Spectrum’s Chip.
German test and measurement technology company Spectrum Instrumentation has introduced a new functionality for its Arbitrary Waveform Generators (AWGs), aimed at improving automation and efficiency in advanced testing environments.
The company announced the launch of its new “Sequence Restart Mode,” a firmware enhancement designed to accelerate automated test processes by enabling waveform sequences to restart instantly and with precise timing upon receipt of a trigger event.
The feature is being made available free of charge to users of all 66 AWG models in Spectrum’s 65xx and 66xx series through installation of the latest software drivers.
Enhancing Automated Testing
Arbitrary Waveform Generators are widely used across industries including electronics, aerospace, telecommunications, physics research and semiconductor testing to create highly customizable electrical signals for development and validation processes.
Spectrum’s existing “Sequence Mode” already allowed users to build long-duration waveform streams by linking and looping waveform segments of varying lengths. According to the company, the newly introduced restart capability significantly extends this functionality.
With the “Sequence Restart Mode,” the entire waveform sequence can now automatically restart from the beginning whenever a trigger signal is received, while maintaining a fixed and deterministic trigger-to-output timing.
The enhancement is intended to improve synchronization and reduce downtime in automated testing systems where repetitive measurements or conditional restarts are required.
“The trigger-to-output time is always fixed, thus allowing automated test processes to begin anew whenever conditions require, reducing test times and improving overall measurement efficiency,” the company said in its announcement.
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Feature Developed Following Customer Request
Spectrum said the new capability was developed directly in response to customer feedback and was initially created as a tailored support solution before being rolled out to all users.
The original request came from Johannes Rahm, a scientist at Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB), Germany’s national metrology institute responsible for maintaining the country’s official time standard through atomic clock systems.
Rahm’s team uses Spectrum AWG cards to generate radio frequencies required for laser frequency manipulation in cesium fountain atomic clocks.
“For the AWG cards from Spectrum that I use, I needed a special version of the sequence mode to generate RF frequencies,” Rahm said in a statement.
“These frequencies are used to manipulate the laser frequencies employed for cooling the atoms and for fluorescence spectroscopy. Spectrum’s engineers responded quickly to my request, my tests were successful, and the new mode works exactly as I envisioned.”
The company said the episode illustrates how customer-specific engineering requests can evolve into broadly available product enhancements benefiting the wider user base.
Free Upgrade Across Product Range
Spectrum confirmed that the new feature is immediately available at no additional cost for all AWGs in its 65xx and 66xx product lines.
The instruments are designed primarily for computer-controlled applications and support integration into automated systems through a unified software toolkit compatible with both Windows and Linux operating systems.
Programming support is available for multiple environments including Python, MATLAB, C++, and LabVIEW, alongside a high-level Python API intended to simplify implementation in laboratory and industrial settings.
Spectrum also highlighted its ongoing policy of providing lifetime technical support directly from its engineering teams, along with free firmware and software updates.
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Growing Demand for Precision Signal Generation
The announcement comes amid increasing demand for high-performance signal generation tools in research laboratories, industrial automation, semiconductor development and quantum technology applications.
Modern AWGs are critical components in automated testing systems because they enable engineers and scientists to simulate highly complex signal environments with precise timing and repeatability.
By improving restart synchronization and reducing latency in repeated test cycles, features such as Sequence Restart Mode can help laboratories and manufacturers shorten development timelines and improve testing throughput.
Founded in 1989, Spectrum Instrumentation develops modular digitizer and waveform generator systems available as PCIe, PXIe and Ethernet-based LXI instruments. The company says it now offers more than 200 products and serves customers worldwide, including universities, research institutions and industrial manufacturers.
The company is headquartered near Hamburg, Germany.
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