The Mission
Automated test equipment and production-line stations run unattended, often around the clock. Each station triggers a device under test, gates an instrument, and steps through a script with no operator at the keyboard. The timing generator inside that station has to integrate cleanly into a rack, take commands over a control bus, and behave identically on the ten-thousandth cycle as on the first.
The mission is repeatability and integration: a stimulus and timing source that a test executive can drive over Ethernet, that fits the rack, and that recalls a known setup on power-up.
The Challenge
Remote control comes first. The station controller needs a clean programming interface, SCPI over LAN, USB, or RS-232, so the test sequence sets delays, widths, and modes without front-panel intervention. Form factor comes second. Space in a production rack is budgeted, and a low-profile 1U or 2U instrument earns its slot. Channel flexibility matters because one station may pulse a DUT, gate a scope, and trigger a handler all at once.
Consistency closes the list. Stored setups that survive a power cycle, stable timing across a long shift, and a generator that does not require recalibration between runs keep yield numbers honest and throughput high.
Recommended Berkeley Nucleonics Solutions
The Model 588 is purpose-built for rack integration, an 8-channel timing generator in a low-profile 1U chassis with TCP/IP and SCPI control, NI-certified LabVIEW drivers, and 24 stored setup slots, a clean alternative to multi-box, multi-cable benches. For higher channel density in the same automated role, the Model 588B scales to 12 or 24 channels in 2U with USB, RS-232, and Ethernet control.
Where a station needs full-featured benchtop flexibility with the same remote reach, the Model 577 offers 4 or 8 channels, 250 ps resolution, and optional Ethernet and GPIB alongside standard USB and RS-232. For compact stations or portable test carts, the USB-powered six-channel Model 525 runs from the controller's own USB port and exposes a PC-based programming interface.
Why It Works
Every instrument here takes commands over a standard bus and stores its configuration, so a test executive owns the setup end to end and the station recovers its state after a power cycle. The 1U 588 and 2U 588B fit the rack budget while supplying the channels a multi-instrument station needs, and the 577 and 525 cover the bench and portable cases. Stable timebases and recallable setups keep the ten-thousandth unit measured the same way as the first.
Getting Started
Berkeley Nucleonics application engineers help match channel count, edge speed, jitter budget, and output module to your timing diagram before you order. Send a block diagram or a short description of the events you need to synchronize, and we will return a configuration recommendation.
Email info@berkeleynucleonics.com or call 800-234-7858. Browse the full Pulse & Delay Generator documentation for datasheets, manuals, and ordering guides.