Keysight’s InfiniiVision HD3 series 14-bit oscilloscopes let you see signals with 4x the resolution of 12-bit instruments. Low noise, fast update rates, and deep memory round out these 2-channel and 4-channel models.

When you need to see more signal details than ever, you need either a faster sample rate or finer vertical resolution, or both. For finer vertical resolution, Keysight has introduced the InfiniiVision HD3 Series, the company’s first oscilloscope with 14-bit vertical resolution. In high-res mode, the HD3 series can reach up to 16 bits.

Available with two or four channels and bandwidths of 200 MHz, 350 MHz, 500 MHz, and 1 GHz, the InfiniiVision HD3 oscilloscopes feature a dedicated 14-bit ADC on each channel — no interleaving. That’s two bits more than rivals Teledyne LeCroy and Rohde & Schwarz, though Rohde & Schwarz claims 18-bit resolution in high-res mode. Of course, there’s a tradeoff between resolution and bandwidth. The InfiniiVision HD3 instruments use a custom ASIC that, according to Keysight, processes incoming signals and provides test results without overburdening the main processor and reducing sample rate.

An oscilloscope’s noise floor directly affects your ability to see low-level signal details and thus its effective number of bits (ENOB). Keysight claims a worst-case noise floor of 55.9 mVrms at 500 MHz with a vertical setting of 10 V/div and 1 MΩ input impedance. Keysight specifies an ENOB of 10.4 bits. Keysight’s marketing says 50 µVrms but that’s only at one configuration. See the datasheet for complete information, including table on noise versus bandwidth, vertical settings, and channel input impedance.

Another important feature in an oscilloscope is its ability to capture intermittent pulses, droops, and other signal anomalies. To that end, the InfiniiVision HD3 features what Keysight calls Fault Hunter Software, an expert system (it’s not AI) that automatically evaluates your signal’s characteristics against user-definable criteria. With Fault Hunter, you can find and save errors to review. Fault Hunter lets you define the test duration from a few minutes up to two days. You can then set up your device-under-test to run overnight and get with a full test report.

Deep memory and fast update rate also let you see intermittent signal problems. To help you find those problems, the InfiniiVision HD3 oscilloscopes feature a maximum sample rate of 3.2 GSa/sec with a screen update rate of better than 1,300,000 waveforms/sec. Standard waveform memory depth is 20 MSa on each channel with upgrades to 50 MSa and 100 MSa available through licenses.

Base price for Model HD302MSO (2 ch) is US$8,323 and Model HD304HD (4 ch) is $9187. Options include:

• 16 logic inputs. If you already use a Keysight MSO, you can use the same 16-channel digital cable with the HD3 Series.
• Waveform generator capable of producing sine waves up to 100 MHz.
• Serial bus and automotive serial bus decoding.
• A long list of compatible probes.