Mixed-signals with fast updates
-- Test & Measurement World, 2/26/2008 7:31:00 AM
Agilent Technologies MSO/DSO 7000 series moves the company into the tall and shallow oscilloscope field. The ten models, five with 16 logic inputs, feature 12.1-in. displays in cases just 7-in. deep. Dubbed “InfiniiVision,” the oscilloscopes can update their screens at up to 100,000 times a second.
Agilent claims that the high update rate is possible because of a single FPGA that performs signal acquisition and signal processing, thus increasing speed because it doesn’t require interchip communications between the two functions. With the FPGA, the mixed-signal oscilloscope (MSO) won’t lose screen update rate when you enable its logic inputs.
The MSO/DSO 7000 oscilloscopes features optional decode and triggers for many popular communications buses. They include RS-232, I2C, SPI, CAN, and FlexRay. Once you capture data, you can store it on a USB thumb drive or transfer data to a PC over a USB or Ethernet connection. You can then convert data to Excel format using Agilent’s IntuiLink software. Other optional oscilloscope applications include vector signal analysis, FPGA dynamic probing, power analysis, and segmented memory, which optimizes use of the instrument’s acquisition memory.
Each model includes 8 Msamples of acquisition memory for two channels. Four-channel models have 4 Msamples available for each pair of channels. Sample rates run up to 4 Gsamples/s depending on the model. Bandwidth ranges from 350 MHz to 1 GHz. You can upgrade any of the MSO 7000 models to MSO models by adding the 16 logic channels. Your total cost will be the same as a new MSO.
Prices start $6950 for a two-channel, 350-MHz oscilloscope to $17,900 for a four-channel, mixed-signal oscilloscope with 16 logic channels.
Agilent Technologies, www.agilent.com/find/7000.
