Rohde & Schwarz and Benetel present femtocell test and measurement solutions ranging from development to production

The BTS-114RS is a flexible hardware and software platform that implements a scalable solution capable of cost effective testing from pilot production through to volume production. It is the first FAP test system to apply throughput optimized parallel testing to volume manufacturing and has been successfully integrated into FAP production lines. Parallel automated highly isolated test fixtures allow over-the-air (OTA) testing of the Units Under Test (UUT). The system has a compact design to minimize floor space requirements. Other features include: Auto calibration, remote log-in capability, and a database with tools for analyzing production data. The platform can be configured to provide boundary scan, functional testing, RF calibration, RF test, and application code download; all of which is followed by final functional test. For the manufacturing test solution, Benetel has test profiles for UMTS, CDMA2000®, GSM and GPS available today, with LTE and WiMAX™ planned for later in 2010.

The BTS-114RS utilizes the R&S SMBV100A vector signal generator and the R&S FSV signal and spectrum analyzer. Both units meet the requirements for volume production for accuracy and for speed .The multiple standards supported by the Rohde & Schwarz platforms make it possible to offer the wide range of standards for femtocell test provided by the BTS-114RS. The versatile and accurate R&S NRP-Z11 power sensors are used for TX testing.

Benetel’s design verification system, FAST, also benefits from the cooperation. It helps femtocell developers shorten product development time by automating device verification. Test times can be reduced by up to 80% compared to manual testing. This has the benefit of allowing more time for rigorous stress testing of new products prior to compliance testing. The system utilizes Benetel’s FAST software and Benetel’s Test Set with two R&S SMBV100A signal generators, one R&S FSV13 spectrum analyzer and one R&S SMF100A microwave signal generator for blocking tests to measure according to 3GPP TS25.141 transmitter and receiver specifications.

The Benetel Test Set contains a series of filter banks which can be switched in and out of the RF path as required. This feature enables the automation of blocking and adjacent channel measurements. The software has a flexible GUI to simplify controlling factors such as tests performed, test limits, and frequency points. Results are stored in a database and a software package is provided to generate user-friendly reports in graphical and tabular format. The design and verification test system FAST can be utilized today for UMTS (WCDMA, HSPA, HSPA+), CDMA2000® (1xEV-DO) and TD-SCDMA.