Abstract: An optical line-of-sight inter-board data transfer configuration for circuit boards mounted in a card cage or other suitable mounting mechanism has an array of light emitting devices and an array of light detecting devices mounted on each circuit board such that, when the circuit boards are mounted in the card cage, each light emitting device of one circuit board is aligned with a corresponding light detecting device on an adjacent circuit board. Data is modulated onto collimated light that is transmitted from the light emitting devices via a gas (air) or free space medium to corresponding ones of the light detecting devices. In this way high data rates in the gigahertz range may be achieved between circuit boards, avoiding the bottleneck imposed by a backplane of the card cage.

Abstract: An optical line-of-sight inter-board data transfer configuration for circuit boards mounted in a card cage or other suitable mounting mechanism has an array of light emitting devices and an array of light detecting devices mounted on each circuit board such that, when the circuit boards are mounted in the card cage, each light emitting device of one circuit board is aligned with a corresponding light detecting device on an adjacent circuit board. Data is modulated onto collimated light that is transmitted from the light emitting devices via a gas (air) or free space medium to corresponding ones of the light detecting devices. In this way high data rates in the gigahertz range may be achieved between circuit boards, avoiding the bottleneck imposed by a backplane of the card cage.

Abstract: Automatic test equipment with programmable timing generators to generate digital signals and analog signals. The digital timing generator can be programmed to generate timing signals with a resolution finer than that of the master clock of the timing generator. Extremely fine resolution is achieved by specifying the numerator and denominator of a fractional portion of a period. A similar arrangement is used to allow fine frequency resolution for the analog timing generator. The fine resolution achievable with the timing generators allows the digital timing generator to be synchronized to the analog timing generator.