Predictika · RF coaxial switch quotes

An AI sales agent's RF coaxial switch quote, checked before it goes out

An AI sales agent prepares a quote for Ducommun RF coaxial switches: the switch series, the actuator function, the coil voltage, the highest frequency, the temperature range, the diodes and options and the total drive current. Before it goes out, the agent sends it to Predictika, which checks it against a declarative model of what each series can do, and returns a verdict and every reason.

Scope: Ducommun SPDT, SP3T to SP6T and transfer coaxial switches: series, connector, frequency, actuator function, positions, coil voltage, temperature, diodes, drivers and options, and the stated drive current. See everything this validator covers

This validator models Ducommun RF coaxial switch quotes, not just the scenarios shown below.

  • Series and frequency — the 2A/2AE, 2S/2SE, 2N/2NH, SS/SSE, TA/TAE and TD/TDE series, the connector each one carries and the highest frequency each one is rated for.
  • Actuator and drive — fail-safe, latching, pulse-latching and normally open actuators by series, the 20 to 50 millisecond drive pulse, the coil voltages and the total drive current.
  • Environment — the lowest and highest operating temperature of each series and actuator, and the 125 degree Celsius high-temperature option.
  • Options — diodes and their polarity, driver options, BCD logic with body U, terminals and moisture seal, and the multi-position limits of the SS and SSE series.

Any Ducommun coaxial switch quote that touches these rules is in scope — not only the scenarios pictured here. Not covered: prices, delivery and series outside the catalog pages read. Series data comes from the public Ducommun RF Solutions coaxial switch catalog; a few cross-option rules, such as requiring a polarity whenever diodes are fitted, are modeled from comparable switch products and are not published by Ducommun. This model has no prices, because Ducommun does not publish switch prices.

The AI sales agentBuilds the switch quote from the conversation with the customer and says it is ready.
Predictika validatorChecks every rule at once and returns the verdict, each finding, and the computed figures.

6 scenarios in 3 groups · each group runs from the agent’s first attempt to the outcome · click one to switch

What the agent proposes

The AI sales agent says

Illustrative agent statement. The validator receives the structured request below.

Proposing agent: AI sales agent (scripted)

Before sending, the agent must call Recorded run

Predictika validator


      
Waiting for the call.

Where rules-based CPQ gets it wrong

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Our assessment of what a typical rules-based CPQ (product rules, price rules and validation rules, as in Salesforce CPQ) does with the same cases. It is a judgment about effort and reliability, not a claim that nothing can be built.

What the validator caughtTypical rules-based CPQPredictika
Actuator functions that exist on some series onlyOnly with care
Fail-safe, latching, pulse-latching and normally open are offered differently on every series, so each combination needs its own rule.
The series and actuator are in one request and checked together on every call.
Limits that depend on the series, such as frequency and temperatureOnly with care
Every series has its own highest frequency and its own temperature range, which also changes with the actuator, so each limit needs a lookup per series.
The chosen series' limits are compared with the application directly on every call.
An option that is required once another is chosenOnly with workarounds
A polarity is needed when diodes are fitted and does not apply otherwise, so two rules must exclude each other.
The diodes and the polarity are fields of the same request and are checked together.
A stated drive current that must match the switchesOnly with workarounds
The total comes from the coil current of the series, actuator and voltage times the quantity, so a separate rule must recompute it and compare it with the stated figure.
The stated drive current is a field of the request and is compared with the computed total on every call.
Every problem returned in one answerOnly with workarounds
Rules tend to fire as the quote is saved or a step is completed, so a rep often fixes one error and meets the next.
All findings come back together, whatever order the choices arrived in.

What this validator catches: findings from its test cases

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Every rule is checked on every call, in any order the choices arrive; one problem never hides another. Blocking findings stop the quote; approval findings need a person to sign off; everything else is computed.

1The quoted series is not offered with the requested actuator function in the catalog.
2The customer needs operation to 20,000 MHz; the quoted series is rated to 18,000 MHz.
3The customer needs a different RF connector from the one on the quoted series (SMA series, or N on the 2N/2NH).
4The customer needs a terminated (50 ohm) switch; only the 2A/2AE series in this scope is terminated.
5The quote asks for 2 positions; the quoted series offers 3 to 6.
6The quote asks for 3 positions; the quoted series offers 2 to 2.
7The catalog says to contact the factory for latching and pulse-latching SS/SSE designs; a person should confirm availability.
8A pulse-latching switch needs a 20 to 50 ms drive pulse; the quote states 100 ms.
9The application goes down to -55 C; the quoted series and actuator are rated down to -25 C.
10The application reaches 100 C; the series is rated to 65 C and the 125 C high-temperature option is not on the quote.
11The application reaches 130 C; the highest option offered is 125 C.
126 Vdc is not a standard coil voltage; the catalog offers 5, 12, 15, 24 and 28 Vdc (other voltages are quoted by the factory).
135 Vdc is an ordering code but the catalog tabulates coil current only at 12, 15, 24 and 28 Vdc; a person should confirm it with the factory.
14The low- and high-input driver options come with diodes; the quote has a driver but no diodes.
15The quote has diodes but no polarity (negative or positive) is selected.
16A polarity is selected but the quote has no diodes, so polarity is not applicable.
17Circular connector terminals are not offered on the quoted series.
18BCD logic is offered only on SS/SSE multi-position switches with a low- or high-input driver.
19The BCD driver options require body U, which is not on the quote.
20The quote states 400 mA total drive current; the quoted switches draw 380 mA.
21The catalog does not tabulate the coil current for this series and actuator; a person should confirm the supply capacity.

