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SoundCheck™ for Audio Electronic Testing
System Overview
SoundCheck™ is a comprehensive and flexible audio
measurement system that can be configured for
a wide variety of audio electronic R&D and production
test applications. It provides the accuracy and
thoroughness needed in the lab and the speed and
test integration required in a factory environment.
Applications include:
- Preamplifiers and amplifiers
- Surround sound
- Mixing boards
- PC audio
- MP3 players
User Configurable
SoundCheck is a software-based system which relies on the computing power of your PC. Not only
is this more economical than most hardware based
systems, but computer upgrades actually increase
the performance of your system, unlike a system
that uses hardware-based DSP processing where
the performance remains constant for the life of
the instrument. SoundCheck is built on the popular
National Instruments LabView*1 test environment,
which facilitates integration with the large library of
complimentary instruments. There is no expensive
proprietary test hardware, because SoundCheck
works seamlessly with a wide range of off-the-shelf
data acquisition devices ranging from sound cards
(including USB, Firewire, and Bluetooth PC Audio devices) to high precision data acquisition boards.
This minimizes downtime as, in the event of a
hardware failure, you are not forced to return the
special hardware to the manufacturer and suffer a
production line shut down – you can simply plug in an inexpensive replacement card and be back on
line instantly.
With a choice of front-end input devices and a
modular approach to software, you can configure a
system optimally suited to your needs, yet expand
and evolve it to accommodate changing requirements.
Full channel extensibility makes it particularly
economical and flexible for audio electronics
testing including surround sound systems. This
flexibility of hardware and software configurations
facilitates migration of test procedures from the
product development lab to production test, and
SoundCheck can even be used on a laptop for
field audit applications where portability is essential.
After the initial purchase, SoundCheck can
easily be upgraded with additional channels, hardware,
and software upgrades to accommodate
changing performance needs while maintaining
your test process core and infrastructure.
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Features |
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- Measure frequency response, phase, crosstalk, THD+N, S/N, and more.
- Accurate – 118dB dynamic range and amplitude± 0.008dB.
- Multichannel – expandable up to 32 channels.
- Fast – measure 16 channels in 2 seconds with multitone.
- Cost effective – systems start at under $7000.
- Analog and digital measurements.
- Extensive production test facilities - e.g. PLC control, limits, and statistics.
- Easy automation - SoundCheck uses a simple point & click programming language.
- Flexible report generator – produce reports in Word, Excel, HTML, and databases.
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High Performance
Using professional-grade 24-bit audio hardware
SoundCheck offers the instrument grade performance
that you need for characterizing today’s
audio electronic devices. Its ultra-low distortion
and flat amplitude response make it ideal for testing
high quality preamplifiers and amplifiers.
Fast
SoundCheck is fast, with many unique software algorithms
designed to enhance speed. As an example,
a two-channel 1/3 octave sweep from 20Hz to 20kHz
with frequency response and THD+N measurements
on both channels can be done in under four seconds.
Using SoundCheck’s multitone techniques, even greater
speeds can be achieved.
Synergistic Audio Electronic and Transducer Testing
SoundCheck has been one of the leading acoustic and
transducer testing systems for over a decade, so it is
perfect for testing devices such as MP3 players with
combined electronic and acoustic test needs. Not only is
it the most cost-effective solution, but the challenges of
integrating the hardware and reports from two different
systems are avoided.
Easy Test Development
Most audio electronics testing involves more than a
single measurement, typically a suite of tests involving
a series of measurements each with an associated test
stimulus, and often post-processing of test results. Tests
are run via a powerful sequence editor which enables
tests to be created and modified via a simple point and
click interface. SoundCheck’s Sequence Wizard even
writes the test sequence for you, based on your answers
to questions about the device under test and the test
environment.
Factory Test Friendly
SoundCheck has built-in features such as relay drive
and remote contact sensing to support fixture control,
support for foot switches and bar code scanners, and
several levels of operator authority which facilitate
integration into a production test environment. As it is built on the
popular National Instruments
LabView platform,
it is easy to integrate with
other test equipment and
into larger test environments
with ActiveX*1 links
or National Instruments’
TestStand*1.
Production line test applications
typically require
a simple “pass/fail” output
based on comparing test
results to pre-determined
limits. SoundCheck’s
comprehensive limits
testing capability allows
you to define these limits
using numbers from a
test specification, statistical
data from previous
tests, or graphically by
adding limits.
Professional User-defined Test Reports
SoundCheck can handle anything from a
database entry and simple pass/fail ticket for a
production test application to a comprehensive
25-page engineering report including graphs
and tables of data for product certification, and
everything in between. Highly flexible graphs
give you a wide choice of formatting choices,
and data can be exported to Microsoft*1 Word*1,
Excel*1, or Access*1 or saved as HTML for viewing
via a web browser. SoundCheck interacts
with Access, SQL, or Oracle*1 databases in
enterprise nvironments and can be configured
to produce statistical summary reports automatically.
Download our Audio Electronics Testing Application Note (PDF 347kB)
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