The Benefits of Uptrading to Vantage NXT
The Vantage NXT system provides all the flexibility of the Vantage system, with significant improvements in transceiver performance, expanded frequency ranges, new data input capabilities, and a host of new and useful features to enhance your research efforts.
Vantage NXT – The NXT Level in Research Ultrasound
Leading-edge transmit & receive fidelity
Improved high-frequency performance
Improved image quality and usability
Enhanced arbitrary waveform generation
Expanded frequency bandwidth
Interactive help system
Additional I/O capabilities
Vantage NXT System with NXT UTA260-S and L11-5 transducer
ULM directional flow imaging using L22-14vX transducer (18MHz) – Comparison of Vantage vs Vantage NXT system
Images courtesy of Pengfei Song Lab
ULM directional flow imaging using L35-16vX transducer (28MHz) – Comparison of Vantage vs Vantage NXT system
Images courtesy of Pengfei Song Lab
Comparison of Vantage NXT to Vantage – Transmit Specifications
The new Vantage NXT can transmit shorter pulses, with faster transitions and much greater transmit linearity at all voltages, plus better pulse inversion symmetry over a larger operating frequency range.
| Vantage | Vantage NXT | |
|---|---|---|
| Low Frequency | 50 kHz to 1.5 MHz | 20 kHz - 1.5 MHz* |
| Mid Frequency | 500 kHz to 20 MHz | 250 kHz to 24 MHz |
| High Frequency | 2 MHz to 42 MHz | 1 MHz to 60 MHz |
| HIFU Operating Band | 500 kHz to 4 MHz | 250 kHz to 8 MHz |
| Resolution (clock frequency) | 4 ns (250 MHz) | 2 ns (500 MHz) |
| FET technology | Si | GaN |
| Voltage transition time | 6-10 ns | 2-3 ns |
| Minimum "on" state duration | 12 ns | 4 ns |
| Output monitoring | No | Yes |
* Final product details are subject to change due to ongoing development and optimization.
Comparison of Vantage NXT to Vantage – Receive Specifications
Vantage NXT receiver provides improved sensitivity and faster sample rate across a wider frequency range. Verasonics has also has expanded the per/channel memory, integrated new multi-rate filters and provided a new subsampling method for more subsampling options.
| Vantage | Vantage NXT | |
|---|---|---|
| Low Frequency | 50 kHz to 1.5 MHz | 20 kHz - 1.5 MHz* |
| Mid Frequency | 500 kHz to 27 MHz | 250 kHz to 60 MHz |
| High Frequency | 1 MHz to 50 MHz | 250 kHz to 60 MHz |
| ADC sample rate | 62.5 MHz | 125 MHz |
| ADC Resolution | 14-bit | 16-bit |
| Channel memory | 64 MB | 256 MB |
| Digital filters | FIR filters 41 + 21 taps | Multi-Rate up to 2048 taps |
| Subsampling | Integer factors | Non-integer, rational factors |
| Data type | 16-bit integer | 16-bit integer, 16-bit float |
* Final product details are subject to change due to ongoing development and optimization.
Expanded I/O Capabilities
The Vantage NXT system offers new and additional methods for synchronizing ultrasound data acquisition with external devices and data sources. For example, four synchronization trigger ports can be programmed to be either input or output triggers.
Two analog input ports can acquire data, such as physiological signals, and synchronize them with the ultrasound acquisition.
Likewise, position registration from encoders can now be captured through three quadrature inputs and synchronized with the acquired ultrasonic data.
Control and data transfer are now done using a FireFlyTM optical connector. The optical cable enables a significantly greater distance between the Vantage NXT acquisition device and the host controller, providing more flexibility for data acquisition in various locations.
Comparison of Vantage NXT to Vantage – Expanded I/O Options
| Vantage | Vantage NXT | Applications |
|
|---|---|---|---|
| Triggers | 2 inputs, 1 output | 4 BNC input/outputs With programmable voltage, pulse width | HW synchronization Photoacoustics Script debug |
| PCIe | Gen 3 connection with 1 m copper cable | Gen 3 FireFlyTM optical connection with 2 m cable (up to 100 m) | Large distance between host and Vantage NXT |
| Analog Inputs | None | 2 inputs SMA connectors Signal +/- 5 V range Sample rate 4 kHz 12-bit ADC | Physiological inputs and sensors (i.e. ECG, respiration, temperature, strain, acceleration) Analog data is time-tagged to RF data |
| Encoders | None | 3 quadrature encoder inputs Three DB-9 connectors | Position registration Automated scanning Robotics |
| Sustained Data Transfer Rate | Up to 52.8 Gbits/s (6.6 GB/s) | Up to 52.8 Gbits/s (6.6 GB/s) | Volume imaging High-speed inspection High data rate imaging |
The Vantage NXT is available in the same channel configurations and multi-system arrangements as the Vantage system and is backward and forward compatible with most of the Vantage UTA adapters and transducers.
Vantage NXT uses the same programming model using MATLAB scripts and introduces a new SDK interface for those customers who need alternatives to MATLAB.
The leading-edge Vantage NXT transceiver brings significant improvements to minimum pulse-width specifications, resulting in better resolution and linearity while improving waveform encoding accuracy for Arbitrary Waveform Generation. In addition, the incorporation of measured impulse responses and a new, easy-to-use graphical user interface make this tool more useful on the Vantage NXT system.
