MAC Panel's 120 series wireless interface

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For years manufacturing test has used wire based interface cabling to route signals from the test equipment to the receiver modules. This method has been very costly to build and maintain, especially with the increasing I/O density being offered by equipment manufacturers. 

A new approach was needed to meet the increasing demand for lower cost of ownership on new ATE systems. MAC Panel met with several instrument product manufacturers to perfect a new concept called the Wireless Interface. The 120 series ITA products was introduced to eliminate wire within the receiver. This approach uses PCBs between the instrument front panel connections and the receiver modules.

The PCB brings all the signal lines and grounds directly to the ITA contacts, providing better signal quality while reducing the cost of entry and maintenance. The 120 series also offers the ability to bring 960 contact points to the front of an interface within two instrument slots. Metal shielding is provided to eliminate cross talk and interference from outside sources. This approach can be used for general-purpose signals greater than 100 MHz or for 3 AMP dc signals.