The newest release of M1 is now available, and includes the following additions to functionality:

DDR2/3 Read/Write separation in an EyeView - When analyzing DDR2/3 traffic that includes both Reads and Writes, the difference in the timing relationship between strobe and data creates significant problems for a standard eye diagram or eye mask.  This new feature allows the user to select in the EyeView to display only those bits associated with Reads or only those bits associated with Writes once the DDR signals have been defined using M1's Named Signals capability.

FFT of a Multi-Signal measurement - This feature allows you to examine the spectral content of the Delay behavior between two signals, rather than just the spectral content of each signal separately.  With this feature, you'll now see FFTView as an additional display choice in the last step of the New Measurement wizard when a Multi-Signal measurement has been selected.

Flexible View Arrangement - Previously, M1 had been restricted to either a 2x2 Tiled or an up to 4-high Stacked arrangement of measurement windows.  This was fine for smaller resolution screens, but with the trend towards higher resolution it was time to make better use of the available screen area.  As a result, under Preferences/Display/ Change Layout, it is now possible for the user to specify the exact number of rows of measurement windows they want, as well as the number of views in each row.  M1 will ensure that the individual views don't get too small to be useable, but beyond that it's entirely up to you.

Also in this release:

• User Defined Measurements - User Defined DLLs can now be selected from a menu and a measurement name and description can be used rather than just the DLL filename itself to select the measurement
• Automations - Improvements in the ability to control external instruments from an M1 TestScript
• New Scope Support - Support for Agilent 9000-series scopes has been added

Any customer with an active Software Subscription can download and install this update at no cost by going to www.amherst-systems.com/downloads.htm.  To see if you have an active Subscription, simply click on About M1 from the Main Menu tab.  For information on extending an existing Subscription or restarting a lapsed Subscription, go to www.amherst-systems.com/subscription-purchase-renewal.htm or contact ASA at sales@amherst-systems.com.

M1 Oscilloscope Tools contains several features that can ease your automation concerns.  M1 TestScripts provide a way to easily automate common sequences of measurements and actions, and can be 'clicked together' within the graphical ScriptBuilder authoring environment.  For more complicated scenarios (such as that shown below), M1 OT can be externally controlled via XML commands to facilitate inclusion into new or existing automation systems.  This includes the ability to separate the acquisition side, using M1 OT, from the analysis side, using M1 Reader, to greatly improve system throughput and scalability. 

 

 

Best of all, M1 acts as a Hardware Abstraction Layer between you and your scope.  Once a script is working, you can easily replace your current scope with a new one (even one from a different manufacturer) and continue to use the same commands as if nothing had changed.  This saves considerable money compared to having to rewrite and retest parts of your automation system to account for a new instrument.
 

ASA is seeking talented T&M sales engineers with experience in selling mid to high-end scopes for Tek, Agilent or LeCroy for both direct employment and in an innovative Virtual Field Organization (VFO). The VFO is a tool for these times. We can't directly hire everyone, but VFO is intended to create significant income opportunity for those who can impact our sales. And it gives ASA the opportunity to help out some of the real high-performers we have worked with over the years, while providing a qualified scope sales engineer the ability to build his own job at ASA (the company that invented the scope software market in the 90's). 

 

Given the devastating conditions of this economy, we are limiting this strictly to sales engineers that have been laid off.  To learn more about the openings and the program, please visit www.m1ot.com/field-program-2009.htm.