Best in Test Finalists: Oscilloscopes
-- Test & Measurement World, 12/22/2008 2:00:00 AM
→ DLM2000, Yokogawa
→ DPO3000, Tektronix
→ InfiniiVision 7000 Series, Agilent Technologies
→ M-Class, ZTEC Instruments
→ PicoScope 9201, Pico Technology
→ WavePro 7 Zi Series, LeCroy Corporation
DLM2000
Yokogawa
www.tmi.yokogawa.com
Engineers can measure analog, digital, and serial bus waveforms with the DLM2000 series of mixed-signal oscilloscopes. Three models offer bandwidths of 200 MHz, 350 MHz, and 500 MHz with four channels and up to 125 Mpoints of memory. Two-channel, analog-only models are also available.
Yokogawa says that the scope’s flexible mixed-signal input is an industry first. The flexible input allows you to configure channel four as either an analog input or as 8 bits of logic input. When mixed-signal operation is required, the scope provides three channels of analog input and one 8-bit logic input. Logic input can be used for the observation of data and control signals or as a trigger source, as well as for analysis of I2C and SPI serial buses.
In addition to deep memory and mixed-signal operation, the DLM2000 provides a waveform acquisition rate of 1.25 Gsamples/s (2.5 Gsamples/s interleaved) and a history time-stamp resolution of 50 ns. A ScopeCORE ASIC, which combines six ASICs from previous-generation oscilloscopes, is tasked with acquisition, triggering, waveform parameters and math calculations, display accumulation, and searching. The result is an 80% reduction in power consumption, a smaller weight and volume, and a lower purchase price.
DLM2000 prices start at $4250 for a two-channel, 200-MHz model.
DPO3000
Tektronix
www.tektronix.com
Digital phosphor oscillscopes in the DPO3000 Series give you a choice of six models with bandwidths ranging from 100 MHz to 500 MHz and two or four channels. All of the instruments provide 2.5-Gsamples/s sampling with greater than 5X oversampling on all channels. A 5-Msample record length is also standard on all channels, enabling the capture of long time windows of signal activity with very high resolution.
Long records often represent thousands of screens of signal activity, making it challenging to quickly find information specific to a design problem. The DPO3000, with the Wave Inspector search engine, makes extracting needed answers simple and efficient.
In addition to Wave Inspector, the DPO3000 provides serial triggering, protocol decode, USB plug-and-play PC connectivity, and a 9-in. WVGA display to show more detail in the horizontal axis. This widescreen display enables users to better see glitches and fine details that otherwise might be missed.
At only 5.4 in. deep, the DPO3000 scope is the shallowest in its segment of the market and requires less bench space than competing products, claims Tektronix. What’s more, it weighs just 9 lb for easy portability.
Prices range from $4450 for the two-channel DPO3012 to $10,900 for the four-channel DPO3054.
InfiniiVision 7000 Series
Agilent Technologies
www.agilent.com
Comprising 10 models, the InfiniiVision 7000 Series of oscilloscopes covers bandwidths to 1 GHz and delivers an update rate of up to 100,000 waveforms/s, the fastest in the industry, according to Agilent. Each scope comes in a 14-lb package that is only 7 in. deep, while providing a large 12.1-in. display that can simultaneously show more scope waveforms, math functions, and digital/serial traces.
The fast update rate of the InfiniiVision 7000 scopes eliminates two common problems that cause engineers to miss critical information: unresponsive controls with deep memory turned on and architectures blind to changes in signals being tested. For designs with both digital and analog signals, the update rate is 5000 times faster than any other scope, says the manufacturer. Users can view critical signal detail that scopes with longer dead times miss.
A suite of software applications for the InfiniiVision 7000 gives engineers insight into application-specific problems. These applications include: serial decode and trigger for I2C, SPI, CAN, LIN, FlexRay, RS-232, and UART; rapid core-assisted debug of designs with Xilinx or Altera FPGAs; and segmented memory for analysis of laser pulses, radar bursts, and serial packets.
Prices for the InfiniiVision 7000 Series range from $6950 to $17,900.
M-Class
ZTEC Instruments
www.ztecinstruments.com
ZTEC claims that its M-Class oscilloscopes offer the highest channel density of any LXI-compliant scope on the market. Both two-channel and four-channel instruments come in a 1U half-rack package. By rack-mounting two four-channel units side-by-side, you can achieve up to eight input channels in only 1U of rack space.
The M-Class scopes handle space-constrained automated test, remote test, and manual test applications that do not require a bench oscilloscope with a screen, buttons, and knobs. These LXI scopes are controlled over the local area network either programmatically or with ZScope control software.
M-Class LXI oscilloscopes are available in two series. The ZT4610 provides an analog bandwidth of 1 GHz, real-time sampling at up to 4 Gsamples/s, and record lengths of up to 64 Msamples. The ZT4210 offers an analog bandwidth of 300 MHz, real-time sampling at up to 1 Gsample/s, and record lengths of up to 256 Msamples. This series also accurately measures a wide range of input voltage levels up to ±300 V (CAT II). On-board calculation of over 40 waveform parameters related to voltage, time, and frequency are provided by each instrument.
Prices range from $7450 to $8950 for the ZT4210 series and from $8995 to $17,995 for the ZT4610 series.
PicoScope 9201
Pico Technology
www.picotech.com
The PicoScope 9201 PC-based sampling oscilloscope has specifications comparable to other sampling scopes at approximately half the price, says Pico. With a bandwidth of 12 GHz on two channels and an equivalent time sample rate of 5 Tsamples/s, the 9201 is also one of the fastest PC-based sampling scopes, according to the manufacturer.
Designed specifically for the complex task of analyzing high-speed electrical signals, PicoScope 9201can be used for many advanced applications, including signal analysis, timing analysis, testing and design of high-speed digital communication systems, network analysis, semiconductor testing, and research and development.
All software functionality is included in the cost of the oscilloscope, and software updates are provided free of charge for the life of the product. Drivers and examples are supplied for popular programming languages, as well as third-party applications, such as LabView, Agilent Vee, and Excel.
The PicoScope 9201 costs $11,990.
WavePro 7 Zi Series
LeCroy Corporation
www.lecroy.com
Speed, debug capability, and a fast, responsive front panel come together in the WavePro 7 Zi Series of oscilloscope to ease debugging, validation, analysis, and compliance testing of electronic designs. The scopes’ X-Stream II streaming technology uses variable waveform segment lengths to improve CPU cache memory efficiency, resulting in 10 to 20 times faster processing compared to other oscilloscopes, claims LeCroy.
The WavePro 7 Zi offers both 1-Mohm inputs for general-purpose use and 50-ohm inputs for 1.5-GHz to 6-GHz signals. Its high sample rate of 20 Gsamples/s on all four channels and 40 Gsamples/s interleaved, its long record length, and its variety of probes, options, and accessories make the WavePro 7 Zi a complete debugging tool.
Each scope in the series has a 15.3-in. WXGA display and comes with measurement, math, graphing, statistical, and other tools to apply to your waveforms. A waveform previewing function lets you check interim calculation results, while a built-in processing-abort feature makes front-panel control changes instantaneous by stopping the current process and allowing new waveforms to be positioned or zoomed. Users can also control the oscilloscope via a detachable front panel that can be placed right next to the circuit being probed.
Prices for the WavePro 7 Zi series oscilloscopes start at $23,990.
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