Modular scopes compete with stand-alones

Staff -- Test & Measurement World, 11/1/2006

The ZT4610 line of PCI, PXI, and VXI oscilloscope modules from ZTEC Instruments has specs comparable to midrange stand-alone scopes but consume less rack space—a plus if you’re building a production test stand. The family consists of the two-channel ZT4611 for PCI, PXI (pictured), and VXI with sampling rates of 2 Gsamples/s on two channels. The four-channel ZT4612 for VXI only samples at that same speed when running four channels.

Both models let you interleave channels to double sample rates, and both feature a 1-GHz bandwidth. They also contain advanced triggering such as pattern, pulse width, state, and video with qualified triggers and holdoff settings.

Software support for the ZT4610 family includes drivers for C and LabView with both high-level and low-level routines so you can choose the level of control and programming complexity. The scopes also come with ZScope 2.0, a software application that lets you operate the scope through traditional controls for vertical, horizontal, and trigger settings.

Base prices: ZT4611—$7995; ZT4612—$19,995. ZTEC Instruments, www.ztecinstruments.com.