Oscilloscopes and probes play a vital role for engineers designing and testing power electronics.
Delivering electrical power to analog and digital circuits and systems is more than just DC measurements. That’s because nearly all power-converter circuits use switching techniques to maximize efficiency. Silicon carbide (SiC and gallium nitride (GaN) transistors, with their higher voltage and switching frequencies, raise switching frequencies over silicon transistors. Higher frequencies bring smaller inductors and transformers that reduce the swither’s overall size. The downside is that faster switching brings on greater harmonics and with it, EMI.
Furthermore, power circuits almost always require voltage and current high-side measurements. That brings on differential voltage measurements. Engineers must also measure current in all parts of power-delivery circuits and systems. Isolation between probes and equipment is essential in all differential and current measurements. Meters will only get you so far. For the rest, you need oscilloscopes, differential probes, and voltage probes.
In photos and videos, here’s what EE World saw at APEC 2025 in Atlanta:
Cleverscope uses fiber-optic links in its CS548 14-bit PC-based oscilloscope to isolate probes from the instrument’s system board. Each channel has its own ADC. QSFP cages at the ADC and system boards accept the optical modules for data transmission. The optical cable can connect directly to the board. The QPFP cages below let you connect your own QSFP electrical-to-optical interfaces to the board for custom applications.
Keysight Technologies exhibited several oscilloscopes and probes, including equipment aimed at the educational market. The photo shows an MXR608B 6 GHz, 8-channel Infiniium MXR series oscilloscope using a fiber-optic isolated differential probe. In the video below, Keysight’s Heidi Barnes explains power issues related to crosstalk and ground bounce.
Rohde & Schwarz combined MXO 5 Series and MXO 5C series instruments to form a 16-channel oscilloscope (see photo). A total of ten probes connect to a Texas Instruments evaluation board. The company also showed its four-channel MXO 4 Series oscilloscope.
In the video below, Joel Woodward showed an unusual application for an oscilloscope. Using a board he found on eBay, Woodward used the oscilloscope’s X-Y display to show an “analog” clock.
Tektronix exhibited oscilloscopes and probes in several power-measurement applications. The photo shows a test setup that can support up to 16 channels using two MSO58LP low-profile oscilloscopes. Atop the stack is an EA-PSI 10000 Series programmable power supply. In the video, Bill Driver demonstrates the company’s isolated current-shunt probe that uses an RF signal to transmit data to the oscilloscope as opposed to using a fiber-optic link. The RF signal, contained in the “black box,” provides the isolation.
Teledyne LeCroy exhibited its HDO6104B four-channel 12-bit oscilloscope and assorted voltage, differential, and current probes.
Yokogawa showed the DLM3054HD 12-bit, 500 MHz oscilloscope and the DL950 ScopeCorder. The DL950 accepts up to eight measurement modules, such as voltage and temperature, with 14-bit resolution.
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