The latest iteration of the microwave switch design tool adds simulation and schematic design

     Pickering Interface Corporation announced its Microwave Switch Design Tool, a free online tool that allows you to configure application-specific PXI and LXI RF and microwave switch subsystems with just a few clicks. It has been updated to include schematic design and simulation capabilities. The latest iteration of this web-based tool accelerates the process from design to production - from block diagrams to mechanical layouts - and minimizes risk by allowing users to design their own custom RF switch subsystem and instantly display electrical performance.

     The new schematics and simulation tools integrate seamlessly with the existing panel configurator in the Microwave Switch Design Tool (MSDT), allowing users to go directly from electrical schematics with validated RF performance to mechanical layouts (front and/or rear panels). In this way, MSDT acts as a powerful extension of the engineering team, allowing them to easily work with PickeriPickering's RF engineers. MSDT simplifies the creation of custom and turnkey RF and microwave switching and relay subsystems for signal routing applications in the aerospace and defense, wireless communications, automotive, medical, and semiconductor industries.

     "We have updated the microwave switch design tool for network-based applications to add circuit schematic generation and RF circuit simulation," explains Simon Aylott, Microwave division Manager at Pickering Interfaces. These enhancements enable engineers to graphically design and validate their RF switching subsystems on a virtual PXI or LXI platform. You can quickly create circuit diagrams and accurately simulate the electrical performance of your design, giving you an immediate visual indication of your system's predicted RF performance. You can then refine and optimize the design before submitting it to the system build process. This flexibility saves significant time and resources and minimizes the risks associated with complex RFIU switching system design projects."

     Available free online and without installation, MSDT's web-based graphical toolset minimizes risk by providing intuitive design, testing, and optimization of complex RF and microwave switching systems in a virtual environment before physical models are built. The tool has access to many RF and microwave components, supports electrical design by generating schematics, including interconnect cables and circuit simulations of individual components and complete signal paths, and supports mechanical design by creating front and rear panels. Accurate predictions of RF electrical performance increase confidence, thereby reducing the risks associated with complex product designs. The range of components provided in an MSDT is constantly evolving, and alternative projects can be required to be included in the component database.

     MSDT is part of the company's growing set of online design tools that help test engineers graphically design, share, maintain, and visualize various parts of a test system architecture. The reusability of data and integration with software and simulation tools increase development efficiency by reducing redundant manual tasks and associated errors.