Scenarios and results

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The recorded result of the validator for each scenario on this page: the request the AI agent sent, the verdict, and every finding, in the order they appear above.

1. Frequency and polarity: A two-switch SS quote with six positions, diodes and a stated drive current

The agent's request. Please quote two series SS normally open coaxial switches for Ridgeline Avionics at 24 Vdc, to be used up to 20,000 MHz, from -40 to 70 degrees Celsius, with 6 positions, with diodes, for a total drive current of 310 milliamperes. It is ready to send.

Verdict: Blocked.

  • Frequency above the series range. The customer needs operation to 20,000 MHz; the quoted series is rated to 18,000 MHz.
  • Diodes need a polarity. The quote has diodes but no polarity (negative or positive) is selected.

2. Frequency and polarity: The agent resubmits after fixing the errors

The agent's request. Please quote two series SSE normally open coaxial switches for Ridgeline Avionics at 24 Vdc, to be used up to 20,000 MHz, from -40 to 70 degrees Celsius, with 6 positions, with diodes and negative polarity, for a total drive current of 310 milliamperes. It is ready to send.

Verdict: Allowed.

  • Quote summary. 2 switch(es) of series SSE, rated to 22,000 MHz, total drive current 310 mA (-1 means not tabulated in the catalog).

3. Pulse width: A two-switch TAE pulse-latching quote

The agent's request. Please quote two series TAE pulse-latching coaxial switches for Ridgeline Avionics at 24 Vdc, to be used up to 20,000 MHz, from 0 to 50 degrees Celsius, driven by an 80 millisecond pulse, for a total drive current of 500 milliamperes. It is ready to send.

Verdict: Blocked.

  • Pulse width outside 20 to 50 ms. A pulse-latching switch needs a 20 to 50 ms drive pulse; the quote states 80 ms.

4. Pulse width: The agent resubmits after fixing the errors

The agent's request. Please quote two series TAE pulse-latching coaxial switches for Ridgeline Avionics at 24 Vdc, to be used up to 20,000 MHz, from 0 to 50 degrees Celsius, driven by a 30 millisecond pulse, for a total drive current of 500 milliamperes. It is ready to send.

Verdict: Allowed.

  • Quote summary. 2 switch(es) of series TAE, rated to 26,500 MHz, total drive current 500 mA (-1 means not tabulated in the catalog).

5. Temperature option: A six-switch 2A fail-safe quote for an application up to 100 degrees Celsius

The agent's request. Please quote six series 2A fail-safe coaxial switches for Ridgeline Avionics at 28 Vdc, to be used up to 18,000 MHz, from -20 to 100 degrees Celsius. It is ready to send.

Verdict: Blocked.

  • Maximum temperature needs the high-temperature option. The application reaches 100 C; the series is rated to 65 C and the 125 C high-temperature option is not on the quote.

6. Temperature option: The agent resubmits after fixing the errors

The agent's request. Please quote six series 2A fail-safe coaxial switches for Ridgeline Avionics at 28 Vdc, to be used up to 18,000 MHz, from -20 to 100 degrees Celsius, with the 125 degree Celsius high-temperature option. It is ready to send.

Verdict: Allowed.

  • Quote summary. 6 switch(es) of series S2A, rated to 18,000 MHz, total drive current 1,350 mA (-1 means not tabulated in the catalog).

Narration transcript

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The text of the narrated walkthrough, step by step.

  1. Welcome to a demo of Predictika's Validator. An AI sales agent prepares a quote for Ducommun RF coaxial switches: the switch series, the actuator function, the coil voltage, and more. Before it goes out, the agent sends it to Predictika, which checks it against a declarative model of what each series can do, and returns a verdict and every reason.
  2. I will start with the first request by the agent.
  3. The agent says. Please quote two series SS normally open coaxial switches for Ridgeline Avionics at 24 Vdc, to be used up to 20,000 MHz. It is ready to send. The rest of the request is on screen.
  4. Before it goes out, the agent calls the validator.
  5. Blocked, with two findings, all in one answer. The customer needs operation to 20,000 MHz; the quoted series is rated to 18,000 MHz. The quote has diodes but no polarity (negative or positive) is selected.
  6. The validator returned two blocking findings in one answer. A check that reads one field at a time would pass most of this; it shows only when the choices in the quote are checked against each other.
  7. What this shows: for limits that depend on the series, such as frequency and temperature, a rules-based CPQ is error-prone for this.
  8. Now the agent resubmits.
  9. The corrected request. It changes the series to SSE and the polarity to negative.
  10. It calls the validator again.
  11. This time the validator clears it.
  12. Both earlier findings are cleared.
  13. Two problems caught in one call, fixed in one pass, and a clean quote. That is the value of Predictika's validator: catching mistakes before they reach the customer. Now you can try the other scenarios yourself.