprocess. It is critical that mobile phones operate toGSM standards. To meet these standards and toconserve battery life, transmitter power levels on themobile are typically adjusted and set in an extensivecalibration test mode process (non-call processing);and power levels are then measured again in an activecell test sequence (call processing). All this meansthat many transmitter power measurements areperformed during GSM mobile manufacturing.

High-speed, accurate transmitter power measurementsnot only provide a tremendous benefit in reducingmanufacturing test time, but they also allow for fastdetection of phone instability. The 8960 Series 10provides fast transmitter power measurements withsingle bursts timed at 12 ms and multi-burst measure-

ments timed at the GSM frame rate.

Figure 2 shows the timing of a measurement, comparedwith the GSM bursts, to demonstrate that the 8960 Series10 actually is faster than the GSM frame rate.

The transmitter power measurement starts with aproprietary power detector circuit that has greaterthan 50 dB dynamic range, less than 5 µs full responsetime, 3 GHz wide-band coverage and independentcalibration. The measurement completes in the DSPprocessor with an optimized algorithm and real-timecontrol of calibration. What this means is the 8960Series 10 provides high-speed GSM transmitter powermeasurements with no user calibration required. Theonly overhead with measurements is call processing ormobile station control. There is never any power-calibration overhead.

Figure 2

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Phase/Frequency Error Measurement Speed(multi-burst)

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Phase/Frequency Error

The phase/frequency error measurement quantifies thetransmitter’s modulation performance of the mobilephone, and provides a means of measuring thefrequency accuracy. GSM modulation precludes theuse of a traditional frequency counter. Although thismeasurement is done less often than the transmitterpower measurement, due to the variability inherent inthe mobile station, it is generally desired as a multi-burst measurement.

So although high-speed, accurate phase/frequencyerror measurements will also reduce manufacturingtest time, they also allow for a better measurement inthe same or reduced time. The 8960 Series 10 providesfast phase/frequency error measurement in with single

bursts timed at 40 ms and multi-burst measurementstimed at 23 ms/burst. The phase/frequency errormeasurement is based on a proprietary algorithmthat depends on a high-speed ADC to capture thewaveform and a high-speed DSP processor formeasurement computation.

Figure 3 shows the timing of a measurement, to demon-strate the paralleling of burst sampling and measure-ment computation within RIPP architecture to optimizetest speed in the 8960 Series 10.

Figure 3

6

Power Versus Time Speed(multi-burst)

Power Versus Time Timing(Agilent Technologies 8960)

ReturnResults

4 ms

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Power Versus Time

The power versus time measurement verifies that themobile’s burst shape meets the mask as defined by theGSM standards. This is a critical measurement be-cause of the timing requirements in the GSM system.Power versus time measurements can be done almostas often as transmitter power measurements and even ashort multi-burst measurement is generally moredesirable than a single burst measurement.

High-speed, accurate power versus time measure-ments will definitely reduce test times, as well asprovide more confidence in the phone’s performance.

The 8960 Series 10 provides the fastest power versus

time measurement in the industry with single burststimed at 53 ms and multi-burst measurements at37 ms/burst. The timing graphic in figure 4 demon-strates the paralleling of burst sampling and measure-ment computation within RIPP architecture.

The power versus time measurement uses the widedynamic range of the power detector circuit and thehigh-speed sampling of the IF. The result is a fastmeasurement which returns a pass/fail resultthat is based on the entire burst, not just the user-specified offsets.

Figure 4

7

ReturnResults

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Seconds

Output RF Spectrum Speed(multi-burst, 2 offsets, switching and modulation)

Output RF Spectrum Timing(Agilent Technologies 8960; 2 offsets, switching and modulation)

2

.013 (13 ms)

InitiateMeasurement

4 ms

Tune IF10 ms

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Output RF Spectrum

The output RF spectrum (ORFS) measurement mea-sures the out-of-channel emissions of a phone. Theseemissions can be caused by either modulation orswitching. Both of these must be kept to low levels toprevent interference to adjacent channels. Because ofthe desire of GSM system providers to provide opti-mum performance in their networks, there is increas-ing pressure on GSM manufacturers for ORFSmeasurement data.

The 8960 Series 10 allows GSM manufacturers toinclude a high-speed, accurate, ORFS measurement inthe mobile station manufacturing process. The initialburst of an ORFS measurement with both modulationand switching at two offsets is timed at 130 ms, withsubsequent bursts timed at 13 ms/burst.

Figure 5 shows the timing of a single-burst, two offset

ORFS measurement. The ORFS measurementprobably best represents how RIPP addresses specificmeasurement architecture. Due to the proprietarynature of this measurement that information can not beshared, but what can be seen is the ease-of-use and thespeed of this measurement. As with all measurementsin the 8960 Series 10, a few easy steps manually or afew high-level commands remotely, result in fast andaccurate results.

The ORFS measurement uses the wide dynamic rangeof the power detector circuit and the high-speedsampling of the IF. It also uses an optimized DSPprocessing algorithm to provide measurement resultsthat are twice as fast as any test set on the markettoday. The proprietary Agilent Technologiesapproach actually provides for 2 modulationmeasurements per burst.

Figure 5

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Comparing Transmitter Measurements

ConclusionThe Agilent Technologies 8960 Series 10 test set providesease of use and measurement speed along with accuracy andrepeatability. The result is high measurement throughput that doesnot sacrifice the integrity of the measurement process. Test costsare reduced, a high volume of phones that meet specifications arepassed, and failed phones are quickly and accurately identified.With the 8960 Series 10 test set, you receive high throughput alongwith high confidence in the measurement results.

For more information about Agilent Technologies testand measurement products, applications, services, andfor a current sales office listing, visit our web site at:http://www.agilent.com/find/tmdirYou can also contact one of the following centers andask for a test and measurement sales representative.

United States:Agilent TechnologiesTest and Measurement Call CenterP.O. Box 4026Englewood, CO 80155-4026(tel) 1 800 452 4844

Canada:Agilent Technologies Canada Inc.5150 Spectrum WayMississauga, OntarioL4W 5G1(tel) 1 877 894 4414

Europe:Agilent TechnologiesTest & MeasurementEuropean Marketing OrganisationP.O. Box 9991180 AZ AmstelveenThe Netherlands(tel) (31 20) 547 9999

Japan:Agilent Technologies Japan Ltd.Measurement Assistance Center9-1, Takakura-Cho, Hachioji-Shi,Tokyo 192-8510, Japan(tel) (81) 426 56 7832(fax) (81) 426 56 7840

Latin America:Agilent TechnologiesLatin American Region Headquarters5200 Blue Lagoon Drive, Suite #950Miami, Florida 33126U.S.A.(tel) (305) 267 4245(fax) (305) 267 4286

Australia/New Zealand:Agilent Technologies Australia Pty Ltd347 Burwood HighwayForest Hill, Victoria 3131(tel) 1-800 629 485 (Australia)(fax) (61 3) 9272 0749(tel) 0 800 738 378 (New Zealand)(fax) (64 4) 802 6881

Asia Pacific:Agilent Technologies24/F, Cityplaza One, 1111 King’s Road,Taikoo Shing, Hong Kong, SAR(tel) (852) 3197 7777(fax) (852) 2506 9284

ã Copyright Agilent Technologies 1999All Rights ReservedTechnical data subject to changePrinted in U.S.A. 12/995968-7875E

For more information about the 8960 Series 10Wireless Communications Test Set visit our web site at:

http://www.agilent.com/find/8960support