Pickering Interfaces
Encyclopedia
Pickering Interfaces is a test and measurement company headquartered in Clacton-on-Sea
, UK. Pickering designs, manufactures and markets a range of programmable switching, instrumentation and cabling products in the LAN eXtensions for Instrumentation, PXI
, IEEE-488
, PCI and VXI
platforms. These products are sold into the functional test, hardware-in-the-loop simulation (HILS) and design verifications markets.
Pickering is a privately owned company with design and manufacturing facilities in Clacton-on-Sea
, UK and Trinec
in the Czech Republic, together with additional company operated direct sales and support operations in the USA (East and West Coast), Germany, France, Sweden and China.
Clacton-on-Sea
Clacton-on-Sea is the largest town on the Tendring peninsula, in Essex, England and was founded in 1871. It is a seaside resort that attracted many tourists in the summer months between the 1950s and 1970s, but which like many other British sea-side resorts went into decline as a holiday...
, UK. Pickering designs, manufactures and markets a range of programmable switching, instrumentation and cabling products in the LAN eXtensions for Instrumentation, PXI
PXI
PCI eXtensions for Instrumentation is one of several modular electronic instrumentation platforms in current use. These platforms are used as a basis for building electronic test equipment, automation systems, modular laboratory instruments in science, and the like. PXI is based on...
, IEEE-488
IEEE-488
IEEE-488 is a short-range digital communications bus specification. It was created for use with automated test equipment in the late 1960s, and is still in use for that purpose. IEEE-488 was created as HP-IB , and is commonly called GPIB...
, PCI and VXI
VXI
The VXI bus architecture is an open standard platform for automated test based upon VMEbus. VXI stands for VME eXtensions for Instrumentation, defining additional bus lines for timing and triggering as well as mechanical requirements and standard protocols for configuration, message-based...
platforms. These products are sold into the functional test, hardware-in-the-loop simulation (HILS) and design verifications markets.
Pickering is a privately owned company with design and manufacturing facilities in Clacton-on-Sea
Clacton-on-Sea
Clacton-on-Sea is the largest town on the Tendring peninsula, in Essex, England and was founded in 1871. It is a seaside resort that attracted many tourists in the summer months between the 1950s and 1970s, but which like many other British sea-side resorts went into decline as a holiday...
, UK and Trinec
Trinec
Třinec is a town in Frýdek-Místek District, Moravian-Silesian Region of the Czech Republic. It lies on the Olza River, in the historical region of Cieszyn Silesia. The town has 37,405 inhabitants as of 2009, in 2001 17.7% of the population were Poles...
in the Czech Republic, together with additional company operated direct sales and support operations in the USA (East and West Coast), Germany, France, Sweden and China.
Company history
- 1968 - Pickering Electronicshttp://www.applegate.co.uk/elec/company/co_6541.htm company formed to design and manufacture high reliability reed relayReed relayA reed relay is a type of relay that uses an electromagnet to control one or more reed switches. The contacts are of magnetic material and the electromagnet acts directly on them without requiring an armature to move them...
s for the new Automatic Test EquipmentAutomatic test equipmentAutomatic or Automated Test Equipment is any apparatus that performs tests on a device, known as the Device Under Test , using automation to quickly perform measurements and evaluate the test results...
market. - 1988 - Pickering Interfaces formed as a sister company and launches its first product an IEEE-488IEEE-488IEEE-488 is a short-range digital communications bus specification. It was created for use with automated test equipment in the late 1960s, and is still in use for that purpose. IEEE-488 was created as HP-IB , and is commonly called GPIB...
controlled modular switching system, System 10, in the 3U modular format. - 1990 - High performance IEEE-488IEEE-488IEEE-488 is a short-range digital communications bus specification. It was created for use with automated test equipment in the late 1960s, and is still in use for that purpose. IEEE-488 was created as HP-IB , and is commonly called GPIB...
switching solution, System 20, launched in the 6U modular format. - 1995 - High density VXI Switching module range, System 30, released.
- 1998 - First PXI switch card released, System 40.
- 2000 - Pickering enter the PCI (Peripheral Component InterconnectPeripheral Component InterconnectConventional PCI is a computer bus for attaching hardware devices in a computer...
) switching card market with System 50. - 2002 - Pickering release the BRIC range of ultra high density switch modules in the PXIPXIPCI eXtensions for Instrumentation is one of several modular electronic instrumentation platforms in current use. These platforms are used as a basis for building electronic test equipment, automation systems, modular laboratory instruments in science, and the like. PXI is based on...
format with over 4000 relays per module, the highest density available in any test platform. - 2005 - Pickering now have released over 500 PXI Moduleshttp://www.eeproductcenter.com/test-measure/review/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=190400302.
- 2005 - Pickering and Agilent were the first companies to release LXI certified productshttp://www.tmworld.com/article/CA6291707.html http://www.electronicsweekly.com/Articles/2006/01/25/37467/lxi+puts+testers+on+the+network.htm, Pickering with the 60-100 modular switching product available with over 500 switch cards at launch.
- 2007 - Many additional LXI matrix, microwave, RF, optical, high voltage and power switching products released.
- 2009 - The company introduced Built In Relay Self Test (BIRST) into its PXI Matrix product line.http://www.tmworld.com/article/356812-Pickering_brings_relay_self_test_to_PXI_switching.phphttp://www.automation.com/content/pickering-interfaces-brings-relay-self-test-to-pxi-switching-productronica-hall-a1-booth-344
Principal Product Range
Pickering's primary products are in the LXI and PXI platforms, specifically in programmable switching, attenuators, resistors, power supplies, basic instrumentation and cabling for these products.Test Industry Associations
- Pickering are Strategic members of the LXI consortium, http://www.lxistandard.org.
- Sponsor level members of the PXI Systems Alliance, http://www.pxisa.